Today we’d like to introduce you to Salena Guipzot.
Hi Salena, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up nomadic throughout the country meant a lot of uncharted waters, every path I took was unpaved for me. I ultimately became the woman I needed growing up.
I spent my early professional years having to learn things the hard way. I took my pain and the hard lessons learned to create an organization called the Boardroom Project (BRP). BRP works to develop young girls and professional women of color to become board leaders to represent themselves and their community at the table throughout Texas, Arizona, and as far as Kenya, and Africa.
Because of the uncharted waters, I have the strength and vision to start with a new canvas, allowing me to be as bold, creative, and fearless as I want to be. In addition to BRP, I am also the owner of Casa Guipzot, LLC, a boutique wine shop and tasting room specializing in Mexican wine.
The perfect storm for my love of travel, wine, and culture. I have the pleasure of educating and expanding palates to the south of us with all of the delicious wines Mexico has to offer!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being the only homegrown, Mexican-American from both the hood and the barrio to be the founder of an all-girls and women leadership organization in San Antonio has been no easy feat.
All I see are white women being funded around me when they have no personal understanding of what it takes to survive the barrio let alone succeed despite of it. As I continue to grow BRP throughout Texas, now Arizona, and abroad to Africa, it’s been disheartening to see how very little support we receive locally from local “leaders” who state they are all about women empowerment as long as you receive their blessing and they’re not even from here.
Meanwhile, they drive home to their gated communities and I drive back and forth from East Houston Street to West Houston Street to see the reality of our city and the generational trauma that plagues our next generation of female leaders.
I know I do this work for the next Salena, who is growing up in the streets and the system, not knowing where she will sleep or where her next meal will come from. So many superficial organizations love to hand out fish, but very few teach our youth how to fish. We’re teaching our youth to be the voice at the table so they are part of the decision-making process instead of being on the menu.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Boardroom Project and Casa Guipzot, LLC?
Our work of representation in the boardroom starts with community. Our organization is rooted in women at the table who are committed and dedicated to supporting the next generation of board leaders. We pride ourselves in having youth at the table with voting rights to ensure the voice of our youth are always heard and considered when making decisions that will impact them directly. Technology is at the forefront of all our work to help prepare our leaders for the future.
BRP has three pillars of success: BRP Scholar, BRP Pro, and BRP Link. We work with girls from middle and high school to college. BRP Pro allows us to support professional women who are interested in board service but don’t know where to start, by preparing them for the boardroom and assisting them with board placement based on what they know, not who they know. BRP Link allows us to work with organizations that need assistance with strategic planning, board training and development, and board member placement to ensure they have a diverse board who are passionate about their mission.
Casa Guipzot is a niche wine business bringing the beauty of the Mexican culture and the six wine regions to the palates of wine enthusiasts alike!
What do you think about happiness?
On a professional level, what makes me happy is serving others, and educating others on what they just don’t know or have access to knowledge.
On a personal level, because of growing up nomadic, I am most happy when exploring and traveling the world, or like my husband likes to say, “eres mas feliz, cuando estas en la calle!”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boardroomproject.org / www.casaguipzot.com
- Instagram: @boardroomproject / @casa_guipzot
- Facebook: facebook.com/boardroomproject / facebook.com/CasaGuipzot
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/boardrmproject
