The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility Recognizes 30 Young Professionals from Fortune 500 and HACR Corporate Member Companies

HACR's "Young Hispanic Corporate Achievers™" gathered in Chicago in April

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility recognized 30 young professionals at the 2012 HACR Young Hispanic Corporate Achievers™ (YHCA) Program in Chicago, IL.  The awards reception was held at the Fairmont Chicago on April 17 and was sponsored by Altria.

"I was honored to be a part of presenting the awards to the winners of the Young Hispanic Corporate Achievers award in Chicago.  It was a talented group of professionals whose accomplishments within their companies and their communities make us all proud.  They are all excellent examples of how diversity is an asset," said Altria's Vice President and General Counsel Jose Luis Murillo. 

Now in its sixth year, the annual program recognizes between 25-30 young Hispanics at Fortune 500 and/or HACR corporate member companies. Once selected, the young executives participate in an intensive three-day leadership development, education, and training conference.

To qualify for the HACR YHCA Program,  nominees and candidates should be of Hispanic heritage and be between the ages of 25-40 at the time the award is received.  They must be employed at a Fortune 500 and/or HACR corporate member companies. Winners are selected based on their demonstrated leadership qualities and capabilities within their respective corporations and have a commitment to the Hispanic community.

"HACR YHCAers are leading the way in establishing a new standard of excellence in Corporate America. We congratulate this new class of corporate achievers as they lead the way and serve as role models for other young Fortune 500 executives," said Carlos F. Orta, president and CEO of HACR. "HACR believes that companies who invest in the attainment of a talented and diverse workforce are in the long-run the most successful."

The 2012 HACR YHCA Honorees are:

Ricardo Benavidez
Cisco Systems, Inc.
San Jose, CA

Edgar Bermudez
Wells Fargo & Company
Charlotte, NC

Gerard Borda
SunTrust Bank, Inc.
Atlanta, GA

Alfonso Calderon
Dell, Inc.
Round Rock, TX

Oscar Cordova
Cisco Systems, Inc.
San Jose, CA

Javier Delgado-Granados
Walmart Stores, Inc.
Bentonville, AR

Michael Diaz
Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.
Norcross, GA

Sidney Espinosa
Microsoft Corporation
Mountain View, CA

Ivette Fernandez
News Corporation
New York, NY

Jason Fernandez
Wyndham Worldwide
Orlando, FL

Lladnar Garcia
State Farm Insurance Companies
Winter Haven, FL

Noreen Gillen
Bank of America/Merrill Lynch
New York, NY

Marla Gomez
Intel Corporation
Hillsboro, OR

Lennies Gutierrez
Comcast Corporation
San Jose, CA

Ivan Jaime
Union Pacific Railroad
Omaha, NE

Nestor Lopez
Progressive Insurance
Miami, FL

Roger Lopez
General Electric
Cincinnati, OH

Carlos Lora
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
Mira Loma, CA

Michael Munoz
MassMutual Financial Group
Springfield, MA

Vanessa Nazario
PNC Financial
Hamilton, NJ

Jose Olguin
State Farm Insurance Companies
Culver City, CA

John O'Shea
Tech Data Corporation
Clearwater, FL

Mark Palmenter
WellPoint, Inc.
Indianapolis, IN

Frank Perez
UPS
Alpharetta, GA

Mauricio Pincheira
General Motors
Lake Orion, MI

Carla Rodriguez
Intel Corporation
Hillsboro, OR

Adam Salgado
McDonald's USA, LLC
Oak Brook, IL

Gloria Schoch
First Data
Greenwood Village, CO

Luis A. Tavarez Jr.
DuPont
Deepwater, NJ

Carmen Zamora
FedEx Services
Memphis, TN

For more information, please visit www.hacr.org, or you can follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HACR.ORG and on Twitter at @HACRORG.

About Altria: Altria is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, John Middleton, Philip Morris Capital Corporation and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.

About HACR: Founded in 1986, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility represents 16 national Hispanic organizations in the United States and Puerto Rico. Its mission is to advance the inclusion of Hispanics in Corporate America at a level commensurate with their economic contributions.

SOURCE Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility