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2006 BRILLANTE AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE RECIPIENTS |
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Brillante
means bright, radiant, and shining. It was the meaning of the word that
led the founders of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs in 1989 to
bestow the name on its award. The Brillante Award, the most prestigious
honor granted by the Society, is given to outstanding leaders whose work
and contributions reflect the Society's mission "to foster Hispanic
leadership through graduate management education and professional
development in order to improve society."
The award recipients are indeed "llamas brillantes" (bright flames)
illuminating the path for many ambitious MBAs and radiating positive
energy to encourage and motivate many others. Recipients come at all
levels and in diverse forms. They are experts in their fields, focused
with a vision and determined to make a significant impact in the
business world. They have demonstrated strong leadership capabilities
and resilience to adapt and overcome obstacles with effective and
innovative solutions.
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CORPORATE EXCELLENCE AWARD |
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 General
Mills, Inc.
Corporate Award Recipient
General Mills’ efforts to attract, retain, and
develop a diverse workforce are both broad and
deep. At General Mills, diversity recruitment is
not just the job of Human Resources; it is the
responsibility of every employee. Management
compensation - from department heads to the CEO
- is based in part on how the company meets its
diversity goals. Beginning in 2005, the board of
directors voted to give performance in
diversity, culture, and development a weighting
in each business unit’s annual review.
Last year, 25 percent of new hires at General
Mills were people of color. At General Mills,
campus recruiting goes beyond attendance at job
fairs. General Mills looks to establish a
long-term relationship with promising prospects.
As Kenneth Allen Charles, Director of Staffing,
puts it, “We’re planting seeds in a vineyard,
encouraging kids to study business. Even if they
decide to work somewhere else, we are helping
the cause.”
The Hispanic Network at General Mills provides a
sense of community for Hispanic employees, many
of whom are far from home in Minnesota. The
mission of the Hispanic Network is to be an
“influential Hispanic community within General
Mills that contributes to the success of the
company and its Hispanic employees.” The group
helped the development and launch of La Lechera
cereals and Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche ice
cream. It also puts on an employee picnic each
summer and hosts a number of cultural and
professional events during Hispanic Heritage
Month, including Hispanic Leadership Day, for
which General Mills brings in Hispanic employees
from around the world for professional
development.
Nominated by: Federico Troiani
Associate Marketing Manager, General Mills, Inc. |
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CORPORATE EXECUTIVE EXCELLENCE AWARD |
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 Francisco
“Cisco” Codina
Group Vice President | Ford Motor Company
Corporate Executive Award Recipient
During
his 29-year tenure at Ford Motor Company,
Francisco “Cisco” Codina has developed a
reputation for successful business practices
that embody the mission and vision of the
National Society of Hispanic MBAs. Cisco’s
professional and personal lives are defined by
his leadership, his positive impact in the
Hispanic community, his business acumen and
authority in the automotive industry, as well
his dedication to community service.
As Group Vice President for Ford Motor Company,
he oversees the marketing, sales, and service of
Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles in North
America – which sold more than three million new
vehicles in 2005.
Codina also serves as the Executive Sponsor for
the Ford Hispanic Network Group, one of 10
employee resource groups at Ford Motor Company.
In this capacity, Codina assists the group in
its efforts to promote Hispanics within Ford
Motor Company and the growing Hispanic community
of Southwest Detroit.
Through his leadership, the Ford Hispanic
Network raised almost $50,000 in 2005 to
establish a national college scholarship for
Hispanic students. The scholarship honors the
recent retirement of Ford executive Jim Padilla,
who dedicated almost 40 years of service to Ford
Motor Company and the local Detroit Hispanic
community. In 2006, Codina was appointed to the
Corporate Board of Advisors for the National
Council of La Raza, bringing his marketing
expertise to the Latino advocacy organization.
Also in 2006, Codina assumed the role of
Chairman for the Ford Motor Company United Way
fundraising campaign. He has set an ambitious
goal of besting the 2005 fundraising results,
where almost three-quarters of all Ford
employees contributed $12.8 million dollars to
the United Way.
Codina also continues to serve as the Board
Chairman for the Detroit Regional Council of the
Boy Scouts of America. He believes in what the
Scouts stand for: honor, integrity,
truthfulness, respect - attributes he
exemplifies every day at work.
Nominated by: Monte Doran
Ford Public Affairs, Ford Motor Company |
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MEMBER SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARD |
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 Julian Teixeira
NSHMBA Member Service Award Recipient
A NSHMBA member since 1997, Julian Teixeira has
demonstrated his commitment to the organization,
not only by serving in numerous leadership
positions, but by embodying NSHMBA’s ideals in
his everyday life. An accomplished
public-relations professional and journalist
with over 15 years experience, Teixeira has
imparted his expertise in the field to NSHMBA’s
great benefit.
As
national public relations chairperson, he
facilitated strategic marketing and
communication activities for the organization,
in part by assisting in the creation of media
contact lists and providing guidance on how to
conduct public relations activities at both
national and chapter level. Thanks to his
contributions, chapters are much better
strategically positioned to market their events
and activities.
At the Chapter level, Teixeira has served in
various capacities in the Washington DC Chapter
Board, including President, Vice President of
Marketing, Vice President of Education, and Vice
President of Student Affairs. During his DC
Chapter presidency, Teixeira implemented a
monthly newsletter to strengthen the Chapter’s
communications, assisted in the delivery of
networking events to raise funds for the NSHMBA
Scholarship Program, and created the annual DC
Chapter student seminar, which was designed to
prepare student members in the areas of
interviewing, resume writing, and networking. As
the President Emeritus and Chapter Strategic
Advisor, Teixeira has provided insightful and
invaluable guidance to the Board on all aspects
of chapter operations and support functions.
Overall, Teixeira’s leadership efforts have
helped the Chapter increase its exposure within
the DC area while guiding the chapter’s growth.
In addition to his substantial commitments to
NSHMBA, Teixeira continues to serve the Hispanic
community in other ways. He assists the DC
chapter in its efforts to collect toys for the
area’s disadvantaged children during the Annual
LatinVIP Toy Drive. Teixeira also volunteers at
the DC Central Kitchen, which provides more than
4,000 meals a day to needy people. An active
member of the National Association of Hispanic
Journalists, he has been successful in this
group’s scholarship campaign, which raises funds
for Hispanic high school students interested in
pursuing a career in journalism.
For going above
and beyond the call of duty on countless
occasions for both NSHMBA and the Hispanic
community in general, Teixeira was awarded the
prestigious Hispanic Leadership Award from the
University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School
of Business Administration
Overall, Teixeira has consistently met the
standard of sustained commitment for membership
service excellence and has raised the bar for
others to follow. His consistent devotion and
generosity has been an enormous boon for NSHMBA
and for the community at large.
Nominated by Samuel Berrios, Jr.
VP Education, NSHMBA Washington D.C. Chapter |
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EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD |
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U niversity of Texas at San Antonio
Educational Institution Award Recipient
Established in June of 1969, The University of
Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) was created to
"serve the needs of the multicultural population
of San Antonio, the South Texas region, and
Texas, emphasizing programs that contribute to
the technological, economic, and cultural
development of the city, region, and state." The
College of Business is fortunate to be under the
leadership of Dr. Lynda de la Viña, the first
Mexican-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in
economics in the United States and recently
named by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of
the 100 Most Influential Hispanics for 2005.
UTSA’s
commitment to achieving a diverse student
population is certainly evident in the schools
recruitment and retention initiatives. UTSA
actively recruits from a varied list of schools
and organizations across the United States and
Mexico, making an effort to reach out to an
array of ethnic and cultural communities to
ensure that they are represented on campus. To
prepare students for graduate school, their
GearUp for Graduate School program addresses
academic needs, social concerns, and student
expectations, as well as includes diversity
information.
They also provide free GRE and GMAT practice
test and strategy sessions. In collaboration
with several partners, UTSA provides academic
enrichment sessions that focus on writing,
research, stat collection, citation methods,
critical thinking, stress relief, presentation
skills, grant writing and publishing. Graduate
students also receive tutoring, academic
coaching, workshops and support group sessions
on completing a Thesis and or a Dissertation.
A working advisory committee (named The
President’s Diversity Committee) developed a
strategic plan to integrate diversity within all
areas of the University, including curriculum,
campus culture, recruitment, and retention. The
committee has developed a Diversity Values
Statement that supports a campus culture of
inclusion and appreciation for one another's
differences. Each November, UTSA hosts a
University-wide Diversity Month comprised of a
variety of events and activities that honor
UTSA’s students and the community in which they
live.
UTSA has closely partnered with NSHMBA’s San
Antonio chapter since 2001, and NSHMBA could not
effectively meet its mission of encouraging more
Hispanics into post-graduate education (MBA)
without UTSA’s leadership and support.
Nominated by: Peter Castillo Morales
Finance Officer, NSHMBA San Antonio Chapter |
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ENTREPRENEUR EXCELLENCE |
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 David H. Segura
Founder, President, and CEO | VisionIT
Entrepreneur Award Recipient
With a deep passion for community service and a
strong commitment to increasing the level of
Hispanic participation in the information
technology and professional arenas, David H.
Segura has demonstrated that he is a loyal
advocate of NSHMBA’s mission.
After spending some time in the corporate world,
Segura began to notice the lack of Hispanic
representation in the professional ranks. This
realization is what helped fuel his fervor for
increasing the level of Hispanic participation
in the information technology industry.
Segura concluded that the best way to provide
more opportunities for others was to build a
company that could help meet the goals of
education and professional advancement from a
larger platform. This idea is what led Segura,
at the age of 26 and with just $100, to the
creation of VisionIT.
Almost a decade later, Segura’s dedication to
VisionIT has driven the company to become one of
the nation’s largest minority-owned companies
and a national leader in the areas of
information technology staffing, outsourcing,
and vendor management. With offices in Detroit,
Chicago, San Francisco, and Atlanta, VisionIT
supports global Fortune 500 corporations and
public sector clients.
For the past four years, VisionIT has been rated
as one of the top 50 fastest-growing
Hispanic-owned firms in the U.S. by Hispanic
Business, and in 2004 and 2005, has been listed
as part of the Inc. 500 as one of the
fastest-growing privately held companies in
North America from Inc. Magazine.
For years, VisionIT has been a contributor to
the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and in 2004,
Segura created his own full scholarship and
internship program for college students called
Second Step. For the past six years, he has also
hosted a high school internship program in
partnership with Wayne State University, geared
towards attracting more Hispanics to the IT
industry and encouraging them to pursue college
degrees.
He is an executive member of NSHMBA, a board
member of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce and chairperson of the Education
Committee, where he is currently developing a
mentorship program focused on educating and
grooming Hispanic entrepreneurs.
Nominated by: David Olivencia
Director, Oracle Corporation |
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NOT-FOR-PROFIT EXCELLENCE |
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 Hispanic College Fund
Non-Profit Award Recipient
Since 1990, the Hispanic College Fund (HCF) has
been dedicated to empowering Hispanic students
with both the financial and professional
resources necessary to graduate from college and
succeed in the business world. The HCF was
founded by a group of Hispanic business
professionals who were alarmed by the number of
talented Hispanic students who could not afford
a college education. As such, the HCF was
created with the mission to educate and develop
the next generation of Hispanic professionals.
The HCF complements NSHMBA’s focus on graduate
management education by focusing on scholastic
and professional development programs targeted
at undergraduate Latino students who are
pursuing degrees in business, thus assisting in
the development of a pipeline of talented and
educated Hispanics. The HCF has awarded over $6
million in scholarships, and in 2006 alone, they
are expected to award over $1.4 million.
In addition to providing financial backing for
Hispanic students, the HCF also provides
students with numerous other resources and tools
to realize their full potential. The HCF
conducts an annual Hispanic Youth Symposium (HYS),
which consist of a three-day conference that is
designed to encourage Hispanic students to
complete high school and pursue a college
education. During the 2006 symposium, NSHMBA
partnered with the HCF to facilitate workshops
on careers in business and obtaining an MBA.
Another remarkable program offered by the HCF is
the Latinos on the Fast Track (LOFT) program.
LOFT identifies ideal Latino undergraduate
candidates and places them in internships in
various industries, as well as offering a
well-tailored professional and personal
development program for each participant.
The college fund’s Hispanic Young Professionals
(HYP) program is a structured leadership
development and mentorship program that matches
experienced professionals to promising HCF
scholars. The program identifies the
highest-performing Hispanic college students and
prepares them for the corporate track with the
guidance of a mentor who plays a critical role
in their professional development.
The HCF not only empowers students to seek
higher education, but also continues to support
these students in advancing their careers by
providing access to internships, mentors, and
workshops. Overall, the mission of the HCF
complements that of NSHMBA as a strong supporter
of creating the next generation of Hispanic
leaders in this country.
Nominated
by Samuel Berrios, Jr.
VP Education, NSHMBA Washington D.C. Chapter |
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