Latinos Conference Promotes Unity and Leadership

In today’s workplace, Latinos represent a significant and growing share of the workforce. As many North Bay companies hire an increasing number of Latino employees, it’s imperative that companies understand cultural differences in supporting, promoting and inspiring their workforce to embrace leadership roles. These topics were explored at last week’s Latinos in the Workplace Conference through inspiring presentations from experts in cultural diversity, immigration law and human resources.

This twelfth-annual Latinos in the Workplace conference, themed “Moving Forward Together” emphasized maintaining a spirit of unity during our nation’s current political climate. The conference welcomed over 350 attendees and provided information for business owners, managers and HR professionals on how encourage and empower their Latino workforce to achieve greater productivity through proper communication, education, wellness and safety initiatives, while helping companies better understand their traditional beliefs and learn from best practices.

This year’s conference was our most successful yet and was a sold out event. Thanks to our generous sponsors and attendees, proceeds will provide over $18,000 to two programs that support our community’s future workforce: the Elsie Allen High School Foundation and the Mike Hauser Academy. Sponsorships also allowed us to host 11 Elsie Allen students along with an Elsie Allen teacher and a counselor to experience the conference, network with local professionals, and explore future opportunities.

The Elsie Allen Foundation has engaged the community to raise thousands of dollars for scholarships. Each year, generous support provides over 40 scholarships to help turn the dream of college into a reality for students that could not otherwise afford to go. These scholarships enable students to attend SRJC, SSU and other colleges, universities and career training programs of their choice. 2015 graduates were awarded over $50,000 in grant money to pursue post-secondary goals.

The Mike Hauser Academy offers Sonoma County’s English Language Learner students the opportunity to visit various companies for a unique learning experience applying classroom math and science concepts to workplace projects, activities and roles onsite at companies that use Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in their daily operations. This Academy is designed to motivate students as they enter high school and begin making important course decisions by exposing students to diverse work environments and engaging them in interactive, hands-on learning guided by teachers, engineers, and technical experts.

The Latinos in the Workplace conference is an educational forum that was founded by Michael Lopez, Vice President, Vantreo Insurance Brokerage over 13 years ago. This conference has become a branded annual event in our local business community and for the past four years has been presented in partnership with the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber and Michael Lopez. The Conference seeks to help all employers provide a safe, productive and enriching work environment for Latino employees and empower Latinos to become tomorrow’s leaders.