Fridays@4 will host a panel discussion on how diversity presents itself in the workplace beyond months of recognition. This moderated conversation will touch on themes of how next-genners want to show up and how organizations can be intentionally inclusive through strategic plans. We hope that you will join us as we continue our diversity discussion series.
Access the recording.
Panelists
Carlos Cardenas, CAE
Carlos is a co-founder of Association Latinos, a nonprofit with a mission to increase and advance Latino leadership, representation, and inclusion in associations. He serves as the Board Secretary and the board liaison for the Events and Relationship Building (Networking) volunteer committee. Carlos also serves as a Board Director for the nonprofit organization Unique Sweets, which aims to provide opportunities for individuals with Autism and other Developmental Disabilities to develop job skills, socialize and expand their skills across family, community, and professional worlds.
Carlos is the Senior Director of Information Technology at the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA), where he oversees credentialing platforms and systems, infrastructure, data, and key information systems that contribute to the support of the NBCRNA mission. As an American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) member, Carlos serves as the Technology Professionals Advisory Council Chair. He is a Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP) alum.
Heba Mahmoud
Heba is Senior Manager of Inclusion & Diversity at MITRE Corporation. In her role she is responsible for designing, leading, executing, and integrating strategic enterprise-wide I&D initiatives, practices, and processes that cultivate an inclusive culture and reinforces a sense of belonging. A mission-driven professional, Heba spent the last 19 years working with membership associations to create inclusive, diverse, and equitable professional sectors that welcome and engage underrepresented communities.
Prior to MITRE, Heba was the senior manager of diversity initiatives at the Consumer Technology Association, where she was responsible for building and implementing initiatives to advance inclusion in the tech ecosystem. Previously, Heba worked at the Association of Fundraising Professionals where she took the lead in launching the Women’s Impact Initiative, a program to help advance female fundraisers into leadership roles.
Heba holds an MBA in Business Management from Strayer University and a Bachelor of International Business and Marketing from Howard University. She is also a scholar in the 2018-2020 class of the American Society of Association Executives’ Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP). Heba is passionate about youth engagement and actively volunteers with several Washington, D.C. area groups. Heba started a small non-profit organization focused on supporting and engaging Nubian-Egyptian Youth in the DC metro area, and she is a featured author in Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love, a collection of stories from fourteen Black writers detailing their experiences in the non-profit sector in the US and Canada.
Richard Yep, CAE, FASAE
Rich is the founder of Ocean Vista Advisors, a consulting firm whose body of work and experience has focused on not-for-profit organizations, specifically those who identify as professional membership associations.
Prior to founding Ocean Vista Advisors, Rich worked for the American Counseling Association for 33 years (24 of which were in the role of CEO). He has presented and advised on issues in association management regarding leadership development, organizational and volunteer structure, DE&I, and communications.
He has been active in the American Society of Association Executives having served as Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a member of the Board of Directors. Rich was named an ASAE Fellow in 2012 and in 2017 received ASAE’s highest individual honor, the Key Award. He is a contributing author to Professional Practices in Association Management.
Moderator: Laura R. Caputo, J.D.
Laura is a consultant serving nonprofits and professional associations through her company, La Roca Consulting, LLC, and Florida-based association management company, AMC Source. Laura provides senior-level collaboration to advance association and nonprofit missions. A former bankruptcy attorney, Laura worked with thousands of individuals from every walk of life to help them navigate and overcome complex challenges. After nearly a decade practicing law, Laura brought her problem-solving and critical thinking experience to the association world, having previously served as Chief of Staff to the CEO at the Turnaround Management Association, a 10,000-member, 55-chapter international association serving professionals in the corporate restructuring industry. Laura earned her Juris Doctorate from Indiana University-Bloomington, Maurer School of Law, and a Bachelor's degree in Advertising/Public Relations from the University of Central Florida. Her key skills are Board/Committee Collaboration, Strategy, and Support, Leadership Development, Program Development and Management, Strategic Planning, Conference and Meeting Planning, and International Relations.
