Expanding Reach to Undergraduate Clubs, Connecting Students to Corporate America through Internships, and Testing Preparation Courses – Key Elements of the Organization’s Renewed Plan

DALLAS, Feb. 20, 2015 — The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) announced today details of its new strategic plan to address the changing educational and professional needs of young Hispanic business professionals at a press conference during its 2015 NSHMBA Academy & Job Fair in Dallas, Texas.

Business professionals, Hispanic educational leaders, corporations, students and members of the media converged as NSHMBA CEO, Manny Gonzalez, explained how the organization is extending its focus to reach beyond the MBA community to undergraduate and high school-level students and other entrepreneurial audiences.

“For 26 years, our work has focused on advancing Hispanic leadership and career opportunities for Hispanic MBAs through higher education and professional development,” said Gonzalez. “While this remains an important directive for our organization, we recognize that in order to significantly improve Hispanic educational attainment, we must reach students earlier. Today we are putting a stake in the ground to assure that Hispanics have the best chance of acquiring the opportunities available in a marketplace where no one is guaranteed a job out of college anymore.”

With Hispanics expected to account for 60 percent of the U.S. population growth between 2005 and 2050, NSHMBA knows that Hispanic success in education and in the labor market is of immediate and long-term importance to the nation’s economy. A key aspect of the organization’s renewed mission is focused on expanding NSHMBA’s current and new programs to undergraduate students through the creation of university chapters. Initially, NSHMBA will be targeting universities in Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas Ft. Worth.

Since 2004, Texas Christian University’s (TCU) Neeley School of Business has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to NSHMBA members.

“We understand the vital role that quality education plays in unleashing the leadership potential of Hispanic students, so we have formed this long-standing partnership with NSHMBA to support their mission today and in the future,” said LaTanya Johns, Director of Graduate Career Services at the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University, lead sponsor of the 2015 NSHMBA Academy. “We are proud to be part of the historic unveiling of NSHMBA’s new strategic vision.”

While higher education will remain deeply engrained in NSHMBA’s DNA, the new strategic plan will add an aggressive corporate partners strategy designed to accelerate the community’s advancement through entrepreneurship, internships and corporate placements.

“NSHMBA stakeholders, including more than 350 U.S. corporate partners, have a growing interest for a broader pipeline of Hispanic talent across the overall educational spectrum. These same companies are looking to us for a more efficient and effective way to communicate with candidates,” continued Gonzalez.

One of the ways NSHMBA will connect Hispanic business professionals with its corporate partners is through its mentorship and internship programs – matching mentees and internship applicants with mentors and companies, respectively, in order to thrive in a mutually beneficial relationship with NSHMBA actively involved.

“Our organization’s evolution mirrors what the Hispanic community is experiencing as a whole in our country,” said NSHMBA’s CEO. “It is our obligation as one of the most influential Hispanic groups to expand our values to include the overall community. In doing so, we feel closer to realizing our ultimate goal of becoming the leading catalyst for Hispanic achievement by 2025.”

For more information on NSHMBA, please visit www.nshmba.org.

About the National Society of Hispanic MBAs
Founded in 1988, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) is a national 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting educational excellence, economic and social opportunities for Hispanics. With a national network of 40 local leadership chapters and close to 30,000 members, NSHMBA represents the Hispanic community in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

About the NSHMBA Academy

The NSHMBA Academy is a leadership enrichment program designed to accelerate professional development and support the advancement of Hispanic business professionals. Participants are exposed to a variety of breakout sessions focused on the development and advancement of Hispanic leaders, hosted by prominent experts and executives. The 2015 NSHMBA Academy event takes place Feb. 19 – 21 in Dallas, Texas, thanks to the support of the event’s lead sponsor, the Texas Christian University.

/PRNewswire/