Rackspace Named a Top Company for Latinas — Again

tracy.hamilton

Rackspace Named a Top Company for Latinas — Again

This blog post has been updated to reflect 2018’s results.


For the third year in a row, LATINA Style magazine has selected Rackspace as one of the 50 best companies for Latinas, as part of its annual LATINA Style 50 Report.

Now in it's 21st year, the annual survey of the 50 best companies for Latinas to work for in the U.S. is based on criteria set forth by readers themselves, and the magazine says it serves as one of the most respected source of employment and career information for Hispanic women in the country.

Rackspace ranked 42 this year.

The LATINA Style 50, according to the magazine, reflects those programs Latinas are looking for when seeking job opportunities. Among the principal areas of evaluation are: the number of Latina executives, Latina retention, mentoring programs, educational opportunities, employee benefits, job retraining, affinity groups, and Hispanic relations. Evaluations for the 2018 annual report are based on 2017 data.

“Our goal is to provide the most accurate picture of what corporate America has to offer. Selecting the top 50 companies for Latinas to work for is a difficult task. Great efforts are taken to ensure that Latinas can truly find best places where to nurture their careers,” says Robert E. Bard, president and CEO, LATINA Style, Inc.”

Rackspace invests a great deal in its employees and culture, one reason it regularly makes "great places to work" lists, including FORTUNE's “100 Best Companies to Work For,”  “Best Tech Workplaces” and “Best Workplaces for Parents.” We’re also a top workplace for millennials and veterans.

Marissa DeLeon, a global support technician with Rackspace, wasn't surprised to learn of the honor.

“In my previous job at a national nonprofit, I saw firsthand how Rackspace helps support students in the surrounding community,” she said. “Once I began working here, I saw how important diversity is here — and not just background or ethnicity, but diversity in thought and learning. That’s really celebrated here.”

DeLeon serves as vice chair of Viva, one of fourteen Rackspace Resource Groups, which offer members and leaders opportunities to grow their networks, be mentored, and practice leadership in a safe setting. For Hispanic Heritage Month, Viva will host several events, including a panel to discuss how Latinx culture shapes Rackers’ lives and careers and Café con Viva, an informal leadership talk over coffee and pan dulce, featuring Claudia Sanchez, a so-called “boomerang Racker” who left the company once but returned.

Sanchez, a Fanatical Support manager, started at Rackspace in 2002 as a billing specialist, a role that gave her the opportunity to work from Rackspace’s then-new London office for several years. Today, she's back in San Antonio.

“Because I was here early on, I feel like I have a unique perspective on our culture. For me, it’s very personal, and I think it’s a big reason Rackspace has been so successful. We always bring it back to the people,” she said.

Noting that San Antonio is 60 percent Hispanic, Sanchez said she appreciated that Rackspace reflects that: “Working with a lot of other Hispanic women empowering.”

LATINA Style compiles its rankings from a survey sent to selected companies each year. The return data is then analyzed to determine which companies are leading the way with diversity in the workplace, recruitment and career advancement opportunities for Latinas.

Lisa McLin, vice president of Channel Sales, has seen her career thrive since she first became a Racker.

"My heritage influences who I am," McLin said, "and in my 15-year career here, Rackspace has given me a workplace that allows me to be true to that heritage; I serve proudly as a Latina senior leader in the tech industry."

McLin began at Rackspace as a staff accountant and served as vice president of sales before being tapped to head Rackspace’s channel programs.

In January 2016, she was named executive sponsor for POWER, which stands for the Professional Organization for Women’s Empowerment at Rackspace, another Racker Resource Group. This year, she was named to the board of Directors for the Texas Conference for Women.

“POWER has more than 800 members across the globe,” McLin noted. “I think that really speaks to Rackspace’s commitment to women in tech, and I can say from experience that includes Hispanic women.”