DLA Piper Q&A with Marco Davis, CHCI President and CEO
Prior to joining CHCI, Marco was a partner at New Profit, a national nonprofit venture philanthropy. He also served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and as Director of Public Engagement for the Corporation for National and Community Service. He has more than 25 years of experience in leadership development, educational achievement, community advocacy and civic engagement, and he is a frequent speaker on topics including the Latino community, diversity in the nonprofit sector and education. He received his B.A. in history and Latin American studies from Yale University. Originally from the New York City area, he lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and daughter.
Marco spoke with DLA Piper about his career and the mission of CHCI, as well as the role of law firms in developing Latino leaders and his advice for young people who hope to make a positive impact on their communities.
1. Could you please tell us a bit about your path to your current position and how you have shaped your career?
During college, I happened to get a summer job working with Latino students, where I found my calling. So I went into the nonprofit sector, doing youth leadership programs. After almost 20 years, I had the opportunity to go into the federal government and work for President Obama for six years. As a result, after a couple of additional career steps, I was able to put all of my skills and learned experiences to use in leading the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), which is a nonprofit organization developing the next generation of Latino leaders, in part through immersing them in public policy.
2. CHCI is dedicated to developing young Latino leaders. What role do you think law firms can play in ensuring the next generation of leaders are prepared to tackle the pressing issues facing the world today? What steps can they take to ensure they are supporting the pipeline of emerging Latino talent?
Law firms play a pivotal role in many facets of life. Because their work touches on a multitude of issues and topics, law firms provide an opportunity for Latino talent to learn and experience how the practice of law intersects with public policy, education, immigration, civil rights, the environment and many other pressing issues impacting our nation. Law firms can create and provide opportunities that are transformational. Whether firms are hiring for an associate, non-attorney staff or other position, it is critical that they make an intentional commitment to pursue and recruit Latino talent by reaching beyond traditional methods, resources and networks. Law firms can help nurture and cultivate Latino talent by providing professional development and leadership opportunities that will lead to career growth and advancement to senior positions with influence, decision-making opportunities and power.
3. CHCI recently brought together its members, along with corporate, educational, community and other leaders, during its annual conference. What were the key areas of discussion at the conference? What were some of the biggest challenges and rewards of holding a virtual rather than in-person conference?
CHCI’s Leadership Conference and 43rd Annual Awards Gala are our signature events to kick-off Hispanic Heritage Month in Washington, DC. At the conference, we focused on many of the issues currently resonating across the country, including the economy, education, the environment, the workforce, civil rights and civic engagement, as well as the impact of COVID-19. All these topics were explored in terms of how the Latino population is affected. It was also important to tackle structural racism, inequities and discrimination, and examine what society needs to do to combat these injustices. At the awards gala, we recognized some of our most distinguished leaders and paid tribute to the resilience and perseverance of our community during this unprecedented time. One of the biggest challenges of holding a virtual event – beyond the need to get the technology right in an effort we’d never attempted before – was the lack of interactivity that usually comes with gathering more than 1,000 people who are leaders with expertise in and/or curiosity about the Latino community. On the other hand, a positive aspect of the virtual nature of this year’s conference was that we were able to expand our reach throughout the country and beyond, as well as engage people from our community who might not have otherwise participated. In the end, we attracted more than 6,000 global and national industry leaders, public officials, community advocates, influencers, award-winning journalists and other professionals from the public, private and nonprofit sector representing 46 states as well as Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, and 23 countries on six continents.
4. In your view, which policy areas are most important to the Hispanic and Latino communities? How is CHCI addressing those areas?
We need more Latino/a/x leaders in positions of power and influence, and we need them to be at the table when policies are being developed, so that our needs are not overlooked or ignored, our contributions to this country are properly recognized, and we can all succeed together. The policy areas most important to Hispanics are the same ones that concern all other Americans – economic security, wellness, safety and education. In the current moment, all of these issues are being reviewed and reconsidered. New leadership is needed to find and implement solutions to move our nation forward. I believe that the Latino community can provide the new leadership our society needs.
5. You’ve seen firsthand the impact that meeting and interacting with accomplished Latino leaders has on students and young professionals. Why is it important for them to make these genuine personal connections, and what advice do you have for young people who are eager to solve problems and make an impact on their communities?
It is critical for students and young professionals to see accomplished leaders who look like them, in a variety of fields. Beyond that, genuine personal connections provide insights into a leader’s journey: the challenges they have faced, the ways in which they have overcome them, and the lessons learned. In addition, developing relationships with established leaders provides the needed support, encouragement and mentoring that is not only essential to personal and professional success, but that can be lacking for young leaders who are often the first in their families to attend or graduate college, go into their professional field, or attain a significant leadership position.
My advice for young people who want to make change is first to believe in your own talents and potential. Second, to truly solve our society’s problems, you have to become deeply knowledgeable about the systems that either create those problems or keep them in place, in order to fix the root causes of the problems. And that is one reason why understanding public policy, and the law, is so important.
