Winter 2011 Newsletter

LA NUEVA ERALA NUEVA ERADECEMBER 2011

ALPFA Seattle Wishes you HappyHolidays

WINTER 2011 ISSUE

TM

ALPFA

Women

of ALPFA

Student

SummitHoliday Party

LA NUEVA ERALA NUEVA ERATM

ALPFA

DECEMBER 2011 LA NUEVA ERA

About ALPFA

ALPFA is the largest Latino association for business professionals and students with

chapters nationwide and over 15,000 members. ALPFA is dedicated to enhancing

opportunities for Latinos and building leadership and career skills. ALPFA is a non-pro�t

entity registered with the Internal Revenue Service. Membership is open to anyone who

shares our values, vision, and mission.

Vision

ALPFA is the premier business organization for expanding opportunities for Latino

Leadership in the global market.

Mission

ALPFA creates opportunities, adds value, builds relationships for its members, the

community and its business partners while expanding Latino leadership in the global

workforce.

Values

Professional Growth

Integrity

Culture

Relationship Building

Service

DECEMBER 2011 LA NUEVA ERA

LA NUEVA ERALA NUEVA ERA

ContentsTM

ALPFA

Meet your the

Seattle ALPFA

BOD

A Message

from the

Board

Women of

ALPFA

Student

Summit

My ALPFA

Story

Holiday

Party

Picture

Gallery

News &

Upcoming

Events

1

2

3

5

7

8

9

11

Seattle ALPFA Board of Directors & Student Chapter President

DECEMBER 2011 LA NUEVA ERA1

Board of Directors :

Marcela Bautista - President

Gineth Pineda - Executive Vice President

Yaneth Gonzalez - Immediate Past President

Roseana Fernandez - Treasurer & Acting Secretary

Mario Villa - VP of Strategy

Frank Fagoaga - VP of Corporate A�airs

Helen B. Oduber - VP of Programs

Natalia Giefer - VP of Marketing and Public Relations

Eric Appesland - VP of Membership

Corina Fermin - VP of Student A�airs

Directors:

Juan Barbosa - Membership, Lizzeth Belskus - Student A�airs, Saida Schmidt - Programs

Committee Members:

Paola Florez - Programs, Citlali Perez- Programs, Yanira Ramirez- Programs,

Angel Ramirez- Webmaster, Joe Darza- Student A�airs, Regina Kintana-Membership

Meet your Seattle ALPFA BOD

We would like to announce the 2012 Board of Directors for the ALPFA Seattle Chapter. We would also like to extend our

gratitude to Luis Pedro Martinez and Maria Villa, whose terms as Director of Strategy and Immediate Past President have

ended. Thank you for your years of service to ALPFA!

The ALPFA Seattle 2012 BOD is looking forward to another succesful year. We look forward to seeing you soon!

DECEMBER 2011 LA NUEVA ERA 2

¡Feliz Año Nuevo! ALPFA Seattle has had an incredible 2011 and is excited for what's to come in 2012!

As we embark on a new year, I want to recognize that ALPFA Seattle has had a successful year due to the continued support

of its members and generous sponsors who believe in our mission of developing Latino leaders. Because of this support,

ALPFA Seattle was once again named as West Region Chapter of the Year during the 2011 National Convention in Anaheim,

CA. Additionally; we were able to provide our membership with events such as the Women of ALPFA programs and Student

Summit.

2012 marks the 40th anniversary of ALPFA and the 10th year anniversary of the Women of ALPFA program. We have planned

a series of programs in 2012 geared towards celebrating these milestones; as well as continuing to provide leadership and

professional development opportunities, networking, and community service. We look forward to seeing you in 2012 and

working together to strengthen and build our ALPFA Seattle familia. As always, we ask for your feedback or suggestions on

how we can improve and provide value to our membership and communities. So please, do not hesitate to reach out!

Please stay tuned as we announce upcoming events at www.seattlealpfa.org, I look forward to seeing you in the year ahead and

getting to know you better throughout this year.

Frank A. Fagoaga (VP of Corporate A�airs, [email protected] )

A Message from the Board


The vision of Women of ALPFA is to inspire and develop Latina business leaders to break barriers,

achieve life and career aspirations and celebrate their unique Latin culture. ALPFA Seattle developed

the 2011 programs to emphasize on the “breaking barriers” aspect. Partnering both with Deloitte

and Microsoft, the Seattle chapter developed and tailored two separate events to cater to

Women across various career levels.

Through partnership with Deloitte, the chapter identi�ed top female leaders in senior positions and community leaders to

come together for a Power Brunch. The keynote and panel discussion event led by Microsoft brought together students up

to C-suite level participants to engage and discuss “barriers”.

“Do What You Love, Love What you Do”

For the 2nd year in a row, ALPFA Seattle was selected by Deloitte as one of the few cities to host a Women of ALPFA Power

Brunch. Attendees were treated not only to a great program but also to a breathtaking view of the Seattle landscape as

brunch was held at the Space Needle observatory deck. Patricia L. Pearcy, the President and CFO of SimplyFun LLC, was

the keynote of the morning. Patricia shared personal anecdotes of her journey to �nding “What she loved and doing what

she loved.” From her time as an Internal Auditor and Directors at Rayonier to her current position at SimplyFun, Patricia’s

professional and personal life continued to evolve as she learned more about herself in all aspects. It wasn’t till she came

to the realization that “just because you are good at something, doesn’t mean you love doing it” that Patricia �nally felt

satis�ed with the direction her professional life was taking her.

Women of ALPFA


“Working Together for Greater Success”

ALPFA Seattle also held a Women of ALPFA networking event and panel discussion partnering with Microsoft as the lead

sponsor. This program was focused on mentoring and building successful women leaders in Corporate America. Mindy

Mount, the CVP and CFO of the Microsoft Online Services Division, was the keynote speaker. Mindy spoke of a pyramid as

a metaphor for the various components one must build to help break through barriers. At the base of the pyramid is a

Strong Foundation that is composed of:

• technical skills-be solid on the inancials and accurate • business insight-content and context• clear communication-not only do great work, but be able to tell the story• executive maturity-your ability to maintain composure in stressful and changing situations• self-awareness-knowing your strengths and weaknessThe second level of the pyramid is a Network. We each need a network of individuals we can leverage throughout our

careers. The Network can be looked to when making moves in our careers or who can funnel talent into our teams if

needed. The top level of the pyramid is Mentoring and Sponsorship. Identify individual who are peers or more senior who

can provide advice and champion for you throughout your career.

Following the keynote was a panel of Senior level women from various segments in Microsoft inance that was moderated by Maria Murillo, Sr. Controller of Online Services. Participants of the panel included Eileen Johnston-CFO of WW Services, Mamata Bhopatkar-Director SMSG Business Insight and Alice Jolla-Sr. Director of Corp Accounting. The panel further expanded on the theme of breaking barriers by sharing their personal stories and addressing questions posed by the audience. Some areas of discussion included gender discrimination in upper management, strategy for moving up the

ladder, work life balance, transitioning from an individual contributor to a team manager, mentoring and lessons learned.

ALPFA Seattle is looking forward to the 10 year anniversary of Women of ALPFA in 2012.

Written by Roseana Fernandez

(Treasurer and Acting Secretary of ALPFA Seattle)

Women of ALPFA


The ALPFA Seattle Chapter hosted its annual Student Summit at the University of Washington

Campus on October 29th. The Student Summit has always been a day �lled with opportunities for

personal development for students throughout the Paci�c Northwest. This year’s theme, “Corporate

Landscape: Where Do I Fit” focused on the transition from a college student to a professional in the

work place. This theme truly hit home for many students, including myself.

The program was kicked-o� by keynote speaker, Andrew Wallace –Leader of the Risk Assurance

Practice in the Florida Market with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Andrew provided the attendees with his

"TIPS" for success, which include Technical mastery, Image, Pro�le & positioning, and Sponsorship

Following Andrew, the students attended a series of three workshops designed to discuss tools and

skills to help students and young professionals navigate their way through the corporate landscape.

Each workshop touched on relevant topics on how to smoothly transition into a professional, focus-

ing on your brand, your career path, and your network. I would like to thank the presenters from di�erent �rms for their work-

shops: Moss Adams, Ernst and Young, and Boeing.

To close the program, the participants attended a career fair that gave us the opportunity for one-on-one face time with

fortune 500 �rms! This was a great way to get to know the culture of every �rm, the people, and an opportunity for great

networking. Some students were also given the opportunity to have on-site interviews. Now, I am seeing the e�ects this event

had on many students as they are going onto their second rounds of their internship interview process.

The ALPFA UW student chapter would like to thank all that participated in creating the event! We are aware of the hard work

and e�orts that are put forward every year. Special thanks to the lead sponsor, PricewaterhouseCoopers, as well as the Seattle

ALPFA Board of Directors, without your e�orts this event would not have been possible.

Gracias!

Ivette Aguilera

2011-2012 UW Student Chapter President

Student Summit


Student Summit


My ALPFA story begins in a small counseling o�ce at the University of Washington in 2008. I was

expressing to Raul Anaya, my newly appointed advisor, that I felt lost and a bit overwhelmed at such a

large school. He encouraged me to attend a Hispanic Business Student Association (HBSA) meeting,

thinking that this could be a good niche for me to �t in. Never did I imagine the incredible ride that

awaited me after attending this �rst meeting.

At the time, the HBSA chapter at UW was a�liated with the Seattle ALPFA Chapter. I began attending

networking events, slowly starting to get a feel for this organization. I felt inspired by the amazing

Latino professionals I began to meet. I related to them in a way that I had never related to others before.

They understood where I came from, what my values were, and seemed to know where I was going before I even did. Feeling ambitious, I

applied to be the Chief Marketing O�cer of HBSA for the 2009 – 2010 school year. Being a member of the student board brought me closer

to the Seattle ALPFA Professional board. I began regularly volunteering at events, rallying other students to join me, and gaining a better

appreciation for all that ALPFA does. In my term as the CMO, I worked hard to transition our chapter from being an a�liate of ALPFA to

becoming an o�cial ALPFA Student Chapter. This became a reality in 2010, and I took the role as the President of the ALPFA UW Student

Chapter for the 2010 – 2011 school year. My journey with ALPFA was starting to take o�. At our 2010 Seattle ALPFA Gala, I was honored to

be named the Outstanding Student Member of the Year.

The summer leading up to my term as the UW Student Chapter President, I attended my �rst ALPFA National Convention. My enthusiasm

for ALPFA grew tremendously as I was newly inspired by the incredible people I met in the six days I spent in Orlando. I made professional

connections, attended student and professional development workshops, and gained some friendships that mean the world to me. Along-

side our outgoing President of the UW Student Chapter, I accepted the award for the Outstanding Student Chapter of the Year for the

Western Region. Our Seattle ALPFA Professional Chapter was also awarded the Outstanding Professional Chapter of the Year for the Western

Region. It was incredibly rewarding to be recognized for our hard work as the Seattle ALPFA team.

In my time as the UW Student Chapter President, I learned a tremendous deal about leadership. I was given the opportunity to learn how to

manage a team, how to motivate them to work towards a common goal, and how to stay resilient when facing discouraging challenges.

These are experiences that taught me lessons that I will continue to use for the rest of my life. At the end of my term as President, which was

also my last year at the UW, I felt so proud of the transformation I had undergone from entering Raul Anaya’s o�ce as a shy, somewhat lost

freshman to graduating from the Foster School of Business as the ALPFA UW Student Chapter President.

After graduation, I knew I didn’t want my ALPFA journey to slow down. I applied to become the VP of Student A�airs for the Seattle ALPFA

Chapter, and was thrilled to receive the position. I am learning a tremendous amount from my fellow board members in their ability to

smoothly run events, e�ectively run meetings, inspire others to work towards common goals, and to build great working relationships with

other professionals. I am excited to be part of such an excellent team and look forward to working with and learning from them over the

next two years.

ALPFA has had a profound impact on my life, both on a professional and personal level. I have made career-shaping connections through

ALPFA, as well as life-long friendships. I am deeply proud to be part of this fantastic organization.

-Corina Fermin- VP of Student A�airs

My ALPFA Story


On December 8th, the Seattle ALPFA Familia celebrated its holiday party at Amber Restaurant & Lounge. It was a

great night �lled with holiday cheer, fun, and great networking. We would like to thank all the people who

attended the event and a special thanks to those who brought a toy to be donated to Seattle Children’s Hospital

on behalf of the Seattle Chapter.

Holiday Party


Picture Gallery

Left to right: Seattle BOD during the 2011 leadership retreat held at Leavenworth, WA. Attendees of the Women of ALPFA Microsoft event. Attend-

ees of the Women of ALPFA Deloitte Power Brunch. Keynote Speaker at the Women of ALPFA Power Brunch, Mrs Patricia L. Pearcy & Immediate

Past President, Yaneth González. Panelists at the Women of ALPFA Microsoft event, Mamata Bhopatkar, Maria Murillo, Eileen Johnston, and Alice

Jolla. Students at the Student Summit held at the University of Washington in October 2011.


Picture Gallery

Left to right: Seattle BOD at the ALPFA booth during the “Mariner’s Salute to Latin America Beisbol Night”. Attendees of the 2011 Annual BBQ in

partnership with BHEN, NSHMBA, and SHPE. Winners of the ra�e at the 2011 Student Summit & the ALPFA Seattle Chapter President, Mrs. Marcela

Bautista. Keynote Speaker at the 2011 Student Summit, Mr. Andrew Wallace. ALPFA Seattle attendees at the 2011 ALPFA National Convention in

Disneyland. Attendees at the ALPFA Seattle Holiday party.


The Seattle ALPFA Familia is happy to share the following great news!

Professional Announcements:

Juan Barbosa - Has been promoted to Senior Associate at KPMG in Contract Compliance Services on July 1st, 2011.

Gineth Pineda - Has been promoted to Credit Analyst for Commercial Real Estate and Business Banking divions at

Washington Federal, o�cially starting on January 3rd, 2012.

Roseana Fernandez - After 3 years of dedication to the Customer Services and Support team, Roseana has decided to

take a new role as the Opex Controller for the Operator Channels team. The job change is all within the Sales, Marketing

and Services group at Microsoft.

Yaneth González - Immediate Past President, was selected to join the National Women of ALPFA (WoA) committee.

Yaneth will be joining other ALPFA Latina leaders from across the country focusing on our National WoA program to

implement strategies, develop and execute tactics for WOA growth, and coordinate with our ALPFA National Sta� and

other National Committees. She also serves within the committee leading the WoA Mentorship Program for our Latina

Chapter leaders who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to ALPFA, which o�cially launched on December

15th, 2011. This mentorship program is one of many new exciting initiatives of the during the 10th Anniversary Celebra-

tion year. Stay tuned for information regarding our upcoming WoA Signature event, “Celebrating 10 years of Leadership,

Women of ALPFA: Strong From The Inside Out!”

Photograph taken at the 2012 WoA Breakfast (National ALPFA Leadership Summit) – (left to right) Marcela Aldaz,

Brigette Bustos, Yaneth González, Nerelys Ortiz, Lorie Valle-Yañez (keynote), Marcel Quiroga, Liz Mossad, Erika Rodriguez.

News & Upcoming Events


Personal Announcements:

On October 15th, Roseana Fernandez and Alfredo Zendejas became engaged. The couple is

preparing for Alfredo's 5th military deployment overseas in 2012 and for their wedding in 2013

We wish this couple much success and happiness in their new life together!

Upcoming Events

To see our full calendar of events for 2012, please visit www.seattlealpfa.org

News & Upcoming Events

Documents

Winter 2011 Newsletter