A Message from the 2023 DHBA President, Carla Green

DHBA Familia,

We are officially off to a new year and I am truly honored to be serving as President of the DHBA in 2023!

I want to start by saying that I know I have some big shoes to fill following Elsa Manzanares, our 2022 fearless, hard-working President. Elsa’s dedication to the DHBA has been an inspiration and I hope to carry on and grow the already wonderful momentum, initiatives, and support Elsa was able to garner for the DHBA this past year. I am thankful Elsa will continue to serve on our Board as Immediate-Past President and we look forward to working with her. I also want to acknowledge and give many thanks to some of our outgoing Board members that have given their service and (for some) several years of their time—many thanks to Jake Torres, Tyrone Valdivia, Fabiola Segovia, and Javier Perez. I want our members to know that the DHBA would not be the organization that it is without you. Without your support, your time, and yes, even your donations—the DHBA would not be able to accomplish the wonderful work that it does. We are grateful for each of you and encourage you to participate, become involved, and socialize with your familia. The DHBA is only growing, getting stronger—we’re excited that we’ve seen substantial increases in our membership numbers, we’ve raised record-setting donations for our incredible initiatives, including for the DHBA’s pipeline initiative, the Dallas Latina Leadership Program, and our Judicial Externship Program.

Throughout my years of service on the DHBA Board, I’ve had the honor of meeting and having long discussions with our DHBA members. In those discussions, I often hear about how the DHBA has impacted our members, many times in different ways. For some, the DHBA has been an organization that has introduced them to other attorneys with similar backgrounds that have resulted in long-lasting, inspiring friendships/mentorships. For others, the DHBA is an organization that has rallied behind causes and initiatives that inspired our members to participate and become more involved in our Dallas-Hispanic community.

For me, the DHBA has always felt like home, like family. My first introduction to the DHBA was in law school when I attended Texas A&M University of Law. I was a single mother, juggling raising an 8-year-old son, trying to get through my law school courses, and keeping up a comfortable household for the both of us. Scholarships were game-changers. The DHBA awarded me one of my first scholarships in law school—and to this day—I remember how excited I was to receive those funds. It was a relief. I needed and the DHBA responded. That’s familia. After graduating and moving to Dallas, the DHBA became an organization of support and comfort. I’ve met so many life-long friends/colleagues through this organization that I consider familia.

It is truly inspirational to hear (and experience) how the DHBA has impacted our members’ law practice and lives. We want to continue to do so. So, join us! Come celebrate with us! We are excited about this upcoming year and look forward to working with our members to reach our goals and continue our mission.

Carla Green 

2023 DHBA President

A Message From Incoming DHBA President Elsa Manzanares

Tuesday, January 25, 2022 2:30 PM | Matthew Phillips


Dear DHBA Familia,

Happy New Year!  Welcome to the kick-off of a new DHBA year.  I look forward to serving as President of your DHBA in 2022. 

It was a pleasure serving as President-Elect in 2021 in support of our President and my good friend, Javier Perez. Thank you Javier for all of your hard work in 2021, and we look forward to your contributions in 2022 as Immediate Past President!  We also applaud the outstanding years of service of outgoing Board veterans, Immediate Past President Isaac Faz and Treasurer Claudia Guerrero. 

Our 2022 Board members have already rolled up their sleeves to brainstorm ideas that will make this year a success.  But an organization cannot accomplish its mission without the active support and participation of its very foundation – the members.  Like everything else, the pandemic has placed significant restrictions on our ability to engage with our members over the last few years.  Whatever this year may bring, I plan to prioritize my efforts on increasing engagement by our members.  What can DHBA do to better serve our members?  What do they need from DHBA?  What do we do well, and where do we have opportunities to grow?  How can we make participation even more meaningful to our members so that they feel invested and motivated to advance the mission of DHBA?  We have so much important work to do, and we need all of our members to help us carry it out.  I look forward to working with all of you on this important task ahead to make DHBA an even stronger organization.  To kick off 2022, we would appreciate your feedback to our first member survey here.  It will take less than 5 minutes to complete!

If you want to get more involved with DHBA, please come forward.  Don't be shy!  We need ALL of our members fully engaged and active.  Reach out to me or one of our board members.  Sign up for a committee.  Take us up on our request for volunteers.  Make new friends at the social events.  This is your organization and its success is completely dependent on you.  And don't forget our responsibility to our community.  I recently returned from an HNBA board meeting in Houston.  As part of our trip, we were invited to visit Wesley Community Center to talk with elementary school students about our careers as lawyers.  When I entered the room, I saw a little girl with glasses seated at a picnic table by herself.  My colleague and I walked past her to take our seats at the front of the room.  She immediately looked up and practically jumped out of her chair with excitement.  She could not wait to start asking questions.  The center's director told us the kids were excited to see us, but I was not expecting that kind of reception.  Are you ready to share your inspiring story with young Latino students in Dallas?  While we go about our daily lives in the practice of law, it is easy to forget the impact our very presence can have in their lives.  If we don't show up, then who will?      

Looking forward to seeing you all in 2022!

Un fuerte abrazo,

Elsa

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