On Feb. 5, LATINA Style hosted its sixth annual LATINA Style 50 Awards Ceremony and its first annual Best Practices in Diversity Conference. The ceremony and conference were held at the JW Marriott hotel in Washington, D.C., and were followed by a White House debriefing in the Old Executive Office. 
The LATINA Style 50 Awards bring together the top Latinas in corporate American, Latinas at the White House and in the Federal government, and influential leaders of the Hispanic community to honor the 50 best companies for Latinas to work for in the United States. The awards are the result of an extensive survey of the procurement and employment policies of U.S. corporations, of which the 50 offering Latinas the best career opportunities and working environments are selected. 

The day started at 8 a.m. with a networking breakfast. Guests sat down to plates of fresh fruit and pastries as LATINA Style President Robert Bard gave the day's opening remarks. "This program has become the most recognized and valued source of information for Latina executives," he addressed his audience. 

"[You] are truly the leaders that are taking us all the way to the next level … And we'll be there with you, all along the way."
Bard then introduced breakfast keynote speaker Edie Fraser, the president and CEO of the Business Women's Network (BWN). Fraser discussed the impact of Latinas' extensive market power.

"Hispanics are 37 million Americans and the hottest growing population," she said. "The spending power is about 600 billion dollars a day, and in three more years it will be a trillion dollars. … Latinas are responsible for 81 percent of that purchasing power."

Fraser infused the audience with enthusiasm and excitement that would last throughout the day, reminding the audience that this year's awards presentation was especially special as it marked the 10th anniversary of LATINA Style Magazine. "You've broken new ground," Fraser said to Bard, a longtime friend. "You've made it happen 10 years ago, and today for the LATINA Style 50, we really honor you." 

This year's award ceremony was for the first time accompanied by an all-morning Best Practices in Diversity Conference showcasing the most successful diversity programs of the LATINA Style 50 companies. Representatives from these companies led three hour-long panel sessions, each addressing a different aspect of workplace diversity. Directly following the breakfast, guests funneled into JW Marriott's Salon F for the morning's first panel, Understanding the Business Case for Valuing Diversity. The panel was lead by Oscar Gomez, vice president of Verizon's Office of Diversity and Business Compliance; Lisa J. Wicker, senior executive of diversity strategies and operations for Daimler Chrysler; Sonia Green, the director of Diversity Marketing & Sales at General Motors; and Rober Cantu, CICSO's Worldwide Diversity Leader. Ana Escobedo Cabral, director of Latino initiatives at the Smithsonian, moderated the panel.

The National Hispana Leadership Institute's (NHLI) president, Marisa Rivera Albert, moderated the second panel of the day, which addressed Latinas in Top Management Positions. Panelists included Mercy Jimenez, senior vice president of business and product development for Fannie Mae; Violeta Vera Seidell, vice president of planning and analysis of the Marriott International, Inc.'s Lodging Program Management Office; Betsy Silva Hernandez, diversity director at Freddie Mac; and Maria Cristina Sebastian, managing director of sales planning and analysis for American Airlines. 

As they feasted on a delicious three-course meal, luncheon keynote speaker, the Honorable Elaine L. Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor, addressed LATINA Style 50 guests and award recipients. DaimlerChrysler hosted the luncheon, and Lisa Wicker introduced Secretary Chao. Secretary Chao applauded the LATINA Style 50 awards. "The first thing I want to do this afternoon," she said, "is to commend LATINA Style for sponsoring these historic and momentous awards in which we can celebrate the accomplishments of the Latina community. … LATINA Style Magazine's work has really empowered thousands of Latinas, and raised profiles of working Latinas throughout this country."

To kick off the presentation of the LATINA Style 50 awards, Cristina Lambert, the president and CEO of Puerto Rico Telephone and Verizon Wireless Company, accepted the Company of the Year Award on behalf of Verizon. "We are here this afternoon to celebrate the success of all the companies who have made great progress in providing a supportive environment for Latinas," she said. "I believe it is only by truly being inclusive that a company can achieve enduring diversity success." 
Following Lambert's words, the awards were presented to the 50 best companies, and a high-ranking Latina representative from each company stepped forward to accept the commemorative plaque and have her photograph taken. As Secretary Chao had said as she looked out over the audience during her lunctime speech, "This is truly Latina power. You've got to give yourselves a great round of applause."

Invited guests then boarded a bus to the Old Executive Office building at the White House for a debriefing, where Special Assistant to the President Heidi Marquez Smith introduced Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy Margaret Spellings and Assistant to the President of Presidential Personnel Dina Powell. Spellings spoke first, addressing the audience about President Bush's immigration and education policies. Next, Powell spoke about career opportunities at the White House. Both welcomed questions from the audience.

For more information on the LATINA Style 50 or to access an application survey for the 2004 LATINA Style 50 awards, visit http://latina50.latinastyle.com

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