The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility Announces Dr. Lisette M. Garcia as Chief Research Officer
Long-time Diversity and Inclusion Research Leader Returns to the Organization after Driving Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging for Employees at Penn State University
WASHINGTON, March 3, 2023 /3BL Media/ - The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) is pleased to announce that Dr. Lisette M. Garcia will rejoin the organization as Chief Research Officer, effective March 20, 2023. Dr. Garcia spent the past two-and-a-half years driving inclusion strategy at Penn State University, where she served as Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Garcia back as she took the organization’s research to the next level of excellence while supporting the organization’s mission-driven growth,” said Cid Wilson, President & CEO of HACR. “In her returning capacity, Dr. Garcia will lead all HACR’s research operations including expanding our research outcomes, driving thought leadership, and producing original content data that will illuminate challenges and opportunities for advancing Hispanic inclusion in Corporate America.”
During her time at Penn State University, Dr. Garcia crafted the school’s diversity and inclusion strategy for its 20,000 employees. There she transformed the university’s approach to affinity groups and employee resource groups (ERGs), ensuring they were inclusive of all populations and connected to business outcomes.
“As the Hispanic population continues to grow and more of us participate in the workforce, it’s more important than ever to design research that will uncover the gaps in our knowledge of the Hispanic experience in Corporate America,” said Dr. Garcia. “I’m so excited to return to HACR, because the organization is uniquely positioned to use its own research to fine-tune its leadership advancement programs. This coupling of knowledge and execution is what’s really going to drive progress towards full and equitable Hispanic inclusion in Corporate America.”
Prior to joining Penn State, she spent eight years at HACR in various leadership roles, serving most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In those roles, she built the organization’s research institute and crafted the corporate sector’s premier research tool for Hispanic inclusion in four areas of economic reciprocity: employment, governance, procurement, and philanthropy, the HACR Corporate Inclusion Index™. Prior to joining HACR initially, she worked in a variety of capacities in academia at New York University, Montclair State University, and Virginia Tech.
Dr. Garcia holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and labor industrial relations from Penn State University and a master’s degree in sociology from Virginia Tech. She holds a doctorate degree in sociology from The Ohio State University.
About HACR
Founded in 1986, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) is the nation’s leading corporate advocacy organization representing 14 national Hispanic organizations in the United States and Puerto Rico. Its mission is to advance the inclusion of Hispanics in Corporate America in the areas of Employment, Procurement, Philanthropy, and Governance. Through HACR’s corporate leadership advancement programs, Symposium best-practice conferences, research initiatives, and public communications, HACR is illuminating The Power of Hispanic Inclusion™ throughout Corporate America.
