SHPE - Conference 2008 - (Page 24)

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT October 2007 with strong support from IBM’s Hispanic executives, boasts the active participation of 940 members. Its mission includes providing advice, guidance, support and resources to local DNGs and their partners; offering members outreach, advancement, development and networking opportunities at a national level; creating a platform for connecting and collaborating across all IBM Hispanic Initiatives; and providing a forum for discussing and resolving shared issues and concerns, said Ruth Villafuerte, Hispanic Constituency Program Manager, IBM Global Workforce Diversity. HispanNet members are also offered mentoring opportunities and shadow experience with Hispanic executives. “These programs have received a lot of support from Hispanic employees in IBM,” she said. According to Villafuerte, the mission of IBM’s Hispanic Task Force, led by a group of senior Hispanic executives, is to support constituents as welcome and valued members of team IBM, maximize their productivity and maximize IBM’s relationship with their constituents in the marketplace. Management-initiated and supported Diversity Councils are tasked with ensuring that the workplace continues to encourage and value the contributions and differences of minority employees. “They were established in IBM to build a sense of community and affinity as well as help drive business results,” she said. Overall, Villafuerte explained, the DNGs provide a great venue for employees to develop networking relations, leadership skills and career opportunities. Through the DNGs, employees have participated in community-building initiatives such as the IBM-supported La Familia, which addresses the digital divide in the Hispanic Community. Paulina Acevedo, President of the local IBM Tucson HispaNet Diversity Group (ITHDG), said, “ITHDG has helped me to grow as a professional and as a person. I have been able to network with a lot of executives and upper managers that otherwise would have been difficult to achieve. The sense of ‘togetherness’ that this DNG brings is what makes all of our events a success.” “IBM embraces diversity as part of its global business strategy,” Villafuerte asserted. “For IBM, diversity unites different cultures, languages, professions and perspectives into one globally integrated body. This unique combination of viewpoints 24 fuels IBM technologies, products, services and our commitment to client success in today’s globally integrated environment.” Lincoln Laboratory: Breaking Ground Employees at Lincoln Laboratory, a federally funded research and development center operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are in the initial phase of establishing an affinity group for Hispanic/Latino professionals. An onsite group can inform Lincoln Laboratory’s management team of the Hispanic/Latino culture and will explore synergistic opportunities within the MIT campus, according to Bill Kindred, Diversity and Inclusion Manager. “In addition to providing informal mentoring, career development and intercultural literacy, the group will serve as a bridge between the Laboratory and both internal and external Hispanic/Latino communities,” he said. Pedro Torres-Carrasquillo, a technical staff member, added, “There is a great deal of value in creating a group that can help provide a familiar cultural setting while also helping employees navigate in the workplace.” The affinity group will also help Hispanic/Latino new hires relocate to the Boston area and enable them to quickly contribute to Lincoln Laboratory’s mission of creating new technology in support of national security. In a nod to what all the company representatives said about the strategic value of their affinity groups, Kindred said, “This group has the potential of being a great resource in recruiting and retaining talented Hispanic/Latino engineers.” ■ A MODEL CHAPTER Gaining official status in 2003, SHPE-Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Fort Worth is the only company-based SHPE chapter in the nation. As a member organization, it isn’t recognized as a corporate affinity group; however, that hasn’t prevented it from receiving widespread support from executives, starting with LM Aeronautics Company President Ralph Heath. The chapter sees a direct correlation between the level and amount of support it has received with its being named SHPE’s 2007 National Chapter of the Year. During 2007-2008, SHPE-LM’s 72 members utilized company support for mentorship, internal networking and professional development. “SHPE offers Hispanic employees the ability to network outside the company and allows them to utilize its community outreach activities to work with others in a unified way,” said Michael Gutierrez, SHPE-LM founding past president and Region V vice president. “The Hispanic employees are also able to utilize SHPE’s professional development programs such as the Professional Development Series (PDS), Executive LeaderSHPE Institute (ELI) and Management Growth Training (MGT) to receive training from a new perspective.” Many value what SHPE-LM does in the community. “Our goal is to reach out to the Fort Worth community, provide models of successful Hispanic engineers and support the development of its members toward leadership positions in the corporate environment,” said Pablo Trejo, current chapter president. SHPE ❘ Conference 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Conference 2008

SHPE - Conference 2008 President’s Letter From the Vice President News of Particular Interest to Society Members Calendar Making the Most of the Career Fair Grupos de Afinidad Phoenix Rising Advancing Hispanic Excellence in Technology, Engineering, Math and Science (AHETEMS) 2008 SHPE Conference Program Guide Welcome Letters Highlights Conference Schedule STAR Awards Company of the Year Chapter of the Year Awards Speakers Entertainment Hospitality Suites Advisor Program Professional Program Quick Guide Business Proposal Competition Professional Workshop Descriptions Technical Paper and Poster Competitions AHETEMS Design Competition Extreme Engineering Challenge National Academic Olympiad AHETEMS Teacher Program AHETEMS Pre-College Symposia Corporate Tours AHETEMS Graduate Program AHETEMS Distinguished Lecture Series AHETEMS Deans’ Summit Undergraduate Workshops Quick Guide Undergraduate Workshops Descriptions MUST Scholars Symposium Career Fair Exhibitors Sponsors Hotel and Convention Center Maps Regional Roundup Inner Circle Employer Profiles Advertisers Index

SHPE - Conference 2008

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