HNBA/VIA PODER | General Counsel talent pipeline initiative of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and HNBA VIA (“Vision in Action”) Fund

PODER is the General Counsel talent pipeline initiative of the Hispanic National Bar Association and HNBA VIA Fund. Launched in March 2018, PODER is the first initiative that specifically cultivates and positions HNBA members for prominent General Counsel roles by increasing their gravitas, leadership competencies and overall readiness and helping them tackle the unique challenges they may face, such as implicit bias and lack of sustained exposure to traditional career-building networks.

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PODER™ Program Overview

PODER™ is the General Counsel talent pipeline initiative of the Hispanic National Bar Association and the HNBA VIA Fund. Launched in March 2018 as PODER25™, it became the first initiative specifically designed to cultivate and position HNBA members for prominent General Counsel roles. The program increases participants’ gravitas, leadership competencies, and overall readiness while helping them tackle the unique challenges they may face, such as implicit bias and lack of sustained exposure to traditional career-building networks.

PODER™’s mission is 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. Our initial goal was to increase the number of HNBA members in General Counsel roles at Fortune 500 companies to a minimum of 20 by the year 2025. We celebrated our success in 2025 when we hit that milestone goal and have now expanded our reach to include GC roles in Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies.

PODER™ fulfills its mission by:

Promoting HNBA members to key selection decision-makers through disciplined talent management practices;
Developing HNBA members by increasing awareness of selection processes and honing the skills critical to selection by hiring managers;
Coaching HNBA members to strengthen their individual potential and performance by focusing on core competencies associated with selection criteria; and
Expanding and managing a robust network of key decision-makers in selection processes.