The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) Announces the Honorees at Its First-Ever Inclusión Gala Recognizing Hispanic Excellence During Hispanic Heritage Month

September 6, 2023 /3BL/ - The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) announces its HACR Inclusión Gala Corporate Honoree along with three exemplary corporate leaders, receiving Corporate Director of the Year Honoree, Executive of the Year Honoree and Inclusión Champion Honoree. The honorees will be recognized at the non-profit organization’s inaugural HACR Inclusión Gala in Times Square, New York City on October 11.

The HACR Inclusión Gala takes place during Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrates Hispanic excellence in driving inclusion in the corporate sector. The three individual honorees are Monica C. Lozano, a board member on three corporate boards: Apple, Bank of America, and Target Corporation; Cesar Conde, Chairman of NBCUniversal News Group; and Yvonne Garcia, Chief of Staff to Chairman and CEO, Global Head of Internal Communications, and Global Head of the CEO Experience Program, State Street.

“We’re delighted to honor those who exemplify outstanding achievement in driving Hispanic inclusion in Corporate America,” said HACR President and CEO, Cid Wilson. “All have made strides in the communities they serve and have set high standards for themselves and their companies. We couldn’t be prouder.”

The event will feature fine dining and entertainment in the city’s most iconic location as well as a ceremony honoring outstanding achievement in the following categories:

Corporate Honoree – PwC

The Corporate Honoree is a company that has prioritized Latino/Hispanic inclusion through its demonstrated support. PwC, a leading professional services firm, is making significant strides in advancing inclusion through its longstanding commitment as part of the firm’s strategy and involvement as a co-founder of the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion initiative. The initiative is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace with a roster of more than 2,400 CEOs who have pledged to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in their workplaces through a commitment to four key actions:

• Creating a culture of trust and openness for dialogue on diversity and inclusion issues
• Providing and expanding unconscious bias education and training
• Sharing best practices and lessons learned from diversity and inclusion initiatives
• Developing and sharing strategic diversity and inclusion plans with their boards of directors

Corporate Director of the Year Honoree – Monica C. Lozano, Board Director for Apple, Bank of America, and Target Corporation

The Corporate Director of the Year Honoree is a Hispanic board director who has not only demonstrated exemplary service as a director, but who has generously shared their journey both publicly and privately with other high-potential Hispanic corporate leaders to increase the ranks of Latinos on corporate boards.

Monica C. Lozano is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of College Futures Foundation, a position she held for five years until August 2022. College Futures Foundation is a California-based private foundation committed to closing equity gaps in California’s institutions of higher education by supporting underserved students to meet their postsecondary aspirations that provide greater opportunity for social and economic mobility.

Prior to joining College Futures Foundation, Lozano spent thirty years in media, twenty of these as editor, publisher, and Chief Executive Officer of La Opinión, the country’s leading Spanish language daily newspaper. She went on to become CEO and Chair of the Board of the parent company, ImpreMedia, and subsequently Chair of US Hispanic Media, Inc until she retired in 2015. Lozano serves on the Board of Directors of Apple, Bank of America, and Target Corporation as Lead Independent Director. Lozano has received multiple awards and distinctions and has been named one of Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Influential Latinas. Lozano was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.

Executive of the Year Honoree – Cesar Conde, Chairman of NBCUniversal News Group

The Executive of the Year Honoree is an accomplished Hispanic executive who has excelled in their role and risen through the ranks to achieve notable success. The individual demonstrates a commitment to bringing other Hispanic stakeholders along, both within the organization and through service to the community.

Cesar Conde is Chairman of NBCUniversal News Group. In this role, Conde has oversight of NBC News, CNBC, MSNBC, NBC News NOW, Telemundo Enterprises and NBCUniversal Local. Under Conde’s leadership, NBC News Group has increased its position as the most-viewed news organization in America, reaching about seven in 10 American adults each month across its broadcast, cable, streaming, and digital platforms. Shortly after arriving at the News Group in 2020, he announced a bold initiative to build trust among audiences by increasing diversity among team members by gender, race, geography, socio-economic background, and perspective. Central to that initiative is the award-winning NBCU Academy, a journalism training program for university and community college students, which partners with 45 academic institutions serving traditionally underrepresented communities.  
    
Previously, Conde was Chairman of NBCU International Group and Telemundo Enterprises. Prior to NBCU, he was President of Univision Networks. He is credited with transforming the Spanish-language media company into a leading global, multi-platform media brand. HACR is proud to count Conde among the graduates of the HACR Young Hispanic Corporate Achievers™ program in 2007, the first year of the program.

Inclusión Champion Honoree – Yvonne Garcia, Chief of Staff to Chairman and CEO, Global Head of Internal Communications, and Global Head of the CEO Experience Program, State Street.

The Inclusión Champion Honoree demonstrates excellence and high achievement in driving inclusion and belonging throughout their company by their example and commitment to equitable and inclusive practices from within.

Yvonne Garcia, Chief of Staff to Chairman and CEO, Global Head of Internal Communications, and Global Head of the CEO Experience Program, State Street, is responsible for the setting and execution of the Chairman and CEO’s firmwide strategic priorities, the internal communications strategy for State Street, including over 40,000 employees and executive leadership platforms, and the engagement of the firm’s most strategic clients representing over $9B in revenue. Prior to State Street, Garcia served as Director of Marketing and Distribution Strategy for Liberty Mutual and as Vice President for Bank of America’s China Construction Bank Strategic Assistance Program.

She is an active leader of local and national communities. She served as Chairwoman for the largest Latino professional organization in the country, ALPFA. She is also the cofounding Chair of Milagros para Niños, a board at Children’s Hospital in Boston, which has raised more than $20 million in funds for Hispanic children who can’t afford medical care. She has been recognized by Boston Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business and by Yahoo Finance four years in a row on their top 20 HERoes list, which showcases national leaders who champion women in business and drive change for gender diversity in the workplace. She was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of Reading Cooperative Bank and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

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About the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR):

The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) is one of the most influential advocacy organizations in the nation, representing 14 national Hispanic organizations in the United States and Puerto Rico. Founded in 1986, HACR's mission is to advance the inclusion of Hispanics in Corporate America at a level commensurate with our economic contributions. For more information, visit www.hacr.org.