Media Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 23, 2015
9th Annual Top 100 Under 50
Diverse Executive & Emerging Leaders
CHICAGO, IL – Diversity MBA Magazine has released its ninth annual Top 100 Under 50 list, a group of leaders selected by the magazine from Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs and nonprofit agencies. The selectees are chosen from a pool of 300 nominees by a prestigious panel of judges, with no repeats from previous years.
“This year’s nominees represent a broader field than ever, according to Pam McElvane, CEO and Publisher of Diversity MBA; they come from 25 distinct disciplines, 15 industries and have 20 different graduate degrees”, McElvane said.
“These 100 mover and shakers were chosen in a highly selective process from all industries,” she said. “We are pleased that these companies and organizations have taken a strategic leadership role in the workplace to recognize and promote these leaders for their achievements in the workplace and community. The Top 100 list represents more than just recognizing leaders with a commitment to excellence; it has evolved into a platform where companies are showcasing their leadership talent.”
McElvane said this year’s list also represents a more diverse list of nominees. “While we focus on people of color and women, we have seen an increase of LGBT and veteran honorees, which means we are becoming a comprehensive model to celebrate diverse leadership,” she said.
The list is separated into emerging and executive leaders. The recipients are honored – and receive their official awards – at Diversity MBA’s Annual Business Leaders Conference & Awards Gala, which this year will be held Sept. 16-18 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Oak Brook, IL. The conference will feature expert speakers, panels, workshops and myriad networking opportunities. Diversity MBA’s awards gala and leadership conference is one of the most powerful and engaging conferences of its kind, with 90 percent of the Top 100 attending.
The conference and gala will also recognize honorees of “50 Out Front List: Best Places for Women & Diverse Managers to Work,” another product of the magazine. That list recognizes companies that not only demonstrate their strong commitment to diversity, but also understand the value of supporting external programs that enhance leadership and retention within their organizations.
A list of the honorees follows: (names are in alpha order by first name)
| Abhi Ingle MBA SVP, AT&T Big Data and Advanced Solutions AT&T | Alex Castaneda MBA Sr. Dir, Services North & Latin America Ops Mgmt Motorola Solutions | Andrea Almeida Mack MBA, CFA Sr. VP & Sr. Consultant Relations Executive Trust Company of the West | Andrea Nickel MBA Chief Financial Officer Match Marketing Group | Andres LaCambra MBA Sr. Director, Product Planning Motorola Solutions |
| Anshu Prasad MBA Partner A.T. Kearney | Antonio Fernández JD Corporate Ombuds Leader General Electric | Brian Agnew PhD SVP, Dev & Exec Director Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital | Camilo Echavarria JD Partner Davis Wright Tremaine LLP | Caroline Tsai JD Chief Legal Officer, U.S. Personal & Commercial Banking, BMO Harris Bank |
| Cheryl Atkinson MBA/MHA Vice President of Operations Carolinas Healthcare System | Chris Louie MBA Senior Vice President Nielsen | Cristina Henriquez MFA Author New York Times Best Seller | Delia Moore MA Director, Rating Agency & Investor Relations AFLAC | Dustin Angelo MBA President and CEO Anaconda Mining |
| Ellie Boldenow MBA Executive Director, Senior Relationship Manager J.P. Morgan Chase | Felipe Paez JD Chief Compliance Counsel General Electric | Gary Cao MBA Vice President Cardinal Health | George Coleman Jr. MBA / MPA Deputy Procurement Officer City of Chicago | Gregory Disher MBA Director of Electrical Operations Eversource Energy |
| Hardmon Williams III MBA Vice President & General Manager North Texas AT&T | Heidi Hattendorf MBA Director, Employee Learning Motorola Solutions | Hozefa Lokhandwala MBA, JD Executive Director J.P. Morgan Chase | James Jordan Jr. MPA Regional Administrator Federal Railroad Administration | Jamie Barton MBA Senior Vice President, Contact Centers AT&T |
| Jamie Lofton CMA, CFM Assistant Vice Provost University of Arkansas | Jeff Yarvis PhD Chief of Soldier , Behavioral Health C.R. Darnall Army Med Ctr | Jeffrey Tovar MBA President, Owner Tovar Snow Professionals | Jessica Lochmann JD Partner, Transactional & Securities Practice Foley & Lardner LLP | Jimmy Nguyen JD Partner Davis Wright Tremaine LLP |
| John Rice MBA CEO & Founder Management Leadership for Tomorrow | Kevin Price MBA/MHA Director, Supplier Diversity Novant Health | Kristen Etheredge MBA, PhD Partner A.T. Kearney | Kyle Reyes PhD Special Assistant to the President of Inclusion Utah Valley University | Laurent Therivel MBA Senior Vice President, Strategy AT&T |
| Le Ondra Clark-Harvey PhD Chief Policy Consultant California State Assembly | Levoi Brown MBA Managing Director BMO Harris Bank | Lucino Sotelo MBA Chief Marketing Officer, U.S. Personal & Commercial BMO Harris Bank | Marc Washington MBA President & COO Beachbody, LLC | Mary Donohue PhD CEO & Founder The Donohue Mentoring System |
| Mecca Sykes-Santana Esq. VP, Diversity & Community Relations Westchester Medical Center | Melvin Fogle MBA/ MA President & Owner SFx2 Consulting, LLC | Mona Bijoor MBA Chief Executive Officer JOOR | Nerissa McGinn JD Partner & Co-Chair, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Loeb & Loeb LLP | Nicole Husband JD Vice President & Senior Employment Counsel Warner Bros. Entertainment |
| Prasanna Gopalakrishnan MBA, Chief Information Officer Harvard University | Priscilla Tuan MBA Senior Director The Clorox Company | Rebecca Boll MHR Executive Product Manager General Electric | Rita Johnson-Greene MBA N.A. Head of Field Sales, Finance & Enabling Functions AstraZeneca | Rachel Stern JD SVP, Strategic Resources & General Counsel Factset |
| Robert Mueller EL President RIM Logistics | Robert Reffkin MBA Founder & CEO Compass | Roshni Joshi MS Director, Global PreSales Org. Leadership Team EMC Corporation | Ruben Garcia Espejo MBA Vice President of Finance EnLink Midstream | Ryan Parker, CDO & AVP Diversity & Inclusion Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital |
| Sarita Bhrat MA Global Head of Digital Marketing Sonos, Inc. | Sherrin Ross Ingram JD Chief Executive Officer International Center for Strategic Planning | Shilpa Banerjee MA Chief Information Officer, Corporate Systems General Electric | Stanley Roberts MBA Director, Program Management Ingersoll Rand | Suzanne Henricksen MBA, Senior Director of Brand & Digital Insights The Clorox Company |
| Vijay Murugappan MBA VP, Analytics & Info. Management, Health Care Service Corporation/BCBSIL | Wendy Race MBA Executive HR Business Partner General Electric |
| Andrea Moody MBA Senior Vice President Northern Trust | Bill Frazier MBA/JD Director A.T. Kearney | Christopher Boulanger Marketing Manager AO Docs | Clarita Santos MPH Sr. Dir. Community Health Initiatives, Health Care Service Corp-BCBS Illinois | David Cardona MBA Dir., Shopper Marketing, & Multicultural Capabilities The Clorox Company |
| Desiree Haynes PsyD/MBA Organizational Effectiveness Partner Alameda Health System | Edgar Delgado MBA Contracting Officer General Services Administration | Fernando Diaz MA Director, College Savings Division, Illinois State Treasurer’s Office | Gokul Varadharaj MBA Director, Strategic Initiatives Group, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey | Gustavo Magno MBA Senior VP, Senior Portfolio Manager Northern Trust |
| Harris Ng MBA Principal A.T. Kearney | John Suarez MBA Financial Advisor Merrill Lynch | Joy Barua MBA/MA-OC Director, Community Benefit & Health Policy Kaiser Permanente | Karlo Young MBA Investment Banker, Mergers & Acquisitions Signal Hill Capital | Kristin Beal MPA VP of Investments Wintrust Wealth Management |
| Latoya R. Conners Gray MS, Sr. Director Marketing Technology Sears Holdings Company | Leslie Parker MBA Principal A.T. Kearney | Luis Moreno MBA, Sr Mktg Mgr, Synchrony Financial (formerly GE Capital Retail Finance) | Mark Green MBA Senior Director of Diversity & Inclusion Abbvie | Marsha Castro-Smith MBA Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives Sears Holdings Co. |
| Mary Garcia MS Senior Diversity & Inclusion Consultant Oracle, Inc. | Meredith Morales, MA Director Diversity Chicago SHRM, AonHewitt/Chi SHRM Board Member | Minni Marwaha MBA/MHA Director, Specialty & Support Services Advocate Children’s Hospital | Myriam Vidalon MS Global Quality Process Optimization Leader Nielsen | Patricia Birdsong MBA , Business Relationships Senior Manager, PepsiCo |
| Patricia Aliaga MBA Sr Business Innovation Manager Global R&D PepsiCo | Praveen Akkinepally MBA Director, Respiratory Care Specialist AstraZeneca | Rebecca Roussell MS Senior Director Diverse Intelligence Series Nielsen | Reggie Brown MBA/MSSE Manager, Field Engineering Motorola Solutions | Reginald Cantave MHA, FACHE Physician Hospital Organizational Director Advocate Physician Partners |
| Shane Price MBA Senior Consultant Ingage Partners | Shaunte Mears-Watkins MBA, Gen. Mgr & Dir. Of Mktg, Home Healthcare The Clorox Company | Shawntee Reed MA Education Consulting College & Career Prep Waco Ind. Sch District | Shlynn Rhodes MPA Administrative Manager Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan | Stacye McCall MBA Staff Dir, Office Minority & Women Inclusion, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta |
| Stephanie Padilla MBA Wireless Products Quality & Reliability Eng. Manager Intel | Terone Harris MBA Director, Supplier Diversity Strategy Office Depot | Victoria Wright-Gibson MA Director, Human Resources Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey |
