DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SMU Cox Executive Education, in partnership with nine corporate sponsors, announced today the launch of the first-of-its-kind Latino Leadership Initiative (LLI), a comprehensive undertaking designed to help meet the nation’s growing need for corporate leaders as the economy improves and national demographics evolve.
Founding sponsors are AT&T (lead sponsor), Wal-Mart (presenting sponsor), Baylor Health Care System, Cash America, Kimberly-Clark, JCPenney, MoneyGram, Shell and State Farm.
SMU Cox Executive Education will host a launch event on Tuesday, November 19, at 10:00 am at the SMU Cox School of Business James M. Collins Center on the school campus. The introductory announcement will be followed by a luncheon at noon with keynote speakers Rafael Anchia of the Texas House of Representatives, himself the son of immigrants from Mexico and Spain, and Antonio Garza, Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. The Latino Workforce 2020 Trends and Opportunities Summit, with leaders from the National Math and Science Initiative, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and the PEW Institute, will be held at 1:30 pm.
The LLI grew out of research that shows a gap in talent at the country’s executive leadership level. Some of this research includes:
- The 2013 Corporate Diversity Report by U.S. Senator Robert Menendez indicates Latino managers are significantly underrepresented in corporate executive and board member positions. Latinos held only 4 percent of executive and board positions in U.S. public corporations.
- Research conducted for the National Hispanic Corporate Council (NHCC) indicates that although Latino managers reach mid-level management positions faster than their peers, they are traditionally slower to climb to higher levels within their companies.
- According to the Pew Hispanic Center, U.S. Census Bureau and the Selig Center for Economic Growth, Latinos will be 70 percent of the labor force growth between 2010 and 2020, with 30 percent of the U.S. population projected to be Latino by 2050.
“Our country has thrived on the efforts of immigrants throughout its history,” said Miguel Quiñones, O. Paul Corley Distinguished Chair of Organizational Behavior, SMU Cox. “As Hispanics become more demographically prominent it is crucial that they rise to the leadership challenges confronting us all. Efforts like these ultimately strive to keep America's corporations the dominant economic force in business throughout the world.”
“AT&T is proud to partner with SMU Cox and the other founding sponsors on the Latino Leadership Initiative,” said Debbie Storey, SVP – Talent Development & Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T. “Our customers, suppliers, and investors come from all walks of life – and we serve them best when our workforce and our leadership team connect with them where they are. This initiative advances those efforts.”
Cox Executive Education first began working with the NHCC to offer the Corporate Executive Development Program in 2010. Through Cox Executive Education, and now under the responsibility of the LLI, the program offers leadership training and networking opportunities to high-potential Latino managers seeking their first executive management roles.
About SMU Cox Executive Education
SMU Cox Executive Education offers new, innovative and flexible programs – both open and custom – that provide a relevant and dynamic learning experience for professionals, managers, and executives. Programs provide skills development in areas such as management, leadership, sales and marketing, and accounting and finance.
About SMU Cox
The Cox School of Business was originally established in 1920 on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and named in honor of benefactor Edwin L. Cox in 1978. SMU Cox offers a full range of undergraduate and graduate business education programs, including the BBA, Full-Time MBA, Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Business Analytics, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Management, Master of Science in Sport Management, as well as Executive Education. The school also offers a number of unique resources and activities for students, including the Business Leadership Center (BLC), the Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship, the Maguire Energy Institute, the Global Leadership Program and the Associate Board Executive Mentoring Program, as well as an international alumni network with chapters in more than 20 countries.
