Amidst the Women’s History Month celebrations, we reflect on the remarkable achievements of one trailblazer in particular – Kimberly Casiano, a distinguished Member of the Board of Directors at Ford Motor Company. As the first Hispanic woman to hold a position on a Fortune 100 top five corporate board, Casiano’s journey exemplifies resilience, innovation, and empowerment.
In 2010, Casiano founded Kimberly Casiano & Associates, where she currently serves as president, offering advisory services in marketing, recruiting, communications, advocacy, and diversity tailored to the U.S. Hispanic market, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Her commitment to fostering business growth and diversity is further evidenced by her roles on the Mead Johnson Nutrition and Mutual of America boards of directors.
With a rich background in international trade and development, Casiano managed her own company, Caribbean Marketing Overseas Corporation, from 1981 to 1988, playing a key role in fostering trade and investment opportunities in the Caribbean and Latin America. Her leadership extends beyond boardrooms, as she actively supports various nonprofit organizations focused on education, exemplifying her belief in education as a key driver of success.
Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents and raised in a bicultural, bilingual environment, Casiano’s academic accomplishments include a bachelor’s degree in politics and Latin American studies from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Alongside her successful career, she is also a dedicated wife to Peruvian-born Juan F. Woodroffe and a loving mother to their two children, embodying the values of hard work, diversity, and family.
During the 13th Annual Silicon Valley Latino Leadership Summit, Kimberly was honored with the Lifetime Leadership Award and shared valuable advice applicable to our individual leadership journeys. She emphasized her experiences of being the youngest person, the only woman, and the only Latina in various settings and the importance of hard work. Drawing on insights from her favorite book, “Road to Character” by David Brooks, she highlighted the significance of cultivating inner qualities over external achievements or resume virtues versus eulogy virtues.
She emphasized the significance of eulogy virtues, urging the audience to reflect on this as we progress in our professional careers and focus on building our resumes.
“I guarantee you that the day you die nobody is going to recite your resume. No one will talk about the positions you held in the companies you worked for or talk about your sales skills or your accounting skills or computer skills. Eulogy virtues are the ones talked about at your funeral. Your inner light Your inner character. Whether you were kind, humble, loyal, brave honest. Whether you were a loving parent, sister, brother friend.” She concluded “I urge young talented leaders to remember as you’re working so hard to build your resume virtues, don’t forget your eulogy virtues. Because it is the eulogy virtues that really make a life worth living.”
The Silicon Valley Latino Leadership Summit consistently features impactful speakers who impart actionable wisdom for both our professional and personal growth. Save the date for the 14th Annual Silicon Valley Latino Leadership Summit on October 11, 2025, and continue to be inspired on your leadership journey.
