When Elizabeth Rivera was growing up in the Dominican Republic, she saw her parents regularly share food with those in need. At 17, she immigrated to the U.S., where she faced the challenges of adjusting to a new culture, school system and way of life.
“I’ve never forgotten those who welcomed and supported me when I needed it most,” she says.
These early influences helped shape Rivera’s belief that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has the power to help others. As Senior Manager of Customer Experience Strategic Programs at ADT, she applies this ethos to both her work and personal life.
Rivera’s mother, Elisa Torres, regularly returned to the Dominican Republic over the course of her life, distributing clothes to impoverished communities. After her mother’s passing, Rivera felt compelled to carry on her legacy and honor her by trying to make an impact in her community.
As an ADT employee, Rivera plays a role in delivering proactive safety to customers, and she extends that care to her community. As the leader of ADT’s Hispanic Business Employee Resource Group (BERG), she channels her passion for service into initiatives that align with the group’s core pillars of service, people and business.
Rivera’s initial goal was to expand the Hispanic BERG and create meaningful volunteer opportunities for ADT employees. Near her home in Boca Raton, Florida, she discovered In the Pines, a nonprofit that provides transitional housing for women and children. The organization works with 70 families, many of them farmworkers struggling with basic literacy and financial skills like writing checks and understanding credit. With ADT’s backing, Rivera set out to make a difference.
For In the Pines, the BERG’s contributions have been transformative. The organization was able to launch the “Building a Better Life” program, offering financial literacy training, legal assistance with immigration and daycare services.
“Elizabeth has also done an excellent job overseeing the revamping of our brand marketing strategy,” says J. Scott McCleneghen, CEO of In the Pines. “She takes the initiative to find creative ways to expand our awareness in the community, and her efforts have paid off.”
Rivera’s service work for In the Pines and ADT has garnered attention. She was recently nominated for the Boca Junior League’s Woman Volunteer of the Year, given to outstanding volunteers nominated by local nonprofits in Palm Beach and North Broward counties.
“We bring the whole community together to support these 70 families,” Rivera says of her work with In the Pines. Her leadership has not only improved the lives of those families but has also inspired similar organizations. Two other nonprofit boards have reached out to Rivera for advice and support.
Despite the recognition, Rivera says that’s not why she does the work. “I never expected any recognition,” she says. “We all do this work from the heart.”
While helping lead ADT’s Hispanic BERG, Rivera has built engagement and has helped make an impact on the company itself. She attributes the BERG’s success to the shared sense of purpose among members. “We can see the value in what we’re doing,” she says.
In addition to volunteer work, the BERG also strengthens connections across ADT’s teams and enhances the company’s culture through a speaker series, networking events and more.
“Elizabeth embodies passion and commitment in everything she undertakes,” says James Sweet, ADT’s Director of Inclusive Diversity and Belonging (IDB). “Her enthusiasm for our IDB efforts is truly inspiring, and she motivates other members of the BERG to give their best efforts too.”
Service continues to be a family tradition for Rivera. For the past six years, she and her two adult children have spent their Thanksgiving cooking meals and distributing food and $10 bills to people without shelter. It is important to Rivera that her children engage with the values that she received from her own parents.
For Rivera, the alignment between her work, service and community feels natural. She is driven by the same principles that power ADT.
“All we want,” she says, “is for these 70 families to also feel safe and secure in their homes. That helps me to know that I’m carrying on my mother’s legacy of service.”