2008 Conference Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Ted Childs  

Ted Childs, a respected national speaker on diversity in the workplace, will present the Scholarship Luncheon with a keynote topic for the 2008 conference. In 2006, after a distinguished 39-year career as a member of the IBM corporate Human Resources team, Childs retired to found Ted Childs LLC. The goal of Ted Childs LLC is to coach a corporate Workforce Diversity team through the identification of their internal/external stakeholders, an assessment of the internal/external environment, and the development and execution of a Global Workforce Diversity Strategy. Childs has received multiple national awards and regognitions for his efforts to support all facets of diversity in the workforce. Childs will present The Diversity Imperative: Leadership Stategies for Success in the Workplace. Read his full bio and a review of Childs' IBM diversity work by Harvard Business Review.

Phoebe Eng  

For over 20 years Phoebe Eng, has helped leading companies and organizations tap into the power of globalism and diversity to spur innovation, her experience will be highlighted at the Leadership Awards Gala. In her international lecture series, Fluency: The Art of Crossing Borders, Eng has helped several industries—from media and telecommunications, to healthcare and wellness, to consumer products, technology, finance, and the public sector—design innovative “border busting” initiatives and breakthrough conversations that benefit the bottom line. Fundamental to Eng’s approach is the importance of amplifying the voices of women and diverse communities. Recently, Eng has worked with several Fortune 100s including Procter & Gamble, IBM, and JP Morgan Chase; foundations; universities; and civic associations such as the National League of Cities and YWCA. Read her full bio.

Juana Bordas  

Our Diversity Breakfast & Kickoff keynote speaker, Juana Bordas, has dedicated her career to creating a network of Latinos reaching into the highest echelons of corporate America. She founded Mestiza Leadership International in 1995, which specializes in training and developing a work environment that encourages diversity and effective leadership. She was the first Latina faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership as well as the founding president and CEO of the National Hispana Leadership Institute. Juana is the author of Salsa, Soul and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age and is a contributing author to Reflections on Leadership: How Robert K. Greenleaf’s Theory of Servant-Leadership Influenced Today’s Top Management Thinkers. She has been honored as a Wise Woman by the National Center for Women and Policy Studies. Juana currently also serves on the board of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. Her breakfast/kickoff presentation will be Multicultural Leadership in the Global Society. Read her full bio.

Breakout Session Speakers

Marilyn Alverio  

Marilyn Alverio, Principal of Ethnic Marketing Solutions, spent more than 25 years in the corporate world and now expands her reach as founder of Ethnic Marketing Solutions, LLC. The agency is a forefront organization specializing in strategic marketing, event marketing and training. An expert in developing strategic approaches to marketing in diverse markets, Marilyn Alverio is most noted for her work as the former National Director of Ethnic Marketing for a Fortune 100 company where she focused on sales and marketing to African American, Latino, women business owners and plan sponsors.  She provides invaluable insights on the corporate environment and works to increase and retain business in ethnic markets for many clients.  A dynamic national speaker on issues related to capturing the ethnic markets, diversity, sexual harassment and other related topics, she has received recognition and accolades for her candid and relaxed manner. Read her full bio.

Dr. Robert Rodriguez  

Dr. Robert Rodriguez is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE), a national non-profit organization which nurtures Latinos throughout their career and works to develop successful Latino leaders.  In this role, Dr. Rodriguez works with many of the country's premier employers helping them recruit and retain Latino talent.  Over HACE's 25 year history, the organization has expanded the horizons of tens of thousands of Latinos, who in turn have enriched the companies and organizations that employ them.  Dr. Rodriguez serves as the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School of Management at Kaplan University. His responsibilities include curriculum design, course development, and course delivery for Kaplan’s Newsweek MBA programs. Dr. Rodriguez previously taught at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University in Chicago. Prior to academia, he held human resource leadership roles at several Fortune 500 firms. Dr. Rodriguez is a highly sought after consultant helping organizations with their diversity talent management initiatives. Read his full bio.

Charles P. Garcia 

Charles P. Garcia founded Sterling Financial in 1997, whose competitive advantage was its focus on the Hispanic consumer. The firm began with three people operating out of the cleaned out broom closet of another firm and grew to more than 60 offices in seven countries, offering investment banking and financial advisory services. In May 2006, it was sold to Vfinance Investments, Inc. where he now serves as President of the Sterling Hispanic Markets Capital Group. Mr. Garcia has worked for three Presidential administrations, a Cabinet Secretary and a four star General. 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-the 4^th highest-ranking officer leading over 4,400 cadets. In 1987, he received a Master's degree in Public Administration 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. Read his full bio.

To see Charles Garcia in action

Ephren Taylor 

Ephren W. Taylor II is the youngest African-American CEO of any publicly traded company ever—City Capital Corporation (OTCBB:CCCN).  Taylor started his first business venture at age 12.  By age 17, he built a multi-million dollar technology company; GoFerretGo.com.
In 2007, at City Capital Corporation, Taylor started the subsidiary Goshen Energy Resources and became a national leader in producing alternative energy specializing in biofuels.  Through his actions Taylor is leading a new wave of CEOs focusing on corporate social responsibility. He appears weekly on FOX News and has been featured on network shows such as ABC’s 20/20 and CNBC’s Business Nation.  He also has regular appearances in print and radio media including PBS, Black Enterprise, and the Miami Herald. Taylor is an author and inspirational speaker.  His first book, Creating Success from the Inside Out, serves as an expose of the mindset of today’s multi-millionaires. Taylor completed a specialized curriculum for high school-aged aspiring entrepreneurs at Cheyney University, America’s oldest historically black college and university. The Ephren Taylor Entrepreneur Academy opened in July 2007. What Warren Buffet is for baby boomers, Taylor is for today’s generation X and Y—a rapidly emerging premier financial expert; a true “wealth engineer.” Read his full bio.

See Ephren Taylor on YouTube

The other breakout speakers are currently being finalized, including many nationally-recognized speakers. This year’s conference tracks will be Leadership, Diversity and Youth. More information will be available soon.