by: latino leaders staff

Raymond Arroyo is President of ALPFA Solutions, an ALPFA organization that delivers innovative leadership programs to create stronger Latino leaders who, in turn, deliver greater value for their companies and our nation. Raymond is also a Managing Director and the head of the Diversity Practice at Reffett Associates, a certified, veteran-owned, retained, executive search firm.

Raymond is also the Chairman of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, representing more than 200 chambers and 4.1 million Hispanic-owned businesses.

He has been recognized with numerous awards, including being a Top 100 Hispanic in the U.S. by this magazine, for two consecutive years.

Despite gains in profitability and shareholder value, corporate America is facing significant challenges. From a developing labor shortage, particularly around technical and highly skilled labor, and a fiercely competitive global landscape, American businesses are looking for answers to the burgeoning challenges.

Changing Lives, One Person at a Time

What role, if any, can Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) play to help mitigate these problems?

Whether companies are seeking the right talent, trying to anticipate clients’ needs around the globe or keeping up with technology, D&I can help. The reality is, though, too many competing priorities, limited budgets and lack of vision make it extremely hard for most companies to see it. This is exacerbated for the Latino community, where most companies are not envisioning the opportunity to solve many of these problems with the 55 million Hispanics in the U.S. and the 22 Spanish-speaking countries they represent around the world.

Why did you join the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA)?

I’ve been a supporter of ALPFA for more than 15 years. I met many of the friends through our mutual service to ALPFA. When Charlie Garcia joined ALPFA about two years ago, he asked me to join his team – and I couldn’t refuse. Charlie, and his outstanding leadership team, has literally transformed ALPFA into an organization with a stronger mission, higher purpose and better alignment with the needs of our members and our partners. That’s why I joined ALPFA as president of ALPFA Solutions, about 9 months ago.

What is ALPFA Solutions?

We partner with corporations to provide leadership training to their Latino workforce, entry level, middle-management level and executives. We deliver relevant and innovative programs that create stronger Latino leaders who, in turn, deliver greater value for their companies and our nation.

What does ALPFA stand for?

ALPFA’s mission is to empower and develop Latino men and women as leaders of character for the nation, in every sector of the global economy. That’s what we stand for. We are focused on positively impacting the lives of over 1 million Latino men and women in the U.S. as they experience the many opportunities that corporate America has to offer. Whether they are still in college or considering an internship, or whether they are interns or vice presidents or seeking to serve on corporate boards, we stand ready to support their careers and their goals.

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