Isaura S. Gaeta is vice president of Intel Product Assurance and Security and the general manager of Security Research at Intel Corporation. Gaeta is responsible for leading an engineering team focused on hardware security research including penetration testing, physical attack mechanisms, and outreach to academia, start-ups, and conferences. Previously, Gaeta was general manager of systems engineering in the Platform Engineering Group (PEG) at Intel and led the team responsible for optimizing workflow, to improve engineering efficiency and effectiveness, with a focus on improvements in execution capacity, quality management systems, and operational excellence. Additionally, Gaeta managed PEG’s people systems and served as chief of staff for the group’s senior vice president of engineering. A 30-year veteran of Intel, Gaeta spent the first two decades of her Intel career managing the development of various semiconductor processing technologies. Her work during that period led to two patents and five Intel Achievement Awards, the company’s highest recognition. Gaeta holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University. She founded Intel’s Network of Executive Women for the Latin America region and was the chair of Intel’s Hispanic Leadership Council. Outside of Intel, she serves on the board of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley and previously served on the board of Women in Engineering Proactive Network and the advisory board for El Centro Chicano at Stanford. The Hispanic IT Executive Council has recognized her five times on its annual list of the top 100 Hispanic professionals in the IT industry.
2019 TOP 12 COMPANIES
1. New York Life
Jomil Guerrero
Managing Director, Global Marketing Operations
New York Life Investments
Jomil Guerrero is Managing Director, Global Marketing Operations, for New York Life Investments. In her current role, she has contributed to the modernization of Investments Marketing by improving the effectiveness of marketing technology platforms, developing new value-add programs for clients, and building a best-in-class RFP practice. Prior to her role in Investments Marketing, she served as Director of Project Management &Communications for New York Life Investments where she managed a variety of projects including change management initiatives, execution of new business strategies, and merger and acquisition integrations. She was also responsible for both the internal and external communication strategy across the business. She also served as Chief of Staff to the CFO of the Insurance and Agency division where she was instrumental in helping the finance senior leadership team set strategic direction as the organization evolved to become a more dynamic business partner. She joined New York Life in 2011 as Director of Finance performing financial planning and analysis for the company’s Investment businesses. Prior to New York Life, Guerrero was US Controller for the Riverside Company and Controller at Muirfield Capital Management, both investment firms. She received her BS from the University of Central Florida and is a Certified Public Accountant. Passionate about employee engagement and diversity, she has also served as Co-Chair of ENABLE, New York Life’s employee resource group dedicated to developing programming for and raising awareness about disability, illuminating the challenges people living with disabilities face as well as their triumphs and achievements. Guerrero and her husband live in New Jersey with their two sons.
2. JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Diana Farrell
President & CEO
JPMorgan Chase Institute
Diana Farrell is the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the JPMorgan Chase Institute. Previously, Farrell was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company where she was the Global Head of the McKinsey Center for Government and the McKinsey Global Institute. Farrell served in the White House as Deputy Director of the National Economic Council and Deputy Assistant to the President on Economic Policy for 2009-2010. During her tenure, she led interagency processes and stakeholder management on a broad portfolio of economic and legislative initiatives. Farrell coordinated policy development and stake holder engagement for innovation and competition strategies broadly, and led financial policy initiatives including the passage of major legislation. She also served as a member of the President’s Auto Recovery Task Force. Farrell currently serves on the Board of Directors for eBay, The Urban Institute and the National Bureau of Economic Research, and is a Trustee Emeritus of Wesleyan University. In addition, she is a Trustee of the Trilateral Commission and served as a Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Council on Economic Progress. Farrell is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, the Aspen Strategy Group, the Bretton Woods Committee and the National Academies of Science’s Committee on National Statistics. Farrell holds a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and has a B.A. from Wesleyan University, from where she was awarded a Distinguished Alumna award.
3. Johnson & Johnson
Luani Alvarado
Worldwide Vice President, Human Resources
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health
Luani Alvarado serves as Worldwide Vice President, Human Resources, Johnson& Johnson Consumer Health and a member of the Consumer Health Leadership Team. In her role, Alvarado drives the talent agenda for the 17,000 associates around the world who deliver the science-backed, professionally-endorsed products that help more than 1.2 billion people lead healthier lives every day. Alvarado has been with Johnson & Johnson for more than 10 years, serving multiple HR leadership roles in Medical Devices, Innovation and Enterprise. She is known for leading large-scale business model transformation and for creating high-performing, highly-engaged organizations. As Worldwide Vice President, Alvarado most recently oversaw Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health’s integration of five new companies across the world, built organizational capabilities in digital, data sciences and e-commerce, and strengthened the talent pipeline. Previously, Alvarado spent eight years at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Human Resources working in the U.S. and internationally across Pharmaceuticals, Consumer and Devices. Alvarado began her career at Dow Chemical as a Trainee and member of their General Management Leadership Development Program and then transitioned to Human Resources. Alvarado earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil as well as a Graduate Degree in Human Resources & Strategic Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Catholic University of Santos in Brazil. A mom of three, Alvarado sponsors a child development center in the Latin community and enjoys traveling with her family.
4. Marriott International, Inc.
Brenda Durham
Senior Vice President and Regional General Counsel
Brenda Durham, Senior Vice President & Regional General Counsel for Marriott International, Inc., serves as primary legal counsel for Marriott’s hotels and resorts located throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. In this capacity she provides oversight guidance to Marriott’s law department group supporting the region. Her team is comprised of 14 attorneys, paralegals and support staff located in offices in Bethesda, Maryland and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and together, they support development, operations, asset management, compliance and casino oversight. Durham has been with Marriott for 21 years and is Marriott’s senior ranking Latina. She has a comprehensive practice that includes negotiating financial, equity, and management agreement transactions, hotel owner relationship development and dispute resolution, and global safety and security. In January 2016, she was selected as the Caribbean and Latin America business lead for the integration of Starwood-branded hotels in the region, which substantively concluded with the systems merge at the end of 2018. Durham is the region’s account executive for a large portfolio owner of mixed-brand hotels. She is one of the region’s executive representatives on the Owner Franchise Advisory Council. In her prior role, Durham served as the primary legal counsel supervising Marriott’s law department group for international operations providing counsel and oversight to attorneys supporting Asia Pacific, Middle East Africa and the United Kingdom. She is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School. Durham spoke at the CEO Summit of the Americas on “Women’s Economic Empowerment.” She is an Ambassador Council member for N Street Village. N Street’s mission is to empower homeless and low-income women in Washington, D.C. to claim their highest quality of life.
5. AT&T
Alicia Abella
Vice President
AT&T Labs
Dr. Alicia Abella is Vice President – Integrated Planning and Program Management, AT&T Labs where she leads end-to-end program management for the Network Cloud and Infrastructure organization. In this role, her team is responsible for front door systems engineering integrated planning, and solutioning. Also, Dr. Abella acts as an interface to a myriad of teams across the AT&T Technology and Operations organization. Prior to her current role, Dr. Abella spent over 20 years conducting research and leading multiple highly technical staff members. These experiences have allowed her to demonstrate her skills in a broad research spectrum which include research in cloud computing, software-defined storage, human-computer interaction, mobile services, big data analytics, and Internet of Things. In 2015, Dr. Abella was named to the list of Top 20 Latinos in Tech by CNET. In 2013, she received Columbia University’s Medal of Excellence. This is the first time since 1929 that Columbia has awarded the medal to an engineer. In 2011, she was selected by President Obama to be on his Presidential Advisory Commission for Educational Excellence for Hispanics. She was inducted into the prestigious Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in 2011.These are just a few of many distinguished awards and recognitions Dr. Abella received. Besides her technical contributions, Dr. Abella has been a strong advocate in fostering the development of minorities and women in science& engineering. She lives in Dallas with her husband Alex and enjoy watching her son, Mark, pave his college journey at her alma mater.
6. Accenture
Nellie Borrero
Senior Global Inclusion & Diversity Managing Director
A highly-respected senior leader with global experience spanning three decades, Nellie Borrero is known for her unwavering passion for inclusion and diversity and sharp focus on equality. She works to raise awareness and increase understanding– at Accenture, for its clients, partners and beyond. Borrero joined Accenture in 1986 and created the first role for diversity efforts. A deeply committed advocate for change, she believes strongly that Accenture’s rich diversity makes the company stronger and more innovative and is focused on increasing the representation of women and ethnicity in its workforce. In her current role as senior global inclusion& diversity managing director, Borrero sets the vision and strategy behind the company’s diversity initiatives, working with its most senior leaders. Under her direction, the company launched several successful training programs around the world – including in Japan, India, South Africa, Brazil, U.K. and the U.S., among many others – spanning multiple segments of diversity. Her focus has included the creation of a global career development program for high performing women, global positioning of the company’s LGBTQ and Persons with Disability agendas and the design and execution of ethnic diversity focused programs. Most recently, she created and is leading the Global Inclusion & Diversity Market Offering practice, serving multiple clients across industries. Borrero earned a BA in Management –Human Resources from Lehman College. She currently serves on the board of Comprehensive Development, Inc. and has received a coaching certification from the Hudson Institute and the International Coaching Federation.
7. Nationwide Insurance
Daniele Lopes Johnson
Associate Vice President
Talent Acquisition
Daniele (Dani) Lopes Johnson is the Associate Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, OH. She is responsible for corporate recruiting, driving talent and recruitment strategy and leading talent acquisition’s digital transformation for Nationwide. She serves on the board of the Workforce Development of Central Ohio leading the charge on the development, training and placement of critical skills talent in the region. Lopes Johnson’s career has been focused on leading diversity & inclusion and talent acquisition organizations in Fortune 100 companies, including executive recruiting roles, project management, and organization development. She is a liaison with several diversity partners and is an active member and advisor to these organizations. Lopes Johnson is originally from Espirito Santo, Brazil where her family still resides. She relocated to Kentucky to attend college obtaining a bachelors’ in Public Relations at Campbellsville University and a master’s in Information and Communication Sciences at Ball State University. She recently received the “Champion of Diversity” award by Women of Color in STEM magazine. She also became a mentor with the Latina Mentoring Academy (LMA), the only program of its kind in the State of Ohio. Recognized by corporations and state and local organizations, LMA is a leading resource for the development of Latina talent. Her personal experiences as a Latina and foreign-born professional in the corporate sector and her passion for career development drive her active engagement with several organizations whose missions are to elevate and develop the advancement of women and minorities in the workforce.
8. United Technologies Corporation
Abby O. Lawrence
Executive Director of Operations PWES & AGEC
Power & Controls, Collins Aerospace
Abby Lawrence is an Executive Director of Operations in the Power & Controls (P&C) division at Collins Aerospace. Her responsibilities cover the manufacturing operations for the manufacturing sites that support the production of engine pumps and controls for Pratt &Whitney, global engine customers (AGEC) and the government. Additionally, she works at growing and promoting the Hispanic Leadership Forums throughout the division. Lawrence has held positions of progressive leadership in operations, procurement, quality and continuous improvement in her 25+ year career. With a background in finance, Lawrence worked in development banking at the Inter-American Development Bank (Washington DC) before getting an MBA and starting a career in Operations at Xerox in Rochester, NY. There she gained a reputation for turning around struggling operations in a broad range of assignments from fabrication manufacturing to materials management, continuous improvement and strategy development. Prior to joining UTC Aerospace Systems in 2018, she spent 14 years working at Goodman Manufacturing (Houston, TX) a division of a Japanese company, Daikin Industries, where she focused on turnaround situations and progressed to Vice President of Manufacturing Operations, Procurement and Quality. Lawrence holds a BS in Finance and BA in French from George Mason University and an MBA in Operations from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Lawrence lives in Connecticut with her husband. With two boys in college, she enjoys being an empty nester and is actively involved in volunteering as an Outings Leader for the Sierra Club and as founding member of an Immigrant Sponsorship Support Team.
9. Sprint
Nelly Pitocco
Vice President
Product and Solution Engineering
Nelly Pitocco serves as Vice President, Product and Solution Engineering at Sprint. In her role, Pitocco is responsible for leading a team of technology engineers and architects in developing next-generation products and solutions in support of Sprint Business customers. With over25 years of experience in Telecommunications and Technology Sales, Solution Engineering and Operations, she has successfully led teams supporting a wide range of Fortune 500 customers. She is recognized for her “Refuse to Lose” approach – delivering results by transforming and developing teams effectively while motivating and inspiring them to top performance. Pitocco moved to the states from Puerto Rico as a child and is the youngest of 10 children .raised by a single mother. Her experiences growing up in Chicago, working her way through college and up the corporate ladder have provided her with a first-hand appreciation for the value of coaching, mentoring and investing in her community. She is a strong proponent of Sprint’s diversity and inclusion efforts supporting Sprint ERGs, Next Leadership Program and speaks regularly at Sprint-sponsored community events inspiring high school students with her personal story and encouraging them to study STEM. Prior to joining Sprint, she held executive positions at Apollo, AT&T, and IBM leading both domestic and global teams responsible for solution sales, customer care, operations, strategic partnerships, solution engineering and product development. Pitocco sits on the Illinois MWM Steering Committee and the Heavy Reading Thought Leadership Council. She holds a B.A. with a concentration in Computer Networking Technologies from DePaul University.
10. Bank of America
Elizabeth Romero
Senior Vice President
Small Business Client & Franchise Solutions Executive
Elizabeth Romero is the Small Business Client & Franchise Solutions Executive leading the centralized business specialists, client relationship associates, treasury specialists and franchise program specialists for Bank of America. In this role, Romero is responsible for developing and implementing the overall sales strategy for the profitable expansion and retention of the Small Business Banking centralized sales segment. She provides overall leadership to the Small Business Banking centralized sales team and verticals who deliver world class solutions and guidance to help customers achieve business priorities. In her previous role, Romero was the Small Business Central Division Executive. The Central Division is responsible for delivering Small Business solutions to clients across 14 states. She was responsible for setting sales goals and direction for the business segment, integrating sales efforts with product development and client service requirements, and developing and implementing an integrated approach and sales program with lines of business. Romero has been in Consumer Banking for 25 years, joining Bank of America in 1994. She has performed in various roles such as South Texas Area Executive, Houston Metro Region Sales Executive, Market Manager, Personal Banker and Teller. She was the Market Integration Executive for Houston for several years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of San Diego State. Romero is actively involved with the Hispanic Small Business Spotlight. She is Chair of the Enterprise Employee Engagement & Inclusion Council. She is a native of California and resides in Houston, Texas with her husband and three children.
11. Intel Corporation
Isaura S. Gaeta
Vice President, Security Research
12. Hilton
Laura Fuentes
Chief Talent Officer
Laura Fuentes joined Hilton Worldwide six years ago in 2013 and is currently Chief Talent Officer. In her role, Fuentes oversees global learning & development, compensation, benefits, HR consulting, recognition, and diversity & inclusion programs, as well as all people analytics for Hilton Team Members in over 100 countries. Prior to joining Hilton, Fuentes spent six years at Capital One Financial in various corporate strategy and Human Resources roles: leading workforce analytics, recruitment, and compensation functions for the organization. Prior to Capital One, she worked at McKinsey & Company in their Madrid, New York, and Washington D.C. offices, where she served clients across financial services and non-profit sectors. Fuentes holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia, a M.S. in Structural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. She lives in Arlington, VA with her husband and two children.