On this episode of the Hunt Institute’s Sages & Seekers Podcast, Ana Rodriguez, Managing Director of the Latino Leadership Initiative in the Cox School of Business, discusses representation and diversity at SMU, the importance of mentorship, food security, self-care and grit.
Rodriguez ’03 serves as the head of the Latino Leadership Initiative (LLI), the nation’s only executive education program dedicated to the professional advancement of Latinos. In this role, she helps students and executive-level employees from minority backgrounds transform their lives and careers. The program also helps more than 40 companies – like AT&T Communications, State Farm, and Walmart – retain and develop C-suite talent, so they don’t miss out on the market value and cultural perspective that Latino professionals bring to the workplace.
Rodriguez said, “Grit is a beautiful thing. I’m very thankful for what I’ve overcome because it helps me so much. I’m always the first to volunteer for things, the first to say, ‘I’ll do it! And I’ll execute it beautifully.’”
What is Hunt Sages & Seekers?
The Hunt Institute Sages & Seekers Podcast shares the stories of innovative social leaders and the resilient communities that have shaped them. The series explores guests’ personal experiences with social issues ranging from inequity in the arts and school segregation to climate change and police violence. Through conversations with these agents of change, listeners gain insight into the history of these matters and discover how we as a global community can work to correct them. Follow us on SoundCloud at Hunt Sages & Seekers Podcast.
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