age of the corporate female executive retiring is 52. And I was
right there.
I thought I’d be content as a full time grandmother to my
granddaughter. I quickly realized why most grandparents
are not fulltime parents! I needed to get back in the saddle
and work!
I happened upon this non profit program with at-risk kids
called Take Stock in Children. It encourages them to stay in
school by promising them a college education if they do well.
This is a project close to my heart. I was born in Cuba, and
I’m a first-generation American citizen. I would not be where
I am today if it was not for my education, and the people who
encouraged me to stick with it. The program is very flexible,
partnering with either a community college or an education
foundation, or working independently. The program is the
same but it is flexible to the needs of those who want to execute the program. The manual, however, remains the same
in each case.
I was able to both help my family and contribute to society
with my education. I think every child deserves the opportu-
nity to receive a good post-secondary education in the U.S. I
became President and CEO of this organization right at the
height of the recession. We improved the balance sheet and
the profile of the organization both at the state level and in
D.C. We secured an important grant that was key to the orga-
nization’s moving forward.
And then you got the call from Signature?
I was thrilled to get the call from them. I thought, what
a way to culminate a career! My work with Signature has
“high-touch” and travel and customer service. I was really
excited.
So tell us a little bit about what a day in your life at
Signature is like, would you?
A day in my life at work at Signature involves usually several conversations with my regional vice presidents, a staff
meeting, preparing for a presentation, talking to customers or
to one of our partners. I might be talking to an airport direc-
