First-Hand Lessons on Leadership Transitions: A Conversation with Viridiana Hernandez
Participants: Iman Mills Gordon (interviewer); Viridiana Hernandez (interviewee)
Publisher: Leadership Learning Community
Resource Type: Interview/ Article
Principle: Center & Support Leaders from Community; Supporting Leadership as Acts of Courage
In this interview with the Leadership Learning Community, Viridiana Hernandez reflects on her transition after nine years as Executive Director of Poder in Action and AZ Poder — two Arizona-based organizations advancing immigrant and worker power. Speaking at the conclusion of a full year of sabbatical, Viridiana offers candid insight into the emotional, strategic, and structural dimensions of a leadership transition from a founder's perspective, including the compounding pressures of leading through political crisis, the importance of ceremony and team processing, and the critical role of general operating support in enabling a thoughtful exit. Her direct call to philanthropy — to stop treating outgoing leaders as disposable and to double down with unrestricted support at the moment of transition — makes this an essential resource for funders.
Funders can use this resource to:
Understand the firsthand experience of a BIPOC movement leader navigating a leadership transition amid political instability — and what funder support did and didn't make possible.
Reflect on how philanthropic practices, including the "wait and see" approach and restricted grant structures, shape the conditions outgoing leaders face during transitions.
Identify concrete practices for supporting outgoing leaders with care, including early engagement, peer network connections, executive coaching, and emotional and organizational space to transition with intention.
