Juana Bordas, an authority on integrating diverse viewpoints into workplace leadership, will speak at an upcoming community program where Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez will provide the introduction.

Bordas, a Nicaraguan immigrant who has become a national leader on Hispanic issues, will headline Kalamazoo County’s annual Respecting Differences conference, speaking April 10 at Chenery Auditorium. The College is a sponsor of the event, along with Western Michigan University, the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, and Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

Bordas, in the 2007 book “Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age,” explores the intersections between Latino, African-American and Native American approaches to leadership, and how incorporating them into the mainstream can strengthen leadership and inspire an increasingly multicultural workforce.

Bordas says all three approaches “center on collective or group welfare” and “value generosity and reciprocity.”

“Multicultural leadership resonates with many cultures and encourages diverse people to actively engage, contribute and tap their potential,” she says, adding, “Our future depends on our ability to develop the potential of our culturally diverse world.”

Bordas heads Mestiza Leadership International, an organization that develops and promotes diversity and leadership programs for organizations across the country. She is a former faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership and was founding president and CEO of the National Hispana Leadership Institute.

A Colorado resident, she has been widely recognized there for her work in developing Latina leaders, including being inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.

DETAILS

Juana Bordas, featured speaker at “Respecting Differences, will appear at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at Chenery  Auditorium, 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo, with an introduction by Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez. Tickets are free and now available.