WALTER A. RODRIGUEZ
Manager, Diversity Inclusion & Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Communications Division
Hyundai Motor America
Walter Rodriguez is a 17-year automotive executive. Rodriguez joined
Hyundai in 2006 as District Sales Manager for the Los Angeles Metro. In 2007,
Rodriguez was named to lead Hyundai’s Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility
marketing communications and activities. As a senior team member of Hyundai’s Corporate
Communications Division, Rodriguez holds a pivotal role in increasing consumer awareness and brand
recognition for Hyundai. Rodriguez is responsible for leading Hyundai’s corporate wide Diversity
Inclusion program, supporting Hyundai’s Community Relations initiatives, and assists in operating the
Hyundai Hope On Wheels Foundation.
Prior to Hyundai, Rodriguez was at Nissan North America, where he worked for 10 years and
held a number of management positions for the Nissan and Infiniti Divisions. Rodriguez holds a Bachelor
of Science degree in Business Administration from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis
Obispo and earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Rodriguez
holds a 6-Sigma Black Belt certificate.
Rodriguez is a Board member for the Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce, Board member on
the Diversity Council for MIND Research Institute, and was recently appointed to serve on the Board of
the Japanese American Community Credit Union.
Rodriguez lives in Orange County, California with his wife and daughter. In his spare time,
Rodriguez enjoys cooking, travel, golf, and spending quality time with his family and friends.
Kendra Angier is the Campus Vice President of the Southern California
campus for the University of Phoenix, North America’s largest private university.
In her current role, Kendra is aaccountable for program selection and academic
quality, student outcomes including learning and career achievement, and
relationships with local business, academic and community-based leaders. In
collaboration with her director team, she ensures the performance of over 1200
staff and faculty across ten learning centers. She is regarded as a
transformational leader with demonstrated excellence in building and leading
teams, managing strategy, resources, and finances to exceed annual operating
objectives.
Prior to her role as Campus Vice President, Kendra spent twenty years in Human Resources. She
is a classically trained HR executive with experience in all major aspects of the HR function in multiple
industries and a variety of firm sizes, including Accenture, Pepsi and a local non-profit serving at-risk
youth. She has demonstrated expertise in using human capital planning processes to align HR priorities
with business strategy. Her areas of expertise include organization effectiveness, change management,
talent management, system and process improvement, employee relations, and HR functional
management.
Today, Kendra enjoys the opportunity of combining her HR expertise with her practical business
knowledge to lead a tier one market for University of Phoenix. Committed to learning and development,
Kendra is an instructor at University of Phoenix, facilitating Human Resources and Leadership courses for
the School of Business. Kendra is a member of the California Diversity Council and National Human
Resources Association.