Bank of America’s commitment to its Latina employees is second to none. As a leading diversified financial services company,
Leticia Aguilar Consumer Banking Executive
Greater Los Angeles Division
Bank of America remains committed to providing the highest level of customer service while ensuring its employees’ needs are met. As an aggressive recruiter in the Hispanic community, Bank of America partners with Hispanic organizations to ensure the company’s presence at career fairs. Bank of America aims to understand the needs of its Latina employees and has created the Diversity Advisory Council to represent the voices of all of its diverse employees. The advancement of women within the company is also paramount to Bank of America, and as a result, the company has enacted the LEAD (Leadership, Education, Advancement, and Development) program for women. Bank of America’s Hispanic employee network group, HOLA (Hispanic/Latino Organization for Leadership and Advancement), has five active national chapters and provides an excellent support system for all of Bank of America’s nearly 20,000 Latina employees. Bank of America truly recognizes the value and dedication of its Latina employees and remains dedicated to their success.
Leticia Aguilar, consumer banking executive for the greater Los Angeles division, serves as a prime example of Bank of America’s commitment to employee advancement. Beginning her career with Bank of America in 1972 as a customer-service representative, Aguilar now manages the operations of more than 350 banking centers in Los Angeles County.
LATINA Style congratulates Bank of America for its continued dedication to fostering the advancement of its Latina employees.
This year’s selection of the LATINA Style 50 was particularly difficult. The number of companies responding to our survey continues to grow, and as a consequence, even some companies that have improved since last year’s survey did not make the list. The fact that so many companies are paying attention to their Latina workforce is a great encouragement.
The number of employees of the companies selected for the 2005 LATINA Style 50 is 3,340,240; of those, 204,289, or 5.68 percent, are Latinas. 1,319 of the Latina employees are vice presidents, 217 are senior executives, and 10 are members of their company’s board of directors.
It is clear to see that we still have a long way to go to bring our Latina numbers up to a satisfactory level. But the fact is that perceptions are changing and more Latinas are advancing. One of the reasons for this increase is the fact that companies servicing the Hispanic market, with Latino representation in their ranks, demonstrate a clear advantage over those without. As the Hispanic population—over 40 million by the latest census numbers--continues to grow, and with it Hispanic purchasing power, it is obvious that reaching out to and understanding the Hispanic community gives companies a great competitive edge.
Our company of the year, Bank of America, distinguished itself in nearly every category of evaluation except one: the presence of a Latina on its board of directors. We hope that a Latina board member is in the works for Bank of America; she would be a valuable addition to an already strong and diverse company. We congratulate all the companies that comprise this year’s LATINA Style 50, as well as the honorable mentions; their investment in Latina talent will bring many welcome returns.
LATINA Style Magazine 106 B East Broad Street | Falls Church| VA | 22046
2102 Empire Central | Dallas |TX | 75235
Ph: 703-531-1424 info@latinastyle.com
