The Hispanic Leadership Summit plans to host its first Dallas gathering on Sept. 9, coinciding with the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The summit plans to bring people with a variety of professional backgrounds together, like those in business, health, media, technology, and more. The event is hosted by the We Are All Human Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Leaders from major Dallas-Fort Worth-based businesses are expected to attend, including AT&T, Texas Instruments, Southwest Airlines, Pinnacle Group, and PepsiCo (which has its Frito-Lay headquarters in Plano).

“The goal of the Hispanic Leadership Summit: Dallas is to foster robust conversations between cross sector leadership to unify under a common agenda that addresses barriers around improving the perception of Hispanics in the community, increases access to education, and fosters financial and workplace empowerment,” Claudia Romo Edelman, a former United Nations diplomat and We Are All Human Foundation’s CEO and founder, told Dallas Innovates in an email.

Dancers at last year’s national Hispanic Leadership Summit. [Photo: We Are All Human]

Along with Edelman, the summit’s co-hosts include Thaddeus Arroyo, AT&T Business’ CEO; Nina Vaca, Pinnacle Group’s CEO and chairman; Matthew Myers, SMU Cox School of Business’ Dean; and María Ríos, Nation Waste Inc.’s president and CEO.

“We Are All Human hopes the Dallas summit will set the stage for leaders at corporations and in the community to identify strategies, define plans, and take action in support of the advancement of U.S. Hispanics as consumers, employees, and community members,” Edelman says.

Edelman’s nonprofit has a pretty simple idea behind it: “We are all human.”

The New York-based organization operates by the idea that “love, compassion, and connection will move us forward.” In uniting people from various companies and organizations, the nonprofit aims to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion, while transforming how people think and act.

Edelman herself is a global leader and advocate. She says that her intent is to be a “force for good” by using all of her means to inspire others. “My commitment is to share the ‘access code’ to all, particularly to my emerging-market women, and open the door to as many individuals as I can,” she says on We Are All Human’s website.

Now is the time for “corporate America to recognize the value of the Latino community,” We Are All Human says, to ultimately “ignite change for a more inclusive society.” With the Summit, the goal is to spark conversation and drive actionable solutions for the Latino community.

The Hispanic Promise, a “first-of-its-kind diversity and inclusion pledge for Hispanics in America,” is also expected to be featured at the Dallas Summit. More than 45 corporations signed the promise earlier this year, including Microsoft, Aflac, and Unilever.

Along with Dallas, there are also regional Hispanic Leadership Summits in Chicago and San Francisco. The second national Hispanic Leadership Summit will happen at the United Nations in December.

Hispanic Leadership Summit: Dallas is scheduled to take place at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business on Sept. 9 from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.