San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Latina breaks down leadership barriers
Woman leads change in community by advocating for Hispanic heritage and diversity
Ángeles Valenciano grew up in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, a provincial town of cobblestone streets and historic churches rising with majesty.
She was raised by her mother, Ana María Sánchez Quiroz, and grandmother, strong women of faith and character. They nurtured her in a humble environment that spoke to the beauty of their culture and heritage.
When she lost them physically, she didn’t lose their lessons or their consejos (wisdom). Their gift of passion propelled her to become a champion for equity and inclusion.
“I carry that forward in the work that I do with my three sons, community and as a CEO of an organization that right now is so important and critical in speaking to race, ethnicity, inclusion and to the value of humanity,” Valenciano said. “We are all children of God.
There is no exception to that.”
Valenciano has been recognized for advocating the importance of equity, inclusion and diversity in and out of the workplace. She is chief executive officer of the Texas Diversity Council, which offers resources for leadership development and best practices in Texas.
Previously, Valenciano was CEO of the National Diversity Council — the first female to lead the nonprofit.
Leading the Texas Diversity Council brings her back full circle.
Colleagues have hailed Valenciano for quietly and confidently leading change in the San Antonio community. Her work has had a significant impact on leadership, health care, Hispanic heritage and LGBTQ+.
Valenciano has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, focused on diversity, development and organizational change. Her résumé includes serving as director of diversity and inclusion for the 84 Lumber Co. and assistant vice president and officer at JPMorgan.
In 2004, she served as the first executive director of the Texas Diversity Council,
overseeing operations and implementing policies. Her duties included directing four diversity council boards in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
A year earlier, Valenciano led the creation of the annual Women in Leadership Symposium, first held in San Antonio. The event is now hosted in more than 12 states and several countries, including Mexico, Canada and England.
Rita Crayton, academic dean at Concorde Career Colleges, said many community members had been blessed through Valenciano’s servant leadership.
“Through this platform, women in all walks of life have had an opportunity to network and learn from each other in ways that promote mentorship, inspiration and excellence,” Crayton said.
She came to San Antonio in the mid-’90s after she graduated from the Instituto Tecnológico y Estudios Superiores de San Luis Potosí with a business and computer information system degree. Valenciano said that initially, developing a multicultural identity was the
steepest challenge. It was only eclipsed by learning English at the age of 23.
Recently, Valenciano visited a location that holds a special place in her heart — the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk. It’s where the nonprofit hosted the first Diversity & Leadership Conference in 2005.
A year earlier, Dennis Kennedy, founder and chairman of the National Diversity Council, decided to invite Fortune 500 organizations to the inaugural event. Kennedy said Valenciano brings her passion for her work, culture and people. He’s “learned not to fear a society that does not accept you and to always be bold.”
Valenciano said it was a leap of faith for the group to book the venue. Gen. Colin Powell was the conference’s first keynote speaker.
“He was so involved in helping us understand that what we were doing in creating this organization would have an impact further than San Antonio and Texas,” Valenciano said. “And he was right.”
In 2019, Powell returned to
the event in Dallas, accompanied by President Barack Obama. Other featured speakers include Chaz Bono, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Maria Hinojosa, Spike Lee and Dee Dee Myers.
“It is a gamut of leaders and people who have truly believed in the mission of the organization that speak to the different segments of our efforts,” Valenciano said.
The 20th anniversary of the conference will be in Dallas in 2024.
Valenciano said one of the council’s most important accomplishments is the impact of bringing organizations together to share what their workplace will look like in the future. She speaks about inclusive leadership with CEOs across the state and country.
She said as a multicultural nation, America is dealing with existing systemic barriers at institutions and hate groups gaining traction at a boiling point of transformation. Valenciano said it will take focusing on DEI’s work and following the words of late Georgia Rep. John Lewis to “make good trouble.”
In June, a Supreme Court decision ended affirmative action policies at colleges and universities. In May, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation prohibiting state public universities and colleges from funding diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Gov. Greg Abbott signed a similar bill for Texas’ public higher education campuses, which will take effect January 2024.
“The pushback that we are seeing on DEI in terms of legislation is something that I take very much to heart,” Valenciano said. “This is an attack on the work that we have been doing for now almost 20 years.”
Before entering the Marriott, Valenciano walked outside past a black ornate railing above the River Walk Public Art Garden, where artist Pedro Reyes’ Stargazer “Citlali” statue towers over visitors. The executive director’s mission aligns with a narrative of the 16-foot tall sculpture that reminds us of “our place within a larger spatial, temporal and human context.”
The black, Mexican volcanic stone monument also represents San Antonio’s founding, shaped by the complex convergence of different cultures and natural legacies.
Valenciano is the author of the book, “La Sabiduría De Ana: Recetas De Liderazgo” or “Ana’s Wisdom: Leadership Recipes.” The book honors her culture, heritage and mother’s legacy.
“The more you know about yourself and where you come from, it is very difficult for anyone else to take that from you,” Valenciano said. “Or make you feel less.”
She travels to Mexico often. Home is where she feels grounded and centered. When she walks off the airplane, she sheds all the labels others have put on her — “minority,” “Chicana” and “woman of color.”
“I’m just Ángeles,” Valenciano said. “I don’t have to worry about anything else. It says so much about putting people in boxes. There’s the understanding of who I am as a mother, woman of faith, leader — all the good labels that nobody would give me, but I had to bring to myself.”