All month long, as part our Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, we’ll be highlighting and honoring some of our 2019 Líderes.
HIP’s Líderes Fellowship cultivates mid-career Latinos working in philanthropy and nonprofits by gaining knowledge, learning new practices, and building relationships within a network that supports their ability to advance and thrive.
This year’s HIP Lideres represent 19 grantmaking institutions and 12 nonprofits from across the United States. Lideres were chosen on the basis of demonstrating a commitment to working for racial equity to achieve social justice. The Fellows represent diverse Líderes — including indigenous, Afro, women, and LGBTQI Latinos — who have the courage to work in the complexity of the intersections in which we all live, including race, class, education, gender identity, ability, etc.
Meet Cristina Guerrero
Tell us about yourself. What do you want people to know about you as a Latinx professional in the philanthropic and social sector?
It is important for me to feel that I am living out my values not just in my day to day life, but also in my work. I thrive when I am in supportive environments and am learning from others. My work in this sector is possible thanks to the leadership of friends and family who have taught me to keep what is important front and center. I aim to bring this perspective to my work in a way that centers diverse voices, especially since in philanthropy it is often too easy to lose track of mission and focus on things that are not as important.
What calls you to do this work today?
We need more Latinx representation across all tables. I work in philanthropy to increase the representation of our diverse communities and make sure that our voices are part of the conversations happening in communities, within politics, and across the board.
What brings you joy?
Spending time with family and friends brings me joy. It is energizing to be around people you can count on to support you. I love to hear about their successes and triumphs – these stories usually include the challenges that they faced and sharing those is so important especially for the younger generations.
How will you transform Philanthropy?
Being a part of the Lideres cohort brings an incredible opportunity to build a national network of colleagues that will have this shared experience. We have each other to learn from and share our experiences. This act of purposefully gathering Latinx leaders is already transformative. In a sector where relationships are vitally important, I am glad to have the HIP Lideres cohort and alumni network as a tool for sharing ideas and helping each other put them into place that will help all of us transform philanthropy.
Get to know some of the other Líderes here.