A lunchtime series to introduce students to Cornell alums who will offer advice on preparing for an ever-changing workplace. Alums will discuss their academic trajectories, networking, internships and employment, and what they wish they had known when they were students at Cornell. 

Join us for light lunch (for those attending in person) and a virtual conversation followed by Q & A with Latina/o alumni, 429 Rockefeller Hall. Open to all.

Zoom details:
Topic: Fridays with Alumni
Join Zoom Meeting
https://cornell.zoom.us/j/92314401063?pwd=BI2Ny5M8IIXcFdbtEqolQenf4S8mpg.1
Meeting ID: 923 1440 1063
Passcode: 134624

Friday, February 6: Freddy Terrazas Escamilla'19

Freddy is the Senior Director of Strategy at Mayo Clinic. He serves as the Strategic Business Partner and Chief Strategist for the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Freddy joined the Mayo Clinic as an Administrative Fellow in July 2019. Before joining Mayo, Freddy was a graduate consultant at Twiage, a healthcare IT startup in New York City; a graduate administrative intern at the Cleveland Clinic, and a consultant in public health development for the United States Peace Corp. Freddy holds a Master of Health Administration from Cornell University, Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology from Marquette University. Freddy is an executive board member for Cornell MOSAIC, an executive member of Cornell's Sloan Program Development Committee, and President of the Cornell Club of Northern Florida. Freddy is a native of Chicago, IL, and currently resides in Jacksonville, FL. Outside of work, he loves to travel the world, play golf across Northeast Florida and mentor young minds as they begin their professional journeys.

Friday, March 20: Luis Nieves-Ruiz '02

During his 20+-year planning career, Luis Nieves-Ruiz, FAICP has developed groundbreaking projects in the fields of economic development, brownfields redevelopment, and health and regional food systems. Originally from Puerto Rico, Luis completed a Master’s Degree in Regional Planning from Cornell University in 2002. He currently serves as Director of Economic Development for the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, and as an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Central Florida. He is currently active with several professional community organizations and boards including APA Florida, the Better Food Policy Fund, Little Growers, the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission, and the Orange County Citizen’s Review Panel, among others. His work has been recognized by WTS Central Florida, Orlando Business Journal, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida, the National Association of Development Organizations, the Urban Land Institute, Toastmasters International, Next City, and Leadership Florida. Luis is one of the few Latinos inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He was also awarded the Don Quijote Professional of the Year Award by the Hispanic Chamber of Metro Orlando and Prospera in 2022

Friday, April 10: Carlos Mallen, CHRO, Board Member, Transformational Leader

Carlos Mallen is a strategic and results-driven HR executive with 30 years of global experience driving cultural transformation, scalability, and financial performance across Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial environments. Currently serving as the President of Expert Recruiting, Inc., Carlos is a recognized expert in bridging the gap between high-level strategy and operational execution, specifically within complex, fast-evolving global organizations. His recent work includes the launch of RecruitGPT.ai, a proprietary AI-driven candidate identification engine, and expanding brand reach by 5,000% through targeted marketing and senior-level engagement.

Throughout his career, Carlos has specialized in leading large-scale HR transformations and M&A integrations. As the former SVP of Human Resources at Exela Technologies (now XBP Global Holdings), he served as the Global Head of HR for a $1B publicly traded BPO with 13,000 employees. In this role, he directed a global staff of 200 across 23 countries and partnered with the Board to execute two successful IPOs on the NASDAQ. His leadership was instrumental in architecting a global shared-services model and integrating four major mergers to realize over $20M in synergies. Under his guidance, employer branding flourished, with Glassdoor ratings rising from 2.3 to 4.0 and the company securing Newsweek’s "America’s Greatest Workplaces" honors for 2024 and 2025.

Carlos’s background is further defined by a deep expertise in international labor relations and regional strategy across more than 30 countries. During his tenure at Mary Kay, Inc., he engineered a talent strategy that scaled Brazil operations by 850%, yielding significant revenue growth and the region's first-ever "Great Place to Work" award. Previously, at Affiliated Computer Services (now Conduent, Inc.), he oversaw service delivery for 8,000 employees across the Americas and established scalable HR infrastructures for multiple new market entries. His early career included international leadership roles with Burger King Corporation in the Netherlands and Spain, where he successfully led cultural integrations and high-volume recruitment campaigns in challenging labor environments.

Beyond his corporate roles, Carlos serves as the Vice Chair of the Board for the nonprofit Irving Cares, providing strategic and financial oversight to support housing, job readiness, and food security. He also holds key advisory positions, including serving on the Governing Body Board for the Evanta Gartner DFW CHRO Council and as a member of the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce. Carlos is a Cornell University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial & Labor Relations and holds a General Course Diploma from The London School of Economics. A multilingual leader, he is native in English and Spanish, with basic proficiency in Portuguese and French.  When he is not busy at work, Carlos spends as much time as possible with his wife, three kids, and two dogs, often enjoying a round of golf or a game of pickleball with his family and catching up with friends.

This series funded by the Latina/o Studies Program in collaboration with Cornell Latino Alumni Association, LSSO Student Success Office, and the Latino Living Center at Cornell University.