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At Esperanza United, we know no single organization or person is going to end gender-based violence alone – it will take communities, working together. That’s why Latina leadership and community-based solutions are two of our organizational values.
To advance this strengths-based approach, Esperanza United President and CEO Vivian Huelgo, J.D. is interviewing leaders across the fields of gender-based violence prevention and Latin@ empowerment and beyond. Read on to learn leadership lessons, celebrate the people doing the work, and share in our gratitude for our vibrant community.
In this edition, Vivian speaks with María Pabón, Ph.D.Vice Chair of Esperanza United’s Board of Directors, and Chief People Officer at Project for Pride in Living. Pues, vamos:
Vivian: Hi Linda, great to talk with you! Who inspired your leadership journey and how did they shape you?
Linda: My leadership journey was inspired by the women in my life, particularly my mother. My mother was one of the smartest people I have ever met. She was the head of our household, a single mother to 10 children. Although she had limited means and a limited education, she was smart, resourceful, tenacious and fearless when it came to providing for and protecting her children. She possessed a quiet strength and she taught me that the loudest voice is not necessarily the wisest and she persevered in the face of great adversity. She was a woman who demonstrated her love through action. She taught me that leadership is about being courageous, resourceful and tenacious. I learned that leadership is about creating opportunities, thinking and planning for the future and that providing opportunities with high autonomy to those you work with is always preferable.
Vivian: Can you also share how you mentor or support the next generation of Latina leaders?
Linda: It’s important to me that the next generation of Latina leaders understand their value and their worth. That they feel empowered to speak up without fear or apologies. I want Latina leaders to see themselves at the highest levels of their professions, to believe they deserve to be at the highest level of their respective professions and that they deserve to be valued in society. I openly share my experiences and my struggles with Latina leaders in the hopes that it will help them throughout their journeys.
Vivian: What is a lesson you learned recently that surprised you?
Linda: I don’t know that it necessarily surprised me but it concerned me. I have seen a decline in Latina lawyers applying for positions in not for profit gender based violence work and that really saddens and concerns me.
Vivian: One of our other organizational values is living free from violence, what does a violence-free future look like to you?
Linda: A violence free future is one where there is no gender pay gap, where people have full autonomy over their bodies, where rigid gender norms are eliminated, where women, particularly women of color, hold key positions in every aspect of society and where every member of society is entitled to free healthcare, childcare and affordable housing.
About Linda Lopez
Deputy Director | Center For Battered Women’s Legal Services
Linda Lopez, JD, Deputy Director of the Center For Battered Women’s Legal Services Linda Lopez started as a staff attorney at Sanctuary’s Legal Center in 1994. In 2006, she became Deputy Director of the Center where she works with the Director to advocate on behalf of victims of gender based violence.
Ms. Lopez is founder of the Uncontested Divorce Workshop where she trained over 600 students in five New York City law schools to work with indigent battered women in obtaining uncontested divorces. She is a seasoned practitioner of Family and Matrimonial law and is bi-lingual in the Spanish language. She oversees Sanctuary’s Community Law Project which provides outreach, training and direct representation to underserved communities. She is a graduate of CUNY Law School where she participated in the Battered Women’s Clinic.
Ms. Lopez has made numerous television and radio appearances both in the Spanish and English language. She has trained extensively on the issue of gender based violence both locally, nationally and internationally and has served as a panelist on numerous workshops and forums. She served on the ABA Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on the Courts and the New York City Bar Association’s Family Law Committee and as a judicial screening panelist. In 2011 she was awarded the NYC Bar Association Legal Services Award. In 2022, she was awarded The Abely Award for Leading Women and Children to Safety award and in 2025 she received the New York County Lawyer’s Association Public Service Award.