A Rising Star at NCLR

Since she first started working for one of the most recognizable Latino advocacy organizations in the country 11 years ago, Delia de la Vara knew she had a lot to learn. But she was a quick study and her background certainly helped her rapidly evolve within the ranks of NCLR, landing her in top-level management jobs. She is currently the Vice President of the California Region Affiliate Member Services. In this newly created role, she’s in charge of a regional strategy that will strengthen affiliate relationships and support fundraising efforts for NCLR. She’s also a producer of the ALMA Awards, responsible for budget oversight, logistics and marketing of the star-studded event that strives to shine a positive light on Latino talent in the entertainment industry. Prior to this promotion at the beginning of the year and to her move to California, De la Vara was vice president of NCLR’s Strategic Communications Group. For four years she managed the Corporate Board of Advisors, as well as the presentation of all NCLR awards events and its annual conference. She also spearheaded efforts to increase the visibility of NCLR and its mission. De la Vara began her upwards trajectory at the organization in 1998 in the Affiliate Relations division, where she helped develop an infrastructure for membership processes.

The oldest of four siblings, De la Vara’s parents divorced when she was only 8 years old. Despite the separation, she maintained a very close relationship with her father José, a former public defender and currently a criminal defense attorney. But it was her mother Elisa, now a district director for Arizona Congressman Ed Pastor, who shaped her view of the world and taught her the importance of community involvement.

“The core values that drive me are hard work, honesty, integrity and community. These are all things instilled in me at a young age primarily by my mom, which connects with how I ended up here,” says De la Vara. Her mother worked with one of the NCLR’s founding affiliate organizations in her native Arizona—Chicanos por la Causa—for more than 12 years. “I spent a lot of time with my mom at work. I was in grade school, junior high and high school when she was there. And that’s when you start to notice the world around you. I used to go to CPLC to help out. Going there was like my after-school program. I was very quiet and shy as a kid, but very observant and I learned a lot from my mother and from the people that worked there. I watched what happened, what people were talking about, and their interpersonal dynamics.”

That face-to-face connection with her mother’s co-workers, their mission, and the people that sought assistance from the non-profit opened her eyes to a world of underprivileged communities and the need for justice. She knew she wanted “to be part of a family and inspired by the people I work with.”

After graduating from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in Regional Development and Latin American Studies, she worked in several jobs. But she soon realized she wanted to get a “broader view of the world” and be involved in a rightful cause. She decided a move to Washington, D.C. was necessary to connect her with a community relations job that would allow her to do advocacy work. She knew it would mean a pay cut, but she saved some money and tagged along on a business trip with her mother in search of experience. The early life exposure and connections gained through the non-profit agency her mother worked for helped open doors for De la Vara at NCLR, where she accomplished what she sought to do.

“My first position was managing the affiliate network, working with non-profits around the country. This was great, because I got the opportunity to learn a lot about what Latino-based organizations were doing across the country. For me it was a real fun way to spend my first years at NCLR, because I travelled, but not to the glamorous big cities. I saw a lot of smaller-size cities within our network. I went to places in Ohio, the Rio Grande Valley [Texas] and in Arizona, I went to Somerton and Yuma. Now that I’m here in this position in the California region office, it’s interesting to reflect back on that and see how we’ve grown and how our relationships have evolved, starting with the information and exposure that we extend to our affiliates and all the different ways we try to promote that relationship, to what we’ve learned from them.”

De la Vara admits she was fortunate to have a good network of guides, mentors, advisors and friends who helped her evolve within the organization she loves. Among them is NCLR’s current president and CEO, Janet Murguía, with whom she has a close relationship. “I got to learn from her on a regular basis. In D.C., I could pop into her office anytime. It was tremendously helpful for me [in order] to do a better job.”

But she also attributes her success to her values and dedication. She describes herself as “honest, ethical, passionate, professional, caring about the work that I do and doing it with a level of quality.” That formula seems to be working for her. She also knows when to move on.

“I didn’t want to get myself in a position where I wasn’t happy going to work,” she says. So, when she felt “maxed out” on her first NCLR job, without growth potential, she looked for another opportunity. It came about in 2002. “That first transition out of Affiliate Services into what we called at the time Special Events started to evolve into what we now call the Strategic Communications Group. I had been talking to the VPs for a while. I think it was because I talked to them so much that they [NCLR leadership] were able to get a sense of what I was interested in, what challenges I could or couldn’t take and what my weaknesses and strengths were. We figured I could really contribute to external relations.”

She went on to become director of sponsorships, which at first was difficult for her to assimilate because she felt it was a very sales-oriented position. “But after conversations with corporate partners, I realized that I was actually selling what I was doing in affiliate services —the idea of a fruitful and mutually beneficial partnership between NCLR and its affiliates. Ultimately, I was able to be a better bridge to our corporate partners.” Two years later, she was promoted to VP. Now, she’s facing her newest challenge, developing California’s regional strategy. It is in the Golden State where NCLR has the largest number of affiliates—52—than anywhere else in the country.

“Throughout the years we have grown to the point that our affiliates couldn’t get a direct response from NCLR. So it just made sense to build a complement of staff in California to work with our D.C. headquarters. We’re focused on building more intense communication with our affiliates and offer them the technical assistance and capacity-building they need to grow.” To that effect, De la Vara’s office will be expanding to a nine-person staff by the end of the year.

When asked if she has any higher aspirations within the organization’s ranks, she quickly answers that she can only concentrate on the job at hand. “It is a pretty big undertaking on both sides—the California regional strategy and the work we want to do around the ALMA Awards and what it can contribute and add to NCLR’s work around civil rights and around media and image of Latinos in the United States. I’m just focused on trying to get through year one of this regional strategy and show how I can add value to NCLR and our affiliate network.”