Marcela Iglesias is the Western United States Public Affairs Zone Consultant for State Farm Insurance, the world's largest personal insurer. Iglesias started the first regional public affairs office in California for State Farm during the aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake. She now provides leadership to regional public affairs staff in seven Western states.
Iglesias, who holds a law degree and is a member of the California Bar, received her Masters in multicultural education form Pepperdine University. Though her career began in bilingual education, the transition to management and Public Affairs at State Farm was a natural. Whether working on matters of public policy, legislative or regulatory issues, or responding to the media after a disaster, Iglesias considers communication to be the single most important element of her job and the one most important skill for anyone in business to develop.
"I know it sounds very simple to say good communication is important, but it isn't always easy to accomplish, especially with the increasingly complex issues we face in the insurance industry and in today's general business environment. But, clear, straightforward communication is vital to attracting and retaining customers and employees. If you get it right, though they won't always agree, people will understand what you're doing and why.
Good communication is critical to maintaining a trustworthy reputation."
Good communication is also the basis for successful relationship building, which is a major part of Iglesias' job in Public Affairs. She currently represents State Farm on the national level with several major Latin organizations including MALDEF; NHLI; MANA, A National Latina Organization; and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda. At home in Elk Grove, Iglesias has recently helped found a new chapter of MANA which will serve the greater Sacramento area. Their first major project is a targeted voter education campaign to help bring a voice to the growing interests of the local Latino community. The group is organizing citizen workshops and cosponsoring a community forum entitled Your Future, Your Vote, Your Choice.
Iglesias also helped establish the Northern California Insurance Partnership with NeighborWorks, a nonprofit urban renewal program, and she has served on the board of directors of the Sacramento Mutual Housing Association.
At the center of Iglesias' busy life are her three children. She is proud that her nearly teen-aged daughter and elder son and daughter just in their early twenties have already learned to value communication. "I've watched them learn that you can gain respect and understanding by taking the time for thoughtful communication. It's great to see!"
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Date last modified: 9 Jan 97
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