Recently, I attended the 14th Annual Silicon Valley Latino Leadership Summit (SVLLS) on October 11, 2025, at the iconic Computer History Museum. This year’s theme: “Elevate, Empower, Lead – Unlocking Latino Leadership Potential, It’s Time. ¡Es Tiempo!”
The Latino Silicon Valley Leadership Summit kicked off with a compelling opening by keynote speaker Ramiro Cavazos, President and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC). Ramiro engaged the audience by emphasizing the power of bipartisan collaboration in unlocking economic opportunities and fostering lasting prosperity for all Americans. Illustrating the significance of historical roots, he pointed out that at least 10 of the 50 U.S. states have names originating from Latino heritage. Demonstrating the growing influence of Latinos in the U.S., Ramiro highlighted that they now represent 1 out of every 5 people, boasting a younger demographic and serving as a crucial engine driving economic growth in the nation. In 2023, the U.S. Latino GDP soared to $4.1 trillion, solidifying its position as the fifth-largest global economy. Additionally, Ramiro underscored the invaluable contributions of immigrants to the U.S. economy, questioning the wisdom behind removing such a substantial segment of the workforce. This insightful start to the conference set the stage for thought-provoking discussions and collaborations aimed at advancing the Latino leadership and economic impact in Silicon Valley and beyond.
Empowering Leadership Insights: Highlights from Awardee Acceptance Speeches
This year’s awardees delivered remarkable acceptance speeches at the Latino Silicon Valley Leadership Summit, offering valuable advice and wisdom for attendees to take away. Let’s dive into the highlights from their insightful speeches:
Lifetime Leadership Award: Elizabeth Oliver-Farrow, President & CEO of The Oliver Group, Inc.
Elizabeth is a nationally recognized public affairs executive, board governance leader, and lifelong advocate for Latino representation. Reflecting on her journey, she emphasized the significance of lifetime relationships, hard work, commitment, determination, and community engagement. Despite not having the opportunity for college, she highlighted her dedication to continuous learning through her roles, conferences, and networks. Always planning 5 to 10 years into the future, she refused to let others define her, determined to tell her own story.
During her involvement in national campaigns in Washington, she discovered her passion for advocating for underserved Latinos, women, and small businesses. She made history by becoming the first Latina Chair of the USHCC, aiming to bring about lasting change.
In her speech, Elizabeth urged everyone to embrace their stories. “Our stories are a rallying cry, a call to fully embrace who we are, fully embrace our potential and drive transformative through every industry and in every community. And all of you have that power, and you should use that power! It’s about impact, about vision, it’s about your authentic influence, be bold,” she concluded passionately.
Pioneer Leadership Award: Tom Chavez, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, super {set}
Tom is a Founding Partner at super{set} and a serial entrepreneur, he has spent the last 20 years using data, decision science and AI to solve hard, interesting problems. He shared to key aspirations for the audience: First, is to believe in our own agency and our own ability to shape events and drive the change we want to see. To believe that we can make a difference. Second, actually get off the couch and move from belief to action. This isn’t the time to huddle around the fire and cling to just the ones you love. Yes, love your family, hug your mama. But draw strength from the ones you love so that you can be the best version of yourself during these worst of times.
Trailblazer Leadership Award: José E Feliciano, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Clearlake Capital Group
José is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Clearlake Capital Group an investment firm founded in 2006 operating integrated businesses across private equity. Clearlake currently has over $90 billion of assets under management. He reflected on his overnight 19-year old success co-founding Clearlake Capital Group coming from a middle-class family in Puerto Rico to going to Princeton at age 17. Sharing his insights on leadership and growth, he offered the following advice:
1) Be Authentic – Emphasizing the importance of staying true to oneself and being authentic to one’s core identity. People naturally respond well to authenticity and are more likely to listen, follow, and engage in the journey when one shows up as themselves.
2) Spirit of Excellence – José highlighted how we often limit ourselves with self-doubt, feeling inadequate and not worthy. He urged individuals to challenge themselves, overcome these limiting beliefs, and strive for excellence. By demonstrating excellence in our fields, whether as professors, lawyers, or professionals, we can break the stereotype and prove our capabilities.
3) Follow Your Heart – Encouraging individuals to discover their passions and pursue building something significant by channeling that passion. José stressed the importance of aligning one’s heart with their endeavors to create something meaningful.
These thought-provoking speeches resonated with attendees, inspiring them to embrace their stories, drive change, and pursue excellence in their respective fields.
Paying It Forward: Empowering the Next Generation at SVLLS Conference
Each year, SVLLS brings the younger generation to experience the conference. This year held a particularly special moment with the inaugural Joel and Angela Robertson Legacy Foundation scholarship presentation for Cristo Rey San Jose High School scholarships. The foundation, founded on the belief that opportunity changes everything, is dedicated to education, equity, and community empowerment. Providing scholarships, resources, and support to students and grassroots initiatives, the foundation uplifts and inspires.
During the scholarship presentation, Angela expressed the difficulty in selecting recipients as they were all deserving of a scholarship. She urged the audience to contribute to the scholarship fund by making a donation at http://robertsonlegacyfoundation.org.
A big thank you to Frank and Molly Carbajal, as well as all SVLLS volunteers, for delivering on the theme of growth, empowerment, and bold action at SVLLS Conference 2025. Attending the conference provided a much-needed chance for me to reinvest in my personal and professional development. It also inspired me to continue on my leadership journey. Thank you.
Stay tuned as I will be sharing more follow-up stories on the SVLLS 2025 experience, delving deeper into insights from the Elevating Emerging Leaders and From Authority to Influence panel discussions.
