Raquel Tamez

Raquel Tamez serves as the CEO of the Society of Hispanic Engineers (SHPE). Since onboarding in June 2017, she has brought a renewed energy to the membership organization, expanding national programs, services, and resources offered to more than 10,000 members across 200 plus chapters nationwide. As the CEO, Raquel guides SHPE’s mission of helping the Hispanic community realize its potential through careers in STEM—science, technology, engineering and math. She envisions a future where Hispanics are recognized as leading scientists, engineers, mathematicians and innovators. Prior to SHPE, Raquel was the Chief Legal officer, General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Legal for SourceAmerica, a national nonprofit agency that creates employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities. Before that, she was Deputy General Counsel of Global Litigation at CSC, a global leader in next generation IT services and solutions. Raquel started her legal career as a trial lawyer for the U.S. Department of Labor, moving on to become corporate counsel for Mary Kay Inc., before serving in private practice in the technology sector and eventually joining CSC. Fluent in Spanish and born to Mexican immigrant parents, Raquel is a figure in the legal circles and Hispanic community. She was given the Hispanic Corporate Achiever Award by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility in 2008, and was twice recognized by the publication Inside Counsel as a rising general counsel. The Association of Corporate Counsel and the publicationLegal Bisnow named her among the “2015 Corporate Counsel Trending 40,” and Leading Latinos magazine voted her one the 25 most influential Hispanic lawyers in 2016. Raquel has also been featured in the legal publication Vanguard, and four times has been the subject of leading stories in Hispanic Executive. Most recently, Raquel was nominated and appointed as a member of the Federal Communication Commission’s Diversity in Tech Working Group of the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment. Raquel also serves as a Board Member of CESSE (the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives); and she represents SHPE on the Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility Board of Directors, as well as the STEM Education Coalition, a STEM policy and advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. Raquel serves on advisory councils for the Internet of Things in Manufacturing, digitalNow, and Rutgers University Customer Experience Advisory Board. Raquel is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary’s University School of Law. She is a native of Texas and currently lives in Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. She has a certification in personal training and Pilates. She practices yoga regularly, and enjoys road biking and long walks with her Great Dane, Owen.