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UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, honored five leaders and trailblazers tonight for creating meaningful change for the Latino community. UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía presented the awards during the gala marking the conclusion of the organization’s 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago.

“These honorees personify the tenacity and fortitude it takes to make meaningful and enduring strides toward equity,” said UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía. “These are the people who reflect the true fabric of our country. The leaders committed to ensuring the Latino perspective is woven into all parts of our society, whether it’s the media, community development, or activism.” READ MORE AT UNIDOSUS

Griselda Aldrete’s career path has been a journey. A native of Milwaukee, she has never shied away from opportunities and challenges in the things she has set out to do. She has plied her considerable talent in the non-profit, government, corporate and now legal realms. She served as President and CEO of Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee (HPGM) for eight years where she grew the organization’s footprint, budget and brand. She then led the City of Milwaukee’s Fire and Police Commission (FPC) as its first Hispanic executive director in the midst of a global pandemic and national civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd. A corporate engagement followed Aldrete’s government service to the citizens of Milwaukee when she joined Alliant Energy in Madison as director of stakeholder engagement. Her journey continues to add intriguing stops considering her most recent announcement as partner at the law firm of Hansen Reynolds LLC. READ MORE AT BLUEPRINT365

Barnes & Thornburg has added Martín Montes as a partner in the firm’s Chicago office, where he will serve as group lead in Chicago for the Government Services and Finance Department.

Montes joins Barnes & Thornburg following a decade of legal and business experience at Exelon and served in executive leadership roles at ComEd, where he managed regulatory strategies and large customer business operations. He also spent nine years as associate general counsel at Walmart, where he developed and executed global legal strategy across Walmart’s international retail markets. At the firm, Montes will focus his practice on representing clients in the energy, utility, healthcare, education, and retail sectors in a variety of issues before the executive and legislative branches in Illinois. READ MORE

Veteran Energy Industry Leader to Continue Utility's Successful Track Record of Delivering Reliable, Affordable and Clean Energy to More Than Four Million Illinois Customers.

CHICAGO (October 14, 2021) — ComEd today announced Gil C. Quiniones will become CEO of ComEd, effective Nov. 15, 2021. Quiniones, who has served as president and CEO of the New York Power Authority (NYPA) for the past 10 years, will report to Calvin Butler, CEO of Exelon Utilities, who also has been serving as interim CEO of ComEd since Oct. 1, 2021. 

Quiniones is a proven industry executive with more than 30 years of relevant leadership and operational experience extending across regulated utility markets, the public and private sectors, and state and local governments. For the past decade, he has been the CEO of the nation's largest state-owned public power organization. He is an internationally recognized leader in modernizing power grids, and delivering clean, safe and affordable energy for customers, leading to economic and environmental benefits for diverse communities.

"Gil is an experienced electric utility leader, with a proven ability to deliver world-class performance for customers and strengthen and uplift communities, including in urban areas, making him ideally suited to be the CEO of ComEd," said Butler. "In addition, Gil is a high-integrity leader who is focused on ethics, equity and doing what is best for our diverse customers, communities and employees. We are confident that, under his leadership, ComEd will continue to be recognized as one of the cleanest, most reliable and most affordable utilities in America."

"It's an honor to be named CEO of ComEd, and I look forward to working closely with Calvin and the entire utility management team to lead this nationally recognized energy company," Quiniones said. "I share ComEd's vision for a clean and resilient energy future that benefits customers and communities across northern Illinois and commit to continuing ComEd's legacy of local partnership with and investment in the communities it is privileged to serve."

John R. Koelmel, chair, NYPA Board of Trustees, said, "Gil is an outstanding person as well as a tremendous leader. Over his tenure at NYPA, the combination of his passion, vision, industry knowledge and business acumen has positioned us as an industry leader. He has fostered a strong internal culture based on excellence, integrity and safety and has created positive relationships with the many customers and communities we serve. We wish Gil every success as he assumes his new leadership role with ComEd."

About Gil C. Quiniones:
Quiniones has served as president and CEO of NYPA, the nation's largest state-owned public power organization, since 2011. Prior to this role, he served as COO and executive vice president, Energy Marketing and Corporate Affairs. Before joining NYPA in 2007, Quiniones spent four years at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where he served as senior vice president and the principal energy adviser to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Prior to this, Quiniones worked for 13 years at the Consolidated Edison Company of New York, a regulated electric and gas utility, and ConEdison Solutions, the utility's unregulated energy services subsidiary. He was a co-founder and managing director of Energy Services at the subsidiary, where he led profitable revenue growth.

Quiniones has served as chair of GridWise Alliance; a board member of Emera Inc.; chair and board member of the Electric Power Research Institute, where he rejoined the board in April 2021; chair and chair emeritus of the Alliance to Save Energy; chair-elect of the Smart Electric Power Alliance and vice chair of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority; a board member of the Large Public Power Council; and a member of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council and the International Energy Agency's Global Commission for Urgent Action on Energy Efficiency. Quiniones plans to resign from all current board memberships in order to devote his full attention to his ComEd duties. He holds a B.S. from De La Salle University in Manila. In 2020, he earned a Corporate Director Certificate at Harvard Business School.

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Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College's president, Dr. Daniel Lopez PhD will be one of five alumni inducted into the College of Education at Illinois State University Illinois State's Hall of Fame on Friday, October 15.

Dr. Lopez has over twenty-five years of experience in higher education. As a leader, he has provided comprehensive academic support services to students, developed educational programming, and has led many student affairs units. He has created safe spaces for undocumented students and been a role model for many students of color. He is a member of the Latino Alumni Network at Illinois State, the Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education, the Diversifying Faculty in Illinois graduate fellowship, and the Latin United Housing Association. READ MORE

We’re always on the lookout for the slightest opportunity to further our professional careers. After all, sheer hard work and dedication can only get you so far at the workplace, you have to stand out from the crowd if you want to get noticed. READ MORE AT ENTREPRENEUR

A new report from executive search consultancy Russell Reynolds helps shed light on the current plight of corporate diversity professionals.

While the now robust business case for diversity has persuaded executive teams to install more diversity leaders and inclusion systems, there are real reasons to believe that their work will not have the impact their bosses and boards expect. READ MORE AT FORTUNE

Career is the one among many things which is found in everyone's bucket list since childhood. Every individual has a dream of becoming something which they admire of. Having a successful career is all you need to secure your future. It will offer you a lot of opportunities to enhance your skills and to prove yourself in front of the world. READ MORE AT INDIA TV

Seasons of transition — whether we’re focusing in on summer or seasons of life — are anxiety inducing on their worst day and transformative on their best.

When those seasons of transformation are reflective of a need for a career change they can be even more emotionally taxing.

Dr. Gladys Ato is a clinical psychologist and leadership mentor based out of San Francisco who works with entrepreneurs and executives to help align their workflow with their mission. READ MORE AT FORBES

Party politics aside, the accomplishments of women, especially minorities, ought to be elevated and celebrated.

It is a widely known fact that women face unique challenges gaining access to career opportunities and positions of leadership. There are gaps, and they are real for women across diverse fields in both public and private sectors.

For example, The Harvard Business Review recently published an article reporting that the average mid-forties male college graduate earns 55% more than his female counterpart. READ MORE AT HUFFINGTONPOST

Many people (including me) offer advice on what it takes to be better at networking. One thing often is left out of that equation, however: Networking involves interacting with others, so it's worth asking what the average person believes it takes to become great. If we want to make the kind of impression that works to build a powerful personal network, we must be cognizant of others' expectations and adjust our behavior accordingly. READ MORE AT ENTREPRENEUR

Dr. Beatriz T. Espinoza had no idea of the challenges that awaited her shortly after she took over as president of Coastal Bend College, a community college located in a rural part of South Texas.

The college was financially strapped and was on the brink of losing its accreditation. There was also a “disconnect” between the college and the majority of Hispanics who reside in the town of 12,000 where the college is situated. READ MORE AT DIVERSE ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

"Why not me?" It's a question Geisha Williams, CEO and President of PG&E Corp., has asked throughout her career.
Williams made history last year becoming the first Latina CEO of a Fortune 500 company. But the Cuban-born immigrant admits that she once had "pretty modest" career aspirations. That all changed when her mentor at her first energy industry job asked her a pivotal question. READ MORE AT CNN MONEY

As the weather gets warmer, the office gets quieter and the world moves at a more relaxed tempo. But that doesn’t mean you have to slow down your career advancement. Here's how to keep up the pace through Labor Day.

Expand your skill set. Take advantage of summer courses offered by community colleges and local universities. Whether you sign up for content marketing, coding or management, come fall you'll have a leg up on your coworkers. READ MORE AT FORBES

We all know networking is one of the essential ways to getting almost anywhere in life. Networking just involves talking to people (the right people) and getting your name out there. Ideally, getting people talking about you.

There are typically two types of people out there: the introverts and the extroverts. Introverts, being more self-secluded and more of observers, usually have a harder time putting themselves out there; not to say that they do not have a social life, but their social circle may be just a bit smaller than most.

Extroverts, on the other hand, are more outspoken and more willing to put themselves in the line of fire if need be. Networking tips are used differently for both parties seeing as they both have different aspects as to how they operate and present themselves. READ MORE AT ULOOP

Getting your degree, writing and perfecting your resume, carefully crafting a cover letter tailored to the position you're applying for, practicing answering common interview questions - even dry cleaning your best suit: There are dozens of things to do when you're trying to find a new job or change careers, but nothing may be more important than developing a robust network of contacts in your target industry. READ MORE AT SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY

The only way to advance in a career—that is, to advance in the influence and impact you have on others—is to become someone whom others respect and with whom they want to work. For me, the biggest hurdle I had to overcome professionally was, quite honestly, me. During my thirties and early forties, I had to rewire some of my basic programming. I had to change how I tended to think and behave at work. Even now, I still find that self-awareness is key.
As I reflect, there were three particularly important lessons along my path to greater impact:

Learning to welcome negative feedback. READ MORE AT FORTUNE

Want to become well-spoken? Here are three tips.

1. Make others feel well-heard

We focus too much on what we should say next, formulating witty responses in our heads instead of giving full presence to the person talking. The art of listening is as important as the art of speaking.

When the other person feels truly “heard,” that person will perceive you are caring about what he or she is saying, and this may make you appear more likable and better spoken. READ MORE AT LADDERS

Jenny was a 24-year-old Air Force pilot who used to work in the accounting section of an interior design organization. One day, she realized another team was going through some difficult times. She kindly offered to help.

Surprisingly, she received this response in an email from her boss: “Number crunchers lack leadership skills.” Seriously?

Jenny, a determined Latina if there ever was one, decided to write to her boss’ boss (let's call him John) explaining how she could help her colleagues. READ MORE AT FORBES

“We all wish to change our lives but only a few of us are willing to do what it takes to change.”

Research suggests that more than 90 per cent of the New Year resolutions are broken within the first week itself and another 5 per cent during the first month.

Change is the only thing constant in this world and it comes in two forms. We either progress towards what we want or regress into what we are comfortable with. There is no status quo in life. As an author, counsellor and a speaker, I have seen so many people attempting to change and failing miserably and then eventually getting back into their old ways of living. It seems as if change has become a secret recipe that only a few lucky people have access to. Nothing could be further from truth. Making any change permanent is a matter of decision and discipline. READ MORE AT THE INDIAN EXPRESS