Latina Global Executive Leadership & Entrepreneur Program Faculty
Dr. Yasmin Davidds
President & C.E.O.
Latina Global Executive Leadership & Entrepreneur Institute
Organizational psychologist, leadership development expert and educator, Dr. Yasmin Davidds has trained and counseled more than 2,000 corporate leaders in over 200 blue chip companies throughout 22 countries. Dr. Davidds has developed and implemented customized leadership programs for Fortune 100 companies in Brazil, Columbia, Argentina, England, Spain and the U.S. Dr. Davidds established the Women’s Institute of Negotiation (WIN), dedicated to the teaching, instruction and development of negotiating skills and leadership competencies primarily focused on women in professional, academic and corporate settings.
Dan Schnur
USC Faculty
Director
Jesse M. Unruh Insitute of Politics at USC
Dan Schnur is the Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, where he works to motivate students to become involved in politics, government, and public service and teaches popular classes in politics, communications and leadership. He also is the founder and Director of the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences/Los Angeles Times poll series. In addition to his position at USC, Dan is an Adjunct Instructor at the University of California at Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies. Dan also has held the post of Visiting Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics at Harvard University and taught an advanced course in political campaign communications at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management.
Maria Salinas
Chairwoman
ProAmerica Bank
Maria S. Salinas is the Chairwoman of ProAmérica Bank, the first Latino-owned community bank in Los Angeles County in over 35 years. She is a member of the Director’s loan Committee and the Governance Committee and has served as Chair of the Audit Committee. As President & Founder of Salinas Consulting, a finance and accounting project management firm, Ms. Salinas services corporate clients. In 2010, Salinas Consulting was awarded the Professional Services Award from the National Latina Business Women’s Professional Association of Los Angeles.
Currently, only 1% percent of corporate board seats are held by Latinas.
Graciela Meibar
Former VP Global Diversity Mattel, Inc.
In her role as vice president of global diversity, Meibar has developed a global strategic diversity initiative for Mattel, helping Mattel address its need for a truly diverse employee population. She is responsible For implementing all aspects of this strategy. Meibar began her career at Mattel in 1984 as an Area Manager Analyst in the international division. From 1995 to 2003, she served as vice president of Latin America Export, managing the Caribbean, Central America, Panama, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. During this time, she doubled the business and changed the business model for Mattel in that region.
Dr. Robert Rodriguez
President
DRR Advisors
Robert Rodriguez, Ph.D., is the founder and president of Dr. Robert Rodriguez Advisors, LLC (DRR Advisors), a management and diversity consulting firm. Dr. Rodriguez specializes in Latino talent management programs. Over 100 corporations have sought his expertise and consultation to develop proactive Latino diversity initiatives that have a positive impact on business results. So many corporations rely on Dr. Rodriguez for insight on their Latino initiatives that Hispanic Business Magazine named him one of the Top 100 Most Influential Latinos in America. Dr. Rodriguez is best known for his book, Latino Talent: Effective Strategies to Recruit, Retain and Develop Hispanic Professionals which is used by dozens of corporations as a framework for their Latino diversity programs.
Liza Pano
Senior Vice President
Worldwide Distribution
Paramount Pictures Corporation
Liza Pano is Senior Vice President, Worldwide Distribution Services at Paramount Pictures Corporation. In this position, Ms. Pano is responsible for overseeing global localization operations for all theatrical and non-theatrical product. Ms. Pano joined Paramount Pictures Corporation in 2006, when DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures Corporation merged. She began her tenure at DreamWorks in 2005, serving as Vice President, Worldwide Technical Services, supervising the international delivery of all theatrical and non- theatrical DreamWorks product. In 2014 Ms. Pano was also named one of the most Influential and Powerful Latinos in Entertainment by the Imagen Foundation.
Pablo Schneider
CEO
The Wider Net, Inc.
Pablo Schneider is CEO of The Wider Net, a firm dedicated to advancing diverse leaders in top leadership while also serving as a senior advisor to private equity firms on buying, growing, and selling companies. In media, he has been published in NACD Directorship, FOX News Latino, Latino Leaders, and PODER. In leadership, he is Chairman of the Renaissance Dinners and a member of the Thunderbird Global Council. He is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow as well as an alumnus of LEAD San Diego and of the Texas Lyceum. During his 25-year business career he has served as a senior executive with BlueCross and Blue Shield, Delta Dental, and three growth ventures. He has served on private, non-profit, and governmental boards for the past 20 years.
Christopher Pair Garza
Former CEO
Herbalife International, Inc.
Mr. Christopher Pair Garza is the former Chief Executive Officer and President of Herbalife International Inc. He joined Herbalife International ... Inc. in March 1985 as an Executive Assistant to the President. From May 1991 to November 1996, he served as Executive Vice President - International and Corporate Administration and Secretary. In November 1996, he became Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President. Prior to 1985, he served in various management positions with U.S. Leasing, Raytheon Data Systems and Consolidated Foods. Currently, Mr. Garza is the Founder of LyfeStart International, Inc. and serves as its Chief Executive Officer.
Dr. Robert Denhardt
USC Faculty
Director of Leadership Programs
USC Sol Price
School of Public Policy
Robert Denhardt is a Professor and Director of Leadership Programs at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Dr. Denhardt is well-known for his scholarship on the public service, public administration, organizational development, ethics, and leadership. His major books include The Dance of Leadership, The New Public Service, Theories of Public Organization, Managing Human Behavior in Public and Nonprofit Organizations, in addition to publishing over 100 articles in professional journals. Dr. Denhardt has served as president of the American Society for Public Administration and was elected a Fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration. He was a winner of the Dwight Waldo Award for Lifetime Achievement in Scholarship in Public Administration and the Charles H. Levine Award for teaching, scholarship, and service to the profession.
Dr. Betty Uribe
Executive Vice President
California Bank & Trust
Dr. Betty Rengifo Uribe is the Executive Vice President of business and personal banking for California Bank and Trust. Reporting directly to the CEO, Dr. Uribe is responsible for leading a division comprised of branches and multiple business lending teams in the San Francisco, East Bay, Sacramento, Central Valley, Greater Los Angeles, Orange County, Antelope Valley, and Inland Empire areas. Dr. Uribe’s academic credentials consist of a bachelor’s degree in psychology with an emphasis in business, an Executive MBA from Pepperdine University and a doctorate in organizational leadership.
Monica Gil
Senior Vice President
and General Manager
Nielsen
Monica Gil is Senior Vice Presidentand General Manager of Multicultural Growth and Strategy and the highest ranking Latina at Nielsen. In this role she is responsible for driving growth, providing superior market understanding, and delivering comprehensive strategies to reach the multicultural consumer. She also oversees the development of Nielsen’s Diverse Intelligence Series, which provides marketers a closer look at today's increasingly multicultural population. Gil co-created Nielsen’s External Advisory Councils and has co-led the company’s branding efforts at over 200 community and industry events annually.
Jerry M. Fuentes
President
AT&T
Arizona / New Mexico
Jerry Fuentes serves as President of AT&T Arizona and New Mexico. In this capacity, Mr. Fuentes leads all legislative, regulatory, and external affairs activities in the two states. In addition, Mr. Fuentes is involved with new technology deployment and infrastructure investment and represents AT&T in civic and community organizations. Prior to being named president, Mr. Fuentes, was assistant vice president External Affairs, with responsibility for supporting legislative, governmental, regulatory, and community affairs for AT&T’s western region. Most recently, Mr. Fuentes was appointed by Governor Jan Brewer to the Arizona Commerce Authority which was established to replace the Arizona Department of Commerce and lead all commerce and economic development activities for the state.
Julius E. Robinson
Managing Director
Corporate Social Responsibility for the Americas
MUFG Union Bank, N.A.
Julius Robinson serves as managing director and head of MUFG Union Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) group for the Americas. He is responsible for company-wide CSR strategy and programs in the United States, Latin America and Canada, including charitable giving, community outreach, environmental stewardship, and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) compliance and investment. Mr. Robinson also oversees the bank’s government relations activities and the MUFG Union Bank Foundation, the nonprofit entity that acts as the agent for the bank’s charitable contributions.
Carmen Herrera
Director, Support Services
Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric
(Sempra Energy utilities)
Carmen is the director of support services and highest ranking Latina at Sempra Energy Utilities (Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric.) Carmen is responsible for overseeing Fleet Services for SoCalGas and SDG&E and Facility Operations and Capital Programs for SoCalGas (Support Services). Her organization provides critical support to the core business and ensures they have what they need to run their operation. Prior to her current role she was the director responsible for the facilities maintenance, construction, and land management services for both Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric.
Xavier Guiterrez
President and
Chief Investment Officer
Meruelo Investment Partners
Xavier A. Gutierrez serves as President and Chief Investment Officer of Meruelo Investment Partners, and as Chief Investment Officer of Meruelo Group. Meruelo Investment Partners is the investment affiliate of Meruelo Group, and makes public equity and private equity investments. Meruelo Group is a privately held, diversified management company founded in 1986 by US Latino business executive Alex Meruelo. As Chief Investment Officer, Mr. Gutierrez oversees investments and acquisitions, and is responsible for deal origination, underwriting, execution, and capital sourcing across the Meruelo Group platform. He also helps lead the strategic management of Meruelo Group’s twenty-five affiliated companies across ten primary industries.
Karla Sandoval
CEO
Entrepreneur Intelligence, Inc.
Karla Sandoval is the director of the Latina Leadership Academy's Entrepreneur Program. She is a highly acclaimed speaker, leader, businesswoman and an Executive Presidents Team Member with Herbalife International. Ms. Sandoval travels the world as a master speaker motivating a whole new generation of entrepreneurs and business professionals, teaching effective tools and strategies for generating huge success. Ms. Sandoval leads success training seminars throughout the United States and abroad, including Puerto Rico, Mexico, Norway, Canada, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Iceland. Today, Ms. Sandoval is the Founder & CEO of Entrepreneur Intelligence, an entrepreneur soft skills training program.
