Miguel Joey Aviles: Leveraging the SHINE Framework

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By Princess Jones Curtis

“I strive to bridge the gap between the heart and the mind by using the power of stories, data, inspiration, advocacy, education, and metrics,” explains Miguel Joey Aviles when asked about his work as the Chief of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion of the U.S. Coast Guard. He is the first civilian in history to hold the position. Every day he Influences and inspires leaders to believe and act in the power of belonging, inclusion, equity, and diversity. “Ultimately, I am in charge of leading policy development, management, planning, coordination and execution of the Coast Guard’s service-wide D&I programs. The best part of my job is leading an amazing group of D&I practitioners comprised of Active Duty members and civilians.”

As for the work of diversity itself, the TEDx speaker believes that what we do today will lay the groundwork for the future. “For Diversity and Inclusion to become a reality, it must be deeply woven into the organizational DNA. This means, D&I must become operational in every aspect of workforce readiness – from recruitment to retirement. Looking ahead we are in the process of developing and implementing a strategy with specific components addressing leadership support, D&I education, coaching and mentoring, the advancement of underrepresented groups in every talent management area, advocacy, alignment with changing conditions in the labor landscape, and D&I metrics.”

Aviles is also the author of Hispanics 101: How to Recruit, Manage and Grow your Hispanic Workforce. “The main purpose of the book is to provide tangible workforce strategies to managers and employers so that they can effectively tap into the potential of Hispanic workers,” he says. “The book introduces a five-step process which we call the SHINE Framework. SHINE stands for Sustainable Hispanic Initiatives to Nurture Excellence. These five steps help managers to understand, manage, and grow their Hispanic workforce by providing strategies for hiring and retention based on the wants and needs of the Hispanic workforce.”

Aviles believes that 2019 is the opportune time to be a person of color because there is a perfect combination of opportunity, potential, and need. “Being a person of color in 2019 represents an ignition of purpose and destiny coupled with the prospect of creating a path to success for generations to come.”

Watch Miguel Joey Aviles in his element below: