MIAMI -- The Marlins announced on Thursday morning that Raquel “Rocky” Egusquiza will serve as the organization’s first vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion. Egusquiza, who joined the Marlins in 2019, also will continue her work as the executive director of the Miami Marlins Foundation.

Egusquiza and recently appointed vice president and chief people officer Beth Elletson will guide the Marlins’ efforts to promote a culture with a variety of qualities, characteristics and unique experiences for individuals of all backgrounds while fostering a feeling of belonging amid a community of support and collaboration.

Egusquiza has been an advocate for and active in creating a diverse working environment throughout her career. Among her numerous roles, she is a founding member and sits on the governing board of Pro Sports Assembly, a community of leaders advancing diversity and inclusion in professional sports. During her time with NBCUniversal Telemundo, Egusquiza developed “Telemundo Academy,” an educational institution creating a diverse talent pipeline for the media entity.

"We are proud to have cultivated at the Miami Marlins one of most diverse front offices in professional sports," Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said in a statement. "By defining this role with Rocky leading these vital efforts, we are reinforcing our organizational priority to exceed expectations in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. The Marlins organization strives to be thought leaders in this space as we enlist our employees, prospective employees, fans and community to apply the importance of diversity and access to opportunity in their decision making. Rocky has an incredible passion for promoting the diversity of the South Florida community in which she was raised. She has a proven track record -- and will continue to prove -- to be a valuable member of our organization in the areas of employee engagement and organizational initiatives."

Under Egusquiza's guidance, the Marlins have focused on creating opportunities for youth to stay active, achieve academic success and build leadership skills with programs focused on wellness, empowerment and youth baseball and softball. Key initiatives include the establishment of a food pantry at Charles Drew K-8 school in Liberty City and first-generation scholarship programs with Miami Dade College and Florida International University. As a result, the organization was recognized for its impact on South Florida in 2020. The Miami Marlins Foundation and community team provided more than 800,000 meals, 24,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and 20,000 face coverings to the local community.

Last week, the Marlins took part in The Players Alliance's Pull Up Neighbor Tour stop in Overtown. In August, the Marlins and Mets walked off the field after a moment of silence on the eve of Jackie Robinson Day. And all season long, Miami displayed a Black Lives Matter banner in center field at Marlins Park.

“I am honored to continue the commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by the Miami Marlins’ ownership group and leadership team,” Egusquiza said. “It is imperative that we make a meaningful impact and ensure an inclusive culture throughout our organization as we engage, develop and retain a diverse and talented workforce that is representative of our South Florida community while extending these same principles to our partners and vendors. We have already had so much recent success with the launch of our internal employee action committees and our social justice initiatives, and I am looking forward to working with all our internal leaders and external partners to create additional meaningful impact for our people, our culture, our fans and our community.”