Honoree

Magda Yrizarry has been a force for change for over three decades at Verizon and in the communities served by the global technology powerhouse. Across her career, Magda has held roles that care for the needs of multiple stakeholders - employees, customers, investors and society. She has designed and executed initiatives that connect corporate capabilities with community needs, drove public policies that enabled both business success and social responsibility, and led talent organizations to attract, develop and inspire employees and diverse suppliers. Driven by the scripture, to whom much is given, much is expected, Magda will continue to use her experience to build a more inclusive and equitable society as she enters her retirement, “rewirement", season.

 

Magda served as Verizon’s Chief Talent and Diversity Officer where responsibilities included the hiring, development, advancement, and retention of talent, from campus to executive, and Verizon’s Supplier Diversity program. Knowing representation is not enough, Magda led many global initiatives to foster an inclusive culture and build inclusive leaders. In response to the recent calls for racial justice, Magda developed a cross-functional response allowing Verizon to live up to the highest ideals of equality. Under Magda’s leadership Verizon received industry praise with top accolades from Forbes, Fortune, Working Mother, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), Black Enterprise, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Disability:IN and Military Friendly®. Magda began her Verizon career in external affairs where she held numerous roles at the local and national level, including executive director for public policy and strategic alliances, managing national outreach efforts across diverse constituencies.

 

Magda serves as vice-chairperson of ASPIRA of New York and chair of its advancement committee. She is an alumna Hall of Famer for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF). Magda has been twice recognized as one of the 50 Most Powerful Latinas in America by the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), named to People en Español's 25 Most Powerful Women, a Top Executive in Corporate Diversity by Black Enterprise, and a President's Award recipient from the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USHCC). Magda is also an alumna of the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) and a founding member of 100 Hispanic Women. In 2023, Magda was appointed to the White House’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.

 

A Puerto Rican, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York by an amazing mother, Magda is a first generation college graduate who earned a Bachelor of Science and Master's Degree from Cornell University. She serves on the Cornell University Alumni Council and Cornell Mosaic dedicated to campus diversity and inclusion, as well as the Advisory Board for Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning. Committed to continuous learning, Magda completed an executive training program at Harvard University and is also a certified executive coach. She serves on the Governing Board of Stonecrest Community Church and Chair of its Racial Justice Task Force. Magda is also a Trustee of Columbia Theological Seminary. Magda shares three adult children with her husband, Ray, and lives in New Jersey. As a beneficiary of Head Start, and as an Aspirante, Girl Scout, Fresh Air Fund kid, and HSF and LULAC scholar, Magda understands the power of resources that open doors of access and opportunity.