HispanicBusiness

Jimmie Gonzalez
EVP, Operations and Systems
Prudential Financial Inc.
Mr. Gonzalez is responsible for the management and integration of domestic relocation operations capabilities and client-focused solutions. He is also responsible for the development, implementation, and management of all systems initiatives and infrastructure for both real estate and relocation services. Mr. Gonzalez is a member of such organizations as National Council of La Raza; Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting; and National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. Mr. Gonzalez received Career Focus magazine's National Eagle Leadership Institute Award in 1998.

J.C. Gonzalez-Mendez
President
McDonald's Latin America
Mr. Gonzalez-Mendez is responsible for operations of all McDonald's restaurants in Latin America (more than 1,700 restaurants in 28 countries with sales topping $4 billion). He started at McDonald's in 1984 as the first employee for McDonald's Mexico, where he was responsible for developing supply sources for the first restaurant that opened in Mexico in 1985. He has a bachelor's degree in biochemical engineering with minors in food technology and marine sciences from the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico, and an MBA from the University of Southern California.


Grace Lieblein
President and Managing Director, GM de Mexico
General Motors
Ms. Lieblein is the first woman to serve in this role. She joined GM in 1978 as a co-op student at the GM Assembly Division in Los Angeles. She earned a master's degree in management from Michigan State University in 1987, and a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Kettering University in 1983. Ms. Lieblein led the development of award-winning crossover vehicles such as the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse. She is the company's highest-ranked Hispanic woman executive and its first Hispanic woman to serve as vehicle chief engineer.


Amador Lucero
VP of Network Operations and Engineering
Qwest Communications
Mr. Lucero oversees the network operations reliability center, which monitors Qwest's external and internal voice and data networks. Mr. Lucero has spent more than 36 years in the telecommunications industry. Previously, he served in leadership roles in sales and support, human resources, IT, and data networks. He has an electronics degree from Mesa Community College and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix in 1986. He earned an MBA from Arizona State University in 1994.

Carlos Minetti
EVP, Cardmember Services and Consumer Banking
Discover Financial Services
Mr. Minetti is responsible for all card member services functions, including card member assistance, customer service and engagement, corporate security, operational risk and information security, and planning and national operations. He is also responsible for all of Discover's consumer banking businesses. Before joining Discover in 2001, Mr. Minetti served as senior vice president of card operations for American Express. Mr. Minetti holds a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.

Elizabeth Munoz
President, Lucky Brand
Liz Claiborne Inc.
Ms. Munoz is responsible for the creative direction of Lucky Brand Jeans product, stores, marketing and visual, as well as the strategic planning, budgeting, and direction for Lucky Brand Jeans retail, wholesale, e-commerce, and international business. During her tenure, she has built Lucky Brand Jeans' specialized design teams, while creating a production infrastructure, and supervising marketing and merchandising. Ms. Munoz began her career by getting a job as a pattern maker and putting herself through college at the Fashion Institute of Design.