CNBC Equity & Opportunity: Exec Connect, in partnership with the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), connects the leaders of today and tomorrow for an evening of networking to spark conversation around building a brighter future for the next generation of Hispanic and Latino executives.
Attendees will hear from corporate leaders and experts on opportunities across the business landscape and economy, explore advancement opportunities, and discuss aggregate findings from the 2023 HACR Corporate Inclusion Index™, which will be unveiled at the event.
Sandra Campos is a Board Member, 3x CEO, 2x entrepreneur, and advisor in retail, CPG, and technology. Throughout her career as a consumer focused operator, she has built global lifestyle brands and has been instrumental in turnarounds, digital transformations, innovations, and international expansion.
As an independent board director, she serves on the board of Fabric, a venture backed Saas commerce tech platform; Big Lots, value retailer (NYSE); PetMeds, America’s largest online pet pharmacy (NASDAQ); Daniel’s Jewelers, the fourth largest independent jewelry retailer in the US; PureRed, a PE backed advertising technology services company.
Sandra’s C-Suite roles include being the first female CEO of iconic global retail brand Diane Von Furstenberg, President of a portfolio of $1bn global contemporary brands including Juicy Couture, Bebe, BCBG.and Herve Leger, and President of O Oscar (an Oscar de la Renta division).
As an entrepreneur, she was the CEO and co-founder of the first teen celebrity brand management company, in partnership with Selena Gomez. Dream out Loud by Selena Gomez became the actress’s first $100mm lifestyle brand and was exclusive to Kmart in fourteen product categories for five years.
Ms. Campos has received many awards, including top 100 Latina Leaders by Latino Leaders Magazine 2020-2023, ALPA’s Most Powerful Latina 2020-2023, Top Woman in Retail, Top Líderes in Business by Hispanic Executive Magazine, and has been honored for her service by Girls Inc.
Sandra was also a member of the first all-women led SPAC, which had a business combination on the NYSE in 2021. She is an advocate for Latinos, invests in early stage Gen-Z companies, and advises startup founders. She recently launched Latina Disruptors, an event highlighting and honoring Latina entrepreneurs.
In 2020, Sandra created Launchpad, an on-demand edtech startup focused on re-skilling and up-skilling the 52 million employees in retail.
Priscilla Almodovar is the CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Fannie Mae, a U.S. government sponsored enterprise and leading source of mortgage financings in the United States. With over 30 years’ experience in finance, Priscilla leads a company that advances equitable and sustainable access to homeownership and quality rental housing. As CEO, she is responsible for overseeing the firm’s strategy, managing risk, driving innovation and efficiency throughout the business. Currently, she is the only Latina overseeing a Fortune 500 company.
Prior to joining Fannie Mae, Priscilla led a national housing platform, and previously served as a Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase where she led two of the firm's national real estate businesses. Earlier in her career, she was President and CEO of New York State’s housing finance and mortgage agencies. Priscilla serves on the Board of Directors of Realty Income, Inc., (NYSE: O).
Janelle Rodriguez is NBC News’ Executive Vice President of Programming, overseeing NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, the network’s 24/7 streaming news network NBC News NOW, and breaking news special coverage. Rodriguez joined NBC News in January 2015.
Under Rodriguez’s leadership, NBC News NOW has become the fastest growing streaming news network in the U.S. NBC News NOW is free, 24/7 and has more live hours than any other streaming news network. NBC News NOW hit record viewership in 2022 with 50% year over year growth. Already widely distributed across more than a dozen platforms, NBC News NOW expanded with national and international linear distribution in 2022.
Before joining NBC News, Rodriguez she served as Vice President of Programming for CNN, where she led all dayside and weekend programming for the network. At CNN, she was credited with directing award-winning coverage of many breaking news events and with driving greater collaboration. Variety honored Rodriguez as a Daytime TV Impact Honoree in 2013.
In 2023, Rodriguez was honored on the Variety Women’s Impact Report for her work across NBC News NOW and NBC Nightly News. In 2022, Rodriguez was included on Fast Company’s Queer 50 List and CableFax’s Pride List, and she was also awarded the Latino Leaders’ Maestro Award. Rodriguez has won three Emmy Awards for Election Night coverage as well as for Hosni Mubarak stepping down as President of Egypt in 2011. She also earned Peabody Awards for reporting of the Gulf Oil Spill, the 2008 presidential primary campaigns, and for coverage of Hurricane Katrina and was part of the CNN team that won an Alfred I. DuPont Award for coverage of the tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2005. Rodriguez led all of CNN’s cross-platform coverage of the 2011 Royal Wedding, resulting in a Shorty Award for Best Use of Video in a Social Media Campaign.
Rodriguez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film Production from San Francisco State University.
Cid Wilson was named President & Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) in July 2014, where he manages a growing staff of talented, dedicated professionals. He leverages more than 30 years of corporate finance and Wall Street equity research experience to work closely with corporations, their CEOs and board directors, and chief diversity officers to increase the representation of Hispanics at all levels in Corporate America. In addition, he directs programs and initiatives aimed at encouraging Fortune 500 companies to increase Hispanic inclusion in the areas of employment, procurement, philanthropy, and governance.
Wilson has been featured, quoted, and sourced in numerous media outlets, including CNBC, ABC News, NBC News, Time, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Yahoo! Finance, The New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg Business News and many more. In February 2004, he was on the cover of Black Enterprise Magazine; in March 2017, he was featured in MONEY Magazine; and in April 2017, he shared the cover of LATINO Magazine with the Chairman and CEO of General Motors Company, Mary Barra. This made him, one of the country’s few Afro-Latinos to make the cover page of both major magazines focused on African Americans and Latinos.
As the public face of the organization, Wilson promotes The Power of Hispanic Inclusion™ through direct corporate advocacy, thought leadership engagements, traditional media, and outreach to organizations, employee resource groups, and diversity leaders who share HACR’s mission. His ease in communicating within the C-suites of major U.S. corporations is a unique advantage in creating new partnerships and strengthening relationships with existing corporate members.
His focus on elevating diverse talent to corporate boards extends to all women and people of color through his service as part of the Alliance for Board Diversity (ABD), which comprises four leadership organizations including HACR. The other three are Catalyst Inc., The Executive Leadership Council, and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP). Diversified Search serves as an advisor. He was appointed chair of ABD in January of 2022 for a 2-year term.
In September 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Wilson to the National Museum of the American Latino Study Commission that proposed to the President and Congress construction of a new Smithsonian Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. He was named board chair of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino in 2012 and continues to lead advocacy efforts aimed at sustaining Congressional support for the museum’s completion.
Wilson graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in economics. He launched his Wall Street career in 1993 and steadily rose from the mailroom to the executive suite, earning national recognition as the #1 Specialty Retail Analyst by Forbes in 2006.
His thought leadership comes from many years serving on corporate boards, corporate advisory boards, and decades of interactions with corporate board directors and CEOs. He serves on the governing steering committee of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, the largest corporate CEO initiative in the world focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In June 2021, Wilson was inducted into The Ohio State University’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion Hall of Fame for the inaugural Class of 2021 for his lifetime of accomplishments and his dedication to sharing his inspirations with the students of his beloved alma mater.
Wilson is a proud Dominican American with Bergen County, NJ roots, and has served the community through prominent nonprofit boards with leading advocacy groups, including LatinoJustice PRLDEF (formerly the Puerto Rican Legal Defense & Education Fund), Unidos US (formerly the National Council of La Raza) and Dominicans on Wall Street (DOWS). As a youth empowerment advocate, he serves on the national board of directors for Junior Achievement USA. He is the former national president of the Dominican American National Roundtable (DANR), former vice chairman of the board of trustees for Bergen Community College, a former trustee ambassador to the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, a former member of the Association of Community College Trustees’ (ACCT) National Board of Directors, and a Gold Life Member of the NAACP.
6:00PM ET
Making new connections and enhancing existing ones is the first order of business this evening at CNBC Equity & Opportunity: Exec Connect. Please join us when our doors open for networking, cocktails and treats.
7:00PM
According to the 2022 U.S. Census, the Hispanic population is 19% of the United States and that figure is expected to continue to grow in the coming year; yet Hispanic leaders are underrepresented in the C-suite and on boards across corporate America. While change is slow, this can be a moment of opportunity for growth and greater representation in corporate America as Hispanic influence grows.
We start the evening’s conversation by diving into the data on inclusion and representation and outlining where we are – by the numbers.
Cid Wilson, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility President and CEO
Interviewer: Bertha Coombs, CNBC Reporter
7:10PM
Hispanic representation in the upper ranks of corporate America can only grow if future leaders feel empowered to take the next steps and for current ones to help lead the way. We speak with two executives who will share their paths to the corner office, challenges they encountered along the way and advice they have for you. Hear their thoughts on representation, authenticity and finding their voices in dynamic fields.
Sandra Campos, Diane von Furstenberg Former CEO
Janelle Rodriguez, NBC News Executive Vice President
Moderator: Silvana Henao, CNBC Talent Producer & Headline Reporter, CNBC and CNBC en Español
7:30PM
Fannie Mae is a critical part of the housing market—owning nearly 1 in 4 mortgages in the U.S. today. When Pricilla Almodovar became the company CEO less than a year ago, she also became the only current Latina CEO of a Fortune 500 company. She shares her journey, experiences and the challenges she faced on her climb to the top job. She’ll also give her outlook for Hispanic ownership in the U.S. and her view of the future.
Priscilla Almodovar, Fannie Mae CEO
Interviewer: Bertha Coombs, CNBC Reporter
7:50PM
Meet the Ambassadors
Our Networking Ambassadors throughout the room are prominent C-suite executives and leaders in their fields. Debrief with them and share your takes on representation and inclusion for the next generation of Hispanic and Latino C-suite leaders and Board Directors.
9:00PM
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Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 42 countries, the firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.