LATINA Style magazine has named Verizon Communications to the "LATINA Style 50 - 2001," its annual list of the top 50 companies for Hispanic professional women. This is the latest of several awards Verizon has earned for diversity achievements since its formation one year ago.

To compile the list, LATINA Style surveyed 600 U.S. corporations for their responsiveness to the needs of Hispanic working women. Companies were evaluated on such issues as Latinas in management, mentoring, educational programs, benefits and Hispanic relations. The list appears in the magazine's August issue.

"To be competitive, Verizon's employee base needs to reflect the marketplace we serve. That's why we are moving aggressively to recognize and develop the Hispanic executive leadership, especially women, that we'll need even more in the future," said Oscar Gomez, Verizon vice president, Office of Diversity and Business Compliance.

Six months ago, the new company established the Development and Leadership Initiative, a program that focuses on employee career development, retention and advancement. The program includes professional mentoring, career tracking and educational seminars. Verizon's Hispanic employees are the first to participate in the initiative.

"Since initiating our leadership development program just a short while ago, there has been a 38 percent increase in the number of Hispanic females in Verizon management. And we've only just begun," said Gomez.

Verizon also supports Hispanic organizations, both within the company and the communities it serves, to better understand and serve the Hispanic market. For example, the Hispanic Support Organization, a Verizon employee group, and the company work together to identify high-potential, qualified Hispanic candidates when appropriate promotional opportunities become available.

This year, two Verizon Latinas received the National Hispanic Corporate Achievers Award. The award, sponsored by National Hispanic Corporate Achievers Inc., a nationwide network of Hispanic professionals, recognized Maria D. Cruz, Verizon director of supplier diversity, and Amelia Rowe, manager for Verizon's Wholesale Services group, for their professional achievements and contributions to the Hispanic community.

The LATINA Style recognition is the latest in a growing number of diversity honors Verizon has earned in the past year. The company has also been named to the following "best companies" lists:

100 Best Companies for Latinos, Hispanic magazine

100 Best Companies for Working Mothers, Working Mother magazine

50 Best Companies for Minorities, Fortune magazine

Top 30 companies for Women and Minority-Owned Suppliers, Working Women magazine

Charter member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable for minority and women-owned suppliers, Minority Business News U.S.A & Women's Enterprise magazine

Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 125 million access line equivalents and approximately 28 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with about 260,000 employees and more than $65 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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