Growing up Latina in a historically low-income state, Leah Maria Pelletier, strategic account executive at Acro Service Corp., found ways to overcome adversity herself and used it as fuel to give back to those facing similar hurdles.

“I didn’t want to work two jobs as my mom did. I wanted a sense of purpose beyond just working,” she explains. “I take a lot of pride in being able to promote programs for people who don’t have access to those educational opportunities in life and show them that they can still be successful.”

Pelletier found that sense of purpose in staffing and has built a career of over 20 years in the industry — and she’s seen firsthand the impact that DE&I can have on a firm’s success.

When Pelletier was promoted to manager at a prior staffing company in 2014, she noticed the firm was stagnant. “I noticed a commonality among every team: They were all the same. They lacked diversity of thought … and that’s when I realized it was time for a shift,” she says. Pelletier changed the focus for targeting the ideal candidate to personality matching and included candidates that were more outgoing to work with introverts.

"I take a lot of pride in being able to promote programs for people who don’t have access to those educational opportunities in life and show them that they can still be successful. "

She’s taken her passion to Acro, where she’s worked directly with Acro’s diverse supplier partners and helped them position themselves to become leaders in the industry. Approximately 50% of Acro’s supplier network are business enterprises owned by women, minorities, persons with handicaps or disability and veterans, Pelletier explains. “Empowerment in the DE&I space is the reason Acro is able to provide best-in class service to its client base. I’ve seen that come to play on a daily basis.”

Pelletier also serves as president of the human resource association of New Mexico. As its VP of diversity in 2014, she planned its first diversity community fair, which had over 100 attendees and eight community partners, for an educational session and community gathering to promote resources and advocating for people adversely affected by their color, gender or disability in the workplace. The annual event has since grown to more than 90 employers and 200+ attendees.

Pelletier’s zeal is a testament to the power of hard work and a desire to drive change: “The focus should be on creating opportunities by acting more and saying less.”

2023 DE&I Influencers List