For example, The Harvard Business Review recently published an article reporting that the average mid-forties male college graduate earns 55% more than his female counterpart. Online destinations, such as Harvard’s Gender Action Portal and Catalyst among others, exist to empower decision-makers and organizations with much needed data to elevate the priority for gender equity. However, while there seems to be a sea of information, finding data and stories that are relevant to the journey of Latinas- the group of women driving more than 50% of American’s population growth- is still very limited.
In the world of politics, it has been reported that President Trump’s cabinet is the most male dominated than any cabinet since Ronald Reagan’s with four women and four minorities. That’s 17% female and minorities, compared to Obama’s 32% and 45% respectively. Reporting on these diversity numbers play a much bigger role than one of representation and feel-good scorecards. Plenty of research validates that women make strong, engaged and highly effective and emotionally intelligent leaders. Also, diverse teams deliver higher levels of performance and financial returns than predominately homogenous teams. Certainly having diverse voices at the table matter to find better solutions, ideas and policies that work for all Americans.
While the cabinet may lack diversity, there are key members of the sub-cabinet and staffers working at the White House who do bring diverse perspectives and voices. The media rather report on controversial matters or perpetuate an unfortunate tone of divisiveness, while the work of many Latinas often go unreported, yet their influence and proximity to the President and his key decision makers make them powerful voices for diversity.
Putting aside party-politics, the accomplishments of women, especially minorities, ought to be elevated and celebrated. They each have achieved greatly, have risen from humble beginnings and most important have remained committed to their heritage everywhere they go. Here is a compilation of who these influential Latinas are inside the White House.
Jovita Carranza is the 44th treasurer of the United States; yes a Latina signs our nation’s currency! Carranza has direct oversight over the U.S. Mint, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and Fort Knox, and is a key liaison with the Federal Reserve. Carranza started at United Parcel Service as a night-shift box handler in the 1970s and worked her way up to be the President of International Operations at UPS in Latin America. She is the founder of JCR Group and previously served as deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Carranza earned her MBA from the University of Miami (FL). She has received executive, management and financial training at the INSEAD Business School in Paris, France, the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago.
Carranza was born in Illinois and grew up in Chicago in a first-generation immigrant Mexican American family. . She is the 7th Latina to hold the position. Other Latinas’ in the position include Romana Acosta Bañuelos, a Nixon appointee; Katherine Davalos Ortega, appointed by Ronald Reagan and then by George H.W. Bush; Catalina Vasquez Villalpando, appointed by George H.W. Bush; Rosario Marin and later Anna Escobedo Cabral, both by George W. Bush and Rosie Rios, appointed by Obama.
Jennifer Sevilla Korn is the Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director for the White House Office of Public Liaison. Formerly, Korn served as Deputy Political Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Republican National Committee (RNC). She managed the integration of the Hispanic, African American, Asian Pacific Islander, Veteran and Faith community engagement in the national political plan for the 2016 election cycle. In addition, she was recently the Executive Director of the Hispanic Leadership Network (HLN), a national organization that engages the Hispanic community on center-right issues.
Korn is a White House pro after serving in the George W. Bush Administration as Director of Hispanic and Women’s Affairs, as well as, Senior Advisor to the Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. She was the brains behind Viva Bush, a strategy that resulted in President Bush receiving 44% of the Hispanic vote.
Some fun facts about her are that she is married to a Marine sniper, she loves the beach and tries to regularly get back to her home state of California, where she was born in East Los Angeles to Mexican immigrants. She loves cooking Mexican food and learned the best, most authentic recipes from her mother and abuelita.
If you pay close attention to many of the photos in which the President is meeting with prominent leaders, holding roundtables or traveling abroad, you often see Korn on the photo.
