Much can be said about the character of active job seekers, said Mayor Jim Kenney. It shows that they aren’t looking for handouts but more importantly that they want to earn something.

“This is a great opportunity for people in our community to get probably the most important thing that they’ll ever look for, and that’s a job,” he said.

Kenney spoke at the opening of the 15th Annual Diversity Career Fair which AL DÍA News Media held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center Wednesday afternoon. Over 200 job seekers attended the event which brought out over 40 exhibitors, which ranged from regional employers to resources for job seekers.

Along with the traditional job fair were a series of panels on diversity featuring CEOs from companies of different sizes. The first panel featured six CEOs from prominent corporations. It was moderated by Hernán Guaracao, publisher and CEO of AL DÍA News and Gray Hall, anchor and reporter for 6ABC News (watch the video here).

The first panel featured:
Craig Adams, president and CEO of PECO
Madeline Bell, president and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
David Cohen, senior vice president and Chief Diversity Officer of Comcast
Charlie Garcia, president and CEO of the Association of Latino Professionals for America
Timothy Rub, George D. Widener director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
William Wilson, founder and principal of Synterra Partners.  

The members of the panel discussed the importance of diversity in the corporate world and how it has evolved over the last few years. Most agreed that companies should look to the future when thinking about diversity. This means keeping abreast of growing trends and changing demographics in order to stay competitive.

The second panel was made up by local business owners who spoke about diversity at a regional level and what is changing in the city in terms of the boom of construction and the changing demographic of its people.

The second panel featured:

Michael Hill, managing director at Synterra Partners

Gerardo Monroy, president of Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company

Nestor Torres, co-owner of Casa Papel

The panel was moderated by Lou Rodriguez, chairman of the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

The third and final panel was moderated by Sara Manzano-Díaz, general administrator of the General Services Administration for the Mid-Atlantic Region. This panel was made up of representatives from various government agencies and featured information about opportunities for diverse career seekers in the federal government.

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