We participate in many conferences so we can continue to learn more about our communities and contribute to the discussions about the issues they address. From each event, we take what we learn and share it across GM. You can see this in action from some of the conferences we’ve been a part of and awards we’ve been honored to receive this year.

GMC was proud to be the Official Vehicle Sponsor of the Hispanic Heritage National Youth Awards, which took place in Miami on March 1.  The awards were presented by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), a national non-profit which prepares and positions Latino leaders in the classroom, community and workforce.  

Since 1998, the Hispanic Heritage National Youth Awards have honored students who demonstrate leadership potential in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields and in the "Green Industry". This year, seven Latina/o students were recognized at Bongos Cuban Café, in the presence of GM's Diversity Initiatives Director Alma Guajardo-Crossley, and Diversity Initiatives Manager Julie Xiong.  

GM Southeast Region District Sales Manager Dan Weishaar was also at the event, along with Brickell Motors President & CEO Mario Murgado, and Vera Buick GMC General Sales Manager Jorge Morales.

As the "Official Car" of the awards, GMC provided three courtesy vehicles to HHF, one of which was used to transport current "Dancing With the Stars" contestant William Levy to and from Bongos.    

HHF also presents the Hispanic Heritage awards, founded in 1987 as part of the first Hispanic Heritage Month. The awards honor the contributions of Latinas/os in the arts, education, leadership, literature, math, science and sports, with recipients including Rita Moreno, Gloria Estefan, Bill Richardson, Sammy Sosa and Oscar de la Renta.

General Motors’ own Alma Guajardo-Crossley, GM's Director of Diversity Initiatives, received the “Corporate Visionary Award” at the 30th National Conference of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI). GM recently announced a partnership with USHLI which included donation of a 2012 Buick Verano, which will be used to raise funds for USHLI scholarships for Hispanic high schools and college students. Dr. Juan Andrade, Jr., USHLI president, praised GM’s dedication to diversity and inclusion, and for its long history of commitment to the Latino community.

The NAACP Image Awards are an annual celebration of artistic contributions to the promotion of social justice and honors people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film.  A longtime supporter of the NAACP’s important work, Cadillac sponsored the 43rd annual Image Awards, held on Feb. 17 in Los Angeles.

Dwayne Ferguson, Operations Manager of Jacksonville, Florida’s Cadillac Saab of Orange Park said the Image Awards presented a “perfect backdrop” for GM to reiterate its commitment to diversity and the African American community, while Eric Peterson, GM Vice President of Diversity Peterson, praised the NAACP for “more than a century” of significant contributions to social justice.  

More than 400 Hispanic bloggers, social media professionals and influencers, gathered for the second annual Hispanicize Conference in Los Angeles, sponsored by Buick and OnStar.

Chevrolet was a silver-level sponsor and a sponsor of the VIP Post Party at the 2011 National Council of La Raza ALMA Awards in Santa Monica, Calif. The ALMA Awards celebrate the pioneering spirit of Latinos in the film, television and music industries. Eric Peterson, U.S. Vice President of Diversity, accepted the sponsor recognition trophy during pre-taping of the ceremony.

GM was chosen as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity from more than 1,000 corporations in the categories of Employee Base, Senior Management, Board of Directors and Supplier Diversity.  Our award, along with GM employee Sabin Blake, dealer organization manager for the Northeast Region, was featured on the cover and in a feature story in the July 2011 edition of Black Enterprise.

For the fifth straight year, we achieved a perfect score of 100 percent in the 2011 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC). The annual survey, now in its ninth year, measures a company’s treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees and consumers.

GM has been a longtime sponsor of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc., and participated, along with Cadillac, in the 25thAnnual Conference in San Francisco. Eric Peterson, U.S. Vice President of Diversity, and Vivian Pickard, president of the GM Foundation, represented the company and accepted the organization’s Legacy Award in recognition of our continued support of the community.

GM and the GM Supplier Diversity Program were recognized at the Million Dollar Awards for investing more than $1 million with Hispanic-owned suppliers. Alma Guajardo Crossley, GM director, Diversity Initiatives, accepted the award on behalf of GM Supplier Diversity. Each year the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) hosts its National Convention and Business Expo featuring hundreds of exhibitors from the U.S. and abroad.

Buick participated as a Platinum Sponsor at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities' (HACU) 25th Annual Conference in San Antonio. Alma Guajardo Crossley, Diversity Initiatives Director, spoke on behalf of GM and showed a video showcasing all GM brands to attendees during a lunch session.

Chevrolet sponsored the 26th National Hispanic Women’s Corporation Professional Development and Leadership Institutes Conference, which took place in Phoenix, as well as the Youth Track & Fashion Show. GM's Director of Diversity Initiatives, Alma Guajardo Crossley, spoke at one of the youth track workshops about the importance of staying in school and staying focused and motivated in life.