National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 through October 15. UCLA Anderson, in conjunction with the Anderson Latino Management Association and the UCLA campus, recognizes the significant contributions to society among our Latino and Hispanic students, alumni, staff and faculty. Visit Latino@Anderson to enjoy their stories.
By Elise Anderson
It started as the Latino Management Students Association at UCLA — a group of about a dozen 1985 MBA graduates of what was then the UCLA Graduate School of Management. They would casually meet “and hang out between classes during the day,” according to Maggie Peña (’85). It was the unofficial, informal way to meet other Latino MBAs.
It wasn’t until a few years after graduation that Peña, the first Latina manager at Paramount Studios, and Henry Hernandez (’85), who was working at a large defense company, noticed something similar in their respective work environments. “There were no people of color at our companies except for those cleaning the offices,” Peña says.
Origins and Outreach
In search of a remedy, Peña and Hernandez reconnected with a number of original LMSA members, hoping to gather some collective thoughts. At the first meeting, only four MBAs attended, including Chris Arranaga (’85), Richard Rey (’85), Peña and Hernandez. “Clearly, we needed to get more people involved, so we reached out to other Latino MBAs in the local area, then nationally, to gather greater strength,” Peña explains.
With a campaign to reach out (mostly by telephone, mail and fax) to other business schools and “anyone willing to share graduate information or databases,” interest in the organization began to take shape. Peña gives credit to Paramount, which allowed her to make copies of material for mailings, and to a number of women who helped to launch the organization, including Jeannine Jaramillo, a USC and Harvard graduate, and Jaramillo’s friend Elizabeth Muñoz from USC.
A Serendipitous Start
“It was serendipity that a group of strong, passionate Latina women took charge in the launch of the organization,” recalls Peña. She admits that none of those involved with this project had ever founded an organization. “I think if we knew the energy it took, we would have thought about it twice,” she says. “On the other hand, we showed no fear with our lack of experience because we felt strength from each other and the individual talents everyone brought to the table.”
With a limited budget, a lot of volunteer help, and “some big ideas,” they decided to establish the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) in 1988 with receptions at major cities throughout a single week. “That (effort) was successful and automatically let people know that we were a serious, well-run organization. We branded ourselves before ‘branding’ was a buzz word. This enabled us to acquire members and dues and build an infrastructure with chapters in various major cities throughout the U.S.,” Peña says.
NSHMBA’s mission: to promote the MBA among Latinos, make an impact on diversity, provide scholarships to Latinos in business school and give them more Latino representation in corporate America. “We learned from the Black MBA Association that a good way to bring corporate America together with prospective MBAs was through a conference, which we decided to hold in Chicago in 1989,” Peña says. That single event boosted membership by 500.
At the time the organization celebrated its 25th anniversary, membership had grown to 25,000, with chapters across the country, hundreds of corporate sponsors for scholarships and partnerships with more than 70 colleges and universities in the United States to support qualified Hispanic students in earning their MBA. Also, the organization raises millions of dollars annually. Today, the conferences attract many non-Latinos, indicating, Peña says that “we’re providing a service that has value for everyone. And this to me is very gratifying.”
Working from a Common Base
Much has changed since Peña and her MBA colleagues embarked on this journey. For one, Peña is now a corporate financial consultant for Resources Global Professionals and is working on human rights projects and peace work. NSHMBA changed its name a few years ago to Prospanica, the Association of Hispanic Professionals, and has extended its reach to include undergraduate and high school-level students.
Although Peña is no longer involved with the day-to-day operations of the organization, she and the initial members maintain lifetime status and many remain connected, attending conferences and staying abreast of activities. Reflecting on the early years, Peña says that her Anderson education and experience were critical to the success of this endeavor. “It’s so much easier when the people around you have a similar education, a common base,” she says. “You know you need marketing, PR, a treasurer to make sure that finances are in place. When you have an idea, surround yourself with awesome people whom you can learn from. I also learned that it’s helpful to engage people who are leaders, are passionate, dream big and believe that everything is possible. We shared a mission and vision, which drove our work.”
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