{"id":39601,"date":"2026-05-18T21:54:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T02:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/?p=39601"},"modified":"2026-05-28T10:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:37:14","slug":"leadership-in-community-with-vivian-huelgo-and-linda-lopez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/leadership-in-community-with-vivian-huelgo-and-linda-lopez\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership in Community with Vivian Huelgo\u00a0and Linda Lopez"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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At Esperanza United, we know no single organization or person is going to end gender-based violence alone \u2013 it will take communities, working together.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0why Latina leadership and community-based solutions are two of our organizational values.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

To advance this strengths-based approach, Esperanza United\u00a0President\u00a0and CEO\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Vivian\u00a0Huelgo, J.D.<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0is interviewing leaders across the fields of gender-based violence prevention and Latin@ empowerment\u00a0and beyond. Read on to learn\u00a0leadership lessons,\u00a0celebrate the people doing the work, and share\u00a0in our gratitude for our vibrant community.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

In this edition, Vivian speaks with\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Mar\u00eda Pab\u00f3n<\/span><\/i><\/a>,<\/i>\u00a0<\/i>Ph.D.Vice\u00a0Chair\u00a0of\u00a0Esperanza United\u2019s Board of Directors, and<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>Chief People Officer at Project for Pride in Living<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>Pues,\u00a0vamos:<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Vivian:<\/strong> Hi Linda, great to talk\u00a0<\/span>with<\/span>\u00a0you!\u00a0<\/span>Who inspired your leadership journey and how did they shape you?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Linda:<\/strong> 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Vivian:\u00a0<\/strong>Can you also share how<\/span>\u00a0y<\/span>ou mentor or support the next generation of Latina leaders?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Linda:\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s\u00a0important 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\u00a0professions,\u00a0to 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Vivian:<\/strong> What is a lesson you learned recently that surprised you?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Linda:<\/strong> I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know that it necessarily surprised\u00a0me\u00a0but it concerned me. I have seen a decline in Latina lawyers applying for positions in\u00a0not for profit\u00a0gender based violence work and that really saddens and concerns me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Vivian:<\/strong> One of our other organizational values is living free from violence, what\u00a0does a violence-free future look like to you?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Linda:<\/strong> 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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About Linda Lopez<\/span><\/b><\/h3>

Deputy<\/span> Director\u00a0<\/span><\/span>| Center <\/span>For<\/span>\u00a0Battered Women\u2019s Legal\u00a0<\/span>Services<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Linda Lopez,\u00a0<\/span>JD,\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Deputy<\/span>\u00a0Director of the Center\u00a0<\/span>For<\/span>\u00a0Battered Women\u2019s Legal\u00a0<\/span>Services<\/span>\u00a0Linda Lopez started as a staff attorney at Sanctuary\u2019s Legal Center in 1994<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>In 2006, she became Deputy Director of the Center where she works with the Director to advocate on behalf of victims of\u00a0<\/span>gender based<\/span>\u00a0violence<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

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<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>She oversees Sanctuary\u2019s Community Law Project which provides outreach,\u00a0<\/span>training<\/span>\u00a0and direct representation to underserved communities<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>She is a graduate of CUNY Law School where she\u00a0<\/span>participated<\/span>\u00a0in the Battered Women\u2019s Clinic<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Ms. Lopez has made\u00a0<\/span>numerous<\/span>\u00a0television and radio appearances both in the Spanish and English language<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>She has trained extensively on the issue of\u00a0<\/span>gender based<\/span>\u00a0violence both locally,\u00a0<\/span>nationally<\/span>\u00a0and internationally and has served as a panelist on\u00a0<\/span>numerous<\/span>\u00a0workshops and forums<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>She served on the ABA Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, the New York City Bar Association\u2019s Committee on the Courts and the New York City Bar Association\u2019s Family Law Committee and as a judicial screening panelist<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>In\u00a0<\/span>2011<\/span>\u00a0she 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\u2019s Association Public Service Award.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At Esperanza United, we know no single organization or person is going to end gender-based violence alone \u2013 it will take communities, working together.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0why Latina leadership and community-based solutions are two of our organizational values.\u00a0 To advance this strengths-based approach, Esperanza United\u00a0President\u00a0and CEO\u00a0Vivian\u00a0Huelgo, J.D.\u00a0is interviewing leaders across the fields of gender-based […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":39610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[36,34,158,38,39,197],"class_list":["post-39601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-family-advocacy","tag-free","tag-prevention","tag-public-policy","tag-research-and-evaluation","tag-training-and-technical-assistance"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39601"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39623,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39601\/revisions\/39623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}