Brenda (she/her/ella) is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (CLS). As CLS’s first COO, Brenda works closely with the Executive Director, Deputy Director and CFO in furthering important strategic initiatives and operations systems. Brenda also directly manages the IT and human resources (HR) departments which includes handling all personnel and union matters. Part of Brenda’s role around HR systems and operations is to ensure the organization continues to strengthen its long-standing commitment to DEIB by working collaboratively with management and staff on hiring, retention and workplace policies.
Prior to being COO Brenda was the Executive Director of the Public Interest Law Center. As Executive Director, Brenda led a team of highly skilled litigators and support staff and handled all organizational matters, including fundraising, strategic initiatives, operations and finance, development and communications and Board relations. Brenda was the second woman and the first woman of color to lead the organization.
Previous to her Executive Director role, Brenda was at CLS. Joining the organization initially in 2008 as a lateral attorney hire, she was a supervising attorney for many years practicing in the then Aging and Disabilities Unit. Brenda’s law practice included representing low-income seniors in access to long-term care, Medicare appeals and nursing home eviction and quality of care cases. Brenda also represented adults and children in SSI disability cases. In 2015 Brenda was promoted to Deputy Director of Operations; and later added the role of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer where she helped the organization build its DEIB framework around hiring and workplace culture.
Brenda has been a frequent trainer and speaker at both national and local conferences, webinars and bar association programs. Brenda is actively involved in the Philadelphia legal community. She is a current member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, where she was the 2019 Chair of the Public Interest Section, 2022 Diversity Chair, and member of the Chancellor’s Diversity Advisory Panel. Brenda was the 2021 recipient of the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Diversity Award, given annually by the Philadelphia Bar Association for promoting diversity in the legal profession. She is also a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Minority Bar Committee of the PA Bar Association, and Board Member of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania. As for other Board service, Brenda is immediate past-Chair of the Board of Directors of Pan American Academy Charter School, a K-8 dual language program school located in North Philadelphia that serves predominantly low-income Latino youth. Brenda currently serves on the Board of Directors of Justice at Work. In Spring 2022 Brenda was an adjunct professor at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
Brenda’s other awards include the 2021 La Justicia Award from The Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania, recipient of the City & State 100 Nonprofit Leader recognition in 2022, the Emerging Latino Lawyers Leader Award for Non-Profit Sector given by Al Día in 2018, and the “Unsung Hero” Award given by The Legal Intelligencer in 2010.
Brenda is originally from Nicaragua and is a native Spanish speaker. Her family came to the U.S. under political asylum and she grew up in Los Angeles where she completed her undergraduate studies at Mt. St. Mary’s College, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, cum laude. Brenda graduated from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. Brenda is licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Brenda is married and a proud boy mom to two amazing boys who inspire her daily to be the best version of herself.