Episode #156: "I Have SOMETHING To Say" with special guest, Ana Valdez

<p class="x_MsoNormal">Data drives business decisions, right? And investments, right? OK, then listen up. In this episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY the conversation is all about <span data-ogsc= "black" data-ogsb="white">fact-based data that provides REAL economic information about who Latinos are in the U.S. Ana Valdez, President and CEO of the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC), is a wonderful guest because she doesn’t hold back. LDC is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to elevate the national discourse on the role and contributions of Latinos to American society supported by data.</span></p> <p class="x_MsoNormal"><span data-ogsc="black" data-ogsb="white">It all started over 10 years ago when a group of Latino leaders decided to bring together their resources and invest in conducting independent deep-dive research regarding the growing Hispanic population in the U.S. “This group was founded by Sol Trujillo and Henry Cisneros. They said, you know what, we need to present data that really shows who Latinos are in this country because we know instinctively that Latinos are incredible, but we really don’t have the means to show that. The country is really better because of us, and our economic impact is tremendous, but we don’t have the numbers,” Ana shares.</span></p> <p class="x_MsoNormal"><span data-ogsc="black" data-ogsb= "white">Since then, LDC has developed more than 25 original reports and research pieces that highlight the economic impact of Latinos across all industries and levels. They have secured partnerships of the caliber of Stanford, UCLA, Columbia University, and Accenture, to name a few, to conduct evidence-based research that informs new ways to stimulate the economy, influence how major corporations engage with Latinos, and ultimately provide the data that confirms that investing in Hispanic employees, talent, stories, suppliers, and communities will absolutely 1000% pay off from a business standpoint.</span></p> <p class="x_MsoNormal"><span data-ogsc="black" data-ogsb= "white">O