National Hispanic Organization's Executive Leadership Program Develops Hispanic Talent in Corporate America

Unique, year-long training program for mid-level Hispanic managers to be housed at SMU

ARLINGTON, Va., March 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Hispanic Corporate Council (NHCC), the national premiere resource for corporate America on maximizing the Hispanic marketing opportunity externally and internally, announced the development of a leadership training program for mid-level Hispanic managers working in Fortune 1000 companies. The NHCC Corporate Executive Development Program (CEDP) will offer training and networking opportunities to high-potential Hispanic managers seeking their first executive management role in association with SMU's Cox business school.

Although the U.S. Hispanic market - 47 million strong - represents the nation's largest ethnic minority, gaps in representation continue to exist within U.S. companies. According to a recent survey by the Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility, Hispanic managers are significantly underrepresented in executive and senior executive positions. In addition, an analysis by the Human Resource consulting firm PDI suggests a disparity in the upward mobility to higher level executive positions between non-Hispanic managers and their Hispanic peers. They observed that although Hispanic managers reach mid-level management positions faster than their peers, they are slower to climb to higher levels within their companies.

"We believe that upper mobility of Hispanics within U.S. corporations presents both a challenge and an opportunity to companies and the emerging Hispanic leader," said Yolanda Medina Casey, NHCC Chair and Project Manager in the Visual Merchandising Division for Hallmark Cards, Inc. "Together with our member companies, we have identified the need for a leadership training program to enhance development of Hispanic managers for strategic leadership positions within their companies."

The NHCC selected SMU because of its national reputation and strategic location.

SMU Cox, ranked in the top 20 by leading business publications, is also situated in Texas, a high growth region for corporate headquarters and center of commerce in the U.S., with more corporations based in Texas than in any other state in the nation. This geographic concentration of headquarters located in high density Hispanic cities, will fuel the pipeline with future Hispanic leaders. In the coming months, SMU Cox Executive Education will begin developing the infrastructure and curriculum for the NHCC CEDP.

"SMU's Cox School of Business has assembled some of the nation's top faculty and business leaders to create a program that will expand the pipeline of Hispanic leaders and their firms' access to a growing market," said R. Gerald Turner, president of Southern Methodist University.  "Cox Executive Education specializes in turning high-potential employees into high-performing executives. The collaboration with NHCC will focus Cox's strengths on preparing Hispanic employees to assume the highest levels of corporate responsibility in the very best companies. SMU is honored to be entering into this partnership."

"Hosting the NHCC Corporate Executive Development Program at Cox is a natural fit for us because of our ongoing commitment and proven record of developing successful business leaders," said Albert W. Niemi, Jr., dean, SMU Cox. "We are proud of our role in helping Hispanic managers who are on the cusp of advancing their careers."

The NHCC collaborated with senior executives in talent management in Fortune 100 corporations and human resource associations seeking to address Hispanic representation at senior management levels to design a leadership training program aimed to complement existing corporate leadership and MBA programs. This steering committee included senior level HR executives from Coca Cola, Hyatt Hotels, Shell Oil, Sprint Nextel, State Farm, Walmart and the Society for Health Resource Management (SHRM).

"With the rapidly growing Latino/Hispanic consumer market in the U.S. and the increasing demand for global  leadership, the need for breakthrough leadership development for talented Latino corporate executives has become critical," said David Gonzales, member of the Board of Advisors, SMU Meadows School of the Arts. "I am proud  to be involved in the development of the nation's premier leadership development institute for  the next generation of Latino executives,  as we help place them at the forefront of their industries."

The NHCC CEDP will work hand-in-hand with both Hispanic managers and U.S. companies to better understand the root of this disparity. It will provide tools and capacity-building resources to Hispanic managers in order to help them become senior strategic leaders within their corporations. More importantly, the year-long education experience will include ongoing mentorship and coaching from high-level executives at Fortune 1000 companies. The ongoing training aims to catapult the CEDP graduates into strategic positions within their corporation. The NHCC CEDP's first class is scheduled to begin its training in the fall of 2010.

The NHCC was founded in 1985 by executives of American companies as a non-profit organization to provide guidance to companies seeking to better serve the needs of the U.S. Hispanic market. Based in Arlington, Virginia, the NHCC board and staff, who hail from leadership positions within the Fortune 1000, provides guidance on how corporate America can effectively engage the Hispanic community through corporate diversity, Hispanic marketing, supplier diversity, corporate social responsibility, and community outreach. NHCC members are Fortune 1000 firms and S&P 500 companies with interest and knowledge of Hispanic market. For more information on the NHCC or the NHCC CEDP, please visit www.nhcchq.org.  

SOURCE National Hispanic Corporate Council