Casiano Communications boss offers view of diversity from the boardroom

Kimberly Casiano graced the audience at Wednesday's Latinos Unidos crowd with an interesting story about how she came to be the first Hispanic woman to serve on one of the top five Fortune 100 corporate boards.

Casiano and Ford Motor Co. executive chairman Bill Ford Jr. first met when they were students in a Latin American studies class at Princeton University in the 1970s.

"Now, roll back the clock," Casiano said. "Here's a prince of American royalty — if there ever was to be American royalty — taking a Latin American studies class. He was the only non-Hispanic."

"For whatever reason, I was feeling cruel and I was very obnoxious and I decided to be his adversary in class. Every single class, if he said black, I said white. If he spoke about America, I spoke about socially and economically disadvantaged minorities and how American royalty knew nothing about them."

Flash forward 20 years: Ford runs the family business and Casiano runs her family's company, Casiano Communications. From there, the two get reacquainted through a mutual friend. In 2003, she gets a call from Ford.

"He says, 'I need somebody on my board who I know will tell me the truth. If you haven't changed, I know you will.' "

The story highlighted Casiano's belief that early friendships can come into play years later. It was just one of many pearls of wisdom she offered at the luncheon, sponsored by the city of Tampa Mayor's Hispanic Advisory Council.

She stressed minorities advancing through merit, not affirmative action, and spoke of the frustration she experienced when Princeton students suggested she got into the Ivy League school because she was a Hispanic woman.

However, she also promoted the importance of diversity. While she serves on three major boards (Ford, Mutual of America Life Insurance and Mead Johnson), she has turned down offers from other companies because she sensed they merely wanted a token appointment.

"Red warning lights flash in my head when I'm approached by a board that has zero women and zero Hispanics," said Casiano, who also serves on the board of advisors at Moffitt Cancer Center. "Of the 1,000 (Fortune) companies, there are 810 companies which have no Hispanics on their board.

"It's disheartening, especially because the tone at the top regarding diversity is what the rest of the organization will emulate."

It's a surprising statistic, particularly when you consider that one out of every six Americans is Hispanic and that number will only climb.

Casiano noted that diversity is not about filling a quota, it's about promoting innovation and, ultimately, profitability.

Tampa often celebrates its diversity at such events, but it's also important that its cultural mix be reflected in local boardrooms and political appointments.

Our differences should unite us, not divide us.

As successful as she's been, Casiano said she's never lost sight of the passion she carries as a Hispanic.

"When I arrived at the Ford boardroom, kisses were nowhere to be seen," Casiano joked. "As a red-blooded Hispanic woman, I quickly remedied that."

In the end, it should be about friendly kisses and warm handshakes. It should be about love.

That's all I'm saying.