Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility

Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility
Name	Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility
Abbreviation	HACR
Formation	1986
Type	Nonprofit advocacy organization
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President & CEO
Leader name	Antonio Tijerino

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Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility

The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1986 to promote Latino representation across Fortune 500 corporations, Securities and Exchange Commission–regulated markets, and federal contracting. The organization engages with corporate boards, the U.S. Congress, the White House, and civil society groups such as the National Council of La Raza and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund to advance diversity, inclusion, and governance reforms. HACR interacts with major corporations like Walmart, AT&T, Citi, Bank of America, and ExxonMobil while coordinating with trade associations including the Chamber of Commerce of the United States and legal institutions such as the American Bar Association.

History

HACR was established in 1986 amid a policy environment shaped by the aftermath of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 debates, the legislative work of leaders like Tip O'Neill and Newt Gingrich, and corporate governance discussions involving entities such as the Business Roundtable and the Conference Board. Early interactions included partnerships with Latino civic organizations such as the League of United Latin American Citizens and foundations like the Ford Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Over successive decades HACR engaged with regulatory developments influenced by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act while dialoguing with financial regulators including the Federal Reserve and the Comptroller of the Currency. HACR’s history includes public campaigns targeting boards at firms like General Motors, PepsiCo, JPMorgan Chase, and Chevron, and participation in coalitions alongside NAACP and Human Rights Campaign.

HACR’s mission centers on expanding Latino representation in corporate leadership, procurement, and philanthropy, aligning with broader civic goals shared by groups such as Hispanic Federation, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, and Voto Latino. Objectives include increasing Latino seats on boards at corporations including Microsoft, Apple Inc., Amazon (company), and Google (Alphabet), improving supplier diversity in procurement chains of firms like General Electric and Caterpillar, and influencing corporate philanthropy models practiced by institutions such as the Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. HACR frames its objectives through engagement with financial markets represented by Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange governance practices.

HACR operates certification and benchmarking tools comparable to initiatives run by Catalyst (nonprofit), DiversityInc, and Human Rights Watch in other fields. Programs include the HACR Corporate Inclusion Index, leadership development programs aligned with coursework at institutions such as Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, and Stanford Graduate School of Business, and procurement advocacy modeled on supplier diversity frameworks used by Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase & Co.. HACR collaborates with professional networks like Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement and educational partners including University of Texas at Austin, Florida International University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Arizona State University to cultivate talent pipelines. Initiatives target executive recruitment practices at companies such as Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Intel, and Boeing.

HACR’s advocacy spans corporate governance, procurement policy, and civil rights enforcement, engaging lawmakers in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and federal agencies such as the Department of Labor and the Small Business Administration. The organization submits recommendations on board diversity to stock exchanges like Nasdaq and regulatory bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, and files amicus positions in litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States when relevant to employment or civil rights cases. HACR also coordinates policy campaigns with labor organizations like the AFL–CIO and community advocates including Make the Road New York and Asian Americans Advancing Justice to influence procurement clauses in federal contracting overseen by the General Services Administration.

HACR’s membership model includes corporate members, Latino-serving nonprofits, and individual leaders drawn from firms such as Ernst & Young, KPMG, Deloitte, and PwC as well as corporations like Target Corporation and Costco Wholesale Corporation. Governance is conducted by a board of directors featuring executives and civic leaders connected to institutions like National Hispanic Media Coalition, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and universities including Georgetown University and University of Pennsylvania. Executive leadership liaises with philanthropic funders such as Annenberg Foundation and corporate partners like Mastercard and Visa to sustain programs.

HACR has documented gains in Latino representation in boardrooms and procurement awards at companies including Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, and CVS Health through annual reports and index rankings that echo benchmarking practices from Fortune (magazine) and Forbes. The organization’s advocacy has been cited in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Bloomberg News and has influenced corporate commitments comparable to pledges by PepsiCo and Starbucks. Critics, including scholars from American Enterprise Institute and commentators in Wall Street Journal, argue HACR’s voluntary engagement approach yields incremental change and advocate for regulatory mandates akin to proposals debated by legislators like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Marco Rubio. Other critiques from grassroots groups such as United We Dream question whether corporate partnerships sufficiently address structural inequality highlighted by reports from Pew Research Center and Urban Institute.

Category:Hispanic organizations in the United States