New Leadership Structure as We Look Toward the Future
Adelante Mujeres is evolving our leadership structure to better serve our community and help Latinas and their families thrive well into the future.
After 22 years of serving as the Executive Director of Adelante Mujeres, Bridget Cooke has decided to entrust the future to new leadership in 2026. While this is a bittersweet moment for her, it is also filled with hope and excitement for Adelante’s future. She is sharing this news now to ensure the continuity of our mission and organizational culture, sustain, and increase Adelante’s impact in the community, and strategically prepare for the new opportunities ahead.
To assist with the Executive Director transition and to enhance our leadership capacity, we have created a new internal structure that includes a Deputy Director of Internal Operations and a Deputy Director of Programs.
The Deputy Director of Internal Operations, Monica Rada, started on January 1, 2025. Monica was previously our Director of Strategic Projects and has been with Adelante for five years, demonstrating a strong commitment to our mission and excellent management abilities. With her transition into this new role, the management structure of several administrative teams changed:
The Deputy Director of Internal Operations supervises: Development, Communications & Marketing, Monitoring & Evaluation, Operations, and Strategic Projects.
The People & Culture Director is now supervised by the Executive Director.
Professional Development is now supervised by the People & Culture Director.
We will hire Strategic Project support to assist with some of the initiatives Monica led in her previous role.
We plan to hire a Deputy Director of Programs in the second half of 2025.
Adding Deputy Directors is beneficial as Adelante continues to grow in size and complexity. These roles will help balance the leadership workload and position Adelante for long-term sustainability. The advantages of this structure include:
Improved Leadership Capacity: Deputy Directors will share the Executive Director's workload, allowing more focus on strategic planning, external relations, and high-level decision-making, complementing the executive director’s strengths.
Enhanced Operational Efficiency: Deputy Directors will manage daily operations, ensuring smoother implementation of programs, staff coordination, addressing operational challenges, and streamlining decision-making processes.
Succession Planning: Deputy Directors provide a clear succession plan in the event the Executive Director becomes unavailable, minimizing disruption to the organization. This role also helps groom internal talent for higher-level responsibilities in the future.
Stronger Focus on Strategy and Growth: With Deputy Directors handling operational and program responsibilities, the Executive Director can dedicate more time to strategic initiatives, fundraising, and stakeholder relationships.
Stronger External Representation: Deputy Directors can act as secondary spokespersons for the organization, representing Adelante at events, meetings, and partnerships when the Executive Director is unavailable.
Throughout these changes, our staff and Board remain committed to empowering Latine women and their families, just as we have since our founding. We view the new leadership structure and the transition to a new Executive Director as an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to the community. Thank you for standing with us as we look toward the opportunities ahead – without your support, our work simply isn’t possible!