Cloudera proudly marks National Hispanic Heritage Month – a month in which the contributions and influence of Hispanic people on the history, culture and achievements of the United States are recognized.
To commemorate the month, Cloudera is spotlighting an employee who is as active within the community as they are in the company and LatinX Employee Resource Group (ERG).
Liz Lashgari is one of many who contribute to the growth and culture of Cloudera.
For 2 years, Liz has worked within Cloudera's Human Resources department as a Senior Manager of Employee Relations. In her role, Liz acts as a key advisor and subject matter expert on creating a healthy organization alongside HR Business Partners. Her role often involves navigating and resolving complex employee issues and conducting impartial investigations regarding sensitive employee related matters. Along with that she also partners in fact finding and bringing recommendations to the business for a path forward.
Employee relations is an area Liz has always had a deep interest in. “I knew from the beginning that working to resolve complex sensitive employee related issues was the area where I wanted to be.”
Her duties don’t end there. Liz has taken on more and is an active member in Cloudera’s LatinX ERG where she helps to build community and bring awareness to the company.
Liz's Hispanic heritage is important to her
Her own heritage goes back to Guanajuato and Michoacán in Mexico. “This is where my grandparents and both parents were born. My parents and grandparents migrated to the US in the 1960’s and settled in Salinas, CA to find better opportunities for themselves and their children.”
As the oldest of 5 siblings, she is the first of her family to be born in the United States and the first to graduate college. She remains closely connected to her roots and keeps her culture alive by speaking Spanish within her house daily and listening to Banda music, one of her favorites.
She, along with her family, attend and volunteer in many public community events in the bay area. Her daughters even spent many years as Folklorico dancers. For Liz, watching them dance, enjoy themselves and learn about their heritage was a joy to witness.
“I am proud to celebrate my heritage” says Liz. “We have a lot of traditions in addition to Hispanic Heritage Month. We value family, history and celebrate all the time. Some of these important celebrations, include Quinceneras (the 15th year birthday event), Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Dia Del Nino (Day of Children), Dia Del Mariachi (Celebrate Mariachis), Dia de la Independencia (Independence Day), Posadas (Christmas traditions, singing), Nochebuena (Christmas Eve celebration), and many more!”
Liz finds joy in celebrating and sharing her culture with others. It’s one of the reasons she appreciates her path within Cloudera. “I bring my whole self to work and feel comfortable doing so. I am glad to see that diversity and inclusion is an important space not only at Cloudera, but overall, within the tech industry. Valuing the differences of others is what ultimately brings us all together and ultimately creates a successful, thriving and a fair culture.”
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.