SER National

Protecting You from Fraud and Abuse with Lee Alviar of the SSA
2021-04-29 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Online – WebEx, TX, United States
Join us for the webinar, “Protecting You From Fraud and Abuse” with Lee Alviar of the Social Security Administration.
Date & Time: Thursday, Apr. 29, 2021 at 3:00pm CT

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STEM TALK with Humberto Barreda of Honeywell-UOP
2021-04-15 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us for a STEM TALK with Humberto Barreda of Honeywell-UOP!
Date & Time: April 15, 2021 at 3:00pm CT
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Humberto Barreda Bio
Honeywell/UOP
Sr Lead Project Manager
Company leader in technology for the treatment and refining in the gas, oil, and petrochemical sectors. Complete solutions covering planning, design, equipment supply and start-up.
Project Management execution for domestic large gas process technologies. Project coordination, support to the sales, business and execution teams for new capital equipment and turnkey projects including global engineering and design, equipment fabrication, installation and construction related activities.
Coordination of technical scope review, customer interphase with engineering disciplines, logistics, QA/QC, material supply chains, development of execution strategy. Review of schedules, scope and base lined cost, contract review, risk analysis including MonteCarlo and business analytics. During execution phase, main liaison with customer, engineering and manufacturing groups.
Project close-out and lessons learnt analysis.
Achievements

Coordination and implementation during planning phase of the several modular gas processing and CCR Projects.
Coordination of the Material Supply Chain for a large size project for a domestic customer.
Material supply chain management for a large modular gas processing plant.
Business development of several lump sum projects (LSTK) for gas processing plants in USA and abroad.
Successful coordination of virtual team across USA and in several parts of the world.

Employment Session: What You Need to Know About Social Security
2021-04-08 03:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for an Employment & Training Session with Lee Alviar of the Social Security Administration.
Topic: “What You Need to Know About Social Security”
Date & Time: April 8, 2021 at 3:00pm CT
Lee will provide an overview of SSA programs including Retirement, Disability, Survivors, and Medicare. Information will include eligibility, benefits, and alternative filing methods including online services.
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Lee Alviar Bio
Lee Alviar, a 30 year veteran with the Social Security Administration, first started as a claims clerk in Brownsville Texas and has worked through various levels of management. Lee was previously a Lead Training Instructor for 5 years training newly hired employees nationwide, and currently serves as a Regional Public Affairs Specialist over a 5 state area.
Lee has a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science, a Master’s degree in Business Administration, and a Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership. In addition to playing with computers, Lee enjoys working with the youth and has been a Board Member and trainer for TEDxYouth in Fort Worth for the past five years.

Entrepreneurship Session: SBA's Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program
2021-03-25 15:00 (America/Chicago)
Learn about the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program now during Women’s History Month.
Join us for an Entrepreneurship Session: SBA’s Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program with Emma Maxey.
Date & Time: March 25, 2021 at 3:00pm CT
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Thank you to our sponsor, General Motors.

Education Session - Finding Money for College: Financial Aid Basics
2021-03-18 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Learn about how to find money for college with Raul Hinojosa of The University of Texas at Dallas.
Date & Time: Mar. 18, 2021 at 3:00pm CT
Due to severe weather, the previously scheduled SER webinar for Thursday, February 18th, has been rescheduled to March 18th at 3:00pm CT.
If you have registered, your registration will be carried forward.
Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to your participation on Thursday, March 18th, 2021.
If you have been affected by this severe weather, please stay safe.
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Raul Hinojosa Bio
Raul Hinojosa Jr. joined The University of Texas at Dallas as Director of Community Engagement in 2008. He is the founding director of this office created to focus on college access initiatives to increase the number of underrepresented students enrolling in college. He also serves as a leader of diversity and inclusion initiatives at the University. Hinojosa serves on several national advisory councils including the College Board College Scholarship Service/Financial Assistance Council. He has a history of being engaged in a variety of community and service organizations. He is the Former President of the Richardson Adult Literacy Center and currently serves on the Richardson Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Hinojosa has also volunteered with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 4871 – Dallas Rainbow Council and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers DFW Chapter Scholarship Committee. He is an alumnus of the Leadership Dallas Class of 2015 – the Dallas Regional Chamber’s (DRC) leadership development program, and currently serves on the DRC Leadership Council. Hinojosa has taught strategic communications and non-profit management courses as an adjunct professor at University of North Texas and Texas Christian University. He has also facilitated several diversity and inclusion training programs throughout the country. During his spare time, he enjoys reading, cooking, and eating at new restaurants.

STEM TALK - Dr. Virginia Counts of Medtronic
2021-03-11 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us for a STEM TALK with Dr. Virginia Counts, a Sr. Program Manager for Medtronic.
Time & Date: March 11, 2021 at 3:00pm CT
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Dr. Virginia Counts Bio
Alchemist • Strategist • Coach • Program Manager • Process Improvement Expert • STEM Advocate
I get joy out of organizing and creating strategies from ether, transforming chaos into order, and synthesizing disparate information.
These days, I am a Sr. Program Manager for Medtronic, where I manage teams across Operations groups manufacturing pacemakers, defibrillators, and associated leads. I work on the large, cross functional, super-visible, hairy projects that most others shy away from. My early career provided challenging work as a Project Engineer building and testing gas turbine engines in the Aerospace industry. I then spent a decade in process improvement; certified as a Lean Manufacturing Expert, and Six Sigma Master Blackbelt, helping teams improve processes and provide significant savings.
Passionate about getting more women in engineering, I am a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and spent a decade on the SWE Board of Directors culminating with the role of President in 2009. Recognized as one of the most “48 Intriguing Women of Arizona” in a book celebrating Arizona’s 100th anniversary as a state. Based on MDT’s Tempe Campus, I live in Phoenix and enjoy hiking nearby with my slightly neurotic but energetic miniature schnauzer, Princess Sophia.
Education

BSE, Mechanical Engineering, Arizona State University
MSE, Industrial Engineering, Arizona State University
PhD, Sustainable Engineering, Arizona State University

Employment & Training Panel: Government Employment Opportunities
2021-03-04 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Join us to learn about government employment opportunities with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, and the Department of the Treasury.
Date & Time: March 4, 2021 at 3:00pm CT
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Entrepreneurship Session: Q&A with an expert in promoting and positioning your business and yourself.
2021-02-25 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us for a Q&A with Crayton Webb, an expert in promoting and positioning your business and yourself.
Date & Time: February 25, 2021 at 3:00pm CT
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Thank you to our sponsor, General Motors.

Crayton Webb Bio
Crayton Webb is the owner and CEO of Sunwest Communications, a Dallas, Texas-based public relations and public affairs firm.
Previously, Webb was the vice president of corporate communications and corporate social responsibility for Mary Kay Inc. In his 12 years with Mary Kay, Webb launched the company’s CSR strategy, Pink Changing Lives, evolving its philanthropic efforts into a strategic, multi-platform program with a global reach. In addition to his CSR and sustainability work, Webb also led the company’s global media relations, reputation management, public relations and crisis communications efforts across nearly 40 markets around the world. Before joining Mary Kay, Webb served as chief of staff for Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and, prior to that, he was a broadcast journalist for nearly ten years.
Webb is active in his community, serving as chairman of the board of the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas and is on the boards of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the Arbor Day Foundation. He is immediate past chairman of the men’s auxiliary for Genesis Women’s Shelter in Dallas, HeROs (He Respects Others). Most recently, Webb was selected by D CEO magazine to be included in its 2020 and 2019 editions of The Dallas 500: The Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas. Webb received the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Alumni Achievement Award in 2017 and the 2015 Leadership Dallas Distinguished Alumni Award.

STEM TALK with Joe Acaba, NASA Astronaut
2021-02-11 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for a STEM TALK with Joe Acaba, NASA Astronaut!

Date & Time: Feb. 11, 2021 at 3:00pm CT
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Joe Acaba Bio
Joseph M. Acaba was selected by NASA in 2004. The California native has logged a total of 306 days in space on three missions. In 2009, Acaba flew aboard STS-119 on the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station to deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and a truss element. During this mission, he conducted two spacewalks. In 2012, Acaba flew aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to the space station where he worked as Flight Engineer for the Expedition 31/32. During this mission, the first commercial resupply spacecraft, SpaceX Dragon, arrived at the station. Acaba recently served as Director of Operations Russia in Star City supporting crew training in Soyuz and Russian Segment systems. Acaba most recently served as Flight Engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 53/54.

Employment & Training Panel: "Communities Working Together"
2021-02-04 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for a panel with Goodwill – Houston, Catholic Charities – Dallas, and SER.
Date & Time: Feb. 4th at 2:00pm CT
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Entrepreneurship Session - Rick Ortiz of the GDHCC
2021-01-28 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for an online session with Rick Ortiz, the President & CEO of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Topic: “Benefits of the GDHCC”
Date & Time: Jan. 28, 2021 at 2:00pm CT
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Rick Ortiz Bio
Rick Ortiz has been active with the GDHCC since 2005 and served as chairman of the board from June 2009 to December 2010. Prior to being elected chairman, he had served in the International and Bylaws committees and had occupied the position of vice chair on the board of directors.

Education Session - Dr. Robert Garza
2021-01-21 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for an virtual Q&A with Dr. Robert Garza, President of Alamo Colleges District – Palo Alto College.
Date & Time: Jan. 21, 2021 at 2:00pm CT
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Dr. Robert Garza Bio
Dr. Robert Garza was appointed as the seventh president of Alamo Colleges District-Palo Alto College on July 25, 2018, by the Alamo Colleges District Board of Trustees.
Originally joining the Alamo Colleges District in 1999, Dr. Garza held several positions during his tenure at Palo Alto College, including Dean of Community Development and Partnerships, Dean of Student Success, and Vice President of Student Success.
Dr. Garza served as president of Mountain View College in the Dallas County Community College District from 2015 to 2018. Under his leadership, Mountain View College achieved a 29 percent record enrollment growth for a total of 11,586 credit students enrolled.

STEM TALK - Dr. Richard Tapia of Rice University
2021-01-14 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for a STEM TALK with Dr. Richard Tapia of Rice University!
Date & Time: Jan. 14, 2021 at 2:00pm CT
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Dr. Richard Tapia Bio:

Richard Tapia was born in Los Angeles, California to parents who immigrated from Mexico. In 2011 he was awarded the National Medal of Science, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists and engineers. This award spotlighted the distinguished contributions he has made to the mathematical frontiers of optimization theory and numerical analysis, but it also brought attention to another achievement: his long-time work in inspiring underrepresented minority and female students in science and math. He is a mathematician in Rice University’s Computational and Applied Mathematics Department and holds the rank of University Professor, the university’s highest academic title awarded to only seven individuals in the university’s history. Among his numerous other honors is the National Science Board’s Vannevar Bush Award and election to the National Academy of Engineering, the first Hispanic to receive these honors. He holds seven honorary doctorates and has given commencement addresses at six major universities. Two professional conferences have been named in his honor: the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference and the Blackwell-Tapia Mathematics Conference. Tapia served on the National Science Board from 1996-2002. Because of his leadership Rice University is recognized as a national leader in the preparation of women and underrepresented minority doctoral degree recipients in science, engineering, and mathematics.

Education Session - “Getting Started in Python Programming”
2020-12-16 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for an education session to learn how to program in Python with Joe Varnell!

Date & Time: Dec. 16, 2020 at 2:00pm CT
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Joe Varnell Bio:
A Software Engineer at Lockheed Martin; Joe Varnell has been an Engineer for almost 40 years. Over that time, he has been a Software Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Systems Engineer, and a Quality Engineer.
He is also a big volunteer with FIRST Robotics. He loves mentoring the students and teaches them programming and electrical.
Joe earned a Math Degree at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Entrepreneurship Session - Q&A with Gaby Natale
2020-12-10 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for an Entrepreneurship Session with Gaby Natale!
Date & Time: Dec. 10 at 2:00pm CT
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Thank you to our sponsor, General Motors.

Gaby Natale Bio:
Gaby Natale is a triple Daytime EMMY® winner, TV personality, bestselling author and motivational speaker. She is the executive producer and host of the nationally-syndicated TV show SuperLatina on PBS’ VME network.
One of the most prestigious media personalities in Spanish-language television, Natale is among a few women in the entertainment industry who owns not only the rights to her TV show but also a television studio. This unique situation has allowed her to combine her passion for media and her entrepreneurial spirit.
People magazine named Natale one of 2018’s “25 Most Powerful Latinas”, highlighting the inspirational story of how she went from a local TV show that started out of a carpet warehouse to becoming the only Latina in US history to win triple back-to-back Daytime EMMYs. Her popularity grew even further when her first book, “The Virtuous Circle” by HarperCollins, became an instant bestseller, topping Amazon’s New Releases charts in 3 different categories (Business, Inspiration and Self-Help).
Natale is also the founder of AGANARmedia, a marketing company with a focus on Hispanic audiences that serves Fortune 500 companies such as Hilton Worldwide, Sprint, AT&T, eBay and Amazon. In the digital world, she has a thriving fan base with over 52 million views on YouTube and 250K+ followers on Social Media.
In 2019, Natale launched Welcome All Beauty, her own hairpiece and extension line dedicated to women who need to be camera-ready on the go.
A tireless advocate of gender and diversity issues, Natale is a sought-after bilingual speaker and a frequent collaborator with nonprofits such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign and Voto Latino. She has keynoted conferences from the United Nations to tech shows and trade gatherings across the US and Latin America. Natale has been featured in Forbes, CNN, Buzzfeed, NBC News, Univision and Latino Leaders magazine. She is the recipient of NALIP’s Digital Trailblazer Award and of a GLAAD Media Award nomination for her portrayal of Latino LGBTQ youth in media.
Natale holds a bachelor’s in International Relations and a master’s degree in Journalism from the University of San Andres and Columbia University. Prior to starting her career in television, Natale taught Communication and Journalism courses at the University of Texas. Originally from Argentina, Natale holds triple citizenship from the United States, Argentina and Italy and has lived in London (UK), Mexico, Washington DC and Buenos Aires.

STEM TALK - Monique Velásquez of Chevron
2020-12-08 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for a STEM TALK with Monique Velásquez of Chevron!
Date & Time: Dec. 8, 2020 at 2:00pm CT
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We will be announcing the winners of the #SERChallenge2020 during this webinar.

Monique Velásquez Bio:
Monique Velásquez was born and raised in New Orleans, LA to Colombian parents. She joined Chevron in 2004 as an Exploration Geophysicist for their Texas and Alaska North Slope US assets. She currently serves as the head of the Global Exploration Review Team – Houston, TX.
Throughout her career Monique has gained broad technical and business experience of increasing responsibility. She has held roles across Chevron’s corporate business segments focused in North America, West Africa and the Technology Center, where she worked in technical earth science, organizational capability and strategic planning. In her current position, she serves as the head of the Chevron’s corporate assurance group responsible for assessing the risk and size of the company’s global exploration portfolio. She is also part of Chevron’s executive Exploration Leadership Team responsible for setting the company’s global Exploration strategy.
Monique is an active member of Chevron’s Women Executive and SOMOS (Latin American and Hispanic) employee networks which promote STEM, internal and external mentoring and diversity and inclusion in the workforce.
Monique has a B.S. degree in Geology from the University of New Orleans and a M.S. in Geophysics from the University of Texas El Paso. In her career, Monique has lived and worked in multiple locations such as Midland, TX, Lafayette, LA and Houston, TX.
When outside of work, she enjoys watching international soccer games, classic comedies, reading fiction, international traveling and spending time with family.
