Meet Our High Potential Bench_LatinasOnThePlaza_04Newsletter_Sept2020
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Latinas On The Plaza
September 2020 Issue
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Words from
President
Much to my dismay the Covid-19
pandemic continues to alter the
way we do business and more bad
news is on the horizon as we
approach the fall flu season and
the typical layoffs that companies
do anyway, now magnified with
greater layoffs and businesses
closing. But also, in light of the
growing commitment thanks to
movements like Black Lives
Matter, we are seeing some real
effort to hiring diverse candidates.
According to a recent Nielsen
survey, for example, 64% of black
women in the United States agree
their goal is to make it to the top
of their profession; that’s nearly
double the percentage of non-
Hispanic white women with the
same goal. McKinsey and
Leanin.org meanwhile report that
83% of Asian women, 80% of
black women, and 76% of
Latinas say they want to be
promoted, compared to 75% of
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men and 68% of White women
in their study.
And yet, despite representing
a b o u t 1 8 % o f t h e U. S .
population, women of color
represented only 4% of C-Level
positions in 2018, falling far below
white men (68%) and white
women (19%). Even graduating
from a prestigious business or law
school doesn’t help much. Of the
532 African-American women
who earned their MBAs at
Harvard Business School between
1977 and 2015, only 67 (13%)
have achieved the highest-ranking
executive positions, compared to
161 (19%) of African-American
men and 40% of a matched
sample of 150 non-African-
American HBS alumni.
In this newsletter, we are going to
introduce you to a few of our
alumni and a board member who
is already on the talent bench.
Long-time board member Dr.
Damary Bonilla-Rodriguez has
very strong credentials and she
has done a significant amount of
work in the Diversity, Inclusion
and Equity arena. However she
has her own tales of what she
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experienced making the difficult
climb of advancing at work and
getting equitable pay. In our
informal survey over the last 10
year, we can safely say that out of
500 Latina women we have
served, less than 10 reported a
salary of $100K. This empirical
evidence was recently confirmed
by another colleague who is trying
to encourage Latina women to
buy their first homes. She was
shocked to learn that those
women in professional careers
were all earning salaries under
$40K. How do you buy a home,
how do you provide children with
higher education, how do you
break the poverty cycle when
Latina women earn such low
wages. This reality has huge
societal implications that needs to
be addressed. Companies have a
responsibility to help level the
playing field by hiring and
providing equitable pay to women
of color.
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Meet Isolda
⭐ Why should a company hire you
for a leadership role?
Account management - I have
managed 350 locations for exterior
services. Contracting contractors to
serve different clients nationwide.
Reporting - Conducted weekly calls
with stakeholders, and hiring
managers. Reported recruiting
activities with data and shared
strategies to recruit.
-Bachelors degree in science of
marketing.
⭐ What are your strengths and how
will that help a company?
Restorative - I’m very good at figuring
things out, and spotting things that
need to be fixed. I like to ensure that
the relationship between my clients
and all party’s work. When a
breakdown occurs, I am very good at
deploying skills that help to resolve the
issue, even at the risk of losing the
client I always am honest since that is
a core value for me. I crave learning
to grow professionally but also to share
that information with others.
⭐ Where do you
see yourself in 5
years?
In a leadership
role where I can
keep learning and
share my
knowledge with
others. Helping
women grow will
always be in my
future path.
⭐ What do you
need right now to
escalate your
career?
My goal is to go
back to school
and complete a
masters program
in data marketing.
Data marketing keeps growing and is
very useful in different industries.
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Meet Magdalena
⭐ Why should a company hire you for a
leadership role?
I effectively use my strategic skills and my
interpersonal skills to develop strong healthy
relationships with our clients. I thrive when I’m
managing projects and I’m streamlining
proceses and procedures. For example I
increased participation for my curent
organizations, Hispanic Alliance for Career
Enhancement (HACE) When I created a robust
automatic process for coaching sessions for 13
cohorts nationwide. In doing this, I was ablet to
decrease forfeited sessions by 40% and
productivity level within 4 months. While at The
Little Village Chamber of Commerce (LVCC), I
implemented and managed a program funded
by the United States Hispanic Chamber
(USHCC) of Commerce from beginning to end.
I helped over 60 plus businesses in obtaining
loans and growing. After the first cohort,
USHCC, granted LVCC the award for
Chamber of the year in 2018 due to such a
comprehensive program.
⭐ What are your strengths and how will that
help a company?
According to Strengths finder I am an achiever.
That skills coupled with my organizational skills
allows me to bring immediate value to my
employers. For instance, when I began
working at HACE, I was hired as a consultant
for the marketing department. Within two
months the National Program Director for
Mujeres de HACE Program, noticed I was able
to increase enrollemnt for registration within a
short period of time and I was offered a position
as a full time employee. Seven months later,
again I was promoted due to my initiative and
leadership skills.
Given my 12 years
of experience
honing my strengths
I am a better
listener. This has
served me well in
that I am able to
offer my help to
those who seek my
opinion.
I a l s o u s e m y
organizational skills
t o i n c r e a s e m y
productivity and my
relational strengths
t o b u i l d g r e a t
partnerships with
our clients.
⭐ Where do you
see yourself in 5
years?
In 5 years, I would
like to be seen as
someone with great
expertise in
providing socioeconomic growth opportunities.
I’m also really excited to take on more
managerial responsibilities in the next few years
and take the lead on some projects.
⭐ What do you need right now to escalate
your career?
I’m currently directly involved in managing
multiple projects and programs. I’m looking
towards obtaining a Project Management
Professional (PMP) Certificate. In obtaining this
certificate I will be able to excel in manging
projects and open the doors for greater
opportunities aimed towards my professional
growth. I work at a non-profit, it is extremely
difficult to afford classess and the cost to take the
exam.
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Meet Dr Damary
⭐ Why should a company hire you for a leadership
role?
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Social
Work from the College of New Rochelle where I
received the College President’s Medal, graduated
with Honors, and was awarded the Sigma Delta Pi
Spanish Award. I also hold a Master of Science
degree in Organizational Communications and a
S p e c i a l i z e d C e r t i fi c a t i o n i n C o r p o r a t e
Communications. Personal endeavors of overcoming
statistics and accessing higher education, have led
me to earn a Doctorate in Education focusing on
Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher College.
To change the political and leadership landscape for
Latinos, I ran for State Representative in the 189th
District of Pennsylvania in the 2016 election cycle
where I became the 1st Hispanic to make a State
ballot in Pike and Monroe Counties. In November
2019, I became the 1st Hispanic elected as School
Board Director in the East Stroudsburg Area School
District. I’m passionate about supporting
professional organizations, I’m a Board Member of
the Brodhead Watershed Association, Prospanica
NY, Latina VIDA, Latinas On The Plaza, and Los
Compadres Modern Caballero and an advisory
board member for several organizations including:
The Board of Hispanic Caucus Chairs and the
Alliance for Positive Youth Development. In
addition, I was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf to
represent the Poconos Region on statewide
commissions on Redistricting Reform and Latino
affairs (GACLA).
the urgency of leadership development for a fastgrowing
population and create a pipeline of diverse
leaders.
⭐ What you have experienced thus far in job hunt:
I always heard that I was overqualified or that they
didn’t have enough money in the budget to pay me
what I deserved.
⭐ What do you need right now career wise:
Greater income (I finally have this), flexible schedule
to juggle work-life balance but also to be able to do
community work, Board service, etc., continued
mentorship is important to growth and sponsorship
is important and necessary for opening doors that we
can’t necessarily open for ourselves, recognition from
leadership that speaks to my contributions within an
organization is validating and encouraging, as well as
a seat at the table of Boards, Advisory Boards,
speaking engagements and other opportunities for
visibility that allow me to be a voice for others and
be a change agent for positive and necessary changes
are all important aspects of growth for me but also
of influence in society. I’m seeing my influence and
some of these aspects play out in my current role/
organization, as well as through my work on the
School Board and other Boards. I’m grateful to God
for His blessings and the opportunities He has given
me to be a leader.
⭐ Your Expertise:
I’m a national leading authority on leadership
development, especially as it pertains to diversity and
inclusion.
I deliver keynote addresses and presentations
drawing upon my experience from roles in the nonprofit,
private, and government sectors, as well as my
doctoral research. My research about Latina
leadership in the United States has served as the
foundation for events, conference sessions,
publications, and content development - to address
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Grecia
Why should a company hire
you for a leadership role?
Recently, I was promoted to
Office Manager at the dental
office I have been working for a
few years now. Since I started
with the company, I have been
in charge of training dental
assistants and front desk staff. I
perform tasks beyond my
responsibilities and demonstrate
initiative. For example, during
the pandemic, our office shut
down and in the meantime, I
taught myself to handle and
resolve insurance claims. Also, I
reformatted patient registration
documents, perfor med a
marketing analysis on the
company, and found causes of
low patient inflow prepandemic.
Also, I created the
dental assistant and equipment
maintenance manuals. I did all
of this without being asked to
do so. My boss realized my
efforts and commitment to the
company. Then, shortly after reopening
the office, I was offered
a management position as he
w a s i m p r e s s e d a n d
complimented my structured
way of working.
What are your strengths
and how will that help a
company?
D e l i b e r ative : Fo reseeing
potential problems and be
proactive to decrease errors and
increase efficiency. At work, I
review the patient schedule in
advance to ensure there won't
be any missing information.
This creates a smooth patient
experience as well as an
organized workflow.
Adaptability: Reacting calmly
and centered to unexpected
situations. As an office manager,
I have major responsibilities. In
a situation such as speaking with
a patient that might not be
happy, I am responsible for
resolving the issue. I listen first,
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then analyze the issue, and
finally present a solution that
will make the patient satisfied
while benefiting the office.
Where do you see yourself
in 5 years?
Masters in Healthcare
Administration completed from
UIC and holding an executivelevel
position at a hospital such
as Ann & Robert Lurie Chicago
Hospital.
Yearly Income:
___Under $35K
_X_ Between $35-$45k
___Between $46-$65K
___Between $66 -$85K
-----$100k and above
What do you need right now
to escalate your career?
Experience in a management
role (just started a management
position)
Masters degree in Healthcare
Administration with internship/
externship.
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Andrea
Why should a company hire you for
a Leadership role?
A company should hire me,
because I show loyalty, I worked
at a private loan/law firm
company for 10 years and now
I am currently employed at the
Cook County Public Defender's
Office. I currently have a
Bachelors in Paralegal Studies
from Roosevelt University, they
are ABA approved school. I
c o m p l e t e d a l e a d e r s h i p
program with Latinas on The
Plaza that taught me so many
leadership skills. In my current
position, I am always willing to
take on the leadership role, by
helping train new employees,
handling the front end of the
office alone, I can multitask
and many other tasks. I am
always eager to learn new things
and give new ideas esp. when it
comes to saving time and
money.
What are your strengths
and how will that help a
company?
My top 3 strengths are Input,
Includer and Developer. I love
to give input on all work
assigned or projects, I am not
afraid to speak up and give any
ideas. An example is when I
offered my input to make the
most of our company's time
with interns. I was able to give
direct examples, they were
impressed and decided to go
with my ideas. I also enjoy
making everyone feel included,
I think in a leadership or non
leadership role everyone should
feel included and companies
should listen to everyone. I
think the receptionist plays a
part just as big of a role as
higher ups and at times they
need to be reminded. I love to
develop new ideas and I feel at
times my mind doesn't shut off,
because I am always thinking of
ways to make my workplace
more successful and more
efficient.
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Where do you see yourself
in 5 years?
In 5 years I see myself running
a law firm or non for profit
organization that helps
minorities. My goal in life is to
be successful but also give back
as much I can, I want to help
thousands of people succeed
just like I have been helped. I
don't think of success as making
more money, I think of it as
giving back to the community
esp. low income. I have been
successful my whole life because
I have a strong support system
a n d w a s a l w a y s fi n d i n g
resources, I think everyone can
succeed with the right support
in your corner.
Yearly Income:
___Under $35K
_X_ Between $35-$45k
___Between $46-$65K
___Between $66 -$85K
-----$100k and above
What do you need right now
to escalate your career?
What I need right now to
succeed and reach my goals are
more classes like the FUERTE
Leadership Program. I love to
learn more hands-on, share
ideas, encouragement from
other women, and network. I
would also like to go back to
school and get my masters in
Social Work, because I think
that would help me with my
ultimate goal with giving back
to the community. The more
certifications the better so that I
can always learn more and
share my experiences with
others.
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Biyanka
Why should a company hire
you for a leadership role?
I have been working on my
leadership skills since I was in
middle school. I have been
continuously working on it since
then. I have served as the
President of my chapter of
Delta Sigma Pi while in
graduate school. This taught me
the skills needed for leadership,
c o m m u n i c a t i o n , t i m e
management, accountability
and so much more.
sure what to do. I asked him
where he usually sends these
responses and where he should
send the original response with
the money order and then a
copy to the other address. A few
weeks later the immigration
office contacted him and
informed him that was what he
wanted to be done. I am very
responsible, I take ownership of
what I do. I try to do the best I
can. However, if I make a
mistake I will be the first to
admit it as well. Honestly is
important.
What are your strengths
and how will that help a
company?
I am restorative. This means
that I like to solve problems.
For example, one of the
requests we received from
immigration asked the
response to be sent to two
different locations. This is
unusual. The attorney was not
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Where do you see yourself
in 5 years?
In five years I would like to be
graduating law school with a
job in Washington DC.
Yearly income:
___Under $35K
X Between $35-$45k
___Between $46-$65K
___Between $66 -$85K
-----$100k and above
What do you need right now
to escalate your career?
I need to move to another
company that has growth
potential for me and start
applying to law school.
.
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