|
On Sept. 8, 2004, LATINA
Style hosted the first
annual National LATINA
Symposium, our first-ever
national convention of Latina
leaders. The event brought
together influential Hispanic
women in business, politics and
education for a day of workshops
and networking..
The
Symposium was inaugurated the
evening of Sept. 7 with a
reception aboard the Spirit of
Washington cruise ship on the
Potomac River. Guests were
treated to a buffet banquet and
live entertainment, and were
introduced to the Symposium’s
guests of honor and leadership
award recipients, four young
women currently attending the
nation’s military academies:
Jessica Tomazic of the Military
Academy at West Point, Maia
Molina-Schaefer of the Naval
Academy, Cindy Nieves of the Air
Force Academy, and Lily Zepeda
of the Coast Guard Academy.
The next day began with a
breakfast at the Capitol Hilton,
which featured opening remarks
by Elizabeth Nieto, the
diversity director of
Citigroup's Corporate Center;
Dixie Axley, the vice president
of learning and development at
State Farm’s corporate
headquarters; Mercy Jimenez, the
senior vice president of Fannie
Mae’s National Business Center;
and Michelle Cook, the senior
manager of equal employment
opportunity programs at
DaimlerChrysler. These women set
the stage for the rest of the
day, speaking of the influence
of Latinas in business and other
sectors. “Investing in Hispanics
is not only a great thing to do,
but investing in Latinas is very
good business,” said Jimenez.
Five workshops were held in the
morning. The first, Advancing
Latinas in the Workplace, was
moderated by Nieto and featured
Linda Garcia Cubero of HP
Managed Services and Ruth
Sandoval of Sodexho. Panelists
focused in on the obstacles and
keys to professional success,
such as the stereotypes Latinas
will inevitably face in the
workplace and the risks it will
be necessary for them to take to
overcome those preconceived
notions. “We are stereotyped,”
said Sandoval. “We’re all going
to be faced with obstacles and
challenges.” Nieto agreed.
“Fight them,” she said. “Don’t
fulfill those expectations.”
“Taking risks is part of the
leadership that you have to
have,” continued Sandoval. “I
take them every day. You can’t
have success unless you push the
brick wall down.”
“Stepping outside of your
comfort zone … [is] very risky,”
added Garcia. You must “be able
to take risk — not blind
ambition but calculated risk —
to advance in your career.”
The Wealth Creation & Financial
Security panel was moderated by
Jimenez and featured Haydee S.
Toetman of Citigroup, Adriana
Comellas-Macretti of State Farm
and Alice Perez of US Bank. The
panel discussed the importance
of being flexible and
independent. “We’ve got to start
with our dreams and goals,” said
one panelist. “[But] nothing is
written in stone. Life changes.”
Theresa Alvillar-Speake of the
Department of Energy moderated
the Political Leadership
Development panel, which
encouraged audience members to
pursue political careers.
Panelists included Esther
Aguilera of Dewey Square Group,
Lizette Jenness Olmos of the
Young Hispanic Republican
Association, and Alma Morales
Riojas, the president and CEO of
MANA, A National Latina
Organization. The panel
emphasized the importance of
working together, in spite of
partisan and political
differences. “The issues are
nonpartisan,” said
Alvillar-Speake. “That’s what we
really need to look at. … We
should be working towards the
issues together.”
The Engaging in Education panel
was moderated Kathleen Leos, the
associate deputy under secretary
of the Office of English
Language Acquisition, Language
Enhancement, and Academic
Achievement for Limited English
Proficient Students in the
Department of Education. Leos
and panelists Maria Goldberg and
Margarita Benitez spoke off the
problematic status of education
in the Hispanic community — 35
percent of Hispanic students do
not graduate high school. “I’m
here because I believe the women
in this conference have the
ability and responsibility to
advance Hispanic education,”
said Benitez. She added that
everyone needs to be invested in
education because it affects
everyone. “Whatever topic
interests you in education, do
it for someone you love. … Every
Latina in this country has an
obligation to other Latinas.”
Goldberg told the audience that
Hispanics were “the only
under-represented group in
federal government right now in
all grade levels, all across.”
So, she said, it is crucial that
Hispanics come forward to change
those statistics. “We need to be
at the table making the policy.
… The Latino community has to be
sitting at the table in the
federal government.”
The final panel of the morning,
Balancing Health, Career &
Personal Life, suggested ways to
successfully manage a full plate
without jeopardizing any aspect
of it. Moderator Christine
Beato, the acting assistant
secretary for health in the
Department of Health and Human
Services, was joined by
panelists Jane Delgado, the
president and CEO of the
National Alliance for Hispanic
Health; Cecilia Pozo Fileti, a
fellow of the American Diatetic
Association; and Elena Alvarado
of the Latina National Health
Network. Said Alvarado, “We need
to put Latinas first. We need to
step back and say, ‘This is my
life. I need to take care of
myself and my family.’”
Delgado encouraged the audience
to maintain a sense of humor
about things. “We strive to make
more fairness, we strive for
balance,” she said. “Keeping a
sense of humor about things
helps you with that balance.”
The panelists agreed that
achieving balance is not easy,
but that that is no reason to
give up. “If I can do, you can
do it,” encouraged Fileti.
Following the panels, guests
made their way to the Capitol
Hilton’s Presidential Ballroom
for the Symposium’s luncheon,
whose focus was to honor Latinas
in the armed forces. Symposium
attendees were treated to a
delicious meal and a smorgasbord
of presentations and speakers.
Shirley Martinez, the deputy
assistant secretary of the Air
Force for the Equal Opportunity
Office of the Secretary of the
Air Force, served as Mistress of
Ceremonies for the luncheon,
introducing the lunchtime
speakers, including John Molino,
the acting deputy under
secretary of defense for equal
opportunity; Michael Montelongo,
the assistant secretary of the
Air Force, Financial Management
and Comptroller; Linda Garcia
Cubero, the first Latina to
graduate from a military
academy; and keynote speaker
Brigadier General Maria Owens,
the director of manpower and
personnel for the chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In
recognition of the magazine’s
10th anniversary, Alma Morales
Riojas of MANA and Marisa
Rivera-Albert, the president of
the National Hispana Leadership
Institute (NHLI), paid tribute
to LATINA Style’s founder, Anna
Maria Arias, with an
inspirational video presentation
about the influential Latina’s
life and legacy.
Garcia Cubero and Owens spoke
about their service in the U.S.
military, leading up to an
introduction of the day’s
honorees. Owens, who spoke of
the influence her mother had on
her while she was growing up,
said, “I learned about strong
women early in life. … I was
raised to believe we could do
and be whatever we set our
sights on.” Garcia Cubero spoke
of the significance of military
service. “Serving your country
is not just about wearing a
uniform,” she said. “It’s about
pride, honor, character and
being part of a team.”
Both women had glowing remarks
to make in regards to the day’s
honorees. “When we think about
role models like our … Latina
military academy cadets,” said
Owens, “we celebrate women. We
celebrate women who in a variety
of ways have provided the
shoulders that boost others up,
that allow others to reach and
to grow.” Said Garcia Cubero,
“As cadets and midshipmen you’ve
already proven your measure in
one environment, and I encourage
you to go out in your future and
do it again and again and
again.”
LATINA Style president and CEO
Robert Bard assisted Montelongo
and Cubero Garcia in presenting
the Symposium’s Latina
Leadership awards to cadets
Jessica Tomazic, Cindy Nieves
and Lily Zepeda, and midshipman
Maia Molina-Schaefer.
Learning and sharing were not
done for the day, and after the
luncheon guests returned to the
Hilton’s meeting rooms for two
final panels. The Latina
Leadership Development panel was
moderated by Anna Escobedo
Cabral, the director of the
Smithsonian Center for Latino
Initiatives, and featured
Elizabeth Martinez of the
Association of Latino
Professionals in Finance and
Accounting (ALPFA), Marisa
Rivera Albert of NHLI, and Rima
Matsumoto of the Hispanic
Association on Corporate
Responsibility (HACR). They
could not stress enough the
importance of mentoring as a
crucial aspect of leadership
development — from the
perspective of both mentor and
mentee. “There’s always time,
there’s always room, to bring
someone around,” said Cabral.
Rivera-Albert urged the audience
not to pass up any
opportunities. “The way I got
here is taking every opportunity
presented to [me],” she said.
The Entrepreneurship & Business
panel featured moderator Edie
Fraser of the Business Women’s
Network, and panelists Maria de
Lourdes Sobrino of LuLu’s
Desserts, Sheila Guarderas of
Superior Services, Inc., and
Adela Soriano of the Small
Business Administration. The
panel advised its audience to
take risks. “It’s okay to bring
on new people who have new
ideas,” one panelist said. “A la
ventura and let’s see what
happens mańana,” said Sobrino.
The day concluded with an hors
d'oeuvres and champagne ceremony
at which a microphone was
offered to participants and
sponsors who wanted to say a few
words. The atmosphere of the day
was best exemplified by the
enthusiasm and humility of the
Symposium’s four young honorees
when they took to the stage to
address the Symposium.
“I think one of the first things
that all of us have said to each
other is how overwhelming and
how humbling this experience has
been,” said Coast Guard cadet
Lily Zepeda. “I think we all
walked in here not aware of how
important we were to the
community. … Thank you for
supporting us and for showing us
again why we’ve been doing what
we’ve been doing.”
Continued Air Force cadet Cindy
Nieves, “We’re not used to being
recognized for something like
this. We’re used to everyday
things, and it’s our usual
everyday lives.”
The girls turned the attention
to the audience. “You’re the
reason we’re here today,” said
Maia Molina-Schaefer, a Naval
Academy midshipman. You have
paved the way for us to come
here. … You say we inspire you
all, but you all are our
inspirations. You are what we
want to become.”
Added Jessica Tomazic, of the
Military Academy at West Point,
“I do want to recognize all the
women here because if it weren’t
for them we definitely would not
be where we’re at today.”
The young women’s comments
brought the Symposium to a close
in a particularly fitting way as
the leaders of tomorrow
addressed the leaders of today.
The audience left confident that
Anna Maria Arias’s legacy and
the legacy of so many other
Latina leaders would be carried
out on the shoulders of the
young women standing before
them.
|
