A Message from the 2023 DHBA President, Carla Green

DHBA Familia,

We are officially off to a new year and I am truly honored to be serving as President of the DHBA in 2023!

I want to start by saying that I know I have some big shoes to fill following Elsa Manzanares, our 2022 fearless, hard-working President. Elsa’s dedication to the DHBA has been an inspiration and I hope to carry on and grow the already wonderful momentum, initiatives, and support Elsa was able to garner for the DHBA this past year. I am thankful Elsa will continue to serve on our Board as Immediate-Past President and we look forward to working with her. I also want to acknowledge and give many thanks to some of our outgoing Board members that have given their service and (for some) several years of their time—many thanks to Jake Torres, Tyrone Valdivia, Fabiola Segovia, and Javier Perez. I want our members to know that the DHBA would not be the organization that it is without you. Without your support, your time, and yes, even your donations—the DHBA would not be able to accomplish the wonderful work that it does. We are grateful for each of you and encourage you to participate, become involved, and socialize with your familia. The DHBA is only growing, getting stronger—we’re excited that we’ve seen substantial increases in our membership numbers, we’ve raised record-setting donations for our incredible initiatives, including for the DHBA’s pipeline initiative, the Dallas Latina Leadership Program, and our Judicial Externship Program.

Throughout my years of service on the DHBA Board, I’ve had the honor of meeting and having long discussions with our DHBA members. In those discussions, I often hear about how the DHBA has impacted our members, many times in different ways. For some, the DHBA has been an organization that has introduced them to other attorneys with similar backgrounds that have resulted in long-lasting, inspiring friendships/mentorships. For others, the DHBA is an organization that has rallied behind causes and initiatives that inspired our members to participate and become more involved in our Dallas-Hispanic community.

For me, the DHBA has always felt like home, like family. My first introduction to the DHBA was in law school when I attended Texas A&M University of Law. I was a single mother, juggling raising an 8-year-old son, trying to get through my law school courses, and keeping up a comfortable household for the both of us. Scholarships were game-changers. The DHBA awarded me one of my first scholarships in law school—and to this day—I remember how excited I was to receive those funds. It was a relief. I needed and the DHBA responded. That’s familia. After graduating and moving to Dallas, the DHBA became an organization of support and comfort. I’ve met so many life-long friends/colleagues through this organization that I consider familia.

It is truly inspirational to hear (and experience) how the DHBA has impacted our members’ law practice and lives. We want to continue to do so. So, join us! Come celebrate with us! We are excited about this upcoming year and look forward to working with our members to reach our goals and continue our mission.

Carla Green 

2023 DHBA President

2021 Latina Leadership Program and 2021 Latina Executive Summit

Friday, November 12, 2021 7:23 PM | Matthew Phillips

DHBA is leading the way with back-to-back programming for our Latina lawyers and professionals. On October 6, for the sixth year in a row, the DHBA hosted the 2021 Latina Leadership Program. Latina attorneys and law students came together for a hybrid event to join Dr. Jill Lynch Cruz in a workshop on how impostor syndrome can show up in Latina attorneys’ careers and successful strategies for overcoming. Distinguished Latina trailblazers U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez, former DBA President Laura Benitez Geisler, and federal law clerk Brenda Balli lead an insightful panel discussion. The program ended with intimate small group discussions. This year’s program was a huge success!  Thank you to our generous co-sponsors HNBA, Jackson Walker, Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C., and Cowles and Thompson.  DHBA Latina Leadership Committee members:  Maria Alonso, Erica Benites Giese, Ashley Aten, Laura Torres, Elizabeth Margolis, Lina Forero-Niño, Regina Montoya, Megan Flores, Elizabeth Ramirez-Washka, Norma Garcia, Liliana Sanchez, Angela Lopez, and Elsa Manzanares.

On October 7, DHBA joined forces with PwC and Bell Nunnally and Martin to co-sponsor the Latina Executive Summit at the offices of Bell Nunnally.  This first-ever program brought together senior Latina in-house counsel and Latina business executives in Dallas to discuss compensation and pay inequity for Latina professionals.  Dr. Jill Lynch Cruz opened the program over lunch with an overview of the pay disparity issues facing Latina professionals, followed by a moderated panel discussion featuring leading Dallas Latina luminaries Stephanie Zapata Moore (Vistra Energy), Maria Castañon Moats (PwC), Marisia Parra-Gaona (AT&T), and Dania Duncan Moreno (Bell Nunnally).  The inspiring afternoon ended with a networking happy hour.  A LinkedIn group has been created for attendees to continue the conversation.  Planning Committee:  Dania Duncan Moreno, Vanessa Salinas Beckstrom, and Elsa Manzanares.


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