Target Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell is sounding alarm bells over the state of Hispanic shoppers in the U.S. -- a key growth demographic for many retailers and consumer brands.

“The Hispanic consumer in the U.S. is shopping much less,” Cornell said at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech event Tuesday in Aspen, Colorado. “They are staying home. They are going out less often.” READ MORE AT BLOOMBERG

Read biographies of feature guests for the STEM Networking Forum "Building a Diversity Wave in STEM" being held Tuesday, July 25 at 1871 Chicago.

Delia Gutierrez McLaughlin, President, CODA Technology Consulting

Delia Gutierrez McLaughlin is the President and CEO of Coda Technology Consulting and brings extensive experience in leveraging technology to deliver competitive business advantage. She has led engagements with clients such as Catholic Health Initiatives, Ace Insurance, General Growth Properties, etc., that incorporated a high degree of cross-organizational partnering, outsourced vendor knowledge, relationship management, data center, and infrastructure operations skills. She has worked in concert with teams across corporations to drive strategic process improvement. Partnering with her clients, Delia has a track record in providing technology solutions to business initiatives and, more recently, in the effective use of strategic sourcing resulting in a new $25M contract with an outsource vendor.

Before Delia took her life in a new direction by creating her own company, she was the Director of Outsourced Vendor Management for Aon Corporation’s Chicago-based Technology Services and Solutions team. Delia leveraged her 20 years of experience in information technology, telephony and software development to provide governance and oversight for all technology projects assigned to the Technology Services and Solutions team. Delia managed the escalation for all end-user issues within Aon Hewitt by providing an added layer of leadership between Aon and their vendors.

In October 2010, Delia was elected to the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) and was selected to the HITEC 100 – Most Influential Hispanic Executives in IT, 2011. HITEC is a premier professional organization for Hispanic IT Executives which focuses on significantly increasing Hispanic leadership in information technology. HITEC recognizes the importance of highlighting HITEC members and their achievements by focusing on technology leaders who have made a significant contribution to the IT Industry.

Delia is a native of Chicago, having grown up in the Pilsen neighborhood. As a child, Delia participated in programs such as Head Start, CETA and other social programs that worked to provide opportunities to children. Delia attended college at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas and received her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Accountancy from University of Illinois – Chicago. Delia has a passion for advocacy and assists organizations on behalf of the communities they represent to continually work toward fulfilling goals.

Manny Ozaeta, Director of the Hispanic Technology Incubator, 1871 Chicago

Manny Ozaeta is the Director of the Hispanic Technology Incubator, a new program established at 1871 in partnership with the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In this role he serves as facilitator and mentor to Latinx entrepreneurs by curating tailored content that includes educational programming, access to funding, and technological support.

Prior to leading the incubator, Ozaeta was the Director of Membership at 1871, where he supported the needs of active and alumni members.

Previously, Ozaeta was a Senior Communications Consultant at a boutique public affairs firm in Chicago, where his clients included, the Chicago Cubs, Lurie Children’s Hospital, and Navistar among others. He has also served as a legislative staffer in the United States House of Representatives.

Ozaeta has worked within the press and communication departments of the Office of the Mayor in Chicago, the British Consulate General in Chicago, and the Office of Senator Richard Durbin- IL, in Washington, D.C.

He received his undergraduate degree from DePaul University and a Master’s in Public Policy from Northwestern University. A native Spanish speaker, he hails from Texas but now resides in the Printer's Row neighborhood of Chicago with his two dogs.

Elizabeth Velazquez, Technology Consultant, Accenture

Elizabeth Velazquez is currently a Technology Consulting Senior Analyst at Accenture. Elizabeth has delivered and developed thorough and high quality training materials that aided her client in a successful transition with OCIS (Accenture-owned software solution). She's also worked closely with support centers, BSAs, and work stream leads to assess business impact on defects, plan and manage testing for releases, and conduct general triage support for testing. She is also an active ADP (Accenture Development Partnerships) volunteer who has donated over 100+ hours of her time and has participated in various projects ranging from analytical research of ADP LatAm Partnerships to participating as the East Coast Regional Lead for the CE3 Mentorship Program. She is currently the ADPVC Chicago Hub Co-Lead.

Prior to her career at Accenture, she worked on environmental and health related issues using her expertise obtained through engineering and international development studies. Elizabeth has also used her analytical skills to provide pro-bono consulting services for non-profits. Although she has a passion for humanitarian engineering and sustainable development, she aims to expand her expertise in the business arena across differing industries and pursue a career that utilizes both her technical background and business education. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and a Master of Science in Management Studies from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Party politics aside, the accomplishments of women, especially minorities, ought to be elevated and celebrated.

It is a widely known fact that women face unique challenges gaining access to career opportunities and positions of leadership. There are gaps, and they are real for women across diverse fields in both public and private sectors.

For example, The Harvard Business Review recently published an article reporting that the average mid-forties male college graduate earns 55% more than his female counterpart. READ MORE AT HUFFINGTONPOST

The sea of young girls in pink shirts rippled as the grown-ups filed into a Miami corporate boardroom. One girl leaned over to her friend.

“She looks fancy. I like her sweater,” she whispered.

“I like her job,” her friend replied.

Facing off with the elementary school girls were employees from four departments at CareCloud, a healthcare-technology company. The company staffers were all female — perfect role models for the summer campers sponsored by CODeLLA. READ MORE AT MIAMI HERALD

Single parents face lots of challenges as they juggle all their responsibilities. They need to shop for, cook for, feed, dress, and transport their kids -- all while holding down a job. They need to spend time raising their children -- giving them experiences and lessons and inspiration -- while tending to their own careers.

Here, then, is some advice for single parents related to careers and balancing them with the rest of one's life.

Build a network of helpers -- and be a helper
For starters, in case you haven't already done so, concede that you can't do it all alone. You may be a single parent, but there are people around you who can help. READ MORE AT THE MOTLEY FOOL

Katie Sotelo showed an instinct for science that teachers in her junior high school embraced.

The teachers, one a woman of Vietnamese descent and another a Mexican-American, helped affirm that Sotelo had what it took to go into science.

Now Sotelo, of Goodyear, Arizona, is a Creighton University junior working in a cancer research lab with a goal to become a scientist. READ MORE AT OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

Work-life balance is like a unicorn: no one knows whether it really exists, but vague hope persists. Balance is particularly difficult for entrepreneurs because we wear so many hats. More often than not, work-life balance is like a seesaw, with life on one end and work at the other. One side is always either up or down, and time spent in the middle is fleeting. The seesaw will never be completely balanced, but there are ways to maximize the time spent in the middle. These seven tips will give you a start. READ MORE AT FSTOPPERS

The National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino advocacy organization, is changing its name to UnidosUS.

The change was announced by NCLR during its annual conference in Arizona, where it traces its roots. NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía was expected to officially announce the change in a speech Monday night.

"We've been working really hard on this process for some time. It was our own community that led us to the UnidosUS name," Murguía told NBC Latino.

Unidos, which translates to united, is meant to show unity among Latino communities but also help NCLR transform into a group that joins all communities, according to Murguía. READ MORE AT NBCNEWS

Despite the political climate in the United States and all of its talk about building walls, many leaders are taking initiative to build bridges. LEAP Global Partners (LEAP) is one such leader. They have launched an early stage venture capital fund called LEAP Partners I.

LEAP’s mission is simple and powerful. It wants to develop, connect and invest in talented Latin American entrepreneurs working on impactful global solutions in the areas of finance, marketplaces, health, education, shared economy and media. READ MORE AT HUFFINGTONPOST

Historically, when have leaders been needed? According to Ronald A Heifetz, in his book Leadership Without Easy Answers, “Leadership is oriented by the task of doing adaptive work.” That is to say, leaders are needed when traditional solutions to problems produce less than palatable results. Leaders inspire others to offer creative solutions to new challenges or to problems that continue despite attempts to solve them.

Where are leaders needed today? Where I see change and challenge intersecting is in trends of K-12 and higher education for minorities, particularly among Hispanics, in the United States. READ MORE AT CHRISTIANITY TODAY

The Capstone College of Nursing recently received a $1.7 million grant for the purpose of increasing the number of Latino nurses with bachelor's degrees. The grant is aimed at recruiting 80 Latino registered nurses with associate degrees and getting them on the track to receiving a bachelor's degree in nursing from The University of Alabama.

The College of Nursing will admit 20 students over a four-year period to meet the desired goal. The Health Resources and Services Administration Nursing Workforce Diversity program is funding the grant and efforts to recruit the nurses. READ MORE AT THE CRIMSON WHITE

When the sun is shining and many of your colleagues are away from the office, it might be tempting to tune out a bit from your job and start daydreaming about your when it’ll be your turn to turn on that OOO email message and turn off your phone. That would be a mistake, however.

In fact, summer is the best time to hatch plans to make your next career move. While it might not be the most obvious or desirable time to apply to jobs per se (i.e. nobody wants to have to decline a second round interview because they already made holiday plans), it’s a great time to plan your career moves and job search for four reasons... READ MORE AT FORBES

Latinos’ economic contributions in the U.S. make up an essential part of the country’s future, according to a new report.

The Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC), a non-partisan national organization focused on “advancing a more accurate portrayal of Latinos,” released a study that measured the community’s economic power by calculating the strength of its workforce and the Latino Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as of 2015. READ MORE AT HUFFINGTON POST

Mothers and grandmothers realize the impacts climate change will have on their babies, according to a new poll released yesterday (June 29). And they’re worried—especially Black and Latina moms.

Public Policy Polling conducted the poll, which surveyed 804 mothers and grandmothers in the U.S. from June 21 to 22. Of those, 13 percent were Black, 7 percent Latinx and 5 percent other races, but the numbers show that these moms have the strongest sentiments about the global manmade catastrophe.

The survey found that 87 percent of Latinas and 84 percent of Black mother figures surveyed agree with the statement: “We are not doing enough as a nation to protect clean air and clean water for your children and grandchildren in the coming years and decades.” READ MORE AT COLORLINES

Half of the highest-paying jobs for college graduates are in technology, but—despite the high pay—employers struggle to fill these and other positions. According to the National Science Foundation, in 2013, there were 262,981 blacks, Hispanics, and Indian Americans ages 45 years and younger with bachelor’s or advanced degrees in computer and mathematical sciences or electrical engineering—three of several fields closely associated with high-tech jobs. READ MORE AT CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS

Ever experienced the soul-crushing realization that you’re not getting paid as much as you should? Do you find yourself swimming through extra work, without the buoy of a title bump to match? Sounds like you need to negotiate for a change. If the thought of asking your boss for a raise, or countering a prospective employer’s initial offer gives you the shivers, there’s hope: negotiation doesn’t have to be scary.

Too many professionals avoid negotiation because they don’t want to seem too aggressive, offend anyone or look ungrateful — or because they simply don’t know how to effectively ask for what they deserve.READ MORE AT PAYSCALE

Amid the bloodshed in Venezuela, the corruption scandal in Brazil and the stream of bizarre statements coming out of President Trump’s Twitter feed, a very important news item has gone almost unnoticed in Latin America: A new study says the region is failing miserably in innovation.

The Global Innovation Index 2017, a ranking of 130 countries across the world, says that African, Eastern European and Southeast Asian countries are doing much better than Latin America when it comes to modernizing their economies... READ MORE AT MIAMI HERALD

Latinos are becoming an increasingly critical engine for America’s economic growth, a new report finds.

In 2015, the 55 million Latinos living and working in the U.S. were responsible for $2.13 trillion — or 11.8% — of America’s $18.04 trillion gross domestic product, according to a study released Thursday by the Latino Donors Collaborative, a nonpartisan association of Latino business, political and academic leaders.

And those contributions are expected to continue to grow. READ MORE AT FOX NEWS ST.LOUIS

Tempting as it is for any student to focus their search for work or work experience on the big household names such as Rolls-Royce or BAE Systems, when it comes to STEM, small is often beautiful.

So says Ann Watson, chief executive of not-for-profit employer-led skills organisation Semta. She is a passionate advocate for young people getting hands-on experience in engineering and science before embarking on a career.

“It’s the smaller firms which offer the vast majority of openings to undergraduates, graduates and apprentices, and whether you want to stay in your university town for the summer or travel back home, it’s always worth checking out the opportunities locally.” READ MORE AT THE TELEGRAPH

Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods for $13.7 billion is the largest acquisition to date by the Jeff Bezos-led company, and the most important merger in the retail industry. With this deal, Amazon now has 450 stores in major cities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. What are the implications for marketing and multicultural/Hispanic marketing in particular?

“Consumers are increasingly demanding products and services in near real time or "on-demand," and a physical presence in major cities gives Amazon an infrastructure to support consumers in near real time. This is especially salient when it comes to the grocery category,” READ MORE AT PORTADA