Badass of the Week: Dr. Lorena Garza Gonzalez

 A life-long commitment to leadership and service has endeared Dr. Lorena Gonzalez to audiences internationally and around the country for more than twenty years. Through her speeches, facilitation, coaching, training, and facilitation workshops, Lirena has inspired tens of thousands of individuals to recognize and magnify their strengths for the good of others.
As a trailblazer of leadership development with special expertise in Latino leadership, Lorena has been at the forefront of innovation. Lorena has helped business leaders through training and executive coaching to create inclusive company environments that capitalize on the strengths of a diverse workforce. She works with employees to identify their abilities and enhance their performance. Above all, Lorena teaches the power of honoring culture, and the strength of personal heritage.
She is a recognized expert in creating unique, holistic approaches to program delivery. In her executive role within Urban Strategies, Lorena provides overall organizational vision as well as training and technical assistance to practitioners, educators, policymakers and community leaders on how to build successful community programs that drive positive change.
With her colleague, Lisa Treviño Cummins, her efforts have been the catalyst to a book project resulting in the International Latino Book award and Amazon best-selling book entitles Inheritance: Discovering the Richness of the Latino Culture and Family. She has also been instrumental in developing renowned, culturally based leadership program, The Family Leadership Institute, Urban Strategies Leadership Institute and Latino Best Start Program.
Lorena has been recognized for her many achievements and was inducted into the prestigious Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s Hall of Fame.
Lorena credits her father’s first four English words, “You can do it,” for helping her complete three degrees as a young wife and mother. Lorena received her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TC, and her MA in Bicultural-Bilingual Studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She completed post-doctoral work at Harvard University’s Government, Executive Education Program.
What a woman of great inspiration. We admire you, Dr. Lorena Gonzalez! Thank-you for the immense amount of work you do for the Latino community.