2008 Conference & Career Expo
The National Society of Hispanic MBAs brought to Atlanta the largest Hispanic conference in the city’s history.
The economic downturn did not dissuade over 300 corporations, institutions and organizations from participating in the NSHMBA 2008 Conference and Career Expo. With Deloitte as the Corporate Lead Sponsor and Emory University - Goizueta Business School as the Academic Lead Sponsor, this year’s event welcomed more than 8,400 Hispanic MBA professionals & MBA candidates at the Georgia World Congress Center October 9 – 11, surpassing attendance expectations this year, while breaking last year’s record.
Many of the sponsors’ top executives and representatives of the NSHMBA 2008 Conference & Career Expo, including NSHMBA’s CEO, Lourdes Hassler, welcomed participants to the ribbon cutting ceremony. In attendance were Deloitte Chief Diversity Officer, Allen Thomas; Emory University Goizueta Business School Dean, Larry Benveniste; 
Councilman Kwanza Hall of District 2-Downtown Atlanta speaking on behalf of Atlanta’s Mayor, Shirley Franklin; Cox Enterprise Chief People Officer, Lilicia Bailey; and NSHMBA’s Corporate Advisory Board President, Isaias Zamarripa.
The continued partnership and support of NSHMBA sponsors demonstrate their commitment and understanding that the Hispanic community plays a dominant role in the reinforcement and improvement of corporate performance. Corporate leaders repeatedly state that “top Hispanic talent” is what corporations seek at the NSHMBA Conference and Career Expo. Given the education power of Hispanic MBAs and the current and forecasted population size and buying power, for corporations seeking to successfully navigate through the current economic crisis, the Hispanic community is in the forefront of corporate vision.
“Our current economy has affected everyone, and NSHMBA is no exception,” said Lourdes Hassler, NSHMBA CEO. “In fact, we have benefited from the turmoil; we see corporations still standing firm in their commitment to our mission of ensuring the diversity pipeline continues to flourish. We stand together with our sponsors in the pursuit of diverse, global leaders; we are committed to positively affecting our economy, community and developing future leaders”.
People attended NSHMBA’s conference to connect to opportunities, which also was the theme for this year’s conference: Make Your Connection. Whether a student, professional, executive, or academic or corporate representative, each attendee left with a renewed vision, stronger relationships, and promise of their own future as each “made their connection” at NSHMBA’s 2008 Conference.
During Professional Development Day on Thursday, October 9, attendees were provided the opportunity to acquire key competencies necessary to position themselves for career advancement, hear from the top corporate executives, business consultants, and renowned speakers and authors, experience dynamic presentations focusing on the vital proficiencies they need to master in order to consistently produce superior performance while accomplishing their business and career goals, and learn the secrets of successful Latinos who have made it in the business world.
Ten workshops were offered:
- Opening general session: Generations in the workplace
- Finance: The global investment landscape: seamless markets or fractured constructs?
- Marketing: It’s a brand you world
- Management: Emotional intelligence and diversity: what is EI and how it can help me and my organization in today’s global business environment
- Leadership: Negotiating the corporate political environment
- Career development: The leaders of the future at the world’s most admired brands
- Professional competencies: Getting your act together: how to stand and deliver powerful presentations
- Entrepreneurship: Turn your passion into a profitable business
- Consulting: Hispanics in consulting
- Leadership plenary: Thinking outside the box
small-group workshops, this exclusive event gave ample opportunities to connect with peers and stimulate critical thinking. Friday also brought the inaugural Hispanic Research Forum, where top academic researchers presented and discussed topics and papers that combined academic research with managerial implications for recruiters, executives and academics seeking insight into the Hispanic workforce.Dell and Microsoft continued their patronage, participation and scholastic support to NSHMBA by sponsoring once more the Marketing Case Competition. Six teams were chosen to participate in the final round, and the winners for this year are: Andrea Sharfin, Indy Sen, Rahul Kitchlu, Diego Panama from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management.
This year NSHMBA also offered a Consulting Case Competition sponsored by IBM. The University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business claimed the first place. The members of the winning team were: Jow Maukabaa, Navneet Kesher, Sameer Karnik, and Pavan Tallapragada
During the conference, NSHMBA recognized the 215 Hispanic national scholars to whom it recently awarded over $1.4 million in scholarships and financial aid. With the generous support of corporate partners, chapter officers, and individual donors, NSHMBA has paved the way for Hispanics to pursue masters’ degrees in business administration for the past 17 years. As an additional contribution to the organization's mission of fostering Hispanic leadership through graduate management education and professional development, the NSHMBA Atlanta chapter organized an executive golf outing during the 2008 NSHMBA Conference and Career Expo. All proceeds of the event were donated to the NSHMBA Scholarship Fund, and a check for $40,400 was presented to Lourdes Hassler, NSHMBA CEO by Francisco Rocca, president of the NSHMBA Atlanta chapter and Harold Lockheimer, lifetime contributor of the organization. In addition, a total of $1,472.50 was donated by attendees at different functions during the NSHMBA conference.
The final evening of the conference ended with a Saturday night gala hosted by Deloitte, who also presented the prestigious Brillante Awards for Excellence. This award is the most prestigious honor presented by NSHMBA and is given to the Hispanic community’s most outstanding leaders and corporations whose work and contributions reflect the NSHMBA mission to foster Hispanic leadership through graduate management education and professional development in order to improve society. “The individuals and organizations awarded the Brillante Award for Excellence are truly dedicated and determined to make a significant impact in the business world and the Hispanic community,” said Lourdes Hassler, NSHMBA CEO. “They are true role models to our nation and an inspiration to our Hispanic community.”
This year's recipients were:
Corporate Executive Excellence
Rudy Beserra, VP Latin Affairs, The Coca-Cola Company
Member Service Excellence
Loida Rosario, DePaul University
Entrepreneur Excellence Award
Tillie Hidalgo Lima, President/CEO, of Best Upon Request Corporate, Inc.
Corporate Excellence
American Express
Educational Excellence
Florida International University
Not-For-Profit Excellence
The National Hispanic Business Association
NSHMBA has left a lasting impression in every conference attendee and in the city of Atlanta, bringing the largest Hispanic conference to the city and making a direct economic impact of $9,130,000. People attended NSHMBA’s conference to CONNECT TO OPPORTUNITIES, and so they did.
2008 Conference Statistics
| Total Attendance: | Over 8,400 |
| Total Sponsors: | 312 |
| Corporate Sponsors: | 236 |
| Academic Sponsors: | 76 |
| Students: | 58.2% |
| Professionals: | 41.8% |
| Students from 50 Top Universities: | 62.0% |
| Total Interview Booths: | 483 |
| Online Job Posting - Conference: | 1,224 |
| Online Job Posting - YTD 2008: | 19,986 |
| Hispanic Professionals*: | 41.0% |
| Hispanic Students*: | 22.3% |
* Race was not a required field on registration.
