National Hispanic Corporate Council Convenes CEO Forum on Diversity in Conjunction With Spring Meeting on Workforce Diversity Strategies in a Changing Economy

ARLINGTON, Va., March 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Hispanic Corporate Council announces its spring member meeting April 7-9, 2009. The conference will include a CEO Forum on Diversity to be held on April 7, at Sprint Nextel Corporate Headquarters, Overland Park, Kansas. The member meeting, April 8-9, 2009, will convene in Kansas City, Missouri, at the corporate headquarters of Hallmark Cards, Inc. The Forum and Member Meeting are co-sponsored by Hallmark Cards, Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corporation.

CEO Forum: Capturing the Competitive Advantage: The New General Market - The Changing Face of America

Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, will host John Bluford, Truman Medical Center, President and CEO; Don Hall, Jr., Hallmark President and CEO; and William Zollars, President and CEO of YRC Worldwide. The CEOs will discuss insights and perspectives on the strategic importance of the multicultural market in enhancing brand equity in emerging markets and in developing diverse talent to improve competitiveness in their respective companies. Ralph Reid, VP, Corporate Social Responsibility will welcome the NHCC members. David Gonzales, Chairman and CEO, The Gonzales Group, a global management consulting firm, will moderate the CEO Forum.

A reception will be held at Sprint's Executive Briefing Center following the Forum. Joining the NHCC members in this networking function will be prominent business, civic leaders and executives of diverse community groups from the Kansas City area.

NHCC Member Meeting: Workforce Diversity Strategies in a Changing Economy

The NHCC member meeting will be held at Hallmark Corporate Headquarters, April 8-9, 2009. The meeting will focus on recruiting, developing and retaining Hispanic talent followed by presentations by non-profit executives on the impact of the 2008 election on the Hispanic community and the economy on Latino Community non-profit organizations.

Dave Hall, President, Personal Expression Group, Hallmark Cards, Inc. will welcome industry subject matter experts followed by the keynote to be delivered by Robert Rodriguez, Assistant Dean, Kaplan University and author of "Latino Talent: Effective Strategies to Recruit, Retain and Develop Hispanic Professionals." Additional corporate diversity recruiting strategies will be presented by a panel comprised of Reginald Miller, Senior Manager Talent Services, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Salvador Mendoza, Vice President Diversity and Inclusion, Hyatt Hotels Corporation. ARAMARK's Vice President, Human Resources, Christina Estrada; Randy Goldberg, Vice President Staffing, Hyatt Hotels Corporation; and Eve Lewis, Microsoft's Marketing Manager, Talent and Organization Capability, will share best-in-class programs in on-boarding and marketing for prospective employees.

Employee retention will be the focus of two panels. Dr. Donna Maria Blancero, the National Society of Hispanic MBA's SVP of Research and Intellectual Development; Luke McGlynn, HR Director of Recruiting and Talent; and Wilka Toppins, OVP, Diversity Strategies for Macy's will share new insights and loyalty strategies to improve diverse employee retention. The second panel of corporate practitioners will showcase how they are leveraging Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to increase retention and provide professional development opportunities for their diverse employees. Participants include Dalia Diaz, Service Manager, Internal and External Staffing, State Farm Insurance; Gus Viano, Director Inclusion and Diversity, McDonald's Corporation; and Kirstin Hadel, Manager, Inclusion and Diversity, Sprint Nextel Corporation.

Day two of the conference will cover the impact of the 2008 presidential election on the Latino Community with a presentation by Arturo Vargas, Executive Director, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. He will discuss issues ranging from immigration to health care as they relate to the Hispanic community. A panel comprised of non-profit executives representing diverse national organizations will elaborate on their value proposition to corporate America. Silvia Perez-Rathell, VP, Corporate Relations, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Ron Estrada, Deputy VP, Strategic Communications Group, National Council of La Raza; Lynn Law, VP, Corporate Development, National Urban League; and Dr. Donna Maria Blancero, NSHMBA's SVP of Research and Intellectual Development, will talk about mutually beneficial strategic alliances and measuring the return on investment of community based conferences. Jon Munoz, Manager, Inclusion and Diversity, Sprint Nextel Corporation will serve as moderator.

Information on the impact of today's economy on non-profit organizations will be presented by Tim Delaney, President and CEO of the National Council of Non-profits, an association serving a network of more than 20,000 state and regional non-profit organizations. Tommy Espinosa, President and CEO of Raza Development Fund, Inc., will further elaborate on the economic impact specifically to Hispanic non-profits established to provide services and opportunities to low-income Latino families. Hallmark and Sprint have invited select non-profits from the Kansas City area to attend the sessions on day two.

The member meeting will conclude with a visit to Hallmark Headquarters by students from Cristo Rey High School as part of NHCC's In-School program. Students will tour the Hallmark facilities followed by a presentation by NHCC representatives. The program brings together high school students and executives to discuss opportunities in the corporate world and the importance of pursuing a higher education.

The National Hispanic Corporate Council www.nhcchq.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing its member companies resources on effectively maximizing the diversity of the Hispanic market opportunity through marketing, community relations, human resources and procurement within the foundation of corporate social responsibility. If you would like more information or are interested in attending, contact Helen Trinidad at htrinidad@nhcchq.org.

CONTACT: Helen Trinidad of the National Hispanic Corporate Council, +1-703-807-5137