The 2010 LATINA Style 50 - Top Thirteen Companies

Marriott International, Inc.
Company of the Year

Diversity matters at Marriott and commitment to it can be found at all levels of the company. Board members and senior level executives make up the Committee of Excellence that sets diversity objectives and monitors its progress throughout the company. Locally, regional Diversity and Inclusion Councils work to attract, develop, and maintain management talent. Marriott also offers opportunities for hourly associates. For example, the Sed de SaberTM language program has enabled Latina associates to improve their English and advance into management positions.

Marriott’s formal diversity and inclusion program was established 20 years ago and its Women’s Leadership Development Program 10 years ago. Today, it continues to create new mentoring and leadership training programs. This includes two new mentoring programs that provide opportunities for entry and mid-level managers to learn from and network with senior-level executives.

Notably, Marriott expanded its workforce from 2009 to 2010. Its minority supplier development program also continues to actively pursue diverse suppliers, including Latinas.

To become a global diversity leader, Marriott Chairman and CEO J.W. Marriott, Jr. has stated that the company must lead by example, and it certainly does!

As the vice president and assistant general counsel for Marriott, Brenda Durham serves as the primary legal counsel for the company’s hotels and resorts throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. She is also the law department’s group leader for international lodging operations. In this capacity, she oversees and provides guidance to three attorneys supporting Marriott’s hotels and resorts throughout Asia, the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. She has a BA from the University of Utah and a JD from the George Washington School of Law.

Prudential Financial, Inc.

As an international financial services company present in over 30 countries, Prudential Financial, Inc., strives to maintain a diverse workforce to serve the wide variety of consumers and communities in which it works. This is reflected in its recruitment strategy that targets a diverse range of communities. Prudential Financial, Inc. actively recruits Latinas from professional organizations such as the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) and the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA), targeted postings on web sites and listservs, and career fairs.

Within Prudential Financial, Inc., the Hispanic Heritage Network (HHN) provides a wide range of professional and personal development opportunities to Hispanic employees. This includes DECIR, a workshop designed and implemented by HHN in which participants practice Spanish with each other and learn new financial and business terms. Currently, 77 percent of HHN’s leadership board is made-up of Latinas. Additionally, the company offers continuous education opportunities to its employees at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Within Prudential Financial, Inc., the Hispanic Heritage Network (HHN) provides a wide range of professional and personal development opportunities to Hispanic employees. This includes DECIR, a workshop designed and implemented by HHN in which participants practice Spanish with each other and learn new financial and business terms. Currently, 77 percent of HHN’s leadership board is made-up of Latinas. Additionally, the company offers continuous education opportunities to its employees at undergraduate and graduate levels.

In spite of the turmoil that the financial services industry has experienced over the past year, Prudential Financial, Inc. has been able to keep the number of Latinas employed at the company constant and increased the number of Latina senior executives in its corporate ranks.

Yanela C. Frias is the managing director, Capital Markets/Corporate Finance for Prudential Financial, inc. She is responsible for the borrowing, liquidity, debt execution and capital planning functions for the company. Frias is also the treasurer for the Corporate and other business unit and partners with Corporate Banking to coordinate Prudential’s banking relationships. She has a BS in Accounting and an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University. She is a CPA and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Southern California Edison

The retention and recruitment of a diverse workforce is a priority for Southern California Edison. It believes that its ability to do this has strengthened the company and helped it to serve the diverse communities it serves.

A key initiative for achieving this is the Executive Leadership Potential Program that identifies a diverse pool of future leaders within the company. Participants are seen as having the potential to move into positions at the director level and higher within a few years. The program provides them with development opportunities to help them realize their full potential.

Additionally, the Hispanic affinity group LEAD (Latino Employees Association for Diversity) works to develop the leadership skills of its members. One of its primary goals is to retain, recruit, and manage talented individuals at Southern California Edison. It does this through various networking and mentoring initiatives; partnerships with colleges, technical schools, and professional organizations; and by providing feedback to the company on retention and engagement of Hispanic employees.

Southern California Edison regularly offers workshops and programs to increase the management skills of employees. It also offers continuous education opportunities, including graduate-level degrees in certain key areas.

Between 2009 and 2010, Southern California Edison was able to increase its employee count. It also added a Latina executive to its staff.

As the vice president of Corporate Communications, Veronica Gutierrez is responsible for all of Southern California Edison’s communications. This includes internal and client services communications, external communications, and the department’s community involvement functions. She has a BA in Psychology from Princeton University and a JD from University of California at Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law.

Verizon Communications, Inc.

Verizon Communications, Inc. works actively to pursue and retain employees that can contribute multicultural perspectives to the company. It sees diversity as a key attribute and recognizes the value of developing their employees’ skills and assets.

Verizon Communications, Inc. has career development programs ranging in focus from entry-level management to senor level executives. Some of these programs are directed specifically at women and minorities, including the Diversity Leadership Institute that helps participants identify their professional goals and sharpen their leadership skills. It also offers a wide range of mentoring options—one-on-one mentoring, mentoring pairs, mentoring circles, and shadowing—to best fit employees work and personal styles. Additionally, Verizon Communications, Inc. offers generous tuition assistance for employees wishing to continue their education.

Verizon Communications, Inc. also has various Employee Resource Groups in which employees can participate. The Women’s Association of Verizon Employees (WAVE) keeps the company informed on women’s issues. Similarly, the Hispanic Support Organization (HSO) counsels and educates company leaders on issues affecting the Hispanic community inside and outside of Verizon. It also provides professional and personal development opportunities to its members and conducts outreach to the Hispanic communities that Verizon Communications, Inc. serves.

Magda N. Yrizarry is the vice president of Workplace Culture, Diversity, and Compliance at Verizon Communications, Inc. In this capacity, she works on strategic human resources issues and policies relating to diversity, ethics, and workplace programs. She also represents the company on LULAC’s National Education Service Centers Board and on the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility’s Corporate Advisory Board. She has a BS and an MA from Cornell University and has completed an executive training program at Harvard University.

Johnson & Johnson & U.S. Affiliated Companies

As a global provider of consumer healthcare products and services, Johnson & Johnson knows the importance of attracting, retaining, and developing company leaders that reflect the communities in which it works. It strives to ensure that diversity and inclusion strategies are embedded into every element of its business. As part of this commitment to diversity, in 2008, the company established diversity councils in each of its businesses so that diversity and inclusion activities could be better aligned across each of the different business sectors.

The company’s Hispanic employee association, the Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Achievement (HOLA), was founded by Latina employees in leadership positions. Some of its key objectives are to recruit talent; support the retention and development of Hispanic employees; and contribute to new products for the Hispanic consumers. The company also partners with Madrinas, a non-profit organization dedicated to development, advancement, and mentoring of Latina professionals.

Additionally, Johnson & Johnson’s “Crossing the Finish Line” Program works to accelerate the development of high-performing multicultural men and women by providing them with the knowledge, skills, and strategies they need to become company leaders.

Johnson & Johnson recruits Latinas through various national conferences and professional organizations such as the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA), the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). It also upholds its commitment to diversity when choosing suppliers. It has contracts with a diverse range of suppliers, including Latinas.

Denice Torres is the vice president of U.S. Sales and Marketing for Johnson & Johnson Wound Management, Biosurgicals, and BIOPATCH. She has an MBA from the University of Michigan, JD from Indiana School of Law, and a BS in Psychology from Ball State University.

Bank of America

Bank of America strives to have what it calls an “inclusive meritocracy” as one of its core values. It believes that this value has helped to create a company culture that sees diversity as key to the way it does business.

The company’s diversity goals and policies are set by its Global Diversity & Inclusion Council. The council members include senior managers from throughout Bank of America. Senior leaders also make up the Women in Technology task force of the Global Technology & Operations department. This task force works to form best practices to support diversity and inclusion in the department and recommend strategies to increase diversity through various recruiting, retention, and development practices.

Additionally, in 2009, the company created two new initiatives that show promise to increase and strengthen diversity within the company. The Diversity & Inclusion Recruitment and Programs Team, retains and develops a diverse group of senior-level executives. The Women’s Leadership Program is part of a partnership with Columbia Business School. It is an enterprise-wide initiative aimed at increasing the number of female executives in the company.

This year, the company launched the online Manager Development Center to provide managers with the information and tools they need to build their leadership and management skills.

Bank of America recruits Latinas by sponsoring, hosting, and attending diversity recruiting events and conferences, and it also has supplier contracts with Latina-owned firms.

Marlene Potter is the Lockbox Specialty Services executive at Bank of America. In this capacity, she processes services to corporate, middle market clients, federal, state and municipal taxing agencies. She has been with the company since 1979.

Macy’s, Inc.

For Macy’s, Inc., diversity is a “holistic strategy” that integrates into all areas of its business and to which it aligns its business priorities. The company’s Strategic Talent Review advances and develops all high potential executives. During this process priority is placed on ensuring that succession planning and talent development reflects its diverse customer base.

In 2009 Macy’s, Inc. created the Executive Diversity Council, which is chaired by Chairman, President, and CEO Terry J. Lundgren. The council places diversity metrics on reviews of the executive committee for minority supplier development and supplier diversity. Currently, the company is also enacting several retention efforts. This includes an employee engagement survey that is being administered to all employees and a leadership development process that makes identifying and developing talent a leadership requirement.

The company offers several employee resource groups in which Latinas can elect to participate, such as Macy’s Multicultural Alliance, a Hispanic Resource Group, and two Women’s Employee Resource Groups. Employees can also choose to take advantage of one on one mentoring opportunities and mentoring circles. Macy’s, Inc. recruits employees through a wide range of methods including colleges, career fairs, conferences, its web site, and partnerships with community and professional organizations.

Laurene Gandolfo is the executive vice president for Macy’s Home Private Brands, a position she has held since February 2009. In this position she is responsible for the development of all Macy’s home propreitary and exclusive product and Bloomingdale’s Hudson Park and Sky Textile brands. She has an MBA from New York University and a BA from Brandeis University.

Kraft Foods Inc.

Strengthening and increasing diversity and inclusion are key objectives for Kraft Foods Inc. and part of its strategy in competing with its competitors. It does this in part by monitoring quarterly hires, promotions, and turnovers. It has also linked its executives’ incentive compensation to their diversity performance through an initiative called the Diversity Performance Factor.

Kraft Food Inc., has two affinity groups aimed at Latino employees—the Kraft Foods Latino Council and the Hispanic Sales Council. One of the key objectives of these councils are professional development activities such as career planning workshops, training, networking, and mentoring. The company also has several mentoring groups. The Women’s Sales Council and the Women Supply Chain provide similar opportunities and are aimed at increasing women’s representation throughout the company. Kraft Foods Inc. also offers various mentoring opportunities and leadership trainings. These include, but are not limited to: the Research, Development, Technology Mentoring Program, Managing People at Kraft, and Developing Leaders at Kraft. The company also develops individual accelerated development plans for high potential women and minority employees to help them reach their full potential. They are monitored annually.

The company recruits Latinas through professional organizations, recruitment events, and referrals through employee councils. Additionally, Latina-owned businesses participate in the Kraft Foods Supplier Diversity Program.

Delia Diaz is the vice president of Finance and IS for Kraft Foods Inc.’s Latin America Region. In this role, she leads all aspects of finance system functions including treasury, tax, accounting, planning, internal controls, and special projects. Diaz has a BA in Accounting from DePaul University and a MA of Management from Northwestern University.

Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente CEO, George Halvorson, correlates the company’s success to the diversity of its staff. He also cites diversity as one of the company’s core principles. This commitment to diversity is evident in its recruitment strategies. When filling vacancies, Kaiser Permanente’s Affirmative Action Program Coordinators identify which job groups in the company are lacking in diversity. This information is given to human resources who communicate with business leaders and recruiters to form recruitment action plans. Kaiser Permanente recruits Latinas through job boards, professional organizations, multicultural publications, and the Latino Staff Association.

In addition to assisting in recruitment, the Latino Staff Association also advocates for the development and promotion of Latino employees within the company. It also acts as a liaison between the company and the Hispanic community.

Kaiser Permanente offers several mentoring and leadership development programs to all employees. These include the Diversity Leadership Program and Executive Mentoring Program. The company’s Leadership Development Program develops the company’s future leaders and has set diversity targets. The Kaiser Permanente Women in Technology initiative was launched in 2008 with a goal to recruit, retain, and develop women in the company’s IT department.

Diana M. Bontá, RN, DrPH, is the vice president of Public Affairs for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. She directs the company’s public policy agenda and provides leadership and oversight to the Community Benefit Program. Last year this program devoted $406 million to improve the health of underserved communities in Southern California. She has a BA in Nursing from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a MA & PhD in Public Health from the University of California Los Angeles.

McDonald’s USA

For McDonald’s USA, diversity is part of its legacy. It continually aims to recruit, retain, and promote Latina employees and is proud that Latinas can be found at every level of the organization—from restaurant crews to corporate officers.

McDonald’s USA has two Hispanic affinity groups—the Hispanic Employee Business Network and the Hispanic Leadership Network. In addition to running mentoring projects, bringing in speakers from the community and offering Spanish classes, these groups participated in the development of the company’s “Hispanic Career Development I & II” courses. Similarly, the women’s affinity group, the Women’s Leadership Network, helped the McDonald’s USA to develop the leadership course “Women Career Development”..

The company also offers an online mentoring program, the MCD Mentoring Program. It connects mentors located through the U.S. to employees. The Fast Track Operations Program is another initiative that the company uses to increase diversity within its leadership. Participants are chosen by local leadership or can self identify. Once they have finished the program they are eligible for a Director of Operations position or one similar to it. Continuous education reimbursements are provided to employees.

McDonald’s USA expanded its workforce from 2009 to 2010. It recruits Latina employees through universities, professional organizations such as the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA), and other national conferences (National Council of La Raza, (NCLR), Mexican American League Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF).

As the chief legal officer for McDonald’s Corporation, Gloria Santona leads the company’s worldwide legal, compliance, regulatory and corporate governance functions. She has fostered the legal departments’ diversity efforts and engagement in probono legal services. In her role as executive vice president, she is involved in the company’s strategic direction and growth. She has a JD from the University of Michigan Law School.

AT&T

AT&T views diversity and inclusion as factors that foster employee engagement and help to deliver quality products and services. In 2007, CEO Randall Stephenson made diversity and social responsibility the focus of the Board of Directors’ Public Policy Committee. In 2008, he appointed a Chief Diversity Officer to support diversity and inclusion throughout AT&T’s business & operating units. The Chief Diversity Officer’s Forum is a product of this. Its serves as a venue to integrate, leverage, and grow enterprise wide initiatives with respect to diversity.

In addition to this initiative lead by a senior-level official, AT&T offers a variety mentoring opportunities to its employees. The AT&T University was created in 2008 to develop leadership capability at the management level. The AT&T Self-Development and Assessment Resource Center provides mentoring opportunities to all employees. It provides mentors and mentor seekers with information on topics such as defining roles, identifying the correct type of mentor, designing meeting sessions, and finding the right mentor. AT&T’s Hispanic and Women’s associations—HACEMOS and WOA—also mentoring opportunities. AT&T’s leadership programs include the Leadership Development Program (LDP) and the Accelerated Development Program (ADP). LDP recruits a diverse group of highly qualified and motivated recent college graduates and gives them opportunities to transform into company leaders. ADP develops high-potential second-level managers that did not participate in the LDP.

Also, AT&T has supplier contracts with Latina owned businesses. Carmen P. Nava is the senior vice president of the U-verse Program Office. She is responsible for coordinating the expansion and inter-departmental performance of the new U-verse IPTV service in 22 states. She has a BA in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.