As we close out this Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s take this time to reflect on the importance, contributions, and achievements of the Hispanic community. Our work, not just during this month but year-round, is focused on empowering, connecting and increasing the visibility of the community.
We kicked off the month being inspired by my friend and colleague, Thaddeus Arroyo, who shared what it means to be a leader “Without Limits”, and heard from our AT&T senior executive Latino leaders who provided a holistic view on the importance of visibility and representation and showcased the impact and power of Latino employees across the company. We also recognized our frontline employees and captured their stories about family, culture and work.
I also had the opportunity to host two Conversations with Corey sessions during Hispanic Heritage Month. First, a chat about the importance of representation and diversity for Latinos in the renewable energy industry with Joni Davis, Duke Energy’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer and Kristopher Tinoco, a Wind Technology scholarship recipient. Both Joni and Kris were passionate about providing educational and professional development opportunities for Latinos as a way to uplift local communities.
Separately, I spoke with Nina Vaca, CEO of Pinnacle Group, a workforce solutions provider, about her journey with AT&T as a top Latina supplier and what it takes to be a successful business owner. In Nina’s words, it is “good business” when companies like AT&T prioritize diversity at all levels, including in the supply base. When minority-owned businesses succeed, there is a large community behind it that is being empowered as well.
Our Latino employees continue to make strides as they leverage their positions to make a difference both in business and in their communities. A great example of leading by example is the Hispanic Grassroots Initiative, which has transitioned into the Latinx Leadership Collective, a group of 200 AT&T leaders who serve as strategic advisors to create awareness, advocacy, and advance Latino leadership. Their work in the past three years is remarkable and deserves to be celebrated.
From the grassroots to the board room, Hispanic leaders are making a difference. And we saw this in full display at the 2021 AT&T Employee Group conference, our annual event to highlight the work of our Employee Groups and to discuss business priorities and our focus as a company on diversity, equity, and inclusion. I had an insightful conversation with our newest AT&T board member Luis Ubiñas about his career journey as a Latino busines leader and the crucial role we play as a company in supporting Latinos and other diverse communities. The discussion was a reminder to all of us to continue dreaming high, leaving everything on the table, because today we are in a place where all things are possible.
In other great news, AT&T was recognized as a 5-star company in the 2021 HACR Corporate Inclusion Index in the areas of employment, procurement and philanthropy.
These moments are just a few examples of how we will continue our longstanding and unwavering commitment to the Hispanic community. At AT&T, we know representation matters, which why we must continue to tell the stories of the individuals in our company and community, their experiences, heritage, and accomplishments, because we know that when one person succeeds, we all succeed. For all of us!
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