Collective Heritage, Collective Growth: Latinx Leadership In The Channel

Like many cultural celebration months, Latinx heritage is not just a celebration of culture, but a recognition of resilience.

Every Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, we mark Latinx Heritage Month as a time to honor the history, culture, and contributions of people whose roots trace back to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Latinx communities have always been integral to the story of America. From farmworkers who fed the nation to activists who fought for labor rights, from artists who gave voice to identity to engineers who advanced technology, this history runs deep. And in the IT channel, a space built on collaboration, innovation, and ecosystems, Latinx heritage is not just past tense. It is a living, collective force shaping how we grow today and how we will innovate tomorrow.

The 2025 theme, “Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future,” could not be more aligned with the channel’s DNA. The channel is, after all, about collective growth through vendors, distributors, partners, and solution providers joining forces to bring technology to life. Latinx traditions of mutual aid, coalition-building, and community strength offer lessons for how our ecosystem can build toward an improved future.

Then: Mutual Aid And Collective Power

Latinx history in the United States is marked by a simple truth: progress has never been achieved alone. In the early 20th century, Latinx workers built mutual aid societies to support each other’s health, education, and businesses when mainstream institutions excluded them. Organizations like the League of United Latin American Citizens and the United Farm Workers movement demonstrated that advocacy and solidarity could change laws, workplace safety, and entire industries.

This tradition of collective support is not just historical. It is foundational. It proved that when one person rises, the community rises with them.

Now: Ecosystems As The Channel’s Lifeblood

The IT channel thrives on the very principles Latinx heritage has long embodied: partnership, interdependence, and trust. Vendors cannot succeed without distributors. Managed service providers do not grow without vendor and partner support. Alliances are what turn good technology into market-shaping solutions.

Today, Latinx professionals in the channel bring those values into boardrooms, partner programs, and engineering teams. From channel sales leaders like Natalia Herrera at Logitech to founders of Latinx-owned managed service providers across Texas, California, and Florida, their impact is already visible. These leaders bring not only technical expertise but also a cultural fluency in collaboration, understanding that relationship-building is more than a business strategy. It is a way of being.

Yet, representation remains uneven. Latinx workers make up nearly 19 percent of the U.S. workforce but are significantly underrepresented in technology leadership. If the channel ecosystem truly mirrors collective growth, we need intentional investment in Latinx leadership pipelines, partner-owned businesses, and equitable access to funding and mentorship.

Future: Building Collective Innovation

Looking ahead, the lessons of Latinx heritage point us toward a future where collective growth is our greatest strength. Here is what that could mean for the channel:

Invest In Latinx Talent Pipelines. Create mentorship and sponsorship opportunities for Latinx professionals at every stage of their careers, from entry-level engineers to senior channel executives. Equity is not passive. It is planned.

Support Latinx-Owned Partners. Distributors and vendors can expand their ecosystems by intentionally identifying and elevating Latinx-owned managed service providers and solution providers. This widens customer reach while diversifying the partner base.

Embed Cultural Fluency into Strategy. Latinx values of family, storytelling, and community can inform more authentic partner programs and marketing strategies. In an industry where trust is everything, cultural fluency becomes a competitive advantage.

Celebrate Visible Leadership. Highlighting Latinx leaders in the channel on stages, in partner advisory councils, and in the media ensures that future generations see themselves reflected in positions of influence. Visibility sustains inspiration.

Think Beyond Transactions. Just as mutual aid societies saw success as collective, not individual, the channel can prioritize growth that benefits the entire ecosystem. That means aligning incentives, sharing resources, and celebrating those who have historically been left out.

Why It Matters

Latinx Heritage Month is not just a moment to reflect. It is a call to action. Honoring the past means recognizing the resilience that brought us here. Inspiring the future means ensuring the channel becomes a space where Latinx professionals do not just participate, but thrive as innovators, decision-makers, and industry shapers.

The story of Latinx heritage in America is a story of collective power. People built, organized, and innovated even when the odds were against them. The story of the IT channel is much the same. No single company, partner, or vendor can go it alone. Growth comes from collaboration.

This month, as we celebrate “Collective Heritage,” let us not just post tributes. Let us act in ways that honor the resilience of the past, reflect the ecosystems of the present, and build a channel future where Latinx leadership is not the exception, but the expectation.

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