RSM Signature Event 2023 Executive Bios
Welcome to the dedicated page for the Red Shoe Movement Signature Event 2023 Executive Bios. Here, you will find comprehensive profiles of the distinguished executives and thought leaders who will be gracing our event this year. These bios offer an insightful glance into the professional journeys, achievements, and expertise of our esteemed participants. As the Red Shoe Movement continues to champion gender equity and foster leadership, we are proud to spotlight the individuals driving these conversations forward. Dive in to learn more about the professionals who are helping to shape the discourse at this year’s event.
Ileana Musa
Managing Director, Head of International Banking & Lending
Morgan Stanley
In this role Ileana leads the segment and strategy that focuses on delivering cash management and lending solutions to Morgan Stanley’s international clients across multiple channels including International Wealth Management, E*TRADE and Morgan Stanley at Work. She is a trustee on the Morgan Stanley Foundation Board. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Ileana was the Global Client Segment and Strategy Executive for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management where she led the private wealth business globally delivering to high net worth and ultrahigh net worth international clients. She held several leadership roles in the domestic, international, and affluent banking platforms at Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase. Among the many accolades she has received over the years, Ileana is the recipient of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA). She was named to ALPFA’s Top 50 Most Powerful Latina list originally featured in Fortune magazine, the 100 Latinas by Latino Leaders in 2023 and 2022, and was the recipient of the 2022 Latino Leaders Maestro Award for Professional Achievement. She was recognized by Bloomberg in 2022 among the 500 most influential Latinos in Latin America. Ileana sits on the national board of the Girl Scouts and the advisory boards of ALPFA and FIU Honors College. She has an M.B.A. from Florida International University and a BBA from the University of Miami. For breaking the ceiling in a traditionally male dominated industry, the Red Shoe Movement honored Ileana with a Hall of Fame Award in 2021.
Mark Bryan
Robotics Engineer, Fashion Model
With a list of accolades that include being a father, robotics engineer and football coach, Mark has quickly added model and influencer to his already impressive line-up. Known better as the straight man who wears skirts and high heels, Mark has risen to fashion fame over the last few years, landing himself exclusive photoshoots in Interview Magazine, Vogue, ELLE, and Harper’s Bazaar. His motto is "clothes and shoes should not dictate a person's sexual orientation or gender." Born in a small West Texas town, he's been living in Germany for over a decade with his third wife. He has three adult children who are supportive of his decision to wear a hybrid dress style with masculine clothes on top and feminine clothes on the bottom. Mark works as a robotics packaging engineer full time and spends a couple of hours a day posting on social media and responding to as many messages as he can. He has over 600K followers on Instagram and 3 M views on Tik-Tok and has inspired millions of people to express themselves through fashion. By doing this, he's contributing to breaking stereotypes that affect everyone. For his work and commitment to the #RedShoeTuesday campaign, the Red Shoe Movement has bestowed him with a Hall of Fame Award in 2021.
Brian Dowd
Group Manager, California Group, >
Granite Construction
Brian Dowd holds the position of Senior Vice President and Group Manager at Granite, where he offers operational guidance and sets the strategic direction for California, one of Granite's most extensive operating groups. He defines the vision and standards for several key areas, including financial, safety, environmental performance, business expansion, and employee growth, particularly in the state's construction and construction materials sectors. Having been with the company since 1986, Brian has occupied multiple roles, ranging from estimating to project management and leadership. He has also helmed Granite’s employee development initiative and served as the vice president of human resources. In 2007, Brian shifted back to operations, taking on the role of regional manager in Sacramento, California, where he navigated the company through a challenging economic period. Educationally, Brian has a BS in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a certified professional civil engineer in both California and Nevada. His notable achievements and affiliations include: Long-standing member of the American Society of Civil Engineers since 1985. Served on the Board of Directors for the Associated General Contractors (AGC) – Nevada Chapter from 2017 to 2020. Part of the Advisory Board for the University of Nevada's Civil & Environmental Engineering Department between 2018 and 2020. Contributed to the Industry Advisory Committee of the Civil Engineering Program at California State University, Sacramento from 2009 to 2017. Board Member of The Road Information Program from 2015 to 2017. Held positions on the Board of Directors for both the American Leadership Forum Mountain Valley Chapter and the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce between 2011 and 2015. Currently, he's a part of the California Construction and Industrial Minerals Association Board of Directors and Executive Committee and the Caltrans Construction Partnering Steering Committee, both since 2021.
Martin Vergara II
Head of Talent Acquisition, Managing Director
Morgan Stanley
Martin Vergara currently holds the role of Global Head of Talent Acquisition for Morgan Stanley. Since joining in 2007, Martin has served as COO for several organizations, including Corporate Services & Global Centers, Private Wealth Management and Firmwide Marketing. Additionally, Martin spent time in various producing & managerial capacities within Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Division. Outside of work, Martin is dedicated to giving back to his hometown Paterson, NJ, serving on several non-profit boards and as Board Chairman for the Hamilton Partnership for Paterson and NJ Community Development Corporation. As a High School senior, Martin was drafted by the Cleveland Indians Baseball Club in the 15th- Round. He forewent going pro and enrolled at the University of Notre Dame as a student-athlete pitching for the baseball team and graduating with a B.A. in Finance. In addition to his undergraduate degree Martin holds an MBA from Columbia University. Martin resides in his hometown with his wife, Deniz and children, Ayla and Hart.
Doug Jensen
SVP Go-to-Market Analytics & Activation and Learning Center of Excellence,
The ESTEE LAUDER COMPANIES
Doug Jensen is the Senior Vice President of Go-to-Market (GTM) Analytics & Activation and Learning COE within the Enterprise Marketing & Data department at The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC). With a rich 30-year career in marketing analytics, Doug plays a pivotal role at ELC. His responsibilities encompass: · Overseeing a corporate function covering analytics, marketing technology, and best practice adoption. · Leading the GTM analytics and activation team, collaborating with brands and regions to translate insights into actions. · Heading the company's marketing technology sector, guiding consumer data, CRM/campaign management, and retention marketing strategies. · Spearheading the company’s global market share reporting and establishing the marketing mix modeling capability to gauge the incrementality and ROI of ELC's investments. · Directing the company's marketing learning strategy through ELC-specific training series, covering subjects like brand equity, full-funnel media, earned media, repeat/retention, and the Metaverse. Before his tenure at ELC, Doug held the position of Vice President, Global Analytics at Avon Products, Inc., where he established the global analytics and measurement system for the firm's primary beauty segments.
Lily Benjamin, PhD
Head of Talent & Org.Optimization
Big Tech Company
Dr. Lily Benjamin is a business psychologist, with extensive experience optimizing organizational health to increase engagement, productivity, and safety through high impact large-scale change management strategies. She specializes in organization diagnosis, organizational design, cost effectiveness, disputes mediation, negotiation, leadership development, talent management, succession planning, performance management, executive coaching, integrating DEI in all people and business processes. Dr. Benjamin has been recognized as a strategic, decisive, and visionary leader who motivates multicultural teams to perform at their peak. She attributes her success in navigating through change-intensive business environments to being a keen assessor of risk and opportunity with well-tested business judgment.
Jesma Johnson
Sr.Director Global DEI
Colgate-Palmolive
Jesma Johnson is the Senior Director of Colgate's Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team, where she furthers Colgate's DE&I Strategy to foster a sense of belonging within the organization. Prior to this, for three years, she served as the Senior Director of Global Learning, collaborating with Business Leaders and HR to develop learning solutions for Digital, Innovation, and Global Technology. Under her guidance, Colgate secured six Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards, and Jesma individually received a Corporate YCMAD award for her contributions in learning. She initially joined Colgate as HR Manager for Global Regulatory, Quality, Product Safety & Analytical, progressing through roles of increasing responsibility. A significant tenure included her role as Associate Director Human Resources for the U.S. Customer Development and North America Demand organizations, where she spearheaded various DE&I initiatives, expanded learning opportunities, and drove talent management strategies. Jesma holds a Bachelor’s Degree and an MBA from Florida A&M University.
Patricia Porter
VP, Global Talent Acquisition
MetLife
Patricia Porter is the Vice President and Head of Global Talent Acquisition and Mobility at MetLife, overseeing talent recruitment and development across various global markets. Her responsibilities encompass employer branding, recruitment marketing, operations, strategic sourcing, programs for veterans, mobility, diversity recruiting, referrals, and alumni engagements. Before MetLife, Patricia was the Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she led a 300-member international team and initiated the Women of Color and African American Forum speaker series. She has over 20 years of experience in human capital strategies, specializing in technical talent acquisition across different sectors. Patricia is passionate about innovative talent strategies, which she advances using data insights and forming strong partnerships. She has received numerous industry awards and has been pivotal in organizational transformations, including reshaping talent acquisition at MetLife. Patricia is a board member of Two Six Technologies and the Marymount University Alumni Business Innovation Leadership and Technology board. She holds a Master's from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor's from Marymount University.
Inés Rénique
Journalist
Inés Rénique is a Peruvian-American journalist. Previously she was an audio producer at VICE, producing El hilo, a weekly Spanish-language podcast covering global news with a focus on Latin America. Before that, she worked at WAMU 88.5, Washington D.C.’s NPR station, producing The Kojo Nnamdi Show, the city’s landmark daily talk show. Her focus areas include immigration, gender and climate issues. Inés has a bachelor's degree from American University’s School of International Service and a master’s degree from Columbia University's School of Journalism.
Jorge Quezada
Chief DEI Officer, VP, People & Culture
Granite Construction
Jorge is Granite Construction’s Vice President of People & Culture/Chief Diversity Officer. In his role, he is responsible for Workforce Compliance and Inclusive Diversity, where he helps the company implement strategies that address Granite’s guiding belief that diverse backgrounds, perspectives, cultures, and experiences enhance creativity and innovation. He brings an innovative approach to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and looks to make a lasting impact at Granite and in the construction industry. Before joining Granite, Jorge served as Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion – Leadership Development at Northwestern Mutual and Chief Diversity Officer at Kraft Foods. He spent over 25 years at Allstate Insurance Company and held leadership roles in Human Resources, D&I, Product Operations, Product Development, Marketing, Claims, and Sales. Throughout the years, Jorge has been active in civic and community organizations, such as the Association of Hispanic Professionals for Education, the Urban League of Orange County (CA), Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Los Angeles, Leadership Greater Chicago, the Latino Policy Forum, the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE), the Chicago Posse Foundation and served as a board member at Rancho Cielo in Salinas, CA. Jorge currently sits on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the Associated General Contractors of California. He also serves as the Co-Chair of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) Workforce Development Committee. Finally, in 2021, he became the cohost of Construction DEI Talks, a podcast with tools for building Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the construction industry. Jorge Quezada and his wife, Judith, live in Soquel, California. He is the proud father of his daughter, Venezia, and son Marc Anthony. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Whittier College and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
