The UNM Anderson School of Management named their first Hall of Fame honoree this fall, Young Alumni recipient Adria Córdova. Adria was born and raised in Questa and graduated from Questa High School in 2006. She is a first-generation college graduate, earning her BBA in Organizational Leadership in 2010 and MBA in 2013 with a concentration on Financial Management, both at the University of New Mexico. As a proud Anderson alum, Adria serves on their Marketing Advisory Board.
After graduating, Adria moved from New Mexico to Minneapolis, Minn., and held several roles at General Mills, first in Minnesota and later transferring to Philadelphia. These included work in sales, marketing, e-commerce and as an account manager for the largest grocery retailers in the Northeast. Adria lived in Philadelphia for eight years and became a Senior Solutions Engineer at Salesforce in their Retail and Consumer Goods Verticle.
Early on in the pandemic Adria found herself stuck working at home in her Philadelphia apartment and decided that was no way to live. She drove cross-country to live with her parents to work from home in Questa. In a 2020 interview for Al Dia Magazine Adria said, “The values that I learned from living in a small community and receiving the support from not only my family but community members, is so powerful, and it’s something I never forgot.”
Adria’s parents, Edwin and Geraldine Córdova, of Questa could not be more proud of their daughter.
“Adria has always been self-driven and self-disciplined, eager to excel and has already accomplished a lot in her life, Geraldine siad. “She has been a good role model to younger family members, especially her nieces and nephews.”
Geraldine is quick to add that they are very proud of both of their children, who she describes as exceptional. Adria’s brother, Amos Córdova is happily married with a family and lives close by in Colorado.
During Adria’s time at UNM in Albuquerque, she became a member of the largest Latino professional organization in the US, The Association of Latino Professionals For America or ALPFA. She said that the group opened many doors for her and became her family away from home. Prior to moving to the big city, she connected with the ALPFA Chapters to ease her move. Adria served as Vice-President of the Philadelphia Chapter of ALPFA for three years before taking on the role of President. ALPFA is a premier professional association dedicated to empowering and developing Latino leaders in every sector of the global economy and serves more than 92,000 professional and student members across the country. The Philadelphia Chapter is comprised of more than 1,600 members and 7 student chapters with the mission of connecting and inspiring the next generation of Latino leaders. In 2021, Adria was recognized as one of “Women of ALPFA’s 50 Rising Stars.”
Adria is an advocate for diversity and outspoken ally for all marginalized communities, serving on the Latinoforce Employee Resource Group (ERG) and the Women in Solution Engineering ERG, and mentoring many students and young professionals. She also acts as a diversity recruiter to ensure that the talent acquisition process is inclusive, and diverse candidates are given an equal opportunity during hiring.
Adria has been recognized for her excellence throughout her short career, winning a number of awards. She posted on LinkedIn, “What an honor to be welcomed into the UNM Anderson School of Management Hall of Fame. I will forever be grateful to ASM for providing me the foundation to jumpstart my career and for choosing me to be this year’s Young Alumni recipient. It truly takes a village, so thank you to my family, friends, colleagues, professors Dimitri Kapelianis and Norman H. Colter, MBA, CPA, and my ALPFAmilia for supporting me and cheering me on through all my endeavors year after year. #golobos!”
Welcome to the Hall of Fame Adria!
