PODER (General Counsel Talent Pipeline Initiative)

Funder: Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and HNBA VIA (Vision in Action) Fund

Purpose: Cultivates and positions HNBA members for prominent General Counsel roles by increasing their gravitas, leadership competencies, and overall readiness.

Mission: To increase the number of HNBA members occupying senior positions within corporate legal departments by developing a pipeline of legal talent and assisting with their collective advancement.

Goals:

• Initial goal: Increase the number of HNBA members in General Counsel roles in Fortune 500 companies to a minimum of 20 by 2025
• As of 2025, PODER is advancing and promoting senior in-house HNBA members to GC roles in Fortune 500 and 1000 companies

Target Audience:

• Senior in-house counsel
• HNBA members seeking advancement to General Counsel positions
• Those facing unique challenges such as implicit bias and lack of sustained exposure to traditional career-building networks

Program Features:

• GC Ready Track: Core leadership accelerator designed to advance seasoned in-house counsel toward the General Counsel seat
• Recruiter introductions
• Dynamic speaker programming
• Mentorship and support framework
• Coaching to enhance gravitas, board engagement, and leadership skills
• Training for top-tier GC and senior executive positions

Program History:

• Launched in March 2018
• First initiative that specifically cultivates HNBA members for General Counsel roles
• Participants have secured significant internal promotions, transitioned to new roles with esteemed organizations, and received prestigious board appointments

PODER Class of 2026 (8 members):

• Alexis Mendoza, Chief Compliance Officer and Deputy CLO, Nokia
• Anthony Justman, Principal & Shareholder, Justman Law Group, P.C.
• Elida Moran, Director, Legal Affairs, T-Mobile
• Ivelisse Clausell, Managing Attorney, Tech Compliance & Digital Responsibility, Dun & Bradstreet
• Kristy Docabo, Vice President and Corporate Counsel; Head of Legal (Mexico and Latin America), PGIM
• Maria Ayerbe, VP, Deputy General Counsel, Americas, Commercial and Global Real Estate, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
• Ruth Mendez, VP-Legal, Jiffy Lube International, Inc. and Head of Legal, Shell Mexico
• Santiago Alaniz, Chief Legal Officer, Fortrex Solutions

Geographic Scope: National

Leadership:

• Julia A. López, Partner at Reed Smith (HNBA Board Member)
• Angel Gomez, Facilitator
• Jose Ramon Gonzalez, Steering Committee Chair, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Equitable Holdings
• Rosevelie Márquez Morales, Chief Inclusion Officer, Hogan Lovells (National President of HNBA)

Application Process

PODER accepts applications from eligible in-house counsel seeking advancement to General Counsel positions. Specific application requirements, deadlines, and materials are available on the PODER application page.