DALLAS, Aug. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — SMU Cox Executive Education announced today the selection of Anthony Herrera as executive director for the Latino Leadership Initiative (LLI). Launched in November 2013, the LLI is a new national center of excellence at SMU’s Cox School of Business designed to help meet the nation’s growing need for corporate leaders as the economy improves and national demographics evolve. The LLI grew out of research that shows a gap in talent at the country’s executive leadership level.

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Herrera will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for the SMU Cox Latino Leadership Initiative, which works with the university and the business community to access an important talent resource and marketplace. The LLI will operate to deliver management education programs, organization development services, new research-based insights and community engagement activities.

“I am excited and honored to be joining the SMU Cox School of Business to champion the Latino Leadership Initiative,” Herrera said. “The U.S. Latino demographic currently possesses an estimated purchasing power of $1.5 trillion dollars and a population growth of over 30 percent in the U.S. by 2050. The Latino-driven demographic shift provides challenges for corporate leaders to position themselves for the growing Latino market and development of Latino executives and senior managers. The Latino Leadership Initiative will address these challenges head on and be a true national center of excellence by leveraging SMU Cox’s geographic location, corporate relations and institutional resources.”

“As the executive director of this initiative, Herrera will strengthen corporate and community relationships inside and outside the business school and SMU,” said SMU Cox Associate Dean of Executive Education Frank Lloyd. “He has corporate, academic, fundraising, faculty experience and business acumen skills, all of which will be invaluable in fulfilling the LLI’s mission.”

Herrera takes the helm of the LLI after five years as director of Career Development and Accounting Internships and lecturer in accounting at the Baylor University Hankamer School of Business, Department of Accounting and Business Law, where he helped prepare students for corporate positions and partnered with corporations to help expand their organizational diversity.

Previously, Herrera held management positions focused on recruiting and diversity in CBRE, Robert Half Finance and Accounting and KPMG. He holds BBA and MS degrees in accounting from SMU’s Cox School of Business.

About SMU Cox Executive Education
SMU Cox Executive Education offers new, innovative and flexible programs – both open and custom – that provide a relevant and dynamic learning experience for professionals, managers, and executives. Programs provide skills development in areas such as management, leadership, sales and marketing, and accounting and finance.

About SMU Cox
The Cox School of Business was originally established in 1920 on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and named in honor of benefactor Edwin L. Cox in 1978. SMU Cox offers a full range of undergraduate and graduate business education programs, including the BBA, Full-Time MBA, Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Business Analytics, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Management, Master of Science in Sport Management, as well as Executive Education. The school also offers a number of unique resources and activities for students, including the Business Leadership Center (BLC), the Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship, the Maguire Energy Institute, the Global Leadership Program and the Associate Board Executive Mentoring Program, as well as an international alumni network with chapters in more than 20 countries.