Despite the constraints of the pandemic, HLN brought the concept of connection to life in 2020 – establishing connections in new regions, strengthening connections with participants and building connections in our communities. HLN founded three new chapters in 2020 – Stade, Germany; São Paulo, Brazil; and the Carrollton/Louisville, Kentucky hub. This gives HLN a presence in three out of four Dow regions, with plans to expand to APAC in 2021.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, HLN launched #IStayatHome magazine. The magazine provided a taste of the Latinx culture through educational articles and cultural signposts such as recipes and movie recommendations. The purpose was to encourage HLN participants across the world to learn more about Dow’s diverse Latinx community, while also providing a sense of connection amid widespread stay-at-home orders.
Houston Dow Center HLN participants volunteered as tutors at the Wharton Dual Language Academy, a public school within the Houston Independent School District. The Academy focuses on giving students the opportunity to become fully bilingual in English and Spanish through their language immersion method. HLN volunteers tutored children in both languages.
INvolve, a global network and consultancy championing diversity and inclusion, named Mauro Gregorio, president, Performance Materials & Coatings and oversight for Latin America and HLN’s executive sponsor, as the No. 1 executive in its 2020 EMpower Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executive Role Models list. The list recognizes leaders across the globe who are helping break the glass ceiling for ethnic minorities.