After a 25-year career, Jon Muñoz reached an inflection point in his career. The trailblazing corporate veteran had held positions in marketing, community engagement, and human resource positions at blue chip companies like J.P. Morgan Chase and Sprint. Most recently, he was vice president of global inclusion and diversity at Hilton. But Muñoz recalls, “I wanted to try something new and build a legacy at a company with a mature diversity, equity and inclusion management practice.”

 

In April 2021, he accepted a position as chief diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer at Booz Allen Hamilton, the global technology and consulting firm headquartered in McCLean, VA.  What attracted Muñoz to his new employer was its ongoing 20+ year commitment, leadership and innovation in the DEI space. Latinos are well represented in the company, starting with Horacio Rozanski, the Argentine-born president and CEO. A Top Latina executives is include Julia Donley, vice president of global supply chain and Jeniffer De Jesus Roberts, vice president of enterprise risk & resilience.. It is regularly included in lists such as Forbes’ Best Companies for Diversity (2020 and 2021) and Working Mother’s Top 100 Companies (22 years).

 

In his new role, Muñoz will work with leaders and teams throughout Booz Allen to drive its DEI mission. The company recently undertook an independent assessment of its practice by the Chicago-based Kaleidoscope Group. The insights from the review led to a new DEI Strategy & Action Plan. According to Munoz, the goals are for the company to “lead by example by being more transparent and model inclusion; empower potential by driving equitable access out outcomes; inspire belonging where all people are seen, heard, valued and cared for; and use its voice to be a force for advancing equity and resilience.”

 

Many companies like Booz Allen have now added “equity” as a focus area to diversity and inclusion. Muñoz defines equity as the understanding that people may need different inputs to succeed. His focus is “to make Booz Allen a more equitable place so that all people can achieve their full potential.”

 

A key component of DEI at Booz Allen are its five global business resource groups (BRGs), one of which is the Multicultural BRG. Within this, the Global Latin American Network is a focal point for Latinos at the company. According to Muñoz, it “supports our diversity recruiting efforts through partnerships with Hispanic Serving Institutions, such as Florida International University. It also engages with external Latino nonprofits, including the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers in San Diego, New York and San Antonio.”

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“Additionally, it provides programming focused on professional development, leadership, and empowerment with internal and external subject matter experts; and this year it hosted 16 virtual Hispanic Heritage Month events focused on community engagement, diversity & culture, networking, and cross-cultural collaboration,” Muñoz added.

 

In his own professional development, Muñoz cites his experience with the National Hispanic Corporate Council (NHCC). Founded in 1985, NHCC is a nonprofit that “provides its member companies with a multi-layered approach and resources to effectively maximize the diversity of the Hispanic market,” according to its website. Muñoz recounts, “NHCC was instrumental to my growth and development as an emerging Latino leader in corporate America. It provided me with an opportunity to build a professional network of distinguished leaders in multicultural marketing, supplier diversity, human resources, and community relations, and corporate social responsibility. I leveraged the opportunity to learn about these disciplines, which prepared me for my current role.” Muñoz is a co-founder of the group’s Corporate Executive Development Program, delivered by Southern Methodist University, which helps advance mid-level Latino professionals to their first executive roles within their companies.

 

Muñoz is a proud Longhorn with a B.S. in Communications from the University of Texas at Austin and holds several certifications in executive management from Boston College and Southern Methodist University.

 

He is also committed to nonprofit leadership with numerous diverse advocacy, business and industry-focused organizations throughout his career and is actively involved with national and global organizations. He currently serves on the Chairman’s Advisory Council of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino and is the immediate past board chair of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association.

 

When asked what advice he’d give to a Latino embarking on a career like his own, Muñoz cites the importance of education developing a professional network saying, “It’s important to find a mentors to help guide your career journey and sponsors to advocate on your behalf for promotion opportunities.” He also urges young people to be their own advocates: “Speak up and articulate the impact and difference you’ve made in support of the business.”