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Member Spotlight:
Tech Executive Leads in Community Marcela Perez de Alonso, executive vice president of human resources for Hewlett-Packard, is one of the highest ranking female corporate officers in America. She has worldwide responsibility for H-P's approximately 160,000 employees, and she directs the strategies and initiatives that impact them - from workforce management and staffing, to people development, talent management, organization effectiveness, compensation and benefits, global inclusion and diversity. Marcela joined H-P, a Hispanic-Net corporate sponsor, in 2004 and was named Hispanic-Net's 2005 Corporate Executive of the Year. She is one of only 10 women to be included in the ninth annual Hispanic Business Corporate Elite directory, and she was named one of the 50 Most Important Hispanics in Technology and Business by Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology magazine. A native of Chile, Marcela's busy bi-coastal household includes husband Roberto, a business executive based in Miami, and 5 adult children. Her passions run deep when it comes to family, business and community. She directs a portion of her considerable energy to the issue of domestic violence, especially as it affects businesses and families within the Latino community. She is a member of the board of Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence, one of Santa Clara County's oldest and most comprehensive agencies supporting victims of intimate partner abuse. "For some time, we've been aware of the burden of domestic violence on businesses, which nationally incur about $6 billion annually in direct health care expenses and lost productivity," says Marcela. "One of every four women will experience partner abuse in her lifetime, and it's the single biggest cause of injury to women ages 15-44. Tragically, that number is higher for Latinas in our region." Marcela cites a study by the Immigrant Women's Task Force of Northern California that reveals 34% of Latinas in the region say they've experienced domestic violence. And fear of deportation was cited by 64% of the Latinas surveyed as a primary barrier to seeking help from social service agencies "Fear of deportation aside, there are religious, cultural and family traditions at play," Marcela says. "This is a problem of epidemic proportions. As Hispanic business leaders, we're in a position to do something about it. We need to be more visible in our support. We need to bring the problem out of the shadows and get actively involved in promoting prevention and enhancing victim abuse services that speak to the unique cultural and other needs of the Latino community." Before she joined H-P, Marcela was a long-time executive at Citigroup where she held senior positions in operations and human resources. She headed HR for Citibank's Global Consumer Business, and she led Citigroup's North Latin America retail business operations and was in charge of deposit products for the company's international retail bank. Marcela is a member of the board of H-P Financial Services, Hewlett-Packard's financing arm, and a member of the advisory board of the Marshall Business School, University of Southern California. She earned an advanced degree in organizational psychology from the Catholic University in Chile and attended the Business Executive Program of the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
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Get Involved:
Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence's mission is to end the cycle of violence for women and children who have been impacted by intimate partner abuse. While domestic violence crosses all race, class, age, economic level, ability and culture groups, 46 percent of Next Door clients are Latina, and 40 percent of Next Door's staff is Spanish speaking. Through generous donations and a network of volunteers, Next Door provides an
array of programs and services for Silicon Valley, ranging from immediate relief to individuals and
families in crisis to proactive services to help clients move their lives in a healthy direction.
According to Next Door Executive Director Kathleen Krenek, a higher profile and active support from
Hispanic business leaders is needed to educate and influence the Latino community on a problem that
has reached epidemic proportions. The plea: get involved. You're encouraged to join in Next Door's
education, outreach, fundraising, and volunteer efforts by visiting its website at
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