Salud is supported by Texas Mutual Workers Compensation Insurance Company.

We need to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

People say, oh, you're an entrepreneur.

And I'm like, I'm a risk taker.

So many issues can just be resolved through communication and through effective communication.

Hola and welcome to Salud celebrating San Antonio's Latino leaders.

I'm your host, Melanie Mendez Gonzalez.

Today we are going to meet three fantastic women leaders.

All have inspired sharing stories and great advice.

One now leads a major university.

But at one point in her life, she wasn't even sure she'd make it through college another married into a culinary family and has taken the core of that business even further with her own efforts.

But first, I want to introduce you to Jenna Saucedo Herrera.

If you watched this show last season, you already know she was the host.

But Gina is also a business leader in San Antonio in a big way.

She heads up the Economic Development Foundation, now known as Greater City X, which brings both jobs and companies to our city.

Let's say hello.

Our first guest creates pathways for new jobs and businesses to come to San Antonio.

She also creates paths for Latinas to follow, like the one I did as the host of Season two.

Jenna Saucedo Herrera was the host of Season one Salute and she is the CEO of the Greater SATX Please welcome back Jenna Saucedo Herrera Hi, Jenna.

Hi.

Thank you for having me and congratulations.

Thank you.

Jenna, as a Latina leader, what qualities do you bring with you into these leadership roles?

Oh, my goodness.

It's always tough for me to talk about myself.

I'd have to say that passion and energy, not just for the job and for the work that we do, but for my community.

I am a native San Antonio and I care about this community.

My family lives here and everything that we do every day that I have a chance to come into work.

I know that I'm creating a better community for my daughter and for generations to come.

And I think that nothing compares to that level of passion and energy.

So what advice would you give to those young women, those upcoming leaders that you're creating the space for?

I love that you said creating the space.

That's that's huge.

Take up that space is probably the best advice.

But, you know, I would have to say that we all and myself included, we need to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

And what I mean by that is, first of all, it's where we perform at our best, but it's also where we learn and continue to grow.

And the second that you feel like you're not challenged, you're not growing.

And so any environment where you have the chance to feel just slightly uncomfortable, slightly unsettled, I think that's the place that we need to be.

That's the place that we'll all thrive.

I imagine that some spaces for you where you might feel uncomfortable or maybe at one time you did, is when you're the only woman or the only Latina in the room.

Tell me how you overcome that.

Well, first of all, let's be real.

It is still a challenge for me daily, and it's still a challenge for many leaders, because as much progress as we've made, even locally and in corporate America with women in leadership roles, Hispanic leadership roles, we still have a lot of room for improvement.

And I do find that oftentimes I am the only person around the table.

First and foremost, I think understanding that I belong in that day at that table is important.

There's a reason that I'm at that table, and it's probably not because I'm Latina.

It's probably because I'm the best at the job.

But understanding that I'm representing something more than just myself at the table that is is probably the biggest piece for me.

And as far as, you know, overcoming the imposter syndrome or an inferiority complex, I just psych myself up.

Right.

I mean, sometimes you have to really think about it over, prepare, right.

Know why you're sitting at that table, know the topic at hand and show up.

And that's what I tend to do.

That's so true.

Over prepare and know that you belong at that table on your journey to the table.

You must have had some mentors.

Tell me about who who has been your mentor along the way?

I've had incredible mentors and we all have, first and foremost, my father.

He continues to be he fascinates me.

He's one of the hardest working men that I know to this day.

My collegiate softball coach at Saint Mary's, Donna Fields, is incredible and a lot of lessons that I learn on the field and off the field from her, both as a professional, but as a mother, as a woman, and so many CEOs and executives that I've had the privilege of working with and for along the way.

In those conversations, was there ever a solid piece of advice we gave you that you did not take?

I did take some of the advice, and I started to not as I sit here wearing a puffy sleeved shirt and a yellow skirt.

But I remember early on.

Just by.

Thinking, thank you.

But early on in my career, I was in a male dominated field, the energy industry.

And as a young staffer, the advice that both men and women had provided me was, you know, wear dark colors, wear minimal makeup, you know, limited jewelry.

To the extent that I could hide my beauty, perhaps people would actually see me for my work product and and the substance that was there.

And I did take that advice and it paid off for me.

Right?

I was able to climb the corporate ladder.

But now in my position of authority and influence, I feel like we should be our own unique selves, we should be our own unique leaders.

And I've leaned into it and I'm always, you know, you've got to be appropriate to a certain extent.

But I love kind of embracing specifically the fashion that you can as a as a corporate leader.

What a gift that you're giving to young women everywhere who can look up and see you showing up as your full self to allow them to do the same.

So let's talk a little bit about your last season.

Be the host.

Was there anything that you took from your career, from Energy, from being a CEO into this interview series?

Oh, I did.

Every single woman that I had the privilege of interviewing, I learned something from them.

I met new individuals.

That was that was always incredible.

But I think the biggest learning take away whatever we want to call it was embracing the title of a Latina leader.

And that sounds simple, right?

But I'll tell you, I used to see it as a caveat.

I remember when I was selected for this role, the headlines said, you know, Latino leader selected millennial leader, young leader, all those descriptors I saw as caveats and and I challenge why I needed that right.

If I was a 55 year old man, would I have had caveats like that?

I mean, what headline would you read to that effect?

But I realize not just through this show, but during my time at this organization, that that's not a caveat.

I've learned to embrace it because people need to see themselves reflected in these types of opportunities.

And if I can inspire just one young woman, then then I've done my job.

That's awesome.

Was there anything new from being a host of a show that you take with you in your work today?

Hosting a show.

Oh, my goodness.

Fix your hair.

No, no.

You know, again, preparation, right?

For every single interview, just like you were doing.

You have to research and prepare for the person that you're interviewing.

You have to show up and and again, take up the space.

Right.

And so that's probably the biggest piece that I learned and I still apply today.

And your hair looks great.

Thank you.

Jenna, when we talk about these beyond these caveats, descriptors that you mentioned as Latina leaders, but when we're talking about those women, yourself included, what characteristics or descriptions do you think of as Latina leaders?

Oh, that's a great question.

I don't know if there are any labels.

We are all so unique and also authentic.

What I would say is that we are the new face for leadership around the country and whatever that looks like for whatever leader we're referring to, be it, be yourself, lean into it, be your whole self and do it well.

That's so beautiful and strong.

I love it.

So I hear take up the space of yourself as a Latina leader.

I could have said it better myself, and I thank you so much for being with us again and Salud.

We appreciate.

It.

Thank you for having me here.

And food all day.

What's your favorite dish to eat?

To eat?

I really like seafood.

I love crab.

I love spaghetti squash.

I love anything that's fresh.

So seafood is one of my favorites to make.

It's like any other mom because I'm so limited on time.

It's like, guess what?

We're having tacos today and guess what?

You're having tacos tomorrow, and then you're going have chalupa.

From the meat that's left over from the tacos.

Because that is the reality in the world that we live in.

We're just so busy.

Our next guest grew up on the west side of San Antonio, dreaming big.

And today, as an entrepreneur who wears many hats, she's achieving those dreams by building her family owned businesses.

Please welcome Denise Rodriguez Hernandez, the 2022 board chair of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Owner of the eatery Culinary Group and vice president of development at True Flavors.

Welcome to this.

Hi.

Thank you for having me.

Denise, you grew up in a family owned business, and now you are building your own family owned businesses.

Tell us why you decided to become an entrepreneur.

My parents were very ambitious.

They came from very little means.

And so they worked really hard.

And they had us right there, right next to them seven days a week.

And for the longest time growing up, I thought it wasn't something that I wanted to do with and I wanted to live that corporate world.

But now I, you know, it's in my blood.

And so when I joined my fam, my husband's family business, we just kept having these different opportunities come our way.

And it's really understanding how to capture those opportunities and build them and develop them.

That has allowed us to become an entrepreneur and people say, Oh, you're an entrepreneur.

And I'm like, I'm a risk taker.

You know.

I want to clarify.

Johnny is your brother in law?

Mark is your husband.

So you actually came into this family business, but you've played an instrumental role in expanding it and growing and starting new companies for yourself.

Yes.

Denise, what is it take to see see the vision when others can't see what you see.

Having the vision to say, I'm going to take on this risk.

I'm going to make this sacrifice because I just feel it in my gut.

Like, you just know, I think God gives you the wisdom to just know when something is right or you just know to walk away and I'm not going to lie.

There are times where I'm very torn.

I'm like, Oh my God.

I was asking for a message.

And then I felt like I got my answer.

But then another answer came behind it and I'm like, Well, which one is it?

You know?

So you just have to go with your gut.

And I'll tell you, we've made a lot of mistakes, but when we have a win, I like to say that the win is it's not as sweet as it could.

It it's not as sweet as it is without the sour.

Right.

So you don't know what it sour taste like.

Like you can enjoy and and really savor the sweet.

Of course, everything is referenced around food in my life.

Right?

And my family.

But I like that reference because it's so true.

Like when we have the losses, they really hurt.

But when we have that one win, it makes up for all the losses.

And those are great lessons to learn from a leader.

Denise And you also serve as the board chair at the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

You put a lot of your time and resources into that.

Why do you do that for your community?

You know, many years ago when Johnny joined the chamber, we instantly saw what it could do for your self-development.

Right.

Helping develop your business.

But it was never about personal service.

It was your personal gain.

It was always about how can I give back to a community that has given me so much?

I've had the opportunity to meet the most amazing people, and without supporting those types of organizations, they wouldn't exist.

Right.

And so I'm a true testament to what that can do and how that helps nurture and build relationships.

Even when my parents were small business owners on the west side of San Antonio, like my dad had the same customers for 25 years.

You know, we knew them.

They were family.

And so I, I knew that what he had done for us changed the trajectory of my family.

And we were very fortunate to have been to have been given that opportunity.

And I wanted to be a part of someone or something that gave someone else the opportunity.

So you have those memories and those thoughts of what your parents taught you, but what do you want your children to know about you and your husband and growing these businesses?

You know, I want them to remember us staying humble.

You have to remember where you came from and the people that helped you get there.

This is definitely a it's a village.

It's an army behind us.

We are only as successful as our people and the people that support us and work for us.

And, you know, we want to build a culture of employees that love what they do because then they're going to give their.

All right.

And that's so important.

And when we talk to the kids about always giving back, we're blessed because God has blessed us.

And giving back is at the core of my husband and my center.

And I want them to go on and be successful.

But I also want them to remember those things.

What is a piece of advice that you've received that you would want to share with other entrepreneurs?

Yeah, that's a good one because it's a loaded one.

I've gotten so much advice throughout, you know, so many years of different things.

I recently was talking to my dad and I go to my dad for a lot, and so we wanted to purchase a property.

And I was I kept telling him about all these problems and he's like, Don't fall in love with the property.

Like, just walk away.

Don't fall in love with it.

I know you want it.

And I thought that was really great advice because when you fall in love with something and sometimes your mind is clouded, right?

You, you think with maybe your heart or with your vision or your dream, but it might not be the right one.

And then another really good piece of advice that someone shared with me was be responsive and not reactive.

And I had to really break that one down because it's very easy to react like it's easy to react to an email.

If someone sends you an email and you feel like you're being attacked or it's really easy to just get on and be like, Oh, well, you know, but the professional person is the one that takes the step back and says, I'm going to learn how to respond.

I'm going to be responsive and not reactive.

And I feel like I'm challenged with that every day, every day I'm challenges with that.

But I remember that and I remember, you know, to just rise above the noise.

And that's great advice.

Besides your parents who else have been your mentors to offer you solid advice?

I'm very blessed.

I have a lot of really good people in my life and it comes from my networking and, you know, being a part of the chamber and the people that you meet.

Because if I need someone who is experienced in banking, right, and I've got questions about how do we work this deal financially, I'll pick up the phone and I'll call a dear friend who's in banking if I need someone who can help center me, because someone's got me really flustered and I just want to send that email.

Right?

I've got another really great girlfriend that is just she says she's Switzerland.

She's Switzerland.

And so I know to reach out to Switzerland because she helps center me.

And so I think that as my career has evolved and as I've grown as a mother, as a wife, as a daughter, I've learned to find different people and look for their niche, their specialty, what they do very well.

And I'm so blessed that they're willing to share their invaluable information with me.

Right.

And so I think we look to people who really bring peace and center to our lives and help create that vision.

So I enjoyed getting to watch you live out that life and understand your strengths and use them to be a leader in our community.

Thank you so much for sitting with me today.

And thank you.

You mentioned that you felt like you didn't belong at the university.

Mm hmm.

Yeah.

Back then, the university really didn't serve students who were working full time, single parent, older than average, that the structures just weren't there to serve.

Students like me.

Many of us get our leadership skills through our education journey and our next guest has committed her career to guide those future leaders.

Please welcome Dr. Adriana Contreras, associate vice president and executive director of the Bass Center at Texas A&M University, San Antonio.

Welcome.

Dr.Contreras Thank.

You.

Glad to be here.

Let's start by you telling us a little bit about your background, a little bit about yourself.

So my parents are from South Texas, where a mother's actually from Mexico.

And my father, he lied about his age so he could join the military.

And then we traveled all around the country and lived in Spain, lived abroad.

So it was a it was a great experience.

They ultimately retired in Austin.

And there we had the educational opportunities of of going to UT.

I went to Austin Community College earned my associates was which I'm really proud of because that was the starting point and that gave me the confidence to continue on and move on to pursuing my bachelor's degree.

And then my master's and my doctorate.

Gave me the guidance to go for multiple degrees.

You know, a part of it was the students, because when I was in Austin and I was pursuing my associates degree, I remember very clearly that I was given a trio group there from East Austin, a tour of one of our campuses, and as we were touring, one of the students asked me, he said, Can we see students?

It occurred to me that that he and his and his peers, they didn't know what a college student looked like.

And it was really it really saddened me.

They didn't see themselves as college students.

I thought, you know, this is wrong and I want to help make a difference and how can I make an impact?

And so that was that was the push to pursue higher education.

And the more students that we can encourage to pursue, especially at their first generations students, the better.

I mean, because that's going to be the game changer that's going to make a generational difference in the lives of the students.

And then I was a single parent as well, and so that was part of the motivation as well.

How can I make a better life for my for my daughter?

So you obviously like to learn you do that with you now have the multiple degrees.

So tell me about yourself as a student.

It took me a long time.

So this is this it was kind of interesting because my goal when I started Austin Community College was to earn my associate's degree by my ten year high school reunion.

It took me ten years and I finished ten years later.

And so it was a long journey and that's why I'm so proud of that degree, just because it was a lot of work.

And then I transferred to U.T.

at the encouragement of my sister.

Actually, she kept saying, When are you going to transfer?

I felt very comfortable at Austin Community College.

At that point, I still felt like U.T.

was for others and that I didn't know if I had the grades, if I had the if I hate to say if I was college material, but she pushed me and I did and got in.

And so I was just thrilled.

I was just absolutely thrilled.

And in retrospect, I'm again saddened by the fact that it's like, why didn't I think that I belong there?

Because that's what we always tell students and we want to give them that sense of belonging.

And back then I thought, okay, that wasn't something that that just came naturally.

And now you're showing others that they belong in the spaces where you are today in your career.

So how would you describe what your leadership style is today?

I tried to be to lead with integrity and and be transparent and honest and communicative.

So many issues can just be resolved through communication and through effective communication.

And so I really tried to make that a priority because through that communication, you can build the relationships that are needed.

Right there and just always know if you don't ask Grace.

Correct?

Correct.

Yes.

Yes.

Dr. Converse, you've accomplished a lot, not just in your personal life with your multiple degrees, but also in your career of being in higher education.

But you don't do that alone.

So can you share with us a clue or some of the most important mentors along the way?

So personally was my sister who who really encouraged me and to go on to U.T.

and to m to complete my bachelor's degree, my family, my parents.

Throughout my career, there were mentors who supported me.

My vice president at Austin Community College, who allowed me the flexibility to take the classes that I needed and was always encouraging.

And that might be why one of the reasons I went into higher education as well, I just I just saw that the important role that it serves in our society, my mentors I know have I always sought out strong women because I wanted to learn from them.

And I said, how do you how do you always know what to say?

How do you know?

You're always so confident, you're always so poised.

Those women who always seem to know what to do, what to say, what did they say to you?

Sometimes it was interesting because it wasn't what they said, but but what they did.

For example, there was a meeting and I remember it was just a lot of high level folks.

And one of my my mentors, she went in and said, okay, here's the issue.

I'm not sure what we need to do.

I need your help and just being vulnerable and just being honest and true to yourself.

She didn't walk in saying, I have all the answers.

I know exactly what to do.

But I was just I was really blown away.

I was much younger at the time, but I thought, that's great.

You can do that and still be respected and still do your job and still be very effective.

So you don't have to have all the answers, but rather work collaboratively to come to a solution.

And of course it was much greater by and I would encourage Latinas, especially young young women, to seek out mentors and and ask if they if they see somebody who they would like to have as a mentor, just ask them.

That's an important advice.

Just ask.

Speaking of others and other strong women, when someone says the phrase successful, electing that leader, what qualities come to mind?

I would say somebody who's leading is obviously smart and just knowledgeable and has the expertize and has that confidence, but then also is is has a strong character and has that that integrity, you know, and whether it's it's through their communication and and their strategic thinking and and just the vision and being very courageous as well.

So I think those are some of the qualities that are that are needed.

After hearing about your story and to see where you are today, I would say that you are also courageous, Dr. Contreras, as well.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Thank you for your time.

And thank you for being with us today.

And excellent.

I enjoyed it.

Thank you for the opportunity.

So much inspiration.

It was great to hear from economic leader, Jenna Suacedo Herrera, culinary business leader Denise Hernandez and education leader Dr. Adriana Contreras.

I hope you enjoyed the conversation and don't forget to join us next time for another edition of Salud, Nos Vemos.