Washington, D.C. – LATINA Style Inc., the premier company addressing the needs of professional Latinas in the United States, will host the 17th Annual LATINA Style 50 Awards & Diversity Leaders Conference on Thursday, February 5, 2015 from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm at the DoubleTree by Hilton Washington DC - Crystal City 300 Army Navy Drive *Arlington VA 22202. 

The unique LS50 program, launched in 1998, recognizes the top 50 companies that provide the best career opportunities for professional Latinas in the workplace. The annual LATINA Style Diversity Leaders Conference sets the standard for identifying corporations that are providing the best career opportunities for Latinas in the U.S. The LATINA Style 50 Report is the most respected evaluation of corporate America's career advancement opportunities for Latinas. This year, a myriad of the most prominent corporations in the United States were included in the extensive search and Accenture came out on top as the 2014 LATINA Style Company of the Year. 

The conference opens with a Welcoming Breakfast and Awards Ceremony. A number of panels with the participation of the most accomplished Latinas in the corporate world follows, the first being a celebration of the achievements of top Latina Executives. They will reveal their journey to success as well as impart their views on how a strong mentoring relationship and a positive work environment played a significant role on their journey.  Moderating this panel will be Calline Sanchez, Vice President, IBM Enterprise Systems Storage.  Panelists include: Sonia Perez, State President AT&T Louisiana, AT&T; Silvina Salazar, SVP, Process Quality Executive Consumer Operations, Bank of America; Christiane Brocky, Vice President and General Manager Marie Callender's Brand, ConAgra Foods, and Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, Vice President for Multicultural Markets & Engagement, AARP.

Following the LATINA Executives of the Year panel will be the top "Employee Resource Groups for 2014" panel.  This session will focus on the ever increasing role of the Employee Resource Groups in corporate America and how to tap into the collective intelligence of the ERGs to provide competitive advantages in the marketplace. This panel discussion will be moderated by Emily Cacciapaglia, Bilingual Sales and Service Representative for Home Solutions San Diego, HACEMOS, AT&T. Panelists include: Douglas Bowles, Senior Group Manager Global Affairs, Hispanic Business Council, Target; Silvina Salazar,  SVP, Process Quality Executive Consumer Operations, Hispanic/Latino Organization for Leadership and Advancement (HOLA), Bank of America; Antoinette Fox, GM Hispanic Initiative Team (HIT), General Motors, and Anne-Marie Azzi, Marketing Manager, CONEXION, Cisco.

The third panel, "CDO Roundtable: Diversity as a Business Imperative", will focus on the different strategies corporations adapt to develop a workforce that encompasses the different diverse cultures of the globalized business environment.Nellie Borrero, Managing Director, Global Inclusion & Diversity, Accenture will be moderating this workshop. Panelists include Deborah Rosado Shaw, Senior Vice President, Chief Global Diversity and Engagement Officer, PepsiCo;  Michele C. Green, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Prudential; Jorge Quezada, Chief Diversity Officer, Kraft; Dantaya Williams, Director, Talent, Inclusion & Engagement, UT, and Mia Hairston, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Nationwide.

The last panel, "Nurturing Future Leaders: Leading the Way through Education" presented by Parents Step Ahead will be moderated by Lupita Colmenero, President & CEO, Parents Step Ahead. Speakers include:  Jose (Pepe) Estrada, Director, Corporate Affairs, Walmart; Lenora Green, Senior Director, ETS; Patricia Riddlebarger, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Entergy Corporation; and Sarah Colamarino, Vice President, Corporate Equity Programs, Johnson & Johnson. 

Learn first-hand how Latina executives in America's largest corporations have achieved success and what lessons they learned along the way. The LATINA Style 50 Awards luncheon will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m

To secure your admission please RSVP by registering online at www.latina50.latinastyle.com. Attendance is limited. Registration Fee:  $100 corporate - $ 50 government - $30 Non-profit org. - $ 25 student with ID.  For further information, please contact Bertha Escarzaga at bertha.d@latinastyle.com.

About LATINA Style, Inc.

LATINA Style Inc., headquartered in Falls Church, VA., and with offices in Dallas, TX, is the publisher of LATINA Style Magazine, a lifestyle magazine for the professional Hispanic woman. Published for 21 years, LATINA Style magazine is dedicated to the needs and concerns of the Latina professional working woman and the Latina business owner in the United States. The company is host of the LATINA Style Business Series, the LATINA Style 50 Report, the National LATINA Symposium and the LATINA Style Hero Initiative.  For more information regarding LATINA Style please visit: www.latinastyle.com

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