{"id":39624,"date":"2026-06-02T15:20:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/?p=39624"},"modified":"2026-06-02T15:20:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:20:45","slug":"leadership-in-community-with-vivian-huelgo-and-jane-zhi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/leadership-in-community-with-vivian-huelgo-and-jane-zhi\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership in Community with Vivian Huelgo\u00a0and Jane Zhi"},"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 Jane Zhi, Managing Attorney at the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence. With a career dedicated to expanding access to justice for survivors, Jane reflects on the mentors who shaped her leadership journey, the importance of leading with compassion, and how creating survivor-centered legal systems can help build a future where everyone can live free from fear. Pues,\u00a0<\/span>vamos<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>

Vivian: <\/span><\/b>One of our organizational values is Latina Leadership, what does leadership mean to you?\u00a0<\/p>

Jane:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Leadership, to me, means being\u00a0people-centered. An effective leader leads by offering grace, cultivating a culture of compassion rather than judgment, and being invested in every team member\u2019s growth and well-being.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Vivian: <\/span><\/b>Who inspired your leadership journey and how did they shape you?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Jane:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0You! When I think about my leadership journey, you are the first person who comes to mind. I remember how much you believed in me and how you constantly supported my professional growth. I\u00a0also think of so many others who have shaped my career path, including many mentors who both cheered me on and challenged me to stretch. One of them was my professor, Dr. Marsha Saxton, who was a trailblazer in the disability rights movement. She was the first person to encourage me to go to law school, and I am where I am today because of her.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Vivian: <\/span><\/b>How do you stay innovative and motivated in your work?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Jane:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>I come from a direct services background, and I will forever be grateful to have held and been entrusted with the stories of many survivors seeking justice through the legal system. My motivation and innovation are rooted in changing the experience of survivors working with lawyers and providing legal professionals with tools they need to be more client-centered and inclusive, and more confident in their lawyering skills.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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

Jane:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0The difference between people pleasing and people serving.\u00a0People\u00a0pleasing is easier but does not\u00a0benefit\u00a0yourself or others in the long term.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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

Jane:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0The world would have so much more creativity, so much more invention, if every person lived without fear. A violence-free future is one where unfulfilled\u00a0dreams\u00a0and ideas will exist.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Vivian: <\/span><\/b>Gratitude is so important: Tell me about something you are grateful\u00a0for?\u00a0<\/p>

Jane:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>I am so grateful for my family and for the profound privilege of raising my children and watching them grow.\u00a0I am grateful for my coworkers and other partners and collaborators, and the opportunity we have to do meaningful and fulfilling work every day.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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About Jane Zhi<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/h3>

Managing Attorney<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>| American Bar Association Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence <\/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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Jane Zhi\u00a0(she\/her), Managing Attorney, joined the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence in 2017. For more than 30 years, the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence has worked to ensure survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking have access to justice. Jane supports the work of attorneys and organizations nationwide through the development of legal publications and training curricula; provision of substantive technical\u00a0assistance; and delivery of interactive national training institutes in the areas of trial advocacy and custody litigation. One of her proudest achievements is leading the Commission\u2019s Trauma-Informed Representation project.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Between 2013 and 2017, Jane worked as a staff attorney at New Mexico Legal Aid (NMLA) in their Albuquerque office. At NMLA, she coordinated pro bono efforts through the Volunteer Attorney Program and Justice for Families Project, oversaw the Domestic Violence Legal Helpline, and provided direct representation in domestic violence and family court. Jane served on the New Mexico Intimate Partner Violence Death Review Team and as a steering committee member of the Network to End Domestic & Sexual Violence in New Mexico. Prior to that, Jane was an outreach coordinator at Legal Aid Chicago (formerly LAF), where she conducted outreach, organized legal clinics, and supported pro bono engagement.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

In 2025, Jane was selected to\u00a0participate\u00a0in Allstate\u2019s Executive Leadership Program. Jane is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law and received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley. She is admitted to the State Bar of California and the District of Columbia Bar.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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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.\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":39632,"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-39624","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\/39624","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=39624"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39631,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39624\/revisions\/39631"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}