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Team HomeAway at the Latinos in Tech event at Google
HomeAway

Affinity Group Series: Latin@s at HomeAway

Below is an article originally written by PowerToFly Partner HomeAway, and published on March 15, 2018. Go to HomeAway's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.

This group isn't even a year old and their list of appearances and accomplishments is already a mile long. The Latin@s at HomeAway group launched in 2017 under the leadership of Gretel Perera, Jacob Rosales and Miguel Bernal. Gretel Perera, Global Public Relations Manager, shares more about what they have planned for 2018.

Q: How and why was Latin@s at HomeAway founded?

GP: We started the organization in 2017 with a simple goal of connecting the Latino employees working at HomeAway. A few of us connected and we slowly began growing the community through various events and activities. Our core activities are centered around monthly gatherings that include "lunch & learn" sessions and happy hours.

Latin@s at HomeAway now has more than 130 members, representing all areas of the business, including engineering, marketing, sales, human resources and customer support. We have employees from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Spain, Tejas, Venezuela and the U.S.

Q: That's crazy growth for a new group! What were some things the group accomplished in 2017?

GP: Well first, we launched Latin@s at HomeAway! We also hosted two internal happy hours, two lunch & learn sessions, and the first Affinity Group Happy Hour with HomeAway President, John Kim. Our members also volunteered at HomeAway University to recruit more Latino candidates.

Outside of HomeAway, we partnered with 10 tech companies to bring together the Latinos in Tech community in Austin. Mari Rylander, Global Director of Talent Acquisition, participated in several panel discussions, including the inaugural Latinos in Tech event at Indeed during Hispanic Heritage Month. Our group participated in the Latinas in Tech Silicon Valley Summit & Women's Empowerment Luncheon. One of the coolest things we did last year was host the"Latinos in Tech Austin End-of-Year Fiesta at our Domain office, with 150 participants from 10 tech companies and local non-profits.

Q: What an exciting time to be a Latina at HomeAway! What events do you have planned for 2018?

GP: We will be introducing different activities under our three key areas of focus:

  • Building an inclusive culture
  • Developing a talent pipeline
  • Giving back to the community

We are hosting the Latinitas Game Chica conference at our Domain office on April 28. Marisela Rylander is speaking at another panel, this time at a SXSW event in Austin. We also have more lunch & learns scheduled throughout the year. We recently did one with our Brazilian colleagues to learn more about their country, how HomeAway operates in Brazil, and even some fun Portuguese words—all while enjoying delicious Brazilian cuisine. We hope to get involved in more training workshops, mentorship programs, participate in industry events and give back to the community.

The HomeAway Brazil team joined us for a meeting and even taught us some Portuguese!

Q: What does it mean to you to be a leader of Latin@s at HomeAway?

GP: It's been exciting to get to know my coworkers, participate in events together, and introduce new people to the organization. I enjoy connecting with our Latino community and building a strong network within HomeAway.

Q: Do you connect with other Latino groups outside of HomeAway?

GP: Yes, we actually started a Latinos in Tech community that includes more than 14 tech companies in Austin. We host events every two months at different offices. The first one was at Indeed in September 2017 during Hispanic Heritage Month, then we hosted the end-of-the-year fiesta in December. We recently met at Dell to share best practices among the tech companies of our Latino Employee Resource Groups.

Gretel (right) hosting the Latinos in Tech SXSW panel.

Q: How can people get involved with Latin@s at HomeAway and learn more about what the group is doing?

HomeAway employees can find information on our meeting schedule and events on our official Wiki page. If you don't work at HomeAway, the Life at HomeAway Facebook and Instagram are the best places to find out about upcoming community events.

Want to join Team HomeAway or check out other cool perks we offer? Visit our PowerToFly page!

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Flatiron Health Inc

Why Do I Keep Going Back To Grace Hopper?

Below is an article originally written by Stacy Gorelik, Director of Engineering at PowerToFly Partner Flatiron Health, and published on October 5, 2018. Go to Flatiron Health's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.

I believe today is an amazing time to be a technologist. I also believe it's an amazing time to be a woman technologist. Yes, sure, there are still plenty of challenges in many workplaces, schools and universities, and yes, young girls (particularly from underprivileged backgrounds) are still largely discouraged from moving into STEM by cultural and socioeconomic influences around them. But the power of the community that women in technology have built over time, despite, or because of, these challenges, makes this moment in time special to be a female in a technical field.

Grace Hopper, ca 1975

Last week, AnitaB.org gathered a record 22,000 women under the roof of the Minute Maid Park in Houston for the annual Grace Hopper Celebration. We learned, we recruited, we taught, we laughed, we bonded and some of us celebrated through the night. For those not familiar with the event: Rear Admiral Grace Hopper was a pioneer of computer programming who invented one of the first compiler-related tools and popularized the idea of machine-independent programming languages. The Grace Hopper Celebration, or more commonly referred to as just Grace Hopper or GHC, is the largest gathering of women technologists in the world.

Over the years, Grace Hopper has continued to grow at an unprecedented pace, both in the level of speakers and content presented during the conference, and in the number of companies and people who attend, but it has also enabled to stay relevant and important. Short of writing a 30-page essay, I wanted to document a few highlights of my experience this year to show why I continue to come back to Grace Hopper year after year:

  • The excitement leading up to Grace Hopper every year yields a high that's hard to explain: from speaking proposals submitted; to the recruiting strategies developed; to the company-sponsored panels aimed at building excitement specifically for GHC; to the flight full off women taking off from LGA and cheering each other on; to the song on the early morning shuttles to the conference center; to the spontaneous old mentee encounter in line for the coveted machine learning talk…
  • At the conference itself, the diversity and inclusion talks have become more meaningful every year, presenting us with tips, studies and solutions. The focus has slowly started to shift from just women in technology to other underrepresented groups, which I believe is not only important but crucial for our industry
  • This year, Anita Hill carried a message of hope in a closing keynote. In the midst of the Kavanaugh hearings, she made us look at all the progress that has already been made. She reminded us, "We thankfully now live in a world where corporate CEOs are saying 'I want to live in a better, more inclusive, diverse society'"
  • My colleague Jenny and I spent a large part of Wednesday in Mentoring Circles, teaching women of all stages in their career on how to boost their internal and external brands: sharing our experience, answering questions, connecting and learning a bit ourselves from the participants
  • I yet again met and connected with many incredible women: women who write code, women who run sizable organizations, women who coach others, women who use technology to empower our troops. After-hours events again sparked meaningful conversations, resulting in new connections made, knowledge exchanged, problems resolved
  • I was also impressed by the recent influx of mission-driven companies like ours that are now coming to Grace Hopper; there were many new companies at the expo and many participating in various mainstream and hallway track talks
  • I loved overhearing our amazing Flatiron crew at our booth in the job fair: after a long day on her feet, Lucy, our machine learning engineer, felt no less inspired to teach every single person who came by our booth about how we combine human experts with automation to extract meaningful medical data from unstructured documents; Alda, our unquestionably most enthusiastic data insights engineer, coached a student on how to approach the recruiter; while another data insights engineer, Sam, high-fived her Twitter followers in the crowds

Thank you to AnitaB.org for yet another high-quality, meaningful event. As cliche as it sounds, it was truly inspiring to be around so many diverse women. The future is in OUR hands, as today we women technologists work for a better tomorrow. I am looking forward to riding on this high for another year, and sharing this experience with more Flatiron women in the years to come.

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Synchrony

Synchrony Employee Story: Meet Jackie Garcia, Field Sales Manager

Jackie Works Remotely From Her Home In Texas

Below is an article originally written by PowerToFly Partner Synchrony. Go to Synchrony's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.

Life and work – you can't have one without the other for Jackie

"Synchrony does not see disabilities. They get to know you as a person and see the talent that you have, and take that strength and develop it."

Jackie is proud of everywhere her career at Synchrony has taken her – she especially loves how Synchrony has been there for her when she needed support the most and how she can, in turn, enrich others' experiences at Synchrony.

Today, Jackie is a Field Sales Manager responsible for an entire region, but there's much more to who she is than her title. For most of her life, Jackie has experienced acute hearing loss in both ears and relies on reading lips. When she joined Synchrony not only did they do the little things like buying her a good headset for phone calls, but they did the big things too. Her team was patient, listened, and pushed themselves outside of their comfort zones to embrace new ways of working together. Jackie was never at a disadvantage against her peers. "Everyone is on equal ground here. If you have a disability, you won't be treated any different. It's all about what you have to offer."

Jackie started out as a Customer Service Representative. Her managers saw her talent and saw that she was driven to do more. They nominated her for a Synchrony development program that moved her to Frisco, TX to work in client affairs. Leaders and mentors paved the way for her to have the experiences she needed to see where she could go next, and they prepared her to make that leap. "You'll be in awe of the leaders we have! They have incredible passion every day and you see how they live the values of the company. Every time I see them I can feel it and it re-energizes me."

After 4 years, that next leap came in the form of her first Field Sales Manager role (fostering growth in credit applications and credit sales), working on a major department store. At first she didn't think she would like the travel, but now she relishes in it. As she travels to stores in 20+ states, she's an extension of Synchrony, working directly with her clients. Jackie loves meeting new people and seeing the impact she has as their business grows (and reading a lot of lips!). She's also worked on a variety of projects such as developing a program for onboarding new field sales managers, and taking on a leadership role in compliance

All along, Jackie's leaders haven't seen that she's challenged in hearing, they've seen that she has potential. "This is what you'll experience – values aren't here for us to look good in a commercial, it's in our core and everything we do. We show it every day."

Jackie experienced that leadership and belief in Synchrony's values again when she was diagnosed with cancer. Synchrony had just changed the company insurance plan, and the CFO came to her office to meet with the team. He said he was responsible for changing the plan and wanted to know how it impacted them. Jackie spoke up, as difficult as it was, to tell him it was hard to manage her illness, work, medical expenses, and her family. After the meeting, the CFO thanked her for sharing her story and offered to help. Synchrony gave Jackie grants for some of her medical costs, and found a pharma company that would pay for her medicine. The CFO always followed up to see how she was doing. She's cancer free today. "Our leaders truly care for us. Seeing how they care makes me want to share this message as often as I can and with as many people as I can."

Jackie has been a mainstay of Synchrony's diversity networks, even before they were formally organized. Caring and passion to support others has always been part of the culture and values at Synchrony, but the diversity networks go straight to her heart. First as part of the People with Disabilities Network, and now in the Veterans Network, Jackie values the opportunity to educate and be a force for good for her colleagues of all backgrounds and abilities. "Everyone here can help and support each other"

Unsurprisingly, Jackie is in high demand – earning 13 awards since becoming a field sales manager. Recently, she was approached with a job offer for more money, and she turned it down. "This isn't like other jobs. I've invested in my career, and Synchrony has invested in me – both through development opportunities for my career and support for my life outside of work. They do that for everyone."

Learn more about our People with Disabilities Network.

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Wells Fargo team members and participants of the Black/African American Leaders Program in San Francisco.
Wells Fargo Company

Wells Fargo’s Diverse Leaders Program Offers Culturally Sensitive Leadership And Professional Development

Below is an article originally written by Michael McCoy at PowerToFly Partner Wells Fargo, and published on June 28, 2017. Go to Wells Fargo's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.

When you are given the opportunity to be yourself, your success increases tremendously.

George Wagner wasn't sure what to expect when he enrolled in Wells Fargo's Diverse Leaders Program. But when he left the program three days later, he felt like his life had completely changed — for the better.

"Although I have been openly out as a member of the LGBT community for many years, participating in the program allowed me to learn how to truly be comfortable being my authentic self," said Wagner, a Regional Banking branch manager in Vacaville, California, who completed the program in 2015. "When you are given the opportunity to be yourself, your success increases tremendously."

The Diverse Leaders Program offers several different tracks, including Asian and Pacific Islander, Black/African American, Latino, and Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Leaders programs, and will expand later this year to include Veterans Leaders and People with Diverse Abilities Leaders programs.

Each learning experience provides a unique opportunity to focus on leadership and professional development from a culturally relevant and sensitive perspective. Participants explore similarities and differences between American mainstream business cultures, and bridge the gap while retaining their own culture and values. Each DLP is a transformational three-day "deep dive" leadership experience designed specifically to develop high-potential talent throughout the company's footprint. These unique, industry-leading initiatives were developed to enrich Wells Fargo's long-term commitment to its team members and the greater community by empowering the next generation of diverse business leaders.

"I learned that I needed to change my approach to managing the different personalities that exist in my personal and professional life," said Pamela Cross, a senior philanthropic specialist in Atlanta, who completed one of the programs in 2016. "As I mastered this new skill, doors opened and new opportunities presented themselves."

The Diverse Leaders Programs began in 2004 with a nomination-based process, but transitioned this year to an open enrollment process — making the program available to any eligible company team member interested in attending. Over 3,900 Wells Fargo team members have participated in the programs so far.

"Continuing to invest in diverse team members is incredibly important and is a tremendous opportunity for us to better serve our diverse customers and communities," said Joy Nguyen, program manager for the Diverse Leaders Program. "As the program manager and alumna of the DLP, I know how empowering it is to feel valued, appreciated and important. That's the experience I want every participant to have when they participate in the programs."

For Wagner, the impact he felt from participating in the DLP continued even after the program ended.

"My favorite part of the program was being able to network with leaders from around the country in multiple lines of business," he said. "I am still in contact with a lot of people from the program, many of whom have helped me make career decisions, mentored me through tough situations, and broadened and challenged my way of thinking."

life at wells fargo diversity diversity and inclusion diversity and inclusion at wells fargo work culture career development wells fargo diverse leadership program
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T Rowe Price Group Inc

What Makes T. Rowe Price Special?

T. Rowe Price's commitment to diversity fosters an open, supportive and welcoming environment for all associates. They thrive because their company culture is based on collaboration and diversity of thought.

Are you interested in joining their team?

If yes, then click here to see all available opportunities at T. Rowe Price and don't forget to press 'Follow' to receive custom job matches, event invitations and more!

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