The Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE) welcomed 1,000 attendees from 186 companies who came to its Annual National Leadership Summit & Gala to engage in meaningful conversations about diversity and inclusion and advancement of Latino and diverse talent. The event's theme was HACE United: Accelerating Equity with Action and Accountability."
CHICAGO, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE) welcomed 1,000 attendees from 186 companies who came to its Annual National Leadership Summit & Gala to engage in meaningful conversations about diversity and inclusion and advancement of Latino and diverse talent. The event's theme was HACE United: Accelerating Equity with Action and Accountability."
"This two-day event was an invitation to get Latino/a/x/e professionals, allies, executive leaders, chief diversity officers/heads of DEI, and people leaders from various industries to the table to discuss not only these important topics but to celebrate our achievements and to let the public know how Latinos are positively impacting the American workplace with their skills, knowledge, and leadership," said HACE CEO Patricia Mota. "For 41 years, HACE has been a resource to help our community grow and prosper, and I'm proud that events like one showcase the great talent that we have."
HACE National Board of Directors Chair Alina Moran spoke about the importance of the event's theme as more companies create inclusive and equitable workspaces.
"One of the things that I've always learned is that you can be a leader in whatever space you're in," she explained. "It doesn't necessarily mean that as a CEO I have more power than other people in the room. Whatever space you're in, you're able to bring your culture, experience and who you are as a person. All of these will distinguish yourself in the workplace but it's also going to help you lead an authentic life. People understand authenticity and how important it is. For me, leading and accelerating equity, inclusion and belonging revolves around making sure that you have diverse people at the table."
The event, which raised almost $850,000 that will go to HACE programming, scholarships and operations, captured many memorable highlights. The nonprofit celebrated its 15th anniversary of Mujeres de HACE Latina Leadership Program with a special Quinceañera Brunch featuring award-winning television and film actress Aimee Garcia. Mujeres de HACE is a women's program that empowers high-potential Latina professionals to succeed professionally and personally thrive while providing insight, access, and professional development. During the brunch, 15 alumnae from 2008-2022 received the first-ever Mujer Maravilla Award. The awardees were: Araceli Garza-Perez, Heather Hathaway Miranda, Lourdes Gonzalez, Dorothy Abreu, Christina Urbina, Ruby Garcia, Liany E. Arroyo, Rosalia Fajardo, Bethsabe "Linda" Lang., Priscilla Guasso, Emily Jimenez, Diana Marquez, Jacqueline Meza, Liliana Martinez and Ada Martinez Martinelli.
"This award celebrates the 15 years of our Mujeres de HACE program and embodies our vision of these women reaching full potential for themselves and their community," Mota said.
HACE also honored the following Sembrando El Futuro Annual Gala recipients. This award recognizes those who continue to accelerate the organization's mission:
- Corporate Champion Awardee: Salvador Mendoza, Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
- Latino ERG/ BRG Award: Luis Nieves of Barilla Group
- Servant Leadership Awardee: Dr. Ruby C. Castilla-Puentes of Johnson & Johnson
- Redefining Leadership Awardees: Katia Paolisso, Discover Financial Services, and Mina Rabideaux, Avanade
HACE supports future leaders in building their foundations as they attend colleges and universities. Twenty students who attend higher learning institutions such as the University of California, University of Texas at Austin University of Illinois at Chicago, American University, and Utica University received the Dr. Ervin "Vinny" Caraballo Scholarship to continue their educations. Caraballo was on HACE's Board of Directors and was a driving force on the organization's programming and growing impact Latino/a/x/e community.
HACE also presented the new HACE UIC LARES Olga Camargo scholarship. HACE honored Camargo's exemplary professional trajectory and unrelenting service to HACE by announcing with her alma mater, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), and UIC's Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services (LARES).
Camargo, HACE's chair emeritus and founder and CEO of SHENIX®, a web-based fintech app, was surprised by the announcement of this scholarship.
"There are no words that can describe the monumental honor and mix of emotions that I feel with HACE establishing the HACE UIC LARES Olga Camargo Scholarship," she said. "It's a living legacy that I get to see influence the lives of our future Latino leaders as they set out to make our world better for everyone."
HACE's press kit has information about its mission and staff. For more about HACE, visit https://www.haceonline.org/.
About HACE:
The Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE) is a national nonprofit dedicated to the employment, development, and advancement of current and aspiring Latino professionals. Since 1982, HACE has served as a resource for Latinos in the workplace and is a subject matter expert for corporations seeking to access diverse talent. Through professional development, resources, and networks, and by facilitating access to meaningful career opportunities, HACE helps Latinos succeed in every phase of their career. With a network of over 97,000 members across the country, HACE works with employers to remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic economy by helping them attract, develop and retain Latino and diverse professionals. For information, visit https://www.haceonline.org/about-hace/.
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