Is it the NFL? Maybe Major League Baseball? Or how about the NHL? Don't forget the NBA. Extra credit if you can name the team he leads!

Answer: Xavier Gutierrez is the first Latino President and CEO in the National Hockey League, leading the Arizona Coyotes Hockey Club.

Questions: 

• What are the skills that you need to lead the business operations of a professional sports team?
• If you had the chance to interview Mr. Gutierrez what is one question that you would ask him?

Here are the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the person (Hispanic Executive)

The Arizona Coyotes have launched a robust marketing campaign across all media and advertising channels, but for Gutierrez, the work is about more than selling jerseys and driving profits. He’s spent his entire career applying his unique skill set to create opportunities for Latinos and other diverse communities. And now, he sees the chance to do just that. “Sports has a unique voice, platform, and power unlike anything else, and I have the responsibility to use this position to make a difference in peoples’ lives,” he says.

To understand Gutierrez’s strategy, you have to understand his story. He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, but was raised in San Jose, California, just as the city was blossoming into the capital of Silicon Valley. Although his father was a mechanic and his mother stayed home to raise a family, they found a way to send Gutierrez to a prestigious all-boys college preparatory school, where he became friends with the sons of venture capitalists and powerful CEOs. “My academic experience showed me I could succeed in challenging environments and that I had a duty to achieve and give back with the opportunities that were given to me,” Gutierrez says.

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What else does NGPF have planned for Hispanic/Latinx Heritage month? Here's the activities that are planned. 

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One of the most popular questions of the day relates to college sports as a business. See if you can answer this question. 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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