The HBS Latino Alumni Association (HBSLAA) held its 20^th Annual Banquet on October 5, bringing together 80 alumni, guests, and current HBS students for dinner and a panel discussion at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

The panel, moderated by HBSLAA Co-President Alfonso Alanis-Cue (MBA 2009) focused on Latino voices across the media landscape, and featured HBSLAA co-founder Gabriel J. Esparza (MBA 2000), Trustee of the Central Piedmont Community College and former Associate Administrator, Office of International Trade at the U.S. Small Business Administration; Steven Wolfe Pereira, CEO of Alpha & Company and former executive at Televisa Univision; and Liz Montaño (MBA 2009), Chief Operating Officer at NJ/NY Gotham FC, a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team.

“We always find this gathering to be a great time for learning,” says HBSLAA Board Member Milagros Carter (MBA 2013), who spearheads marketing and communications for the club. “We always have either a speaker or a panel that can help us better understand aspects of the Latino community and Latinos in business.”

Carter adds that the annual banquet is one way the club fulfills its mission “to gather alumni and current HBS students, as well as prospective club members and prospective HBS students. We’re always working to connect the HBS Latino community, empower our alumni through learning and development opportunities, offer a platform for them to grow from graduation to retirement, and advocate for communities of color across Harvard University and beyond. And we want to continue to develop strong connections to Latino students at HBS so that they grow into members of the HBSLAA.”

With that in mind, the club held the banquet in Boston this year—rather than New York City—so current students could attend. Carter says they accounted for half of all attendees.

“As this banquet came together, we identified the need to continue to bring current students into the fold, and to really be a resource for them,” says Carter. “It’s important for us to be close to campus and really be a physical presence for those students. We were happy to see 40 current students in attendance, which was great because it allowed us to continue to develop those personal relationships. At the end of the day, it matters to us that current students can create one-to-one connections with members of the club.”

During the dinner, the club also honored HBS Professor Len Schlesinger with the HBSLAA’s Distinguished Latino Alumni in the Community Award. “As the chair of the Practice Faculty at HBS, Professor Schlesinger has done a lot to help the Latino community at HBS, by fostering representation among both staff and faculty,” says Carter. “We wanted to recognize those efforts.”

Schlesinger spoke about his work and called for alumni in the audience to continue to stay involved with HBS. “He was very encouraging in calling alumni to be involved and give back, and mentioned his intent to recruit more Latino alumni into the Executive Fellows program,” says Carter. “That was a great way to set the tone for the evening—around continuing to open doors for each other. We need to find ways to continue to encourage more Latino students to apply to HBS. And we need to continue to engage with our current students so the HBS community can feel a little bit smaller, and they can get their footing quickly.”

Student co-presidents from the HBS Latino Students Organization (LASO) shared brief updates about their activities as well.

“The evening was incredibly high energy,” says Carter. “It gave us a renewed sense of purpose to for participate and engage with the club, and it encouraged us to think about how we can continue to represent this HBS community in the workplace, in our communities, and in our own careers. In true HBS fashion, people were there to connect, to share experiences and, really, to help each other.”

The HBS Club of Atlanta (HBSCA) threw a festive 90^th Anniversary Gala on September 19 at the Cherokee Town Club, where 150 alumni and guests enjoyed a cocktail reception, dinner, dancing, and an awards ceremony. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the HBSCA Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) Scholarships, which provide funding for local nonprofit leaders to attend SEI courses at HBS.

The evening kicked off with a Past Presidents Reception that featured a retrospective on the club’s history from its founding to present.

“We discussed the club’s impact on the local business community, including our hallmark Leadership Breakfast Series and Social Enterprise Initiative,” says HBSCA Co-President Burunda Prince (MBA 1987). “The Leadership Breakfast Series has featured different mayors of Atlanta, governors of Georgia, and many CEOs, including Ed Bastian of Delta, Carol Tome of UPS, Alfredo Rivera of Coca-Cola, Tope Awotona of Calendly, Paul Brown of Inspire Brands, and Raphael Bostic of The Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, to name a few.”

The HBSCA honored club officers Timothy Dodson (MBA 1994), VP for the Leadership Breakfast Series and Edward Shartar (MBA 1981), VP for the Social Enterprise Initiative, for their longstanding dedication and stewardship of those programs.

During dinner, Neil Ashe (MBA 1996), Chairman and CEO of Acuity Brands, presented the club’s Social Impact Award to Dean Crowe, Founder of the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research. In 2014, Crowe was one of the club’s SEI scholarship recipients and attended the week-long Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management (SPNM) course at HBS.

As a direct result of her participation in the Harvard program, Rally became involved in advocacy work promoting childhood cancer research. To date, that advocacy work has secured $223 million in new federal funding for research into cancers that specifically affect children, adolescents, and young adults. Crowe attributes that success to attending the SPNM program. “Her experience exemplifies the impact that the Club’s SEI scholarship program has had on our community, at both a local and national level,” says Shartar.

Following the formal presentations, Prince says guests enjoyed an evening of music and dancing. “We even had a flash mob, to the surprise and delight of our guests,” she adds.

The event raised $40,000 for future SEI scholarships, Prince says. “This was our way of recognizing and fundraising for SEI and how HBS alumni continue to work together to shape and impact Atlanta’s business community. But it was also an opportunity for outreach and re-connection. We celebrated the many people and volunteers over the years who have helped HBSAAA thrive with impact.”

The HBSCA 90^th Anniversary Gala was produced with the help of a volunteer planning committee, including Aaliyah Shafiq Ely (2007), Lisa Gunther (2000), Katie Hindman (2010) and Wambui Maina (2007), supported by Club Administrator Gabriela Sanchez and Meeting Planner Joan Borchardt.

What’s your day job and title:
I’m a CEO in the travel industry, and currently serve as CEO for Trevello World Holdings.

When did you take on your current role with the HBS Women’s Association?
June of 2024.

What inspired you to take a leadership role in the club?
The momentum and growth of HBSWA’s national expansion (transitioned from Women’s Association of New York a year ago) has been nothing short of extraordinary, and inspired me to jump in.

Why do you want to give back in this way?
The women of HBSWA have generously helped me in many ways, professionally and personally, over the last many years even when they met me only once. I want every HBS woman to know this network is here for you!

What does the club mean to you?
Connection and inspiration. The purpose of HBSWA is to enable all HBS alumnae to reach their full potential throughout all stages of life, and that is truly our superpower.

What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure as HBSWA president?
To ensure that every HBS woman everywhere knows about the club, and leverages the community, learning and connection to support her personal and professional goals.

What have you accomplished to date that you are excited about?
Membership has tripled since going national, proving the demand for a network that goes beyond geographic boundaries. HBSWA connects all HBS women regardless of location and phase of life.

Why should HBS alumnae join your club?
With our accelerated growth in membership, our programming has expanded accordingly. We offer 10-12 programs weekly, most of it virtual and all free for members, everywhere. Our monthly roundtables have really taken off, with five now up and running: Women in Consulting, Women in Healthcare, Future of Food, Working Mothers and Career Transitions—and more on the way. These virtual monthly meetups are member-led, with special guest speakers and workshops. I encourage every alumna to try them.

What was your favorite/most impactful class at HBS?
First year, Negotiation. Decades of leadership experience later, the principles we learned in that course are still spot on.

What’s the best advice you could give an incoming HBS student?
Unlike university and earlier education, these two years are not all about grades and academics. Use this time to connect with the people—get to know your classmates, the faculty. You may not remember the cases, the classes or the assignments, but you will remember the people and the connections long after you graduate

Who or what gives you energy every day?
New York City. You can always see something new and intriguing on any block, in any neighborhood, anywhere in the city.

How do you relax?
Traveling, especially wilderness and adventure travel. I unwind by planning my next trip, and love having a list of upcoming flights in my queue.

What are you reading or binge-watching?
Slow Horses on Apple TV+. I can’t stop watching these messy, relentless spies of MI5!

Favorite restaurant?
Pastis, in Meatpacking District is always great energy. Somehow it manages to be both a local favorite for us neighbors and a magnet for visitors from everywhere.

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