DIFFERENT VOICES NEEDED TO SHINE LIGHT ON SUSTAINABILITY, AGRICULTURE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

by: Johanna Hoyos

INTERVIEW WITH ANNE ALONZO, INDEPENDENT BOARD DIRECTOR

SEEK OUT and Take Opportunities: Anne L. Alonzo was born on the south side of Chicago, has a mother from Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico, and a father from Texas of Mexican descent. Anne and her two brothers grew up with solid values: always do your best in all you do, be kind to others, be good citizens, be respectful, and follow old-world traditions with family.

Growing up in a modest family with hardworking parents pursuing the American dream imprinted perseverance, which led to success as a well-recognized and respected global leader in the food and agriculture sector. Her career trajectory grew by seeking and taking opportunities as they presented. She has experience at four government agencies and three fortune 500 companies and led a not-for-profit organization.

Anne is an accomplished Latina fluent in Spanish who has extensive international experience. She has been in Saudia Arabia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and numerous other countries, helping U.S. companies gain market access and penetrate additional markets. She also lived and worked in Mexico City as a U.S. diplomat. Her specific areas of expertise are diverse, including food and agriculture, trade policy and promotion, marketing, regulatory, sustainability, environmental, social, and governance (ESG), equity, diversity, and inclusion (D&I).

Her first job out of law school was as an attorney being a regulator with the Environmental Protection Agency. Here the mission was to protect human health and the environment. The experience started to shape her world views; Anne wanted to advocate for the conservation and preservation of the environment and human health. She likes to say that she began this focus decades ago when sustainability and the atmosphere were not as ‘cool.’

Alonzo says, “Career tracks are not always linear. Mine was not straightforward rather more of a zig-zag along a consistent path.”

Throughout her career, Alonzo has served in various senior leadership roles. One highlight in her professional career was when she was appointed President & CEO of the America Egg Board. She was leading the marketing arm of the $9B U.S. egg industry. Most recently, Anne served as a Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer at Corteva Agriscience. She set the strategy and led the global External Affairs function in this dual role.

Along this fruitful career path has been widely recognized for her community leadership and championship of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I). Alonzo is very thankful for her mentors, who saw her potential and were there to help her career propel forward.

Her love for our home, Earth, is deeply rooted. Anne presently serves as an Independent Board Director at PotlatchDeltic, a leading timberland real estate investment trust with geographically diverse, high-quality, productive wood products sourced from their sustainably managed forests. Anne also serves as a Senior Advisor to Pollination, a global climate change and investment advisory firm, and as an Advisor to Trail Head Capital, a social impact investment firm.

In terms of the future, she recently pivoted from operating roles to advisory and strategic roles. She believes the right time to do it is now in her career, leveraging 30+ years as a professional and experience. She hopes to add another company board role and nonprofit organization this year. Anne is at a point in her career where she is excited to build a portfolio of different exciting positions to which she can contribute and add value. As a mentor, she provides objective guidance to size up her mentees’ careers. It’s important to her to work with younger Latina women for advancement, empowerment, change, and a better future – for a more diverse and inclusive environment.

Quite often, in the organizations she has worked for, she was the senior-most Latina in the organization – that must change! Anne would like to see more Latinos advance in their organizations, including leadership positions at the C Suite and board room levels. Her legacy is to open the door for other Latinas and Latinos to evolve and move forward at organizations in the government and private sector. She hopes to be remembered as having a positive voice of inclusion - always speaking up and helping others move their careers forward.