The New York Chapter of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs Pre-Conference event at Fordham University on September 19, 2009.
This event designed to help attendees prepare for the 2009 National Conference & Career Expo, by reviewing interviewing skills, polishing personal marketing messages and providing constructive criticism on resume drafting techniques, featured workshops, mock interviews and panel discussions.
Review the literature review guide. Using the overview that you .docx
Pre-Conference Program
1. http://NSHMBA.org/NewYork
September 19, 2009
9am – 2pm
Fordham University
140 West 62nd Street, New York. NY 10023
9am Registration & Networking Breakfast
9:30am Welcome: Judith Paul - Director of Career Management, Graduate School of Business
Administration, Fordham University
Iveth Reynolds - President, NSHMBA & CEO, Tri-Mar Consulting
9:50am Career Pathing Panel Discussion, Moderator: Iveth Reynolds
Carlos M. Antón-Khury – Operations Finance Manager, Verizon FiOS
Michele Briggs - VP of Human Resources, AXA Equitable
Reynaldo V. Casas - Manager, Public Affairs, MTV Tr3s
Jim Huerta - CEO, ResearchPays
Kirk Santos - Northeast Area Human Resources, IBM Corporation
10:30am Workshop 1
11:10am Workshop 2
11:50am Workshop 3
12:30pm Networking Lunch / Book Signing
1pm Keynote Speaker: Charles P. Garcia - Managing Director, Merchant Banking Division,
Cabrera Capital Markets L.L.C
1:30pm Navigating the Career Expo Panel (Moderator: Manny Velasquez-Paredes - Executive Vice
President, NSHMBA)
Chenelle Blackman – Fordham Alumni (Student perspective)
Jim Huerta - CEO, ResearchPays (Professional perspective)
Luis Scott Miranda - Internal Vice President, SHPE-NYC (Professional perspective)
Christine Ruzek – Manager, Talent Recruitment, L’Oréal (Recruiter’s Perspective)
Roger Jimenez – Talent Recruiter, Talent Solutions (Recruiter’s Perspective)
2pm Closing Remarks: Ky Hester - Black & Hispanic MBA Association
Danny Ramaroson - Black & Hispanic MBA Association
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WORKSHOPS / SESSIONS
Career Pathing Panel Discussion: Moderator - Iveth Reynolds, NSHMBA
• What is career pathing?
• Explore different career paths
• What are some tools we can use to help us in this process?
Résumé Workshop: Presenter - Michelle Elrod, Fordham University
• Résumé critique
• Specific recommendations on how to improve your résumé
• Résumé and cover letter writing checklists
• Do’s and Don’ts
• Targeted strategies for marketing your résumés and cover letters
Personal Branding Workshop: Presenters - CPT E. Susana Marcella, US ARMY &
Miguel Llano, NSHMBA
• Marketing oneself effectively
• 30 second elevator pitch techniques
• Social Media Networking
Closing Panel Discussion – Navigating the Career Expo:
• How to prepare for the Career Expo
• What to expect on the Expo floor
• Overview of events at the conference
• How to follow up with potential employers
Résumé Critiques & Mock Interviews: AXA Equitable, Federal Reserve Bank, IBM,
L’Oréal, Prudential, Unilever, Talent Solutions, and Tri-Mar Consulting
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Speakers and Presenters
Carlos Antón is a dynamic leader with a record of corporate and community achievement. Currently a Manager in
Verizon’s landmark Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) project – FiOS, Mr. Antón leads a large operations team that is
responsible for deploying the latest fiber optic technology (voice, data, & video) to residential customers and small
businesses in the state of NJ.
Previously, he worked on Verizon’s post 9/11 Disaster Recovery project and has held positions in Verizon Central
Office Engineering, Outside Plant Engineering, Marketing – Geographic information Systems (GIS), Financial Planning
& Analysis, and Program Management. In 2002, Mr. Antón was chosen to participate in Verizon’s competitive DLI
Carlos M. (Development and Leadership Initiative) for High-Value Talent. Mr. Antón also has prior work experience at Boeing
Antón-Khury and General Electric Power Systems.
Mr. Antón graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Industrial Engineering and a minor in Political Science. He
has been an active board member in such organizations as: SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers), FIRST (For the Inspiration
& Recognition of Science & Technology), AYUDA for the Arts, and Repertorio Español. Most notably, Mr. Antón is President Emeritus of
the New York City Professional Chapter.
Mr. Antón is a previous recipient of the SHPE’s prestigious “Most Promising Engineer/Scientist Award” 2000 and was recognized by
Crain’s New York Business in 2006 as a “40 under 40” rising star.
Chenelle Blackman is a marketing consultant for the Time Inc. Lifestyles/Southern Progress magazines group. In this
position, she is responsible for identifying and creating new business development & promotional and partnership
opportunities for such magazines as This Old House, Health, and Southern Living. Prior to her current position, she
managed the philanthropic and corporate social responsibility programs for both American Express and TIAA-CREF.
Chenelle strongly believes in being an active member of her community and in the importance of giving back to the
community in which she lives and works. She is an active mentor and leader for the National Black MBA Association –
NY Chapter’s “Leaders of Tomorrow” (LOT) program. The LOT program is a college preparatory program focused on
Chenelle helping low and middle-income NYC high school students develop the skills needed to successfully enter and succeed
Blackman in a college/university environment.
Chenelle received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University, where she majored in sociology and speech communication. In
2008, she was awarded a master in business administration degree in international management from Fordham University.
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Speakers and Presenters
Michele Briggs, VP, Talent Acquisition and Mobility for AXA Equitable. She is responsible for all talent acquisition
activities, which includes employee hiring, internal mobility and on boarding. Her team also leads AXA Equitable’s
college recruiting efforts. Most hiring takes place in the NY Metro area, but the organization does have
operations in Syracuse, NY, Charlotte, N.C., Harrisburg, PA. and Farmington, CT.
Michele has been with AXA Equitable for 6 years supporting multiple business areas both in a recruiting capacity
and as a client aligned Human Resources Business partner. She began her career in financial services in
commercial banking and then moved into Human Resources.
Michele
Prior to joining AXA, she spent 8 years working in the HR practice in the consumer products industry for both
Briggs
Philip Morris (Altria Company) and Kraft Foods. Over the course of her career she has held several positions
including assignments supporting a field sales organization, leading a strategic staffing function and driving organization change.
Reynaldo Casas has enjoyed a career distinguished by diverse activities. Mr. Casas is currently overseeing the
Public Affairs Department for MTV Tr3s in New York City. In 1994, Mr. Casas was selected as a Lyndon Baines Johnson
Public Policy Fellow. During his fellowship, he worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Representative Pete Geren (12th
District). He was responsible for working on educational issues, primarily those regarding higher education.
Reynaldo graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington in 1996 with a Bachelors Degree in Public Policy. In
1996, Mr. Casas began his professional career in higher education serving as Assistant Dean of Admissions at The
University of Texas at Arlington. He has dedicated over 10 years of his career to the field of education working on
providing college access and advocacy for Latinos all across the country.
Reynaldo
Casas
He recently spent the last 3 years serving as Outreach Manager for The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in
Washington, D.C. His understanding of higher education administration as well as curriculum and program development has served him
well in all of these administrative positions for the past 13 years.
Michelle has served as the Assistant Director of Career Management at Fordham University's Graduate School of
Business since August 2008. Prior to joining Fordham she was the Manager of Human Resources for the Atlanta office
of Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, a middle market CPA firm in the Southeast. There she was responsible for the
recruiting and retention of professional staff at all levels.
Michelle has a Masters of Accounting from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She started her
accounting career at Ernst & Young, where she served as an auditor for three years before moving into the
Campus Recruiting group. Michelle enjoys public speaking and credits this passion to her time as an On-Air Reporter
for a local ABC affiliate in Alabama, a role she took after graduating from her undergraduate work at Belmont
Michelle Elrod
University in Nashville, TN.
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Speakers and Presenters (continued )
Born of Taiwanese and African American descent and raised on a military base in Okinawa, Japan, Ky brings a global
perspective as well as her business acumen. She has a background in broadcast media, working with Black
Entertainment Television as a Senior Producer in the On-Air Promotions and Marketing Department.
Her entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and she started her own multi-media production company, Sky Pro LLC, landing
clients at Madison Square Garden Network, Spartacus Entertainment, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and others. After
successfully running her company, Ky decided it was time to hone her skills in media and marketing and couple it
with a solid base in finance. She is currently a second year student at Fordham Graduate School of Business,
concentrating in Marketing and Finance and she is the President for the Fordham Black and Hispanic MBA
Ky Hester Association. In her spare time, Ky enjoys traveling, running, snowboarding, golfing and karaoke.
Mr. Huerta has been in leadership roles since the late sixties, when he served in the US Air Force, Strategic Air
Command and a tour of duty in South East Asia. His academic and professional career has focused on the
development of organizational corporate structures that can deliver improved results. His specialty is in designing
globally positioned management teams in ‘virtual’ environments.
Professionally, he has worked at senior management roles in a wide variety of industries. His accomplishments
have ranged from launching companies uniquely positioned for success to operating turn-around situations for
investor groups. In 1987, he was an intricate member of a team that established a Trade Finance/Commodity
Trading unit for Lloyds Bank PLC. This unit went on to be the most successful of its kind in the US with over $250
Jim Huerta
Million in assets and $7 Million in profits in the first quarter of operations. During the nineties he was directly
accredited for the recovery of two publicly traded companies; one in the commodity trading industry and the other in the tech
transfer/intellectual property sector.
Currently Mr. Huerta is the CEO of ResearchPAYS®, Inc., a New York based strategic business consulting firm, that helps corporations
leverage multi-cultural marketing and employment-related opportunities using a patented process for collecting meaningful primary
market research data. He is also the current President Emeritus of the New York Chapter of the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s
(NSHMBA).
As a highly regarded expert in organizing global management teams, Mr. Huerta is often solicited to participate on Board of Directors with
companies in the Intellectual Property, Media & Communication and Video Language Services sectors. He is the Executive Director of the
Accessible Media Industry Coalition (AMIC), an organization whose members provide video language services mandated by the
Telecommunication Act of 1996 and the past chair of the Connecticut Chapter of the Licensing Executive Society (LES), an international
society involved in all aspects of Intellectual Property. Mr. Huerta is a frequent expert panelist in forums on leadership, ‘virtual’
organizations and multicultural issues. Of Cuban decent and fluent in Spanish, Mr. Huerta earned his BBA from Baruch College and his
MBA from the University of New Haven.
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Speakers and Presenters (continued )
Roger Jimenez is an Entrepreneur and Business Leader with a breadth of Human Resources experience in
Recruitment, Talent Management, Employee Relations, Organizational Development, Compensation, Learning
and Benefits. Roger is currently the Director of Client Relations for Talent Solution Partners, a national Executive
Search and Talent Management Consulting firm which he co-founded in 2009. The company assists Consumer
Products, Pharmaceutical and Technology clients in finding exceptional professional and executive level talent. In
addition, the company assists clients with improving their internal Talent Management challenges.
Prior to founding Talent Solution Partners, Roger was a Vice President of Human Resources for L’Oreal’s Luxury
Roger Jimenez Division where he had U.S. Human Resources leadership responsibility for the Kiehl’s Since 1851 and shu uemura
brands, as well as, the Designer Fragrances and Cosmetics Company Outlet stores across the country. In his prior
role at L’Oreal as an Assistant Vice President of Human Resources in the Consumer Products Division, he led the Human Resources team
for the national Sales organization of the company’s largest brand, L’Oreal Paris.
Prior to L’Oreal, Roger spent more than twelve years in progressive Human Resources leadership roles with Unilever, including roles in
Chicago, IL, Trumbull, CT, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, New York, NY and an overseas assignment in the UK and Europe. During his tenure with
Unilever, he has been responsible for hundreds of professional hires in Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Information Technology and
Marketing.
Outside of his professional career, Roger has donated many hours of his time to NSHMBA, INROADS and Asian MBA as a panelist,
workshop leader, task force leader and advisor. His focus has been in the areas of career management, interview preparation, resume
coaching and training. He is a long-time supporter and member of NSHMBA. Roger is a graduate of the University of Illinois and is a
Senior Human Resources Professional certified by the Society for Human Resources Management.
Miguel Llano is an experienced business development manager with successful track record across various
industries. He currently is an Account Executive in the Business Development department at Martino Flynn, a full
service marketing, public relations, and digital media agency. In this role, Miguel is responsible for growing the
current client base and the development of social media strategy for current and new clients.
Miguel is also involved in the community through his service as the VP of Northern New York on the New York
chapter board for the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA). In this role, Miguel’s duties include assisting
the chapter initiatives in the Upstate New York region and developing relationships with upstate businesses and
Miguel Llano universities. In 2008, Miguel was an NSHMBA scholarship recipient.
Prior to working at Martino Flynn, Miguel took a brief hiatus from work to achieve his MBA in entrepreneurship from the E. Philip
Saunders College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology. While at the Saunders College of Business, Miguel revitalized the
Graduate Management Association, a graduate student run networking group. Through the GMA, Miguel was able to assist many other
students in the development of networking techniques and personal branding. Miguel also served on the Dean’s executive board, the
Student Affairs Committee, and was named the Graduate Student Delegate for the class of 2009, giving him the honor to represent his
class during the commencement ceremony.
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Speakers and Presenters (continued )
Miguel Llano continued
Before going back to complete his graduate studies, Miguel worked as a business development manager for an online start-up based out
of Rochester, NY. In this role, Miguel worked on developing strategic alliances with popular Fortune 500 and Web 2.0 companies. Before
this, Miguel worked in the financial industry as an institutional and personal financial planner.
Miguel’s undergrad work was completed at Lycoming College (Williamsport, PA). While attending Lycoming, Miguel was one of the first
recipients to be awarded with the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship. Miguel also played four years of lacrosse at Lycoming
and was named to the MAC conference all-academic team for three consecutive years, and was a team captain his senior year.
Miguel was born and raised in Victor, NY, a suburb of Rochester, NY where he now resides. He is a passionate football and college
basketball fan and enjoys live music.
Captain E. Susana Marcella is the Operations officer of the US Army New York City Recruiting Battalion with over
7 years of active service as a commissioned officer. CPT Marcella first entered active duty in May of 2002 and
served in a variety of assignments as a Chemical Officer and Intelligence Officer in the United States, Kuwait, and
Iraq.
Commissioned a Chemical Officer through the University of Arizona Army ROTC program, CPT Marcella was first
assigned to the 83d Chemical Battalion in Fort Polk Louisiana. She deployed to Kuwait and Iraq within a month of
her arrival to the 83d in February 2003. In Kuwait, she did chemical intelligence fusion for the main chemical
Captain E. effort in theater and led a supply convoy to the Battalion’s forward units in Iraq. Upon her redeployment back to
Susana Marcella Fort Polk, she became a FOX reconnaissance platoon leader and later, the Company’s Executive Officer. The
company supported missions as a quick reaction force for Operation Civil Support and hurricane relief plans.
She left Fort Polk in early 2005 and transitioned to the intelligence branch. Upon completion of the Military Intelligence Captain’s Career
Course, she moved to Fort Knox, Kentucky. There, she worked in the Unit of Action Maneuver Battle Lab as a Brigade Intelligence
Company Commander as part of the Future Combat Systems. She developed and tested doctrine for future systems in simulated
combat. CPT Marcella then assumed command of the Long Island Recruiting Company in December of 2007. She and her Soldiers served
as a gateway to a life of service with the US Army and the US Army Reserve ushering in over 700 citizens, the equivalent of one Battalion
Task Force, during her tenure.
In September of 2009, CPT Marcella relinquished a highly successful command and became the Operations Officer for the 300 Soldiers of
the New York City Recruiting Battalion where she plans and executes events involving those Soldiers in coordination with a myriad of
civilian and federal agencies throughout the five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester County. CPT Marcella’s awards and decorations
include the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the
Army Achievement Medal. She has also earned the Parachutist Badge and the Air Assault Badge.
CPT Marcella is scheduled for deployment to Baghdad, Iraq in December 2009.
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Speakers and Presenters (continued )
Luis is a development team lead and manager within the Technology department at Morgan Stanley. While studying
Computer Science at Binghamton University, he was a member of SHPE and held positions including community
service chair and President of the chapter. Post graduation, he worked at IBM for 2 years, and was a co-founder of
the SHPE Mid-Hudson Valley Professional Chapter (SHPE-MHV). Luis held the Technology Director position of
SHPE-NYC from 2007-2008, and is currently the Internal Vice President of the SHPE-NYC Professional Chapter. Luis
also maintains a blog at http://lsmiranda.blogspot.com/.
Luis Scott Miranda
Judy Paul joined Fordham’s Graduate Business School as the Director of Career Management in January, 2009. A
seasoned marketing professional, she ran a strategic marketing consulting practice for a number of years. Her
clients ranged from major consumer packaged goods firms, including Kraft, General Foods, Sara Lee and
Campbell’s Soup, to smaller businesses, educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations.
Judy’s career began in classic brand management roles at General Foods and later at International Playtex. She
joined M&M/Mars in its newly-formed New Product Development Division and led the team that developed a
new snack brand that reached $80 million in sales in its second year of national distribution.
Judith Paul
Judy has provided active leadership to a number of community organizations and she co-produced a benefit concert
at Lincoln Center on behalf of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City. Judy has an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a B.A. with
Honors from Connecticut College. She and her family moved to New York City from Connecticut in the fall of 2008.
Daniel T. Ramaroson is a current Fordham MBA student concentrating in Professional Accounting and Taxation.
He is VP of Events for the Fordham Black & Hispanic MBA Association. He currently works for GlobeOp Financial
Services and lives in Freehold, NJ.
Danny Ramaroson
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Speakers and Presenters (continued )
Iveth M. Reynolds is the CEO of Tri-Mar Consulting Inc., a national staffing company that recruits talent for the
Financial Services, Technology, and Biotech Industries.
Iveth grew up in New York, NY where she received a Bachelor’s Degree from Fordham University. In 1992, she
relocated to Rochester NY where she resides with her husband Mark, daughter Priscilla and son Mark.
An entrepreneur and leader with 20 years experience in Staffing and Technical Project Leadership, Iveth's
industry experience includes Telecom and Financial Services. While actively running her business, Iveth served
Iveth Reynolds as the coordinator of the Latino Leadership Development (Previously HLDP) from 2004 to 2006. Iveth is the
founder of “A Professional Latinas Advancement Network” (APLAN). Their mission is to provide educational
opportunities for Professional Women and expand the visibility of Prominent Latina Figures as attainable role models to young Latinas
girls to promote self-esteem and career options.
Currently, Iveth is President of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) NY Chapter, is a Board Member of the Learning
Disabilities Association and Chair of the Soy Unica, Soy Latina Rally. Past volunteer activities include, VP of Northern NY for NSHMBA
NY, United Way Latino Leadership Steering Committee, DePaul Hispanic Prevention Education Program Task Force Member and served
on the Advisory Council for Fair Housing Enforcement Project. Having been involved with NSHMBA as a member and recognizing the
value this program brings to the Western NY Region, it is her hope to bring the resources of NSHMBA to further the cause of
educational excellence for Latinos in the region.
Iveth has been featured in Enterprising Women Magazine, Latina Style Magazine, the Democratic and Chronicle and ConXion.
Christine Ruzek is a Talent Recruitment Manager at L’Oreal where she focuses on sourcing
Marketing & Finance talent for opportunities across L’Oreal’s 25 global brands.
Christine Ruzek Prior to L’Oreal she worked for Goldman Sachs on the Campus Recruiting team. Throughout her
time in recruitment she has partnered with professional organizations, including NSHMBA, and
schools in coaching on various topics to prepare job seekers to succeed. Some main topics she coaches include Resume Building,
Interviewing Skills, Personal Branding, Best Networking Practices, and Career Coaching workshops. Christine holds a Bachelor's degree
from St. Joseph's College.
Kirk joined IBM in May 2007 as an experienced professional hire. He is a recognized practitioner and passionate
advocate of the Human Resources (HR) profession with over 13+ years of experience. Kirk has held significant HR
leadership positions for Fortune 500 companies within the Entertainment, Consumer Products and Energy
industries.
Prior to joining IBM, Kirk was the Regional Director of Human Resources for Harrah’s Entertainment in Atlantic City,
NJ. He was part of a senior leadership HR team responsible for driving significant transformational change within
the recently acquired Bally’s and Caesars properties. Kirk led a staff of 12 HR professionals (3 Managers and their
Kirk Santos direct reports) and partnered with a Shared Services HR team to support 10,200 employees in the areas of
employee relations, succession planning, EEO, employee engagement and rewards and recognition.
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Speakers and Presenters (continued )
Kirk Santos continued
Kirk’s prior HR experiences include: Director, Corporate HR for L’Oreal USA, Team Leader, Diversity Relations & Recruitment,
Sr/Technology Specialist for Philip Morris USA (Altria) and HRIS Analyst, Employee Relations Representative as part of Keyspan Energy’s
(National Grid) HR Leadership Development Program. In these roles, Kirk provided HR consultative strategies that focused on
organizational change management to optimize human capital performance through the use of key metrics that decreased turnover,
increased climate and differentiated performance. Kirk has also served as a board member for national, non-profit organizations: The
Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA); The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE); and
is actively engaged as an executive member with the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA).
Kirk earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Bernard M. Baruch College (CUNY) and his Masters of Science degree
in Strategic and Human Resources Management from Long Island University. He currently resides in Mount Kisco, NY with his wife,
Frances and their two children, Xavier and Evangeline.
MVP received a scholarship to Florida International University, where he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in
Business Administration, and a minor in Psychology while working a full-time job in the field of Property
Management for the biggest parking and transportation management company in the world. As the Area
Manager of this organization, he was responsible for several cities: Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, Key West,
Miami and South Beach. As the main liaison between his corporation and the different cities under his
supervision, he expanded the organization into 3 cities increasing profits by over 55%.
After eight years in the property management field, MVP decided to explore his creative side and entered the
Manny world of arts and entertainment in 1999. He became an Entertainment Writer for several media outlets and met
Velasquez- and interviewed many celebrities including Marc Anthony, Jaci Velásquez, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, among
Paredes (MVP) others. Manny also learned the ins and outs of producing and promoting major concerts and events by joining
the Concert Association of Florida in the Marketing and Sales Department. Manny played a vital role for the sold-out
performances of Luciano Pavarotti at the American Airlines Arena, The American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theater of Harlem, Itzhak
Perlman, Renee Fleming and Kathleen Battle at the Jackie Gleason Theater and Broward Center for the Performing Arts, among other
venues.
His background in the field of management and his passion for the arts, combined with his unending drive and creativity drove him to
make one of his dreams a reality and founded an entertainment and event productions company, which was forced to close its doors
after the September 11 events. Shortly after moving to New York City, Manny joined the world's premier arts organization, Lincoln
Center for the Performing Arts, as the Customer Service Manager. While working at Lincoln Center, he acquired his MBA in General
Management from Metropolitan College of New York. MVP grew with the organization and became the first Associate Director of
Audience Services at Lincoln Center and the highest ranking Latino in the organization. While at Lincoln Center, MVP worked closely
with the Marketing and Programming departments, as well as the Concert Hall Staff producing world-class entertainment and increasing
the brand to the Latino community. Manny started with NSHMBA in 2006. In 2007 became the Vice President of Marketing and is
currently the Executive Vice President for the New York Chapter.
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Keynote Speaker
Charles P. García leads a merchant banking group for Chicago based Cabrera Capital Markets, focused on the
Global Hispanic Market, in the media, healthcare, real estate, energy, food and beverage, consumer products
and project finance sectors in the U.S. and Latin America. In 2006, he sold his investment banking firm which he
founded in 1997. At one point, his investment-banking firm had more than 60 offices in seven countries. In
August of 2002, it was named by Inc. magazine as the #8 fastest growing privately held company in the country
and he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by three national organizations.
In 2006, he was named to the Board of Directors of Winn Dixie Stores, a Fortune 500 company that is one of the
nation’s largest food retailers operating over 525 stores in the southeast. He serves as a financial expert on the
Audit Committee, and on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Aetna, a Fortune 100 company,
named him Chairman of an Advisory Council reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer -- the first time in
Charles P. Aetna’s history an external board of this type has been formed. In 2005, President Bush appointed him to the U.S.
Garcia Air Force Academy Board of Visitors which oversees all operations at the military academy. In 2006, the
15-member board, which includes four U.S. Senators and four members of the U.S. House of Representatives,
elected him the Chairman of the Board. In October 2007 he was named Chairman of the Enlace Florida Board; a Kellogg funded statewide
network promoting college readiness for Hispanic students. In 2001, then Florida Governor Jeb Bush appointed him to two terms on the
seven member State Board of Education, responsible for an annual budget of $15 billion. In 2009, Mr. Garcia was elected to NSHMBA’s
National Board of Directors.
Hispanic Business magazine recognized Mr. Garcia as one of the “100 most influential Hispanics in the United States” and he received
the Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez Public Service and Integrity Award for his leadership championing rights for all persons, especially
Latinos. He is profiled in three recent books: Think and Grow Rich: A Latino Choice; Building the Latino Future; and Hispanics in the USA:
Making History where he was chosen as one of the 14 Hispanic role models for the nation.
In October 2003, Mr. Garcia authored his first leadership book, A Message from Garcia that was ranked # 6 on the Wall Street Journal
Best Seller list and was favorably reviewed by the New York Times. In May 2009, McGraw Hill published his second book, “Leadership
Lessons of the White House Fellows.” Mr. Garcia graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy
achieving the rank of Deputy Wing Commander. A distinguished graduate of the skydiving program and the Army Reconnaissance
Commando School, his peers elected him to serve as the Chairman of the Cadet Wing Honor Committee and he was awarded the “Class
of 1983 Honor and Ethics Trophy.” In 1987, he received a Masters degree in Public Finance from the University of Oklahoma and in 1994
a law degree from Columbia Law School, where he published an article in the Columbia Law Review that was cited extensively by the
Florida Supreme Court in a landmark Fourth Amendment case.
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Mock Interviewers and Résumé Experts
Carlos Acosta Peter K. Kempton
Worldwide Business Manager, Agency Recruiting
Controls Lead QBNY Agency
Michael Embry IBM Research Prudential
Sr. HR Specialist
Federal Reserve
Bank
Sudha Francis
Talent Acquisition Ana Archbold – Marketing, Nguyen Hy – Marketing, Jayshiv
& Mobility Ramrakha – Finance, Cliff Ruffner, University Relations
AXA Equitable Unilever
Fordham University Black & Hispanic MBA Association Board Members
Ky Hester Simone Thomas Rudradeep Bagchi
President VP of Marketing IT Officer
Danny Ramaroson Anna Pena Chenelle Blackman
VP of Events Treasurer Alumni Liasion
NSHMBA New York Chapter Board Members
Iveth Reynolds Katherina Bastidas Ansink Miguel Llano
President VP Corporate Relations VP of Northern NY
Manny Velasquez-Paredes Jeffrey Toromoreno Christopher Riera
Executive Vice President VP Education VP Technology
David J. Seal Zuriel Chavez Jim Huerta
Secretary/Compliance Officer VP Marketing President Emeritus &
NSHMBA’s Board of Advisors Chair
Oscar Garcia Manny Rivera
Treasurer VP Membership