VANESSA CHAVIANO; 2022 Top Lideres Awards: SW Florida

What is your Hispanic Heritage:

Cuban American

What area of Florida do you live in:

Cape Coral, FL

What is your profession:

Marketing & Business Operations, Nonprofit Business Leader

Tell us about what you do for a living and how you got into it

For the past 10+ years, I’ve been in the digital marketing and advertising space. I started my

career in automotive in 2003 and worked in various roles throughout the dealership. In 2011 an

opportunity came to support dealers with their digital marketing efforts, and I jumped right in.

Supporting dealers was a natural thing for me since I spent most of my professional life in the

space. I jokingly say that I started honing my marketing skills at one of my dealerships in 2005,

where I supported the Internet Department and sent out email blasts with $500 coupons.

In your industry, what would you say separates you from your competition?

The automotive and technology industry is male-dominated. When I started working at my first

marketing agency, I became the first women manager in my department. I was also part of a

very small number of leaders in the company to have a bachelor's and master's degree. The

education wasn’t needed to start in the agency or in a dealership, but I believe it taught me

some key foundational skills. I was prepared and able to successfully navigate my duties and

responsibilities while also proving myself to be open to future growth opportunities and

advancement within the company at a fast pace.

Why do you feel you were nominated?

I would say I was nominated because of my commitment to my community. I’ve volunteered with

numerous organizations and have sat on many boards to help make an impact. I’ve made it a

point to share my skills and knowledge with the Hispanic community by providing resources and

opportunities while also building networks and relationships. I founded Leading Latina, a

non-profit organization in 2019 to advance and promote the personal/professional growth and

leadership of its members and women within the Hispanic community.

During Covid-19, tell us about your biggest challenge/obstacle and how you overcame

it/or are overcoming it

​I would say the biggest challenge personally was finding a balance between family/work. My

kids had to complete the rest of their school year at home during quarantine. This was a big shift

in our daily life and took a bit to manage and get under control. There were a lot of tears on both

sides, but we made it through. Professionally I was already “remote,” so I didn’t have to adjust to

“working from home.” I was already leveraging Zoom and GoToMeeting to connect with clients

because you can do marketing from anywhere. The biggest challenge was working with our

clients on how they would connect with their prospects with their product/service - not knowing

what was to come and what their budget would be because of everything shutting down. We

overcame this obstacle by re-evaluating our marketing mix and shifting our strategy to more

digital tactics to capture the audience that was online or in front of the tv because they couldn’t

do anything else. We created targeted campaigns with a very defined audience to deliver the

most engagement and conversions.

Tell us about your biggest achievement and how you achieved it

Personally, my greatest achievement was becoming a mother. That is honestly, hands down, a

truly unexplainable kind of love. If you’re a parent, you know what I’m talking about. I stand in

awe of my daughter every day. She is my reason why. Professionally, I don’t think I’ve hit my

“biggest” achievement yet. I’ve had some great accomplishments - BS Bachelors, MS Masters,

MBA, Team Member of the Year, 40 Under 40, etc. I’m very ambitious and truly set out to

accomplish whatever it is I put my mind to. If you tell me I can’t, just watch me. My inner fire and

drive to “do great things and make an impact” are what help me achieve everything I’ve done

and will continue to do.

What is next for you? What can people expect to see from you?

It’s hard to say what is next. We like to think we can control and plan everything, but God has

the final say. I pray that I am walking on the right path and achieving what I was created to

achieve. I’ve told my mom since I was young that I’ve always felt that I was meant to do

something great in this world - I just don’t know what it is. People can expect me to stay

involved and committed to my community. Being a voice and face for young Hispanic women

that you can achieve whatever it is you set out to do - you just have to take the first step.

What does being a U.S. Citizen mean to you?

Opportunity. My grandfather came to this country on one of the last flights from Cuba to New

York. He built a successful jewelry business in New Jersey and owned a multi-family property

and a few others. He accomplished all of this with a third-grade education. This is truly the land

of opportunity, and he was proud to be a U.S. Citizen. It’s because of him that I can stand here

today and take advantage of what this country has to offer.

What words of encouragement can you offer?

Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. That is where you will grow the most. Do it

scared. You may learn something new about yourself.

What is YOUR comida Latina favorita?

There are so many picking one is hard - Arroz Imperial, Picadillo, Croqueta de Jamon….all the

food really.