Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to salute.

I'm your host Jenna Saucedo.

And I'm excited to introduce you to three powerhouse Latina leaders over the next 30 minutes.

One who worked her way up the corporate ladder and ultimately opened up her own Hispanic marketing firm.

The second, who leads philanthropic efforts for USA, specifically focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, and the third who's engaged with multiple presidents and several governors in her public policy role.

They are all leading for a reason.

Let's go learn more about why, What started as a DJ gig and radio led our next guest to a wildly successful career in Hispanic branding and marketing today.

Bonnie Garcia runs a national Hispanic marketing firm market vision that has blue chip clients all over the country and offices in several states.

She's also worked with some pretty cool companies like Coca Cola and some really neat people like Selena and Michael Jackson.

She's come a long way from her humble beginnings on the south side, Bonnie, welcome to the show.

Speaker 2: Thank you.

It's great to Speaker 1: Be here.

So I've heard you, Bonnie credit, your parents, specifically your mother for your work ethic.

How did she inspire you to become the woman and the leader that you are?

Speaker 2: Boy, both.

My parents worked very, very hard.

Um, you know, they, uh, my father worked at Kelly air force base and my mom was a seamstress and she would get up every morning at six o'clock in the morning, she'd make his breakfast by seven 30.

Her ride would come take her to work.

And she worked downtown in an unairconditioned building.

And, uh, and she just, you know, every single day she came back home, she worked hard and she came home with a smile, made us dinner.

And, uh, you know, I just saw over the years, how hard they both work to provide the family with what we had.

And we did have some, we came from humble beginnings, but, um, you know, she was my inspiration and, um, and I think that's where it started.

Speaker 1: So Bonnie, when you were growing up and graduating high school and going to university, did you always know that you want to be in marketing Speaker 2: Actually?

No.

I think, um, how that all transpired.

I, I was a disc jockey at, uh, K 98 radio in Austin.

That's how we worked my way through college.

And, you know, I learned production.

I learned about event marketing.

Uh, they fired us all in one day and we ended up, uh, I was jobless.

I came to San Antonio and interviewed and got a job with KTFN radio.

Again, learn more about event marketing and production.

And then my father, uh, was my biggest fan and he passed away.

I couldn't go on the air anymore.

I mean, he was my biggest fan and I'd come home and he'd critique me.

And, and so I decided I wanted to get, um, I need to get a real job.

And, uh, I ended up with the muscular dystrophy association as a program coordinator.

And during that time I realized that, um, we did a lot of events and, um, I went to the program director and I said, um, I really think we need to do something that's really focused more on our community.

So I did the first fajita cook-off in San Antonio and we raised more money.

Um, in that one weekend in October, uh, then we did with all the bolt-ons and skate Athens for six months.

And that's when I realized, you know, there's something in this when you learn to are you understand marketing to the culture and to the community, um, you can be successful.

And that's really where it started.

Um, my Hispanic marketing and, uh, ended up meeting some folks from Coca-Cola and Budweiser, and I thought their jobs were very intriguing.

And so got a head hunter.

Um, that's the real person of indeed today.

So, uh, and he, uh, he put my resume out there and I got a job with a very large brewery out of Detroit.

Speaker 1: So throughout the course of your career, you've had a chance to interact with some really cool people and clients.

What has been the most surreal moment for you over the course of Speaker 2: Your career?

I think the most surreal moment was when I was asked him, see the Michael Jackson concert, uh, in the arena.

And, uh, I was so nervous that night.

I remember walking into, uh, into the backstage area and they walked me into the dressing room and Michael Jackson was there with the Jackson five and I met Tito in and all of them, they were all very, very sweet, but I knew that within seconds I was going to have to get on that big stage in front of thousands of people and introduce him.

And I was just trying to build up, you know, my courage walking on that stage.

And, uh, introducing him was probably pretty surreal.

I mean, he came out, he gave me a little kiss on the cheek and, uh, and off he went to perform.

And, and I, I knew that night that if I could do that, I could do anything.

And Speaker 1: That was very early on in your career, correct?

Speaker 2: Yeah, it was about 23, 24 years old.

Speaker 1: Oh my goodness.

I can't imagine just, you know, the energy and getting out there and having to just hype everybody up for such a huge concert, but clearly you did well because it led to other successful avenues for you and your career.

Yes.

Okay.

So let's talk a little bit more about you and your career trajectory.

So, you know, as you went on to these different large corporations, and then you shifted to running your own successful, successful national marketing firm, what was that shift?

Speaker 2: You know, I, I had worked in corporate America for probably about 18 years and, you know, climb the corporate ladder.

And during my time, you know, there weren't a lot of women of color, uh, walking the halls of corporate America.

And I didn't have a whole lot of mentors or anyone that would help me and guide me through, you know, those ranks and, you know, you just, you hit a glass ceiling.

And I had a glass of Ilene, I had a few glass walls and I said, you know, I just, I needed to make a change.

And if I was ever going to be a CEO or president of a company, I needed to create that opportunity on my arm.

So I, uh, I started my own business, but I, I, you know, I took everything I learned from my DJ years, my years in corporate America and just put it all into market vision.

And, uh, and that was the beginning.

I can feel.

Speaker 1: I feel it just hearing your office.

I can feel the creativity, the excitement, your energy and passion for what you do daily.

So let's talk about your book.

Okay.

I typically ask my guests on the show, you know, what advice would they give for other young Latinas that are looking to follow in your footsteps, but you've already written a book about it.

So talk to us about that, like honest and what that means to you.

Speaker 2: Story behind that book.

I got a call from a really good friend that used to work with me at Coca Cola, Adrian Johnson.

She was responsible for, um, African-American outreach and she and I were just really, really close.

And so we caught up a little bit and, uh, I said, well, what are you up to?

She says, well, I wrote a book.

Um, my son says it's a pamphlet, but, but I think it's a book.

And she said, you know, Bonnie, you should write a book.

And I'm like, well, what would I write about, you know?

And she says, okay, you have so many stories.

And, you know, um, and from a Latina perspective, you know, and I said, huh.

And then I went to Fredericksburg and I found this little book in a bookstore and it was just like motivational thoughts.

And I thought, well, I can write a book like that, but I just didn't want to put a thought down or a piece of advice.

I wanted to have a story behind it.

And, and that's what ended up happening.

I sat down and, and my parents always throughout my life gave me these little words of advice.

You know, don't burn any bridge because you never know when you have to cross it again.

And that's what my dad would always tell me that.

And, you know, so my mom in Spanish, don't make any noise, you know, and, and make any trouble.

So, so I took some of their, uh and, and peppered in some of my own.

And, uh, and that was the outcome.

And I just sat down and started writing stories, real stories of my life and my journey.

Speaker 1: I'm so glad you did that.

It's so incredible because as you said, you know, you didn't really have examples that you could look to in corporate America.

And now not only have you set that example for others to follow, but you've published a book that they can read, you know, at their leisure.

Right.

And get those experiences and examples.

So I also have to ask you over the course of your career, what was the best advice that you didn't take?

Speaker 2: When I was promoted, um, from manager here at, uh, with the brewery I was working with to Detroit, I let my mom and my brother know that I was going to move.

And my brother said, absolutely not.

You know, big brother, you're not going to Detroit.

It's too dangerous.

Don't go, I'm telling you, you'll be back in a month.

And, and so I, I, I didn't take his advice and the best advice that I didn't take his advice.

And I went and I, I was fearless about it.

And, you know, and, and so that was really the best move I ever made because from there as director of, um, national marketing for the brewery, I was able to then get a job with Coca Cola and, and work for them for about 10 years.

Speaker 1: So Bonnie, you have led and multiple industries that are stereotypically dominated by men.

What have been your biggest challenges?

Speaker 2: So back when I was in, you know, in corporate America, there were just a handful of us.

And so I remember sitting in these huge conference rooms full of men, um, and, and just not being heard, it would, it would, you know, I would chime in on, on whatever the discussion was.

And it was almost like I was being dismissed all the time.

And that was the biggest I would, I remember walking out of those conference rooms being so frustrated because the things that I was saying made a lot of sense.

They were not taking a woman's perspective in some of the decisions that they were making.

And that was so challenging.

You know, I just felt I didn't have a voice back then, you know, over time it got louder and I got more bold and more brave and, and more fearless.

Um, but yeah, I guess that was it.

That was the biggest challenge.

I took to find that voice and to use that voice, Speaker 1: I used the word fearless a couple of times in this interview, and I just have to reiterate that your, your fearless pursuit of what it would take for you to achieve the success that, that you wanted and just do it.

Right.

Thank you so much for your, for your advice, your counsel, and for being on salute with us.

Speaker 2: Oh, thank you.

Speaker 1: Thank you for being such a great leader to our community.

You inspire many FYI.

Thank you.

You can't and you shouldn't talk business without discussing diversity.

And that is where our next guest Laura Cobania excels.

Laura is the corporate social responsibility lead for diversity equity and inclusion at USAA.

In this role, she oversees their corporate philanthropic investments where she supports these efforts directly.

Laura, welcome to salute.

Thanks.

It's a pleasure to be here.

So I understand that your role at USA is relatively new.

Uh, so tell us what a day in the life of Laura looks like for me And working with our team or CR team.

It's looking at the investments that we can make in the community that will make a difference for diversity, equity and inclusion.

And that's a portfolio that I lead, uh, last year USA, uh, made a commitment to over three years, provide 50 million to our community to help advance the lives of individuals.

And so the hard part is determining where that money goes.

I know it may sound easy to give away money, but you really want to look at the impactful changes that organizations can make in the people's lives.

And, and so for me, it's a privilege and an honor to even be in this place and the space, but also privilege and honor to be at USA amongst the many wonderful people working there.

Let's talk about you a little bit.

And how did your athletic career and really sports?

How did that influence you and your career and your leadership philosophy today?

Yeah, that's, that's a great, um, question just because I love sports and I continue to be a part of sports and coaching and CYO, my daughter's team, my niece's soccer team.

It has brought so many different opportunities to me and I got to give credit to my middle school coach during Martinez.

It was her that really opened up my eyes beyond my neighborhood.

You know, my family didn't have a lot.

We didn't travel often and we were still there within the south side neighborhood, but she opened my eyes to leadership opportunities to ventures outside of the neighborhood.

Uh, and, and sports brings so many different components to leaders, you know, dedication, preparation, time management, how to be part of team, how to be a role player.

Uh, and so I, I take those values and those characteristics and apply them throughout my career.

And I'm trying to teach my little ones to do the same, uh, because I think it's important.

There's so many different lessons you can learn from failures and losses, um, and reevaluating who you are on the court and off the court.

It's, it's great.

And, you know, uh, I know you're an athlete as well, and, and, uh, you know, you, you bring those qualities throughout your life.

I don't think you ever lose those traits Very well said.

So you mentioned your middle school coach clearly as a mentor and an inspiration to you who inspires you today.

And I got to give a thanks first and foremost to God, right?

Because, uh, without God he wouldn't, uh, I wouldn't be in this position, but my parents, you know, throughout, they they'd been there clearly the, the, the role models for me, um, loving, caring family, God-fearing individuals that, um, put community first.

And that's what I took from it.

And then educators, you know, uh, teachers and coaches, like I mentioned, really gravitating towards, uh, what is a more beyond our neighborhood.

And then early in my career, Susan Blackwood, uh, Donna Lopiano, uh, both leaders of, you know, San Antonio sports and women's sports foundation, respectively dynamic individuals, connectors, individuals that would, uh, show you how to build relationships, how to connect the dots, how to be strategic.

Um, and then I can't go without saying my tribes, you know, I, we, we all say this, right?

You have your different tribes.

I have my, uh, fabulous ladies.

I have my Chingona tribe.

I have my LSA family.

I have my JKL two family and my sisters, uh, all at Dina's, uh, you know, majority Latinas that are in their own right.

Independent, strong women.

Um, but they will, they're not afraid to tell you to your face, Laura, you know, you got this, or Laura settled down a little bit, figure it out.

You know, you'll cry, you'll love, you'll have fun times with them, but, uh, those are the individuals that I think, um, I continued to, uh, interact with.

And, uh, they're my role models through.

So you were fueled and inspired by so many.

And at the same time, you are fueling and inspiring so many, uh, including your two daughters.

So what is the best advice you give them?

Yeah.

Uh, you know, slow down.

Sometimes you got to smell the roses.

COVID opened the doors for a lot of us to do that, um, and enjoy life.

But you know, for many and including my daughters, map it out, uh, ensure that what you want to accomplish, you're thinking about it.

You're visioning it and then be your authentic self, right?

Use your voice, go out there and tell the story.

No one else is going to do that for you.

You have to ensure that you're making your own way.

Others may open the doors, but until you step through those doors and you make it happen and you make an impact and take action, you can't only blame yourself, right?

We all are given different opportunities, but it's those opportunities that you take advantage of, and you push yourself to, uh, to the boundaries so that you can try and continue pushing boundaries.

Excellent.

So that's the good advice that you want people to take?

What's the worst advice you've ever been given as a leader?

No, if it's the worst, but it's advice that I didn't take.

Um, and I didn't think it was appropriate for me.

Uh, you know, early in my career, I was talking to different women that I looked up to and one in particular said, well, why don't you look at this particular leader and dress like her, look like her, um, and, and try and emulate her.

And I thought to myself, thank you for that piece of bias, but that's, that's not me.

Um, I want to be my own authentic self.

Everyone has their own unique appearance.

And if you're not comfortable in how you show up and what you wear and how you act, you know, you're not going to be authentic.

You're not going to help yourself.

You're not going to help your company.

You're not going to help your community.

So that's one piece of advice I didn't take.

It was nice because I know professional appearances and first impressions are all key, but at the same time, you have to be your own self That's.

Right.

And in that, that feels your own individual confidence too.

So I'm glad you never took that advice.

And you're like, great.

Well, thank you so much, Laura, for being here with us on salute, appreciate, uh, your time and all of your thoughtful advice.

What was the dream Speaker 2: Dream was to like, what was my next social event and what I was going to wear, right?

Speaker 1: Our last guest today understands how community involvement and public advocacy position companies for success.

Deborah Gray, Marino leads, philanthropic efforts and government affairs for SWBC.

She was also appointed by governor Abbott to serve as a commissioner for the TABC and held two previous appointments at the statewide level as well.

Here locally, she serves on several different nonprofit boards and is heavily involved with the United way.

Debbie, welcome to solid.

Speaker 2: I'm grateful to be here, Jenna.

Thank you.

Speaker 1: So Debbie, you have your hands in just about everything at the federal level, the state level, the local level.

Why do you feel like community engagement?

Advocacy is so important for Speaker 2: More companies because that's where you make a difference.

Uh, that really is where the rubber hits the road, right?

And, uh, being able to be part of a company and to be able to be supported by a company that lets you every day, wake up, how am I going to change the world?

How am I going to make a difference in someone else's life?

How am I going to better?

My community is an incredible role that I feel very blessed to be in.

And I just love the opportunity to talk to you and others on why it's important to be involved in your community.

Speaker 1: Did you always know that you were going to pursue this degree track when you were graduating?

Speaker 2: I always felt like I was going to be the first female NFL referee.

I loved sports.

My dad and I shared a love of football and everything, sports, uh, college football as well.

And, um, but I ended up in a different track and while I did go to college and I got my journalism degree, I really kind of felt that that was going to be my calling, interviewing people.

Um, but then I quickly realized when I sat down to interview people, cause I loved to do research.

I loved to learn about new things that were happening that was happening within the community.

Whenever I would interview somebody and I would say it's on the record, they would clam up.

And then they wouldn't, we wouldn't have this organic conversation.

And I thought to myself, that's not me.

I don't want to pull something out of somebody.

I want things to be more organic.

And then I ended up, um, on this journey that I continue to be beyond, uh, in San Antonio.

Speaker 1: So with that journey, did you have any key mentors or any inspirational folks that guided you along the way?

I had some, Speaker 2: Um, growing up, we were, had very little means.

Um, and my parents worked their fingers to the bone to make sure that my sister and I graduated college.

Uh, they did not graduate first-generation grads.

And they knew that in order for us to have a better life and, and not just live paycheck to paycheck, but to really flourish, they wanted us to go to college.

There was no direction on that.

It was just to go to college.

So I really, I'm not one of these women that had a plan and said, I need, here's my goal.

And I need to attain this and I'm going to go do this today.

It really was.

I just kind of bounced around and really through the grace of God, figured it out.

Um, if you would have told me when I graduated from a and M in 91, that I would have met, um, the prince of Monaco that I have met several presidents that I have, uh, met several governors throughout the state and be in a position where I am today.

I would tell you, you were crazy.

Uh, but that is where I am today.

And I don't take that for granted because I take my role extremely seriously because every relationship that you have, every conversation that you had is a way to make a difference, uh, in either that person's life or in a broader spectrum.

Speaker 1: Amen.

I couldn't agree more.

And I, I feel as you're, you're talking through, you know, your life today, I feel how humble you are and how gracious you are for those opportunities, just in how I hear you referring to them.

So, um, you mentioned some mentors, you mentioned your parents.

What about any failures or challenges along the way Speaker 2: I fail every day.

So it's really hard to pick just one.

Um, I think really, I have to say my biggest failure comes from within myself.

I feel that when I was younger in my professional career, kind of going back to those mentors, we really didn't grow up.

I didn't grow up in an age where women had a lot of mentors, um, where we reached out and tried to give somebody advice or ask for advice.

I just kind of went along and, oh, that's how that person is doing it.

And that's how that person is doing it.

When I first graduated and got my first job here in San Antonio was with Santa Ana sports foundation, actually as a volunteer.

And Mary Jaffet is the one who offered me the ability to be a volunteer in the journalism media department.

And, um, from there, I ended up meeting Rick pitch and I worked for him and I also worked for Robert Marbut and both of those men awarded me the opportunity.

Evidently saw things in me that I didn't see in myself and gave me more responsibility and gave me more opportunities and started putting more on my plate.

And then I started looking at whether it was fundraising for an event or putting on an event.

I noticed what other people were doing.

And I knew that person was the best person at that job.

So had I gone back now and asked to be mentored by, um, Rosemary, Coldwell skate, right?

Or Janet holiday, who puts on the best parties in San Antonio?

I just looked at them from afar and I knew that that's how they did it.

So I wanted to mimic that, um, on the political fundraising side and the public colleague policy advocacy side, I didn't know how to raise money.

I didn't know how to fundraise.

I watched the best in the business.

And so I looked at general MacArthur and I watched how she ran campaigns and how she created an aura of public policy around her.

And, um, so I had the ability to look at other women and other men and mimic them so that I could be better.

I also know.

Speaker 1: So how, uh, strong you feel about family and putting your family first?

So how do you feel about the concept of work-life balance?

Speaker 2: I always laugh because there is none.

I find it fascinating when, oh, I want to, I wanted to have a job that has a work-life balance.

And the reality is there just isn't ever work-life balance because you either want to be a hundred percent in the moment with your family, or you need to be a hundred percent in the moment with your job, right?

So while there's an opportunity to maybe put boundaries around what your time constraints are, how much you work a day, how much you spend with your family a day, but when you're in the moment and you've been called upon to be a mother, to be a wife, to be a coworker or a friend or a sister or a daughter, you need to be in that moment.

Um, because that's really where I, at least where I feed off of to get refreshed.

And don't let all the other outside sounds, um, I guess dilute the moment that you're trying to, to be in.

Speaker 1: I think that is healthy advice for all of us be in the moment so that you can really, you can really engage and, and deliver.

Debbie.

Thank you so much for your insights and for joining us on salute.

My pleasure.

That's a wrap.

Thank you so much for joining us today on saloons, celebrating San Antonio's Latino leaders.

We heard from Bonnie Garcia about being fearless in your pursuit of breaking barriers from Laura.

Cobania about passion and grit and from Deborah Gray Marino about prideful, humility.

Thank you so much for joining us.

We'll see you.

Next Thursday.

Uh, solute is presented by Texas mutual insurance company, WorkSafe, Texas.