Idalia P. Fernandez

Idalia P. Fernandez was named president of the Hispanic College Fund. “Idalia did a fantastic job guiding the Hispanic College Fund’s fiscal development, its programs and the staffing of the organization,” says J. Fernando Barrueta, CEO of the Hispanic College Fund. “That combined with her passion, dedication and commitment to seeing all students succeed made her an outstanding selection.” Prior to her promotion, Fernandez was vice president and COO of HCF since October 2001. She joined the Hispanic College Fund in 1999 as the organization’s first program manager.

“As president of the Hispanic College Fund, I will continue to raise public awareness of the excellent work we do and the caliber of students we support,” she says. Fernandez is also the co-founder and president of Latinas Investing Power. She is a 2007 National Hispana Leadership Institute Fellow and actively participates with La Voz Hispana for Education. She has also served as a national panelist for the Partners in Education, a program of the White House Initiative on Excellence in Education for Hispanic Americans.

Nereida Perez
KPMG LLP, an audit tax and advisory firm announced Nereida Perez the new national director of diversity and affirmative action/equal employment opportunity for its U.S. firm. As director of diversity, Perez will work with the firm’s various networks, manage the KPMG’s sponsorship of national diversity conventions and direct firm membership.

“KPMG is committed to being an employer of choice and a big part of that is ensuring that we have a culture of inclusion where all employees have an opportunity to grow and develop personally and professionally,” says Bruce Pfau, KPMG vice chair, human resources. “Diversity is absolutely integral to our vision, strategy, and continued success. Neddy Perez has a wealth of knowledge and experience, as well as a solid track record in implementing effective diversity programs that will be invaluable to KPMG.”

Prior to working with KPMG, Perez was the senior director of external diversity relations at Sodexho, Inc. She currently serves on the executive board of the National Hispana Leadership Institute, the corporate advisory board of the Hispanic Association of Colleges & University and on the national board of Gifts InKind International.

Latina Agency Alliance
The owners of various Latina marketing agencies recently came together to form the Latina Agency Alliance, a network offering services in advertising, marketing and communications. Yvonne “Bonnie” Garcia, owner of Market Vision, Coco Corona, president of BY DESIGN Multimedia, Zully Gonzalez, president of LatinSolutions, Inc., Gabriela Neves, owner of LatinFactory, Inc., and Pat Pulido-Sanchez, president and CEO of Pulido Sanchez Communications, LLC have come together in an effort to extend Latina marketing power. The alliance will provide a foundation for new business opportunities, a sharing of resources, client referrals and an opportunity to mentor young Latinas who want to start their own companies.

“Given the rapid growth and diversity of the Latino market across the country, corporate America needs to be poised to communicate its message, image and brands effectively using innovative new media tools such as Web marketing and social networks,” says Pulido-Sanchez. “This alliance will enable us to broaden our reach and capabilities across the nation.”