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The LATINA Style 50 Awards Ceremony and Diversity Leaders Conference
By Gloria Romano
 The highest-ranking Latinas from the top 50 companies for Latinas to work for. |
On Thursday, February 4th, LATINA Style celebrated the 12th year anniversary of the LATINA Style 50 Awards ceremony and seventh annual Diversity Leaders Conference at the Renaissance Hotel in the nation’s Capital. Since it’s inception in 1998, the LATINA Style 50 Report sets the standards by fulfilling the goal of its founder, Anna Maria Arias, by providing Latinas an extensive research tool that would address their needs and concerns as professional Hispanic women in the workplace. The report identifies the companies that provide the best career opportunities for Latinas in the United States. Corporations represented at this one-day event have demonstrated their commitment to diversity in the company and continue to create a progressive work environment where Latinas can achieve their true potential. Highlighted are the top 50 companies selected for Latinas to work for in 2009, the honorable mentions and the 2009 LATINA Executives of the year.
 Cristina Alfaro, Meredith Moore, McDonalds USA. |
 Ana Martinez, IBM. |
LATINA Style kicked-off with an exceptional Latina Leadership dinner at one of D.C.’s favorite restaurants, Rosa Mexicano the night prior to the eventful day. Among attendees were White House executives, members of Congress, CEO’s and executives of the top selected companies for Latinas to work for.
The following day initiated with breakfast and attendees were greeted by president & CEO of LATINA Style Inc., Robert Bard. With great applaud attendees welcomed Latina pioneer Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, who serves New York’s 12th District and Chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to the podium. “We welcome the 50 best companies we are celebrating today,” Congresswoman Velázquez stated. “We all know that the phase of America is changing, more Latinos, especially Latinas, and these companies understand the value of diversity. Congratulations. We are all grateful for the commitment to train Latinas in business.”
To embrace and promote diversity in the workplace and entrepreneurship among Latinas, Congresswoman Velázquez works with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Small Business Committee, as she stated “entrepreneurship is the shortest path to economic independence, for Latina business owners, a percent of financial opportunity,” and as a community she believes “we must make sure the American dream is enriched for each and everyone of us.”
 Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez. |
 Pat Harris, McDonalds USA; Arisa Batista Cunningham, Johnson & Johnson; Eddie Fraser, Diversified Search-Odgers, Berndtson. |
According to Congresswoman Velázquez, the economy runs on diversity and worldwide women control $20 trillion in consumer spending which by 2014 the number could reach $28 trillion. “By 2013 our buying power will be in the trillions,” she stated. “Today’s business world is transforming but no transformation happens overnight. Together we can pioneer a brighter future for Latina businesses.”
Congressman Joe Baca, CA 43rd District, and former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute also provided exceptional remarks during the breakfast. As a strong supporter for women and Hispanics he addressed the importance of carrying the message of opportunities for Latinas in terms of the future. “Every step that you take in every position means that a door opens for someone else because you are demonstrating your skills, knowledge, expertise, your ability to function and that becomes important,” he said. “I commend each and every one of you in what you’ve done but we need to make sure we look at corporate responsibility, we need to make sure that Latinos and Latinas have the opportunity to serve on the boards. If they don’t’ serve on the boards it becomes difficult to get a mindset of some of the people who work in those companies to begin to market and do outreach. I encourage you to continue to be involved.”
 Arisa Batista Cunningham, Johnson & Johnson. |
 Congressman Joe Baca. |
Joining the conference with welcoming remarks was Arisa Batista Cunningham, vice president, Global Diversity at Johnson & Johnson. Whether it’s in corporate America or at a non-profit organization the doors are open for women to succeed and Batista Cunningham sets an example of a Latina who has climbed the corporate ladder. “We are delighted to be part of the LATINA Style 50 and I speak for the thousands of Latinos and Latinas at Johnson & Johnson,” she stated as she spoke about the responsibilities the company embraces. The first responsibility being with the patients, who are the customers, the second – to serve the consumer needs (employees). Third, a global responsibility - to the environment and the fourth is to the shareholders (stockholders). “These four responsibilities stand for the vision that unites and inspires all of us at Johnson & Johnson, Latinos and non-Latinos alike.”
 Annette Martinez, State Farm Insurance Co.; Marie Quintana, PepsiCo. |
 Audience enjoying the workshop. |
The last motivational speaker during the breakfast was Naomi K. Rodriguez, senior manager, Public Relations and Marketing for DIRECTV Más. “We celebrate Latinas, we celebrate the accomplishments of Latinas through our program and for all women and companies here today,” she said as she introduced a “Soy Mujer” video to the audience. With laughter and surprise attendees participated to win a year-free of DIRECTV Más programming.
Moving forward, the first session of the day “LATINA Executives of the Year: Nurturing, Developing and Leading,” was moderated by the 2009 Executive of the Year, Patt Cronin, general manager of Global Technology Delivery and Delivery Excellence at IBM. Panelists included: Annette Martinez, vice president, Operations-Human Resources at State Farm Insurance Companies, Marie Quintana, vice president of Multi-cultural sales at PepsiCo, Vilma Salaverria, vice president of Corporate Learning at Aflac Incorporated and Virginia Lazala, vice president and legal head, Oncology US/LatAm and Pharma LatAm Region at Novartis. During this session, panelists provided insights on best practices and why mentoring relationships is one of the key components of an employees’ successful development in the workplace.
“One of the most important things that any employee should do, especially women, is focus on their job,” advised Salaverria. “A lot of the time performance and work ethics speak for you. We are looking to see who is going to perform well at their job, who is going to do the right thing. Sometimes we are so busy worrying about advancing opportunities but that comes with time.”
The second advice she provided to the audience is to be humble. “It’s ok to be proud at your job but being humble is one of the best attributes a person can have. You will meet people and people would want to build a relationship with you.”
Mentoring relationships have a profound effect on anyone’s personal growth and Quintana believes a mentoring relationship is a critical part of an individual’s road. “Look for those mentoring relationships to challenge you,” she stated. “We want to learn to validate ourselves. It’s that challenge to grow to the next level what you should be looking for.”
 Magda Yrizarry, Verizon. |
 Dr. Diana M. Bontá, Kaiser Permanente; Yasmine Winkler, UnitedHealthcare; Marie-Claude Lavoie, Pan American Health Organization. |
A third critical advice provided by Martinez was the importance of understanding your objectives at work. With over 22 years of experience at State Farm, she states that relationships are very important, especially when starting at a company or organization. “Mentoring relationships and strategic networking are key and should be built with time. Our responsibility is to make sure that this continues to flourish.”
The four speakers provided the following suggestions for anyone starting a career or have moved on to a new job. “Ask questions, find out what is going to help you in the organizations, it’s not just about doing your job and doing it well, it’s also about taking risks, learning versatility—change is good, remember your goals and be flexible, it’s ok to ask for help.”
The second session “Health & Wellness: a Commitment for a Healthy Workforce,” was moderated by Diana M. Bontá, RN, Dr. PH VP, Public Affairs at Kaiser Permanente. Panelists included Yasmine Winkler, senior vice president, Product and Innovation at UnitedHealthcare and Marie-Claude Lavoie, Advisor, Workers & Consumer Health, Pan American Health Organization.
Panelists focused on what corporate America is doing to ensure the health and wellness of their workforce. According to Winkler it is important to empower people in the workforce to be a part of seeking wellness and UnitedHealthcare seeks ways to innovate engagement with employees for a safer workplace as well.
 Anthony Carter, Johnson & Johnson and Jerome Miller, Lexus. |
 Magda Yrizarry, Verizon; Pat Harris, McDonalds; Evelin Potts, Wyndham Worldwide; Anthony Carter, Johnson & Johnson; Jerome Miller, Lexus. |
At Kaiser Permanente, Bontá believes its more than just a safe workplace, it’s the need to have a workforce that represents the populations. “We need to improve assets by partnering with local health partners, it’s not just the insurance companies, and it’s got to be the safety net providers and community agencies, clinics, hospitals.”
The third and final session of the day presented “Executive Round Table: Diversity as a Business Imperative” was moderated by Magda Yrizarry, vice president, Workplace Culture, Diversity & Compliance at Verizon. Panelist such as Pat Harris, chief diversity officer at McDonalds; Evelin Potts, vice president, Diversity & Inclusion, Wyndham Worldwide; Anthony Carter, chief diversity officer at Johnson & Johnson and Jerome Miller, vice president, Diversity and Social Responsibility at Lexus spoke about how diversity impacts the company they work for and how companies experience a distinctive competitive advantage.
“Each company has been on a journey and it’s also about the next level. It’s about workforce representation, the culture, environment, and about the organization,” said Yrizzary. “It’s about how you reflect your business to your consumers and how your consumers are reflected back. If you are real about it you set goals around it, you set the right process, put the right people and then you put the right measures, and you continue to improvement.”
Attendees learned that decisions made every single day by every single employee is going to help that company grow, and why diversity should be embedded on every business.
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