Susan Villela's ALPFA Story

My first encounter with ALPFA was in April 2008 at the Women of ALPFA event hosted by the Atlanta Chapter. This event was amazing and I fell in love with this organization not only because of its empowerment of women (go women power!), but also because of its empowerment of Latinos! Although I am a first generation American, I am true to my Colombiana roots and a strong supporter of the Latino leadership movement.

As a newcomer to ALPFA and Atlanta, I decided to become a member and I have moved in full force. I joined ALPFA on April 23, 2008 seeking career opportunities and striving to build a network of professionals and I have come out with so much more. A couple of months after joining, I reached out to the Atlanta board looking for an opportunity to become more active and today I am on the board of the local chapter as Director of Events. With a passion for event planning, I had the pleasure of planning my first and our chapter’s last event for 2008 – The Holiday Social at Fuego. It was a great success! We mingled, we laughed, we ate, and we celebrated good times. None of this would have been possible without the help of the Atlanta board and National. They are an amazing team of dedicated professionals who contribute so much to this organization. I look forward to working with every single one of them for future events. Stay tuned for our Leadership Summit event scheduled for Jan 7, 2009!

Through ALPFA I have been able to make new friends, network with a great group of professionals and share a little piece of my husband’s world without the headaches of his accounting busy season. For those who think ALPFA is only for professionals in the accounting or finance industry, you are mistaken. I am in the fashion industry and I have been able to connect with both members and non ­­­members alike.