A. Latham Staples facts for kids

A. Latham Staples (born in 1977) is an American leader and activist. He lives in San Diego, California. He works as a top executive at EXUSMED, Inc., a healthcare company. He also leads the Empowering Spirits Foundation, Inc. (ESF). This is a national organization he started to help people gain equal rights.

Growing Up and School

A. Latham Staples grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. He went to Fort Worth Academy, a private school his parents helped create. During summers, he visited his grandparents in Albany, Texas. There, he performed in the Fort Griffin Fandangle. This is the oldest outdoor musical show in Texas.

Staples went to Baylor University in Waco, Texas. It's a private university linked to the Baptist church. He graduated in 1999. He was part of the first group to finish the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core. This is a special program within the Honor's College. He earned degrees in Journalism and Political Science.

While at Baylor, Staples became very involved in helping others. He worked for a local government official, Lester Gibson. He also joined Alpha Phi Omega (APO), a national service club. Through APO, he spent weekends building homes for Habitat for Humanity. He also volunteered at a children's learning center. Staples helped organize the biggest blood drive in central Texas for the American Red Cross. He was also elected to the Baylor Student Congress several times.

His Career in Business

In 2013, Staples became the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EXUSMED, Inc. This is a healthcare company in La Jolla, California. Before this, Staples was the President and CEO of Empowering Spirits Foundation, Inc. (ESF). This is a national non-profit group he started in 2008.

Before ESF, Staples worked as a sales director for Dell, Inc.. He helped set up new business sales teams for the company. These teams were in Nashville, Tennessee, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Staples also worked as a vice president for Red Ridge Entertainment, Inc. He was also a healthcare consultant with AMN Healthcare.

Working for Equal Rights

Volunteers from ESF build a new trail in the Gonzalez Canyon in San Diego, California.

Staples started the Empowering Spirits Foundation (ESF) in 2008. He created it after a law called Proposition 8 was passed in California. This law affected the rights of certain groups of people.

Staples explained his reason for starting ESF. He said, "After the law passed, some groups attacked Christians, the Mormon Church, and other minority groups. I felt this only made the hate worse. It didn't help make things better."

Staples wanted to talk to people who had different ideas. He believed that talking and understanding could bring real change. ESF works to change people's hearts and minds. They do this through open conversations and community service. ESF's programs help people from different backgrounds connect. They encourage everyone to work together.

Staples' belief in peaceful discussion is clear from a letter he wrote in 1999. This was when he was at Baylor University. There was a disagreement about race relations. He wrote:

"Recently, there have been many articles about tension regarding race at Baylor. Much of this has focused on blaming certain groups or criticizing the school's leaders.

As someone who joined a discussion about race, I can say that the school's leaders care about this problem. They are working to find solutions.

A speaker named Adrian Despres said that we often focus on what makes others different. But he also said that real change must start with us. I believe we all share some blame for the recent problems. The issue isn't just about different races. It's about differences among all people.

We tend to spend time with people we feel comfortable with. This is often because of how we grew up. We might stick with people who have the same money, race, or beliefs. But we must go beyond these limits. Only by interacting with others can we truly understand each other. Everyone must take a step forward."

Echoing Green Supports His Work

Echoing Green is an organization that helps new social projects. They chose Staples as a "Fellow" in 2010. This meant they would help fund ESF for two years. Staples was the only person chosen for "Civil & Human Rights" that year.

Cheryl L. Dorsey, the President of Echoing Green, praised Staples. She said, "Mr. Staples and his organization have a fresh and important way of working. It takes courage to work with someone who disagrees with you. Through ESF's community service, they are doing work everyone can agree on. Mr. Staples and his group are creating common ground. This is a new way to achieve fairness for all."

Helping the Community

Staples also serves on the boards of several large non-profit groups. He is the Secretary for the Department of Defense Federal Globe's Board of Directors. He is also on the Board of Directors for the National Women Veterans Association of America.

He also worked on the Hate Free San Diego Commission. This group helped San Diego businesses create programs to stop hate crimes. He is also a voting member of the San Diego Community Center's Community Leadership Council. He serves on their Public Policy Advisory Committee as well. These groups work for fairness and equal rights for all people.

Involvement in Politics

Staples has worked on several political campaigns. These include campaigns for former Vice President Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. He also worked for San Diego Schoolboard Vice-President Kevin Beiser. He helped former Congressman and San Diego Mayor Bob Filner. Staples was also a political advisor for Tracy Emblem, a candidate in California. He continues to serve on the San Diego Community Center's Public Policy Action Committee. He is also on the Center for Leadership Committee.