Lora Villarreal

Lora Villarreal is Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer for ACS (Affiliated Computer Services).  Lora is Mexican American and grew up in East Los Angeles, but currently lives in Dallas, Texas. A premier provider of diversified business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology (IT) services and solutions to commercial and government clients worldwide.

In addition to her role with ACS, Dr. Villarreal is also a member of the Board of Directors for Buck Consultants, a wholly owned ACS subsidiary. Lora has more than 20 years of business, human resources and administration experience.

>> As a high level executive for a Fortune 500 company, and one of few women in such a position, what challenges does Lora face, and how does she meet them?

Prior to her current duties with ACS and Buck Consultants, she served as President of the Human Resources Group, Inc., where she assisted organizations in aligning people strategies with company and client values.

Lora also served as Vice President, Human Resources, for Transamerica Real Estate Information Companies.

Additionally, she held various positions with First Data Resources, including Vice President of Administration for a start-up operation in Mexico City, which included human resources, training, purchasing, facilities, and public relations.

>> What advice does she have for Latinas interested in climbing the corporate ladder? What lessons has she learned and what would she have done differently?

Active in charitable and civic affairs, Lora participated in the 1997-1998 Leadership Dallas Class, Executive Women’s Council, Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Society for Human Resources Management.

She is currently on the Board of the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan Dallas, Inc. and serves as President of the ACS Philanthropic Foundation. Dr. Villarreal also serves on the Board of the Texas Diversity Council.

>> Of all of Lora’s outside involvements, which one(s) is/are most important to her and why?

Highlights in Lora’s career include being named one of Hispanic Business Magazine’s 80 Elite Hispanic Women in 2005. That honor came after a previous ranking by the magazine as one of its Top 25 Elite Hispanic Women in Business.

She was also selected as one of 25 Hispanic women from throughout the U.S. to attend the National Hispanic Leadership Institute, a program designed to prepare women for positions of national impact and to influence public policy.

Most recently, she was named one of the Most Outstanding Women to Watch in 2008 by Hispanic Business magazine.

>> As a high-profile executive, how does Lora promote herself and her awards? How does she network with other women?

Dr. Villarreal holds a bachelor of science degree in human resource management from Bellevue University, a master of science degree in administration and management from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. in philosophy and management from California Coast University.

>> I’ll also be talking with Lora about her personal history and how she’s combined her family and work life!

Lora was born and raised in East L.A., was married young and had two children before getting divorced. She subsequently remarried and has been married now for 35 years to a (now retired) Air Force officer. While Lora’s husband was working, he had the career and she had the “job.” Since then, she’s developed her career, and what a career it’s been! Lora now lives in Dallas, and has been there for ten years.

Recreating Yourself

One of the things many of our interviewees brought up was the importance of both FLEXIBILITY and learning to RECREATE yourself. 

This is key for us all to remember that, no matter where you are now, it is important to be able to change, grow and adapt, depending on the circumstances.

Dr. Elma Gonzalez, Professor Emeritus at UCLA, said that she reinvented herself multiple times throughout her career.  She started out with one research interest, and it morphed into another.  She told us of the import- ance of flexibility and the ability to revise and rethink one’s life path.

Raquel Aldana, human rights lawyer and law professor, found that simply by changing her environment the expectations and preconceived notions those around you might have can be shifted.  She learned to recreate and reimagine herself and push herself past what she (and others) had seen as a barrier.

Eva Plaza, a former Presidential appointee and Assistant Secretary of Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity during the Clinton administration, shared with us that she is currently recreating herself — she had previously practiced government contract law and is now
transitioning to municipal and redevelopment law.

Hope Schecter, long-time labor and political activist, completely switched her role when she decided to give up her work with the labor party, because it was taking away time from her marriage, and start her own business!  She totally shifted gears mid-career and started a new exciting path (and also remained active in politics).

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, best-selling novelist, has re-positioned herself in the young adult market, because of the limitations of the adult market.  She has written a young adult novel, and it is in development for a Nickelodeon teen series.  And she has re-created
herself multiple times during her career and shared with us that she isn’t afraid to do it again.

Adriana Vela, founder and CEO of NanoBioNexus, recreated herself mid-career as she saw the trends shifting and changing and has placed herself at the forefront of cutting-edge technology.

What’s the message here?  One, it’s never too late to recreate yourself.  Two, you can go in any direction you want — Adriana did *not* have formal science training and yet she’s leading an organization focused on promoting advances in the nano sciences.  Three, it is important to be flexible and able to recreate yourself — whether you NEED to or not.

So, this week, mujer, think about where you want to go — is it different from where you’re at?  If so, how do you get there?  And if you’re happy right where you are, could you shift if you needed to?

It’s on us to learn to be flexible, adaptable and able to recreate ourselves as we move forward in our lives. 

Abrazos fuertes!

To ALL our histories being told…

This week I’ve got a call to action for each of you!  I interviewed Sandra Robbie this week, the writer/producer of the Emmy-winning documentary Mendez v Westminster: For All the Children / Para Todos los Niños. 

Mendez tells the story of the Orange County school desegregation case that ended legal school segregation in California seven years before Brown v Board of Education.

Sandra told us about AB-531, a piece of legislation that has passed the Assembly in California and passed the Senate and is now before the Governor — Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The legislation, put forth by Mary Salas, would require the Mendez v Westminster case to be included in the next printing of California school books. 

This would mean that the history of the case would be taught in 4th grade, when children learn about California history, and in 11th grade, when the students learn about civil rights.

The bill was written specifically so that there would be no extra cost.  The idea is to get the stories of important Latinos (in this case, Mexican and Puerto Rican civil rights icons) out there.

If you believe this is an important goal, Sandra asked that we write a simple note to the Governor asking him to sign the bill into law.  The message can be as simple as "Approve the Mendez case for California school books."

If you are so moved, I would encourage you to write this message this upcoming week, and then you can tell children in the future, "I was part of making that history appear in the history books!"

To ALL our histories being told,

Aurelia 

P.S.  In case you missed Sandra’s interview, you can purchase either the audio or the transcript (or both) of the interview at the special pre-sale price until next Wednesday.  Click here to find out more…

Sandra Robbie

Sandra Robbie is the Mexican-American writer/producer of the Emmy-winning documentary on Mendez vs. Westminster, the Orange County school desegregation case.  She lives in Orange County, California.Mendez tells the story of the Orange County school desegregation case that ended legal school segregation in California seven years before Brown v. Board of Education.

>> I’ll be speaking with Sandra how she came to undertake this project and what she’s learned from the process.

Sandra has spoken across the country about the Mendez case including at the Smithsonian Institute, Harvard School of Law and Stanford University.

>> What have the different responses been to hearing about this historic case? What has Sandra learned through giving these talks?

In 2004, Sandra saw one of her dreams come true when she was with the Mendez family at the White House when they were honored by the President for their contribution to American civil rights.

Sandra launched the MvW Magical History Tour www.mvwmagicalhistorytour.com in Spring 2007 to commemorate the 60-year anniversary of the Mendez decision and to celebrate the Mendez v. Westminster commemorative postage stamp (released Sept. 2007). Sandra drove an awesomely restored 1967 VW bus up and down the state of California and across the country, doing Mendez presentations at schools and community centers to raise awareness of the Mendez history.

>> What is Sandra’s view about our Latino history and what we have still to learn?

Sandra also drove the bus with Sylvia Mendez in the NYC National Puerto Rican Day Parade and the Huntington Beach 4th of July parade.

Sandra has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work on the Mendez history from organizations such at MANA, OC-NAACP, Chapman University, OC Black Chamber of Commerce, Soroptomist International Newport Harbor, Los Angeles Mexican American Bar Association, Radio Television News Association, OC Metro Magazine, the OC Department of Education, OCAPICA and as an OC United Way.

Show Me The Money…

So I was reflecting that not a lot of our interviewees  has spoken directly to the issue of money.  Obviously,  many of them are doing very well financially, but we  can only guess this from some of the "hints" they   give us.  It was rare for anyone to speak of money   directly.

In my mind, the issue of money is important, because   it has such a bearing on your lifetime possibilities,  opportunities, flexibility etc. and as a community,   Latinas don’t talk about money that much.  Is this  respect, are we any different than most other communities?  Money seems to be the "last taboo."

For me, as a young woman, I was not taught how to  deal with money — except by example, which was  pretty poor.  I’ve heard the same story from many of  my friends (no direct lessons about money, other  than poor examples), and it seems to me to be an  important life lesson for many of us to learn how to   deal with money well.

Many (but not all) of the women spoke about being  poor growing up.  They also spoke about how money  or the lack thereof may have influenced them.  For  example, Dr. Gonzalez, Professor Emeritus at UCLA,  spoke of how she ended college with the same pair  of tennis shoes she started with.  She also spoke  of needing her father to co-sign a loan for her to pay  for college expenses, and his reluctance to do so  because he "was a very honorable man and didn’t   want to owe anybody anything."

Nancy Rodriguez, owner of Tochtli Angel Arts, shared  with us her privilege of having grown up in a home where her parents were business owners and owned  land.  She was aware of the fact that she may have  been doing better than some around her, and yet  money was still an issue — she also shared with us  that her parents would sometimes fight about money.

A few of our interviewees, for example, Adriana Vela,  founder of NanoBioNexus, and Manuela Bump  Murillo, real estate broker and owner of her own  business, told us that they worked as young girls to  help bring in money to help out the household.

And Nancy Marmolejo, CEO of VivaVisibility.com  conveyed to us that many of her potential clients  have a hard time investing in themselves.  While  our successful and powerful Latinas have sometimes  shared with us their experiences about money, they   have rarely shared with us current advice about  money, except in passing.

For example, Sylvia Mendoza, journalist, author and speaker, told us that one of the things she might  have changed about her past is to have been more  "financially savvy."  And both Adriana Vela and  Manuela Bump Murillo had similar advice along  the lines of making current sacrifices for long term   benefits and gains.

For this week, I would encourage you to reflect upon  what you’ve learned about money and how did you  learn it?  What beliefs do you have about money  now and are these beliefs holding you back in any  way?  What do you do well with regards to money,  and what do you still have to learn?

The reason I bring this up is because we know that  these women’s success has come about from  following their passions, and yet their passions have  brought them MONETARY wealth, too.  What can  we learn from this, even if the lessons are indirect?

Many blessings and wealth (of all kinds) to you!

 

Age is only a number…

This week’s interviewee, Emily Matos, is "only" 22, and yet she had so many valuable lessons to share with us.

One of the lessons was that "age is only a number."  While this sounds like a cliché, Emily would say a cliché is not a cliché when you really mean it.  And she had a totally different take on the old saying.

She shared with us the importance of keeping a fresh, progressive and positive outlook.  She said it doesn’t matter if you’re twenty or fifty — if you want to go out and do something, you can do it!

Emily was also inspiring in reminding women that we are changing the world one day at a time.  From her perspective, she wants not to be the "exception" but rather to show others how extraordinary can BE the "norm" for Latinas.

Emily shared with us that sometimes people think she is "young and idealistic" but she values her outlook.  In her opinion, age doesn’t have anything to do with it! 

I tend to agree with her — one can choose their attitude and viewpoint at any age in life and Emily’s certainly chosen a good one.  Whether you’re younger or older, let’s BE the role model to whoever is around us, whether younger or older.  Emily certainly had a lot to teach us. 

Have a great week!

Aurelia 

P.S.  In case you missed Sandra’s interview, you can purchase either the audio or the transcript (or both) of the interview at the special pre-sale price until next Wednesday.  Click here to find out more…

Emily Matos

Emily Matos, Puerto Rican graduate student at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, is working toward a Master’s degree in Global Affairs, with a focus on Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance.  She grew up in New York and Florida.She is, now 22, grew up in New York City but moved to Ft. Lauderdale when she was 15 where she finished high school.  Emily’s parents were both born and raised in Puerto Rico, but Emily was born in the U.S.  She has one younger brother who’s 15.

Emily was an outstanding student, even in high school, being part of the National Honor Society, President of the Sign Language Club and President of the Science Club.  During high school she also served as a volunteer in nursing homes and over the holidays would participate in producing Halloween parties for children, as well as organize a canned food drive during Thanksgiving and a toy drive at Christmas.

Emily was fortunate to have been a member of the first public housing based “I Have A Dream” program.  The “I Have a Dream” program offers children support in the form of after school and summer programs, mentorship, and college prep information, advice and guidance.  For each “Dreamer” (member of the “I Have a Dream” program) that graduates high school, the sponsor of the program pays the in-state tuition rate to the college of the Dreamer’s choice.  Always a Dreamer, even though she started in New York, and then later moved to Florida, Emily kept in touch with her Program Director and kept her focus on college.

>>  What was the driving force for Emily to be such an accomplished high school student and stay focused on college?  Was it simply the “I Have a Dream” program, or were there other factors as well?

Emily attended the Honors program at the University of Miami and graduated with honors in spring 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a major in political science.

As an undergraduate student at the university, Emily spearheaded a volunteer project for migrant farm workers and served as a mentor for immigrant children.  As part of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM), Emily wanted to do a service project and was looking around to decide what to do.  She found a “camp” of people living in Homestead, FL, mostly immigrants from Central America.  She then coordinated other students at the college to spend one day a month with the children living at this “camp,” spending time with them, playing games, engaging in art projects, bringing snacks, and talking to them about school and their futures.  Emily was involved in this program from her freshman year through her senior year in college.

>>  How did Emily choose her volunteer activities, and what makes these activities so important to Emily, in spite of a busy school schedule?

Also as an undergrad, Emily spent a semester abroad in Melbourne, Australia.  Amongst all these activities, she kept up her outstanding scholastic achievement by being on the President’s Honor Roll, the Provost’s List and the Dean’s List.

Following graduation, Emily was accepted into the prestigious Sponsors for Education Opportunity (SEO) program, which helped to place her in an internship and eventual full-time position with Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP).  For a year after graduation, Emily served as a Program Assistant for HIP reviewing grant proposals.

>>  What did Emily learn from her year with HIP, and what caused her to choose her graduate school and area of study in the way she did?

This fall, Emily will attend graduate school at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs to earn a master’s degree in Global Affairs, with a focus on Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance.

She was recently named a 2008 Woman of the Year Scholar by Hispanic Business Magazine.  Emily is a Latino Scholar with the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and will focus her graduate studies on international relations and humanitarian assistance.

>>  How has Emily been recognized by so many prestigious sources at such a young age?

Emily attends the Harvest Christian Fellowship in New York City and her ultimate goal is to work in the non-profit sector or as a Foreign Service officer.

>>  Emily has said her faith has played a large part in her success.  We’ll be discussing her beliefs and how they’ve supported her throughout her experiences.

Spiritual Connections…

The idea of a spiritual connection, on a number of different levels, has been woven through the stories the women have shared for us.  The women have shared with us their personal histories of religion (for example, attending Catholic school).

Several of the women spoke of turning to the Divine for a source of motivation or support during tough times, and for a couple of the women, they were explicit on how they believe their own spirituality is a driving force in their life’s work.

Marcela Landres, editorial consultant and one of the few Latinas in book publishing, said, “I’ve rarely met a Latina who was not passionate about…something sort of mystical and spiritual.  And I really do feel Latinas in general…our boundary with the spiritual world is more permeable than perhaps in other cultures…” 

For example, she shared with us that in her family people would have altars in their homes and pray to ancestors and saints on an “everyday level” expecting that they listen to us, and send us messages.  So, Marcela gave us her idea of a context for Latina spirituality generally.  (Of course, this may or may not be true for most of us.  What have you found?)

Both Rita Jaramillo, Senior Liaison at the National Education Association, and Eva Plaza, Partner at the law firm of Garcia, Calderón & Ruiz, talked about their use of prayer in their lives to search for guidance or for motivation.

Polly Baca, former Colorado State Senator and CEO of LARASA, took us to a deeper level and shared that she has a direct relationship with God.  She talked to us about having conversations with God, and praying for signals about what to do, what direction to take in her life.  She said, “I couldn’t believe that I would be able to go to college and have these incredible experiences and then not be able to use them.”  So she would pray about where to go, and next directions.  And sometimes, she was called to take difficult steps.

For both Nancy Marmolejo, CEO of VivaVisibility.com and Nancy Rodriguez, owner of Tochli Angel Arts – a cultural management and planning company, their views on spirituality is woven into the fabric of their work.

Nancy Rodriguez, who now leads retreats based on indigenous spiritual practices and whose politics and life work are centered around her spirituality talked about her spiritual awakening and how it changed her life and the direction of her career path.  She talked about her first sweat lodge and said “I [had] been searching for a way to practice my spirituality in a way that speaks to me as a Mexicana, as a Mexican-American or Chicana. Of course, I was very involved as a Catholic, I even looked into some of the Eastern spirituality, and I was searching all the time. But in that sweat lodge on that night, I knew. There were so many memories and such a change in my heart and in my life, I knew that was it.”

Nancy Marmolejo, information marketer and CEO of VivaVisibility.com, said, “Our abiity to create…is one of the most spiritual things we could possibly do.  It’s a lot of times connected to a spiritual force.”  She further shared with us, “Everybody has an important message to share with the world.  I call it your medicine, on a very spiritual level, and my job is to help you get that medicine message out for the rest of the world.”  For Nancy, “there is that connection to a spiritual core that is at the forefront of creativity.”

So all of these women incorporate her spirituality into her life at different levels.  And we also know that how, when and why a person practices their own spirituality can be a very private thing — not all of the women shared their spiritual story, nor did I ask.

But for the women who did share, think about and reflect on your own spiritual path.  How do these women’s words resonate for you (or not)?  Do you incorporate your spirituality into the everyday?  Was your family’s spiritual history important for your own
choices, or have you found something different?  Is your spirituality something that is carried into your work?

Have a great week and may you be blessed in whatever you do and by Whomever you believe in!

It's all about joy!

Something that really grabbed me this week was what Christina said about JOY!  She told us to make sure we *enjoy* what we’re doing in each aspect of our lives.

This advice was in response, in part, to my question about how she combines work and family and community obligations.  Her response was to make sure she’s enjoying all of what she’s doing.

Wow!  Is it that simple?  How do you have it all?  By simply making sure you’re doing what you really want to do!  Christina shares with us that each of the various obligations in her life — things she’s *chosen* — give her perspective on all the other things.  They all work together for her.

So go enjoy yourself, mujer.  Reflect on the things in your life that you enjoy and do more of them.  And let the other stuff go…

Que gusto!

Christina Sarchio

Christina Sarchio, daughter of Spanish immigrants, is a partner at the law firm of Howrey, LLP.  She lives and works in the Washington, DC area.

Join me as I speak with Christina about her growing up years, and how her experiences both influenced her perspective on the world and led her to her career path.

Christina received her BA from Cornell University in 1991 and her JD from George Washington University in 1995.

Early in her career, Christina prosecuted a broad range of criminal cases before both the trial and appellate courts in Manhattan as an Assistant District Attorney for New York County.

After leaving the District Attorney’s office, she went to the law firm of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. before starting her practice at Howrey, LLP (www.howrey.com).  She is now a litigation partner at Howrey in the Washington, DC office, practicing in the commercial litigation, antitrust and white collar legal arenas.

I’ll be talking with Christina about her role at the District Attorney’s office, and what moved her direction to private practice.

Christina has developed an expertise in representing corporate clients engaged in complex federal and state actions sounding in: multi-district class-action and private litigation concerning criminal and civil antitrust matters; fraud; business torts; contract disputes; and franchise/dealer terminations.

She has substantial experience with major enterprises in the oil and gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, beer, tobacco, and residential insulation industries.

What led Christina to practice the kind of law she does, and what does she enjoy about it?

Christina has served as lead or co-counsel in numerous jury and bench trials, and has participated significantly in several arbitrations.  She also has defended corporate and individual clients in criminal investigations.

Christina also serves as Howrey’s Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee, as well as the Chair of Professional Development for the DC Global Litigation practice group.

Being a partner at a top law firm is a role seldom held by Latinas.  How does Christina find the position, and what challenges has she faced?  What changes is she making as chair of the Diversity Committee?

This past year, Christina served as lead-trial counsel in a ground-breaking lawsuit against Prince William County, Virginia challenging an unconstitutional and discriminatory local ordinance that targeted illegal immigrants.  The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund served as co-counsel.  While that litigation has temporarily stalled on procedural grounds, the case received national attention and sparked much debate on whether a local government can enforce federal immigration laws.

Since immigration is such a hot topic for many Latinos, how does Christina view her ability to influence policy and law in this area?

Christina has taught as an Adjunct Professor at The George Washington University Law School, and provided on-air legal commentary on a variety of criminal and civil legal topics.

Christina has authored several articles on complex legal issues, and has been a speaker for various panels, including those for the American Bar Association.

Christina currently serves as the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Vice President of External Affairs.  She was also elected to the DC Bar Board of Governors for 2007-10.  She is the immediate past-president of the Hispanic Bar Association of DC, which was honored under her stewardship with the Hispanic National Bar’s 2006 “Best Affiliate of the Year.”

How does Christina find time for all her professional and community involvements, and how does she bring the work/family life balance into her life?

In 2008, Christina was named by Hispanic Business magazine as one of “Twenty Elite Women,” and the George Washington University Law School honored her with the Belva Lockwood Woman of the Year award.  The Washington Business Journal named Christina as a recipient of its 2007 Top Washington Lawyers award as a “Young Gun.”  Hispanic Business magazine also recognized Christina as one of 2006’s “100 Most Influential Hispanics.”

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