SAHCC Announces Sonia Canales and Sonia Moreno-Rogers as LLI 12 Co-Chairs

Two distinguished Latina Leadership Institute alumnae return to lead the program’s next cohort.

The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce Sonia Canales of H-E-B and Sonia Moreno-Rogers of University Health as Co-Chairs of Latina Leadership Institute Cohort 12 (LLI 12).


Both leaders are graduates of LLI Cohort 4 and have remained connected to the program through continued service and leadership. Canales has served on the LLI Cohort 5 and Cohort 11 Steering Committees, while Moreno-Rogers served on the Cohort 5 Steering Committee. 


Together, they bring decades of experience spanning corporate leadership, healthcare, communications, community engagement, inclusion and public service. As Co-Chairs, Canales and Moreno-Rogers will help guide LLI 12 as the next cohort of Latina leaders strengthens their leadership skills, expands their networks and deepens their impact across the San Antonio community.

Meet Sonia Canales, H-E-B


Sonia Quirino Canales serves as Diversity & Inclusion Program Manager at H-E-B, where she works to advance a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging for Partners across Texas while supporting community engagement efforts throughout the areas H-E-B serves.

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    She is most proud of several accomplishments that have helped share H-E-B’s culture of belonging and inclusion. Sonia launched H-E-B’s first bullying prevention program, the H-E-B Buddy League, which empowered more than 100,000 students to embrace the message of Be a Buddy, Not a Bully. She helped foster meaningful conversations, creating safe spaces, and promoting allyship. She played a key role in rolling out the Be the Change initiative and doubled attendance at the H-E-B Diversity & Inclusion Summit, expanding awareness and education around important diversity and inclusion topics. Additionally, her early collaboration with the Texas Workforce Commission, HR and Recruiting laid the foundation for a more focused effort to hire individuals with disabilities. 


    Sonia has 20 years of combined experience in Diversity & Inclusion, Communications and Marketing, Community Relations, Charitable Giving, and Event Planning. Prior to her work at H-E-B, she had supporting and leadership roles in communications, marketing and community relations at Bromley Communications, Our Lady of the Lake University, the American Heart Association, the City of San Antonio, the San Antonio Independent School District and TNTP. In her role at USAA, she was responsible for strategic oversight of Employee Resource Group programming and talent mobility for more than 13,000 employees. 


    She is a graduate of the Latina Leadership Institute (LLI) of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Cohort 4) and served on the LLI Cohort 5 and 11 Steering Committees. She received the Diversity Champion Award by the Texas Diversity Council (2015) and the Community Service Award from the Public Relations Society of America, San Antonio Chapter (2017).


    Sonia has held several board positions including the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, the SAISD Foundation, the Avenida Guadalupe Association and United Communities of San Antonio.


    She earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Our Lady of the Lake University. She received certification in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion from Cornell University, the University of South Florida, and the National Diversity Council.


    Sonia is married to Mike and has three children-Olivia, Joshua and Joseph. In her spare time, she enjoys participating in women’s and music ministry at her church and watching Netflix documentaries.  

Meet Sonia Moreno-Rogers, University Health


Sonia Moreno-Rogers is Director of Operations at University Health, bringing 22 years of experience across healthcare, higher education and public service. Her work at University Health has included CareLink, public health grant programs, nursing administration and emergency services.

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    CareLink is University Health's financial assistance program for people in San Antonio and Bexar County who don't have private or public health insurance and don't qualify for other coverage. Today, the program provides financial stability for more than 25,000 members and has been studied and cited as a model by national policy and research organizations.


    A native of San Antonio, Sonia earned a bachelor's degree in public relations with a minor in Spanish from the University of Houston in 2005, a master's degree in public administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2019, and a graduate certificate in nonprofit administration and leadership.


    Sonia is a graduate of the Latina Leadership Institute (LLI) of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Cohort 4) and served on the LLI Cohort 5 Steering Committee. She currently serves on the San Antonio Medical Foundation Communications Committee.


    Rogers received the San Antonio Business Journal Health Care Hero Award for Innovation (2021) for her digital platform, Nurses Care Hub, created to support and connect nurses nationwide.


    Sonia is married to Ken Rogers and has one son, Kaleb Rogers. In her spare time, she writes and crafts luxury stationery for her business, Writing to Somebody. Her north star will always be supporting her son, who is a right-handed pitcher for the University of Texas.

Leading LLI 12


The Latina Leadership Institute develops the leadership potential of Latina professionals while creating opportunities for connection, professional growth and community impact. With Canales and Moreno-Rogers at the helm of LLI 12, the program continues its tradition of alumni returning to invest in the leaders coming behind them.


Please join us in congratulating Sonia Canales and Sonia Moreno-Rogers as they step into this exciting leadership role and prepare to welcome LLI Cohort 12.

Steering Committee Applications are now OPEN! Deadline to apply: Thursday, October 15, 2026

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About the Hispanic Leadership Development Foundation:

Founded in 1929, the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is the nation’s first Hispanic Chamber and continues to serve as a trusted convener, connector, and catalyst for economic advancement. Representing more than 1,200 members across corporate, small business, education, and nonprofit sectors, SAHCC is focused on advocacy, workforce development, leadership programs, and entrepreneurship.