Her Story
About Rocio "Rosie"
Rocio "Rosie" Rangel is the Founder of Tejido Advisory and Manobra.io, and former Chief Operating Officer of ISSA, the global association for the cleaning and facility services industry, bringing more than 24 years of experience in a career that has spanned technology stack optimization, process standardization, internal team leadership, and support for sales and marketing initiatives. Before finding her path in this field, she briefly worked as a paralegal in the legal sector, transitioning into commercial services in the aftermath of the events of September 11th. Over the course of her career, she built and led ISSA's Operations function from scratch — growing the organization worldwide — drove major technology transformations, and took the newly merged GBAC accreditation program from no existing business model to one of the largest generating revenue department at the association, all while staying grounded in the belief that strong leadership starts with empowering the people around her. A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt holder, Rosie applies these principles daily to keep operations lean, efficient, and results-driven. She further sharpened her expertise in the nonprofit and trade association space through a certificate in association management from ASAE University, giving her a well-rounded foundation in both operational discipline and association leadership. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Rosie is guided by a clear personal philosophy: trust must be earned through commitment, character, and competency, never simply assumed. She credits much of her success to mentors who patiently guided and believed in her early on, a debt she now pays forward by encouraging young women in her industry to speak up with confidence and pursue their ambitions without hesitation. Fluent in Spanish and deeply attuned to the evolving demographics of her field, she views the rise of the Hispanic community within commercial and facility services as one of the industry's most important opportunities, one she is committed to helping shape as the next generation of leaders comes into its own.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rocio "Rosie"
01What do you attribute your success to?
I owe much of my success to the mentors who took me under their wing. They were patient with me, taught me what they knew, embraced me as part of their team, and saw potential in me before I fully saw it in myself. I've tried to carry that forward in how I build teams — when I grew our Operations function, I wanted every one of them to have what I was given: real belief, and the room to grow into it.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've received is that success is never a solo achievement — it's about the people around you. As leaders, we can't accomplish everything on our own; our real impact comes from empowering others and helping them feel like true partners in the mission we're building together. Part of living that out means actively working on myself — resisting the instinct to think I know better than my team or my staff. I ask the right questions, but at the end of the day, the team I build are the true SMEs, and my job is to empower them to be exactly that.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I encourage young women entering this industry to speak up professionally and never let shyness hold them back. There are people in this field who genuinely want to support your growth and will rally behind your efforts to advance. I'd also tell them not to wait until they feel fully ready — competency is built by doing the work, not by feeling certain first. Find the people who are willing to invest in you, let them, and then do the same for the next person coming up behind you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Our industry is in the midst of a meaningful transformation, shifting away from its historically older, male-dominated, non-Hispanic roots. I see the growing Hispanic workforce as essential to our field's future, and cultivating the next generation of managers, directors, and VPs from this community is both our greatest challenge and our greatest opportunity. Closing that gap takes more than good intentions — it takes real infrastructure: structured training and advancement pathways that turn potential into proven, promotable leadership. That's the kind of system-building I've spent my career on, and it's exactly what our industry needs more of right now.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Trust is something I believe must be earned, never demanded. I hold myself and those I work with to three guiding principles — commitment, character, and competency — because these are the true foundations of lasting trust. Commitment means following through even when it's inconvenient; character means doing right by people whether or not anyone's watching; and competency means never holding my team to a standard I'm not willing to meet myself. When I'm weighing a hard call — cutting a process that isn't working, saying no to a shortcut that would look good short-term — these three are what I check the decision against.
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