NAA wants Wall Street to increase Latinos' share of the pie

Latino Leaders: The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino, Dec, 2003

New America Alliance (NAA) recently escalated its challenge to Wall Street to move on from mere inclusion to full participation of US Latinos.

Henry Cisneros, NAA co-founder, spoke of the vision that established the organization, explaining that New America Alliance represents a new Latino leadership culture operating in "a new world, a world of great opportunities, a world of expanding markets and infinite political possibilities with enough for everybody, so that each one of us can advance someone else to those opportunities."

Outgoing NAA Chair Moctesuma Esparza said, "We no longer need to march powerless in front of power, power now comes to us."

Replacing Esparza is Aria Maria Fernandez-Haar, CEO and President of the IAC Group, Inc., a Miami-based Hispanic marketing, public relations, and advertising agency. "I do believe it is time for a quantum leap, a massive change for the US Latino community," she said.

NAA's leadership joined fellow member J. Mario Molina of Molina Healthcare, recipient of the 2003 NAA Business Achievement Award, in ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

NAA also presented the Award for Exemplary Practice of Corporate Governance and Board Diversity to Steven S. Reinemund, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Inc; and Dan DalleMolle, President and CEO, Enesco Group.

The summit panels featured dialogues on key issues facing the US and its Latino community. The release of NAA's White Paper on American Latinos in Financial Services at the summit brought to light the reality of US Latino under-representation on Wall Street and in management and ownership positions in the financial services industry despite the rapid expansion of the Hispanic population. In the discussion on Education and Preparation of Latino Professionals for the Financial Services, NAA stated its commitment to increasing participation of Latinos in Ivy League MBA programs and urged Wall Street recruiters to view universities with significant Latino enrollment as a key source of talent.

1. Steven S. Reinemund, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo. Inc. 2. NYSE Opening (Left to Right) The NYSE ringing of the bell ceremony attended by Frank Sanchez, The Hon Rocky Delgadillo, City Attorney of Los Angeles, Ana Maria Fernandez-Haar, Jorge Castro, Catherine R. Kinney, Executive Vice Chairman, President & Co-COO, NYSE; Dr. George S. Goldstein, EVP/COO, Molina Healthcare Inc.; Dr. Mario Molina, Theresa Molina. H. Frank Dominguez, Moctesuma Esparza, John de Luna, Monika Mantilla Garcia and Maria del Pilar Avila, NAA Executive Director. 3. NASDAQ Opening: (Left to Right) Maria del Pilar Avila, NAA Executive Director, John de Luna, Honotio Patron, Claudia Puig, The Hon. Miguel Pulido, Mayor, City of Santa Ana, Ca.. Luis Restrepo, David Lizarraga, Moctesuma Esparza, Ed Knight. Executive VP & General Counsel, NASDAQ; Ana Maria Fernandez-Haar, Marilou Marinez Stevens, and Martin Cabrera, Jr. 4. (Left to Right) Moctesuma Esparza, Ana Maria Fernandez-Haar and The Hon. George E. Pataki, Governor of New York. 5. (Left to Right) The Hon. Alan G. Hevesi, Comptroller, State of New York; The Hon. Roel Campos, Commissioner, Securities and Exchange Commission. 6. Marge Magner, Chair and CEO Global Consumer Group, Citigroup

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