September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month, a period to recognize and celebrate generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. To celebrate, we are proud to share the launch of the Iterable Latinx Affinity Group, which will create community and development opportunities for employees that self-identify as Latinx.
We’re incredibly proud of the employees at Iterable who manage these groups and drive inclusivity at Iterable. With the new Latinx Affinity Group, led by Sebastian Cabrera, we now have eight active Affinity Groups.
While Sebastian, Customer Success Manager on the Enterprise team, has only been at Iterable for a few months, he has already made a major impact at the company.
Let’s get to know Sebastian, an Iterator leading a more inclusive future in tech for the Latinx community.
Tell Us a Little About Yourself!
I was born in Bogota, Colombia. A city that wakes up early, blanketed by the misty fog of a valley that about seven million people call home. My identity today was very much shaped by my upbringing—specifically, at family dinners hosted by my great grandmother. Everyone was welcome for those meals. I vividly remember the old round dinner table, covered with white crochet, surrounded by 10-20 people every night of the week. Everyone who was in need of a hot meal was welcome—cousins, aunts, friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers.
My family immigrated to California in the mid 2000s. My parents left everything behind in Colombia, sacrificing their hard-earned careers and businesses to give my brother and I the opportunity that they saw in the diverse and vibrant community of the San Francisco Bay Area.
We confronted many challenges in this move, which we overcame with the support of family, friends, and allies we met along the way. From university counselors to local community leaders, everyone that shared their time and resources with my family and me helped play a role in our success. Together, they opened doors for us that we didn’t know existed.
Experiencing the power of community and collaboration firsthand inspired my continued passion supporting others. I found my professional niche in Customer Success, where, today at Iterable, I am able to leverage my technical expertise and love of people to help individuals, teams, and entire businesses succeed!
Personally, I’ve stayed close to my roots as well—I founded ClicSF, a group that is designed to promote the stories of Colombian-Americans chasing their dreams in many different ways.
How have you brought your community passion to Iterable?
Before joining Iterable I was with Paradigm Strategy, where I partnered with HR professionals and executives in multiple industries to understand how our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion services can strengthen their culture. In this role, I had the opportunity to learn firsthand of the positive impact that Affinity and Employee Resource groups have on driving a company’s mission forward. This is especially relevant for organizations that depend on innovation to grow. Iterable’s Head of DE&I, Markita Jack, even recently authored a piece on the topic, linking diversity and innovation.
During my interview process with Iterable, I learned the depth of Iterable’s commitment to community and inclusivity. Not only does our company have a dynamic group of leaders helping build the inspiring Affinity Groups, but the groups also have the unequivocal support and sponsorship of the executive team. It’s because of this close partnership that the groups can put on amazing events, like this AMA with Markita Jack, or the Black At It Affinity Group’s discussion on Black Men in Tech.
After participating in a few sessions led by the Pride and Mixed Identity Affinity Groups I was inspired to do the same for our Latinx community.
Can you tell us more about the Latinx Affinity Group?
Mi gente! This is such an exciting moment for me and the wider Latinx community at Iterable.
I believe that both structural and individual change is needed to drive DE&I initiatives forward. From DE&I training resources that are consistent across the organization, to concrete resources allocated to individuals regardless of place on their DE&I journey. The creation and sponsorship of resources, like Affinity Groups, is important, as companies should also constantly listen to the needs of their employees and put significant resources behind their goals inside and outside of their four walls.
Our vision is to continue to foster a sense of belonging for the Latinx community at Iterable. From creating a dedicated space for us to stay connected and informed about the topics that are important to the community, to advocating for the needs of the group members across the organization. I imagine our vision will only expand as members join the group, so stay tuned for more!
There are many facets of the Hispanic and Latin American diaspora that call for unique resources to adequately support this community. While we are still in the infancy of this group, we aim to create a space that advocates for our community both for current and future Latinx Iterators.
The first gathering to welcome folks will be a virtual tea time at the end of the month, where we will be talking about the mission and motivations of our group and crowd-source some ideas for events, conversations, guest speakers and discussion. I could not be more excited for this opportunity!
Impact in Action
Sebastian has a long-standing passion for community and inclusivity. Prior to Iterable, he worked closely with Rocío van Nierop, Cofounder and Executive Director of the nonprofit organization, Latinas in Tech. Latinas in Tech is a non-profit organization with the mission to connect, support, and empower Latina women working in technology and a vision to achieve fair representation in leadership positions. The organization comprises more than 16,000 women working at more than 100 of the top technology companies.
Rocío has long been an advocate for tech inclusion, participating in multiple boards of charitable organizations that push forward the participation of underrepresented minorities. An expert on driving community and inclusivity, Rocio shared some guidance with us for organizations looking to drive a more equitable future for Latinos in tech:
“My advice for organizations: focus on investing first in your employees before aiming to attract more entry-level Latinx talent.
Look inwards first and see what would your Latino employees need to grow and excel in their careers. Ensure they have a good home with a clear career path. Let them lead and they will prove to you, you made the right decision. Create hiring managers that will then bring you more diverse and qualified employees. Make your company a good home not only to Latinx employees but to all employees so that it is a good home for generations to come.
Then you will create meaningful services and products that are truly aimed at the diverse consumers.”
Latinas in Tech runs 100% on corporate donations and grants. They ensure that all of their programming, with the exception of the Latinas in Tech annual summit, are totally free. We’re proud to share that we have donated $5,000 to Latinas in Tech, helping support our shared goal to empower Latinos that work in technology and ensure that there is a fair representation at all levels of the tech ecosystem!
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