HOPE Regional Leadership Institute

Building on the strength of our statewide and national leadership development programs, our Regional Leadership Institute and Hubs will create multi-generational leadership pipelines and establish ongoing local centers for advocacy, while strengthening the HOPE network to increase the number of leaders represented in government, nonprofit leadership, and business. Focused on Los Angeles, San Diego, the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, the Bay Area, and Imperial County, regional leaders will work to improve education, healthcare, and economic development, advancing the leadership of local communities and dismantling barriers to their success.

Explore the HOPE Regional Leadership Institute Areas

Applicants must reside within one of the designated HOPE Regional Leadership Institute areas: Los Angeles, San Diego, Central Valley, Inland Empire, Bay Area, or Imperial County (including both incorporated cities and unincorporated communities within each region). This residency requirement ensures participants are rooted in the local communities where HOPE aims to build civic leadership and drive regional impact. Programs in the Inland Empire, Bay Area and Imperial County are coming soon!

Explore your region of interest below to learn more about the cohorts and program details.

Los Angeles San Diego Central Valley

Objectives

Build a leadership pipeline of professionals prepared to engage in civic life, with programming that centers the Latina leadership experience while being inclusive of all participants.

Activate HOPE’s alumnae network.

Support preparation and recruitment of leaders to serve on local boards and commissions.

Partner with local organizations for shared learning, community building, and civic education.

Access the HOPE Regional Leadership Institute Fact Sheet Frequently Asked Questions

Elements of Each Session

Using Data to Inform Decisions: Explore how to collect, interpret, and apply data to understand community priorities and inform decision-making.

Policy and Budget Processes: Examine how public policy and public budgets are developed, and how they are interconnected.

Power and Influence: Analyze how power flows through different institutions and decision-making structures.

Experiential Learning & Case Studies: Engage in real-world scenarios, simulations, and applied projects that reinforce key concepts.

Opportunities for Civic Engagement: Identify ways to participate in civic life, contribute to community solutions, and pursue public service pathways, including appointments to local boards and commissions.

Building Networks and Partnerships: Strengthen relationships among peers and within the broader HOPE network to foster collaboration, trust, and mutual support.

Reflection & Application: Participate in guided debrief sessions to connect lessons learned, practice inclusive leadership, and translate knowledge into actionable strategies.

Participant Profile

Civically engaged resident with at least 3 years of local activism.

Must be over the age of 20.

No college degree required.

HOPE Programs are open to all qualified individuals. While our curriculum centers Latina experiences as a learning lens, HOPE does not exclude anyone on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, or other protected traits.

Competencies

After completion of the program participants are expected to have developed the following competencies:

Professional Skills: Data analysis, communication, presentation, time & project management, financial literacy, and professional branding.
Leadership & Collaboration: Leadership styles, team development, problem-solving, and network building.
Civic Engagement: Government processes, appointments, policy & budgets, power mapping, and stakeholder engagement.
Advocacy & Strategy: Advocacy tools, community organizing, messaging, and coalition building.
Equity-Minded Leadership: Inclusive decision-making, ethics & accountability, empathy, and culturally responsive leadership.

Ongoing Involvement through the HOPE Regional Hubs

Upon graduation from the HOPE Regional Leadership Institute, participants are invited to join a HOPE Regional Hub. These hubs bring together alumnae from across all of HOPE’s leadership programs, creating a space for continued learning, fellowship, and mobilization around regional priorities. Each hub strengthens local HOPE networks and supports efforts to increase inclusive representation in government, nonprofit leadership, and business, ensuring leaders are connected, informed, and equipped to drive change in their communities.

Stay tuned for session dates for the Bay Area, Inland Empire, and Imperial Valley.

Frequently Asked Questions

Application

The HOPE Regional Leadership Institute is designed for local leaders who want to build their skills and network to influence public policy. The ideal applicant will be a civically engaged resident of one of the target regions and demonstrate a record of readiness for an increasing leadership role in their respective community. As part of the Regional Institute, participants will learn how to identify structural causes of inequity in public institutions and acquire the knowledge and skills to remedy inequities to improve the status of Latinas, women and all communities. Each session will include the opportunity for community building and access to immediate opportunities for local advocacy.

Emerging leaders who are in the early stages of their leadership journey and eager to deepen their knowledge, skills, and exposure to public policy. The ideal applicant is a civically engaged resident of one of the target regions who is ready to strengthen their leadership capacity and take the next step toward greater impact in their community.

The cost to submit an application is $25. Upon acceptance to the program, participants are asked to make a $100 personal, one-time contribution to the Friends of HOPE Network. Participants are also responsible for travel costs to and from sessions, including any parking fees.

Yes, you can apply for a fee waiver in the application. The fee waiver will cover the mandatory $25 application cost and $100 personal contribution.

Eligibility

No, you must attend and participate in all four sessions.

No.

No, you must live and/or work in the region to which you are applying.

Yes. However, you can only be accepted to and participate in one program in the same cycle.

No, you may only apply to one and it must be where you are currently residing.

Senior Manager, Lauren Salaiz, lsalaiz@latinas.org.

No. Applications are open to candidates who are new to the organization and have not participated in one of our formal training programs.

Program Experience

As part of the Regional Institute, participants will learn how to identify structural causes of inequity in public institutions and acquire the knowledge and skills to remedy inequities to improve the status of Latinas, women and all communities. Each session will include the opportunity for community building and access to immediate opportunities for local advocacy.

Participants will learn how to examine and use data to inform public policy, understand how public budgets get made, analyze the flow of power and influence, and explore immediate opportunities for local advocacy, appointments, and networking in the region. Each session will include the opportunity to practice these skills with experiential learning projects and case studies.

The program aims to equip participants with skills to create lasting change as leaders in education, healthcare, and economic development. This includes skills in inquiry, power mapping, data and policy analysis, budgeting, messaging and self-branding, getting appointed, implicit bias training, and personal and team leadership development.

Program sessions will be conducted in English.

25-30 individuals.

Participants should expect approximately 60 hours of instruction time across the four training sessions and four hours in between sessions for completion of prep assignments and readings.

We hope to continue to grow our HOPE Regional Leadership Institute locations. Please fill out our interest form to stay connected!

HOPE Regional Leadership Institute Sponsors

HOPE Programming is Made Possible by a Grant From

Contact

To learn more about the HOPE Regional Institute, please contact Diana Amaya, Senior Director of Programs.
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