Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to salute celebrating San Antonio's Latina leaders.

I'm your host Geneseo Soto.

And today we have a chance to visit with three incredible women.

Leading in our community.

One is inspiring young women at the girl Scouts.

Another is leading a top construction firm in the state of Texas in San Antonio.

And the third helps advocate for small businesses.

That's a lot of leadership.

Let's hear what they have to say.

Major general.

Angela Salinas is a Texas native that joined the Marine Corps in 1974, by 2006, she had already been promoted to Brigadier general.

Having made her the first Latina to be promoted to general ranks in the Marine Corps as if that wasn't enough, her career did not stop there today.

She is the CEO of the girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, where she continues to nurture and build our young girls of San Antonio major general.

Thank you so much for being with us here today on solid.

Speaker 2: I'm delighted to join you today.

Thank you so much for coming to our house Speaker 1: In reviewing your long list of accomplishments.

The word first was incredibly prominent.

How did you deal with the pressure?

I can only imagine the insurmountable pressure of being the first Latina promoted within the Marine corpse to general ranking.

Speaker 2: When I became the first Latina general in the Marines, I didn't really realize the impact it was going to have not only for my immediate family, but just for the community.

And it came to the realization that this was about representing.

And I think in our community as Latinos culture has just been an honor and pride is just all part of who we are as we grow up and it is, we all own it.

And so I think initially I didn't think it was going to be a big deal until the actual posting and the relief when I became the first woman to be the commanding general in San Diego, which was an all male organization.

So just came day after day first.

I'm the first Latina to make general.

And two days later, I'm the first woman to command in San Diego and it was just blowing up.

I mean, Latino magazine was on, you know, Latino style magazine, put me on their cover and it was just overwhelming.

And oh, by the way, I still had to run the space, but I just took it in stride.

And I think the fact that recognizing when little girls would come up to me and even young men who suddenly realized that this is just a Marine general and the Latina part really was almost secondary in so many ways until I would somewhere.

And people would just start clapping and start cheering.

And I just felt the sense that I owed it.

I mean, I already had that epiphany, but the realities were that, that I just felt like I represented what actually led Speaker 1: You to join the Marine Corp. Speaker 2: Well, I would tell you I was a sophomore in college and I really came to the realization.

I was the first, really in my family to go away to college.

And I realized that people didn't look like me were there.

And so, as I looked around, I really came to the conclusion that people like me look like me.

Don't go to college.

So that's not normally our path.

You know, we, my mom cleaned houses with the fourth grade education.

My dad was a mechanic with a sixth grade education.

We were very successful.

Their American dream was all five of us get our high school diplomas and give back to the community to something better than, than what we got.

So I did poorly academically.

I didn't have a support network.

I was working from early morning to late night just to pay to be there.

And I realized that I did one thing really well and, um, I could party.

So I really just came to the part that the end of my second year I was really at the bottom of my class academically.

I was really just, just like, I need to just quit.

And I went to go mail a letter and out came a Marine recruiter.

This is 1974.

Uh, we're getting out of Vietnam.

The, the draft was gone, all volunteer force is just getting started.

And this Marine stops me and says, why aren't you a United States Marine?

And of course I looked at him, I'm a sophomore call.

And I said, you know, I am just trying to mail a letter, get away, but he was very persistent.

And he just really, I think the idea of doing something that very few had done.

And, um, and he basically said, look, you're joining an organization that doesn't want you, you know, it doesn't really have a role for women, but, but if you earn the title and I think that's what, what really, it wasn't, you're going to be a woman Marine or a Hispanic Marine earning the title of Marine carried this legacy that went back to 1775 and all the honors and the traditions and this rich legacy would be mine in the fact that very few were able to attain it.

So I think that's what really grabbed me.

And before I knew it, I met him on the 30th of April by the 4th of May.

I do solemnly swear to support and defend the constitution.

By the 7th of May, I was at Paris on South Carolina being greeted by Marine drill instructor.

And I really wondered whether this was a good decision or not to be perfectly honest, but literally changed my life Speaker 1: Life-changing conversation.

Most certainly.

So let's talk about the girl Scouts.

So today you leave the girl Scouts of Southwest, Texas, and most folks think about cookies when they think about the girl Scouts.

But I know it's about so much more primarily about leadership, but tell me what you think about the girl Scouts and where are you heading?

Speaker 2: I really had no idea that I would work.

I spent 39 years in the Marine Corps.

I wanted to come home to Texas and really thought I was going to do nothing.

And then one day I got a call.

Soon as the girl Scouts in San Antonio were looking for a CEO and would I be, would I be interested?

And I got so excited, I think, because it spoke to me this idea that you'd have a little bit of touching or influencing the next generation of women leaders.

When, so I was so excited when I got it.

And, and, and again, it was such a learning experience for me because it's non-profit and coming from the military and it's, it's a different language.

But what I found was that the people, the staff were as hardworking as dedicated to a mission that mattered.

But the three CS is what I called.

You know, people I'd come around and I noticed that people were saying, oh, girl Scouts, it's cookies, or it's camping, or it's crafts.

And I would go, wow, I think it's a little bit more than that.

How about it's courage and it's competence and it's character in the character pieces, really, because those are intangibles that, that are lifelong lessons.

You know, it's not, it's not just one little piece.

This is, it affects how we grow.

And I think character today, you know, is lacking in the American, in our, in our society.

And it's really that character that gives people the courage to do the right things.

And I think that's what I, I get so excited about our girls, because they truly are going to be the ones that are going to save us.

Did you have any Speaker 1: Tours or any champions along your way that we're helping you make decisions that were informing your career plans?

Speaker 2: Well, I think when I was a young officer, I was enlisted.

And so then I, about three years, I went back to college after that experience and I was able to get my, um, my college degree.

And when I became an officer, now you're a leader of Marines.

And, and so now the expectation is regardless of gender, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of race, you have this responsibility to take care of your organization, of the young people that are assigned to.

And then, then what I found was that, although there are some women, because when I joined the organization about 176,000 Marines, so the more senior I got, there were fewer, fewer women.

What I found was that my mentors, um, were men, you know, because it was the men who were the ones that were making the decisions, what assignment I was going to get.

It was the men that were saying, yes, she's the one that we want to go out and take on this position.

But the realities were, I also learned that my peers were so influential in that because my credibility, my reputation really came from them as well as my junior Marines, who said, she's a good Marine.

And having that respect from the people that you lead, I think is the final Testament to the success.

And, um, but as I came along, there were a couple more women, but the more senior I became, I became the woman for no better way to say that.

Speaker 1: What is the one story that sticks out as being the most inspirational that continues to drive you?

Speaker 2: So several years ago, somebody had pledged a significant amount of money to the girl scout council.

The donor basically said, you know, we've changed the way we're going to go.

And we're deciding that we're not going to give this, this amount of money.

And, uh, I was like stunned because it's July, the girls are already at camp.

I can't really fire any of the staff to, to make up this budget.

We were going to have a significant shortage in our budget.

And this was probably just my second year.

And I remember coming out of the meeting and I was sitting in my car and, you know, I rarely cry.

And I just felt like a broken person.

I got in that car.

And I was, I failed.

I felt like I failed the organization.

I felt like all these girls, you know, what we were going to do, I wasn't going to tell my board.

I was just really, I mean, I was just overwhelmed and I sat in my car and I was just remember kind of being on the, on the steering wheel, just, oh my gosh, I don't know what I'm going to do.

And I thought of a seven or an eight year old girl at HEB who has a goal of 200 boxes of cookies.

And her troop is depending on her.

I thought of that, how, how she knew that she, you know, she goes up to total strangers and she says, would you like buy a box of cookies?

And the stranger says, no, I don't.

And so she figures out another way.

What would you like to buy a box of cookies from one of your friends and give it as a gift and well, no, I don't want to do that.

And then she, the third question, what would you like to buy a box of cookies and donate it to the Marines or to a soldier sailor or somewhere?

And no, I don't.

And she still has the confidence to say, well, thank you so much, have a nice day.

And she goes back to her table and she still has this goal of 200 boxes.

And so the resiliency of her having to figure it out.

And I, I just sat back up again and I thought, oh my gosh, if this seven year old can do it, if she can figure it out, I can too.

And I literally came back and I wrote it on my wall.

And so every time I have those moments where I'm thinking, I can't do this anymore, or how am I going to do this?

I think of that, that our girl Scouts.

And that's what I love about this organization is that we teach resiliency, courage, Speaker 1: Finance, and character.

You drew on what you're basically teaching the girl Scouts of Southwest Texas to do thank you for what you do for your organization.

And thanks for being an inspiration to me in so many other Latinas in our community.

Speaker 2: Well, thank you very much, Jenna.

Speaker 1: Why is community involvement so important to you?

Um, as a business owner, I think that, um, the business entrepreneurs in San Antonio where the boots on the ground, we're the eyes and the ears of what's happening.

We have to speak.

And if we have government that's willing to listen, we got to take advantage of that opportunity.

Um, as a mother, it's so important to have a voice and say how it impacts your family.

Um, so all those things are, to me, why it's so important to be involved in the community, building The community for your family.

That's right.

15 years ago, she started T Hoss premier building contractor, which is $75,000 from her 401k and two employees.

And she's grown that company to be one of the largest Hispanic women owned construction firms, not just in San Antonio, but in the entire state of Texas.

And she's not done yet.

Lisa, welcome to the show.

So tell us why you wanted to start your own business.

Yes.

I started my company, um, when I turned 35, it was my birthday.

I came home and I told my husband, I quit my job today.

I had been in the industry for so long and I knew that it was the industry that I wanted to be in.

And I thought that I was ready and I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I just thought I'm going to figure it out.

That's a big decision and talking about not being easy.

Did you have any big challenges or maybe even failures along the way?

I think, uh, yes, of course.

I mean, as a, as a startup company, when you're starting theirs is trial and error, you try things and things, work, things don't work.

Um, but I think it was my mindset.

I needed to overcome the fear of, can I do this?

Um, can I be successful in a male dominated field and can I do it in a way that I could be proud of?

Right.

And, um, that was probably the hardest thing to overcome and it didn't happen overnight.

It took several years to, to master that.

And once I overcame that switch of the mindset of, yeah, I'm in it, I'm in it and I'm doing it and I'm not looking back.

And that was probably the biggest challenges.

It was just me and what I thought.

And 15 years later, and a whole lot of success.

What has been your biggest passion project or what are you most proud of along with, I think to me it was the project that was going to create the biggest impact in the community.

That's where I found my biggest passion.

Right.

And so I wanted to, um, do something that really mattered.

And so when I was in business 10 years, I started, uh, I purchased an elementary school, um, from Sai as D and I turned it into an entrepreneurship center and not only did I build the campus and renovate it, I actually launched a nonprofit with co-founders.

I collaborate it with so many community leaders in the community to make it happen all with the mission to help the entrepreneurs, because I knew how my journey was and how hard it was.

And I just thought it has to be easier.

And what can we do to put things in place to help those businesses grow?

And my Astro has matured and diversified over time.

Tell me a little bit about your services.

So the Maestro entrepreneurship center, um, started, uh, about six years ago and it's been providing incubation space for over 50 from all industries.

Um, it provides a celebration training for the entrepreneurs and it does it in a way that it's more about the business management side of things.

It's not really the product or service.

They never talk about the product or service.

Their biggest thing is how do we run our businesses and how do we grow it?

How do we operate?

How do we make decisions, that kind of stuff.

Um, and it also does connecting with the, uh, contracts, get them connected to opportunities.

So they're able to expand and grow their business.

What would be the best advice you would give to young women entrepreneurs that are looking to follow in your footsteps?

I think for women, even minorities is that, uh, don't look for permission to get what you need to get done, right.

Do not wait for that.

It's not going to happen most of the time.

It doesn't.

Um, and so go really follow your passion.

What is it that you want to be known for?

What is your purpose?

That is where you find the work that you should be doing?

That's when it's not considered war, Who inspired you along the way, do you have any mentors that you want to honor and recognize?

I actually had gone through a mentor protege program through bear county and, uh, it was be developed.

That was probably one of the first proteges.

And so I was mentored by, uh, Renee Garcia, which was from Zachary at the time and, uh, FAA, non V, uh, Doug Nunley.

And so I had two mentors that were in the construction industry that were very much saying, you know, what do you want to know?

And I used it more for how do I get my operations established because I had been managing the business side, but the operation is where I was weak.

So in that time, what was the best advice you never took?

I think with me with advice, right?

I know I'm not really good with the, I'm going to tell you what to do and you're going to go do it.

I'm not that person.

Like I normally listen to different options and then I create my own decision to create something different.

Right.

Um, that's just my style.

Um, but I listened to all kinds of stuff.

And I ask why, why did you do this?

And it may not be the reason why I'm doing what I'm doing.

And so I'm going to tweak it my way.

Um, so I don't know that I never not took anything.

I listened to everything.

I was a sponge.

I was gonna go do what I was doing.

And I was structuring things because I wanted it to get better.

And if it didn't work, I was going to tweak it.

And that was my trial and error.

My first five years, It's construction and real estate are male dominated industry still to this day.

Uh, how did you prepare, what do you think prepared you to be successful within both of those industries?

I think first, I would say, um, where does it say that it's only for male nowhere, right?

That's just somewhere out there that somebody made it up.

First of all, um, I think the, the second thing is that, um, I grew up with four brothers.

I was the middle sister in the middle, very bossy, very, just, I had to use my voice for everything.

And I remember my mother would say, if you don't like something, tell them, tell them, tell them what you don't like, so they can stop doing it.

You know, she never said go to mommy to cry about it.

I was just like immediately, I would just say, no stop that, you know, you're bothering me.

And, um, that really helped me, but, and in working in an industry where it's, most of the time when I was in the industry growing up in my career, it was a lot of men.

Um, but I think to me it was the, how do I approach things in a way that I could, um, be taken seriously, first of all.

Um, and I was very direct growing, you know, in, in the early days I was, I was very direct with what I needed and I would immediately remember my mother saying, tell them if you don't like it, tell them, you know, and so I would, and, um, I would never come in with the foul mouth.

That was not me.

I was, I was not brought up that way, so I wasn't going to bring it to my work.

Um, so taken professionally in a way that they knew I was serious, but that I was going to get things done.

My word was everything.

And so if I said I was going to do something, I had to do it.

And if I wanted to be taken seriously, that was what I needed to do.

And there was no excuses.

That's a great message.

Uh, so understand your mission, execute to it.

And don't ask for permission, right?

Thank you so much for being on the show.

Thank you.

What has been the best advice that Speaker 2: I never took?

I would have to say I had some mentors tell me you have to find women to be your mentor.

Um, I have probably three.

I can think of, um, mentors that just happened to be male that have been fierce advocates and supporters of me and my career have given me wonderful advice.

And I say that because, you know, women don't rule the world yet.

Um, and until we do, we need to know how to get in and be at the table.

And, and so don't be afraid to, you know, to, to seek out mentorship from someone, uh, you know, just because they're not, not a woman, Speaker 1: Our next guest has experienced in the legal field, supporting foster youth and healthcare and government.

And now she runs a nonprofit that supports small businesses right here in San Antonio.

Medina Gonzalez is the president and CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic chamber of commerce, which is the largest and oldest Hispanic chamber in the country.

Medina welcome.

Speaker 2: Thank you for having me.

You have Speaker 1: Such vast experiences across multiple industries.

How has that prepared you for the role Speaker 2: Aaron today?

You know, so far in my career, I have had, I've been blessed to have different experiences in many different roles, but really the thread that, um, that binds them all together is that they are non-profit governance.

And I think about, and self-reflection why did I choose this path?

And it is about community advocacy.

It's being the voice for those that need it.

And that's been the center in each of those roles.

And so in this role, I definitely view it as of course, you know, it's, it's the how to run a nonprofit at add the business side, the administrative side as a CEO, but that's only part of it.

The other part is, is the people behind the businesses that we represent.

So for me, that's, that's the core, the core value that I think is important and something I've carried in each job that I've had.

Um, so I like to think that I've taken that along into this experience, as what's prepared me to leave the chamber, Speaker 1: You talk about people and your inspiration or your motivation for what you do, what people have mentored you or inspired you along the course.

Speaker 2: So your career, well, I've, I've been blessed to have mentors, and I do think it's important to be very intentional with mentorship and, and it is a little scary to ask someone to mentor you, but I have had the benefit of wonderful mentors that are great people in our community now, but I will have to say my biggest inspiration has been my abuelita, my grandmother, um, who passed last year, uh, just before her 90th birthday.

So we were really lucky to have her for, for so long.

Um, and she left such a beautiful legacy, you know, from her, she was such a hard worker and she actually raised six kids all on her own.

Um, and for me, I, she was an inspiration for me growing up because she, she really taught me a lot about, uh, what it means to care about family, to care about yourself, um, what it means to grow up, to be a woman and, and to make sure that you're, you know, you always are nice to people, um, and you put your book your best foot forward and, and, uh, you know, um, in the Latino culture, at least I have a lot of friends that joke with me about how they're able to lead.

This would always say lipstick, you know, don't, don't leave the house.

We wanted lipstick lipstick.

Um, and that was her, you know, she always, no matter what, um, didn't have a lot of money growing up, you know, but she always made it, uh, she had a lot of pride in who she was and, and her, uh, and making sure that she showed that to the world.

Um, so she's my inspiration because she actually started at the Mala of business and our neighborhood, um, while my dad and, and my aunts and uncles were growing up.

And that's actually what inspired my father to start a small business, a, a local TexMex restaurant and on an Austin where I grew up.

Um, and from there, he was successful at grew into a small chain.

It was very well known in the community.

He was able to sell it and go on now to own other restaurants and build his dream and his career.

Um, but that started with my grandmother.

And I do think, you know, for us at the Hispanic chamber we're champions of small business, um, what's great is we are able to represent to be the voice for our Hispanic community here.

And in San Antonio, we have so many wonderful family owned businesses that are Hispanic or Hispanic owned or within the Hispanic market in general, which is so huge and growing that, uh, that's what I think of is the people behind the business.

And so she inspires me in this role to, to make sure I get up every day and advocate for those people.

Speaker 1: What advice would you give to a young woman that's looking to follow in your footsteps?

Speaker 2: Um, so what I would say to the young ladies, you know, watching or out there, or if you're looking to give advice to a young lady that, that has that in her, that, you know, she's going places, um, you definitely have to be authentic, be yourself.

Don't try to fit into somebody else's box, a corporate box of what you think you should be, or, you know, the way that somebody else behaves or, uh, or any of the ideas of what I see a lot with our Latinas.

Some sometimes is we limit ourselves from our culture.

We think maybe this is not what I'm supposed to be doing or not what my family expects of me.

You know, I'm not expected to go into higher education, or I am expected to maybe just focus on having my family and not my career.

Um, you know, I think a lot of that's changed, but my advice would be be yourself.

If you have that dream in you, or if you do want to, if you love the, the idea of being a career woman, go out and fight for it, right?

Now's the time to do it.

There's so many wonderful conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion happening in this country.

We here in San Antonio are in such a great position to talk about it, but to also lead as an example, um, of promoting leaders that are Latinas.

And I think we're doing a good job of that so far.

And I would love to see more.

Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time and for being on the show and for everything that you do to inspire young women.

I'm certainly inspired from this session.

Speaker 2: Thank you.

I appreciate you having me Speaker 1: Wow.

What a great episode with such incredible feedback we heard from general Angie Salinas about her career and honoring her Hispanic heritage from who Lisa Gotti yellow about the importance of community involvement, and finally from Medina Gonzalez about how she leveraged her family for her true inspiration.

Thank you so much for joining us.

We'll see you next week.

Salute is presented by Texas mutual insurance company, WorkSafe, Texas.