HOPE Leadership Institute 2021 Cohort: Session IV Recap
The goal of the Institute is to train Latinas in vital leadership and advocacy skills, enabling them to create fundamental change within their local neighborhoods and across California.
The HOPE Leadership Institute (HLI) 2021 cohort recently completed Session 4 of the program, Understanding California’s Economy and the Central Valley’s Impact. This session is all about looking at California’s economy through an equity lens by understanding the State budget, economic sectors and demographics, all while also learning about the contributions of the Central Valley.
A unique aspect to HLI Session 4 is not only that it is the longest session consisting of 4 full days, but that this session is also focused on intrapersonal development. This session is the Institute’s strongest push in recognizing our own strengths and biases as leaders.
Cohort members are encouraged to ask and reflect on who they identify with or demonize, who they listen to or ignore, who they trust or don’t trust, what issues do they make assumptions about versus having the data to back it up, what policy areas are they confident in or ignorant of. These reflections the answer the following central question: where do we need to push ourselves when it comes to being a California Latina leader?
Our HLI session agenda was filled with incredible speakers and experts in various fields who guided the HLI participants into 4 days of learning.
Day 1 was all about understanding our leadership by recognizing our unconscious bias and strengths. We learned from Kamy Akhavan, Executive Director of USC’s Center for Political Future, with a presentation on “Unconscious Bias and Partisanship”. We devoted our afternoon to focusing on the results of the Strengths Finders assessment, which was facilitated and led by HLI alumna Yammilette Rodriguez, Senior Director of the Youth Leadership Institute Central Valley.
Day 2 was all about understanding California’s social and economic sectors from an equity lens. We learned from the expertise of Dr. Manuel Pastor, Director of the USC Equity Research Institute about the drivers of California’s economy from population demographics, to the accumulation of regional wealth. We then dove into the fields of energy and how to better understand this sector through the perspective of experts in the field. We had a presentation on the State of California Energy from Dr. Donald Paul, Executive Director of the University of Southern California Energy Institute, where he also holds the William M. Keck Chair in Energy Resources.
We closed the day with a panel of experts in the fields of energy and oil to gain a better understanding of this industry and the future of the energy sector through the lens of Kern County. Our guests were Michelle Sim, Director of Sustainability at SoCalGas; Richard Chapman, President of the Kern Economic Development Corporation; Andrew Craig, Vice President of GHG Operations at CalBio; and Liz Rozell, Director of the Energy Technology Transfer and Workforce Development at Bakersfield College.
Day 3 was all about putting the equity issues and sectors we learned about the day before in the context of the overall economy of the State and leadership in the Central Valley. We learned about how a county budget is passed and how advocates can interact within the process from Scott Graves, Research Director at California Policy & Budget Center. We then gained an overview of Kern County’s economy and workforce from Dr. Richard Gearhart, Professor at Cal State University Bakersfield.
Halfway through the day, we switched course to delve into how leaders and advocates push their priorities forward in the Central Valley. The team at the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, led by Executive Director Caroline Farrell, gave us an insight into how they are tackling environmental advocacy in the region and how they collaborate with the public and private sector to meet their goals.
We ended the day with a panel conversation with key leaders about the most pressing issues in the region, the role they plan in their communities and how to collaborate to tackle issues in the Central Valley. The panel was moderated by Nora Dominguez, HOPE Board Member, and Regional Campus Director at University of La Verne and our distinguished panelists included, City of Arvin Mayor Olivia Trujillo, City of Bakersfield Councilmember Andrae Gonzales, Kern County Superior Court Judge Wendy Avila, and Representatives of Latina Leaders of Kern County, President Gabriela Gonzalez, and Board Member Norma Rojas.
Session 4 ended with a day filled with inspiration as we came full circle and returned to our inner work as leaders and developing our brand as professionals. The theme for day 4 was about understanding our LEGACY as leaders. We brought the concept of legacy to life by learning from the farm worker’s movement in California and from the participation of key figures like Dolores Huerta, and her continued advocacy through the Dolores Huerta Foundation. We also learned about the legacy of leader Cesar Chavez, and the continuation of his vision through Paul Chavez, President and Chairman of the Cesar Chavez Foundation.
Both of these presentations were put into context through a session on “Defining, Designing, & Launching Your Personal Brand” as Noelia Sanchez, Multimedia Designer & Digital Brand Strategist, helped the HLI cohort explore a framework for developing a strong leadership mission both in-person and online, and creating an action plan for growing their influence and developing a memorable and authentic legacy.
HLI Session 4 presented the cohort participants with data, statistics, challenges and opportunities to advance their communities forward. It also tasked them to answer some big questions; as a California leader, what do I need to understand about the people, the economy, the environment, and other issues facing our great state? Who are we? What do we do and accomplish? What is our role in shaping the future — how do we go about defining challenges, devising solutions, and creating opportunities? What barriers do I need to face in expanding my contributions as a leader?
Each and every guest speaker contributes to the knowledge of our HLI participants and shapes the answers to some of these formative questions. We are grateful to all of our expert guest speakers who have continuously supported HOPE through their participation in the HOPE Leadership Institute and their willingness to share their time and talent to contribute to the success of Latinas in California.
About HOPE Leadership Institute (HLI) — HLI brings together Latinas from across California representing diverse geographic and professional sectors for an intensive nine month training program inclusive of personal skill building and navigating the local, state, and federal political processes. The goal of the Institute is to train Latinas in vital leadership and advocacy skills, enabling them to create fundamental change with in their local neighborhoods, state, and workplace.