SHPE ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF CEO RAQUEL TAMEZ AS OF APRIL 30
BOARD CHAIR MIGUEL ALEMAÑY TO ACT AS INTERIM CEO
Los Angeles, California – After four years of praiseworthy service and leadership, Raquel Tamez will be stepping down as the CEO of SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) on April 30, 2021, the organization announced today.
A former trial lawyer and corporate attorney who previously served as Chief Legal Officer of SourceAmerica, Raquel joined SHPE in May 2017 and immediately had an impact on the organization. Under her leadership, SHPE has seen unprecedented growth, including 4,000 new members; an additional 50-plus chapters; more than 10 new national programs; record-breaking attendance at all its events, namely its National Convention with a near 10,000 attendees in 2020; and when most needed, a first-ever $1M in stipends and scholarships to members impacted by the pandemic.
The organization also expanded the ranks of its Industry Partnership Council to more than 50 leading STEM companies, resulting in Hispanics achieving greater access and visibility in workplaces across the country. SHPE also introduced the Academic Partnership Council, a first of its kind advisory council made up of many of the strongest STEM programs at universities and colleges in the U.S., further strengthening the pipeline of successful Hispanic leaders in STEM.
Raquel spearheaded the efforts to increase SHPE’s visibility by completely re-branding the organization to be more inclusive and more modern, including launching a new website and an online store. Under her leadership, SHPE earned and maintained the Platinum Seal of Approval from Guidestar, given to those nonprofits who demonstrate the highest level of transparency. And, finally, the organization was honored at an international level with invitations to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and to ring the NASDAQ closing bell during Hispanic-Heritage Month 2020.
“I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished together these past four years,” said Raquel. “I want to thank my incredible team, the Board of Directors, the regional and chapter leaders, all the members of the Industry Partnership Council and Academic Partnership Council and—most important of all—the near 14,000 student and professional members who make this organization the true Familia it is. Serving you was an honor of a lifetime, and while I’m excited about and looking forward to working with my new team at my next role, I’ll never forget my time at SHPE.”
While the search is conducted for a new CEO, SHPE Board Chair Miguel Alemañy will act as interim CEO.
“On behalf of SHPE, I want to thank Raquel for the vision, strategy, leadership, and advocacy she has demonstrated these past four years,” said Miguel. “She transformed our organization and helped us position SHPE to be a major force in STEM for the next 50 years. Raquel will stay on with us for the next month to fully support a seamless transition as the Board works with an executive search firm to seek and secure her successor. We will miss Raquel and wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors and look forward to building on her work in the years to come.”
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ABOUT SHPE
SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) is a nonprofit organization serving and advancing Hispanics in STEM. With more than 13,000 student and professional members, SHPE’s mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support, and development. To accomplish this, SHPE provides a variety of programming, services, resources, and events, including hosting the largest Hispanic STEM convention in the nation. For more information, visit http://shpe.org.