Carmen Herrera

Carmen Herrera is Director, Diverse Business Enterprises for Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric (Sempra Energy utilities).  Carmen is responsible for the strategic development, implementation, management and performance of comprehensive supplier diversity programs.

>>  I’ll be asking Carmen how she came to this position, and what she’s learned over the course of her career.

In her current position, Carmen oversees the development of annual and multi-year program plans designed to meet or exceed goals as required by California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) General Order 156 and corporate policy.  Carmen acts as the company’s senior representative to regulating bodies and regional, state and national supplier diversity organizations.

>>  How does Carmen see her role in the context of the company’s goals as a whole?

Carmen has a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and is a Certified Public Accountant.  She started her career with Ernst & Young LLP as an auditor and worked in various industries in financial and accounting assignments with organizations such as Paramount Pictures and Hughes Communications before joining Sempra in 2001.

>>  How did being an auditor lead to Carmen’s current career path?

In her role as Financial Planning & Reporting manager for the Sempra Energy Global businesses, she managed the five-year planning process before moving to her next position in corporate compliance overseeing business conduct programs for the entire organization.

Carmen currently serves as the procurement representative to the California Utility Diversity Council and the National Utility Diversity Council.

>>  I’ll be asking Carmen about her responsibilities both within and outside of the company.

She is a bilingual professional who served as the past president of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting and served on the Board of Directors for the MAAC Project, a multi-purpose social service agency with a long history of serving various communities throughout San Diego County.

>>  Join us for this informative interview!

She is also a graduate of San Diego’s LEAD program, a non-profit organization focused on developing community leaders who can provide a catalyst for creating a better future for San Diego.