Latina Expert - Center for Hispanic Leadership

Latina Expert

CHL is pleased to announce a unique new leadership program specifically designed for Latinas, Latina Expert. Latina Expert focuses on the development and advancement of Latina professionals in the workplace. Latina Expert is support by a discussion platform (www.LatinaExpert.com) that will encourage dialogue and story-telling to help the broader Latina community consider together the key assets they bring and obstacles that they face in America's corporations. Among those assets is their generous purpose and compassion for the well-being of others which translates into leadership competencies and the ability to develop high performing and inclusive teams.

The Latina Expert platform was specifically designed for Latinas and for Latinas to share their experiences and give voice to the dilemmas they manage as they take charge of their careers and continue to move into prominent leadership positions. Also to be considered are the ways that greater self-care and entrepreneurial spirit can be maximized to find the right balance in their lives between doing for others and doing for themselves.

Utilizing the Latina Expert blog, Dr. Placida Gallegos, Latina Advancement Specialist at the Center for Hispanic Leadership (CHL), will initiate and facilitate provocative conversations for and about Latinas.

About Dr. Placida Gallegos:

Learn More About CHL's Latina Empowerment Training

Dr. Placida Gallegos has spent her career in academia and organizations working to create healthier, more inclusive cultures where people can thrive and achieve their fullest potential. She is a Professor at Fielding Graduate University in the Human and Organizational Development Program and has conducted research in the areas of transformational leadership, career development of women and people of color and creating inclusive organizations. She is also an organizational consultant with a wide range of corporate clients and industries across the country including manufacturing, telecommunications, insurance, financial, and educational institutions.

Placida has consistently had a passion and deep commitment to empowering Latinas and creating greater understanding of the under-leveraged talents they bring to organizations. Her research and practice have emphasized the unique challenges and opportunities Latinas and Latinos present to society and organizations. Currently, Dr. Gallegos is completing a national research study exploring Latina career development and leadership. The findings of this study will be relevant to Latinas themselves and organizations that are interested in better utilizing their expertise, relationship skills and leadership abilities.

For the past 15 years, Placida has worked within corporations providing Hispanic leadership development seminars for Latinas/os to accelerate the development of their leadership and supporting them in bringing their cultural values, history and background experiences into the workplace to further the objectives and strategies of each business. In these workshops, she emphasizes differences between Latinos and Latinas in terms of the stereotypes they encounter, the impact of sexism and socialization factors. She has also identified areas of development needed for non-Latino managers and organizational leaders so they can develop the cultural competence to lead and manage Latina/o employees.

"Hispanic professionals provide a unique competitive advantage to those organizations that seek organic growth, innovation and workplace transformation."

---Glenn Llopis