For Eneida Román, Championing the Latino Community Is Imperative

Looking back, Eneida Román describes her journey to the C-suite of Amplify Latinx as an organic one. When a group of advisors and board members first approached her about filling the nonprofit’s CEO vacancy, however, she had a different mindset.

“I was practicing law and working in public policy, so I wanted to hire somebody else,” Román admits. “I wasn’t thinking that I was going to be the next CEO.”

With the offer on the table, Román took the time to weigh her decision before ultimately accepting. After all, she had been with Amplify since the beginning, as cofounder of The Latina Circle, Inc. the organization out of which Amplify grew. The nonprofit had always been her passion project, but as of January 2023, she has the opportunity to make it so much more than that.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Román moved to Boston to attend law school and never left. She served as managing partner of Omega Global Advisors and founded her own law firm, Román Law Offices, with a practice centering around alternative dispute resolution. “I have a double graduate degree in organizational psychology and law, so I combine my two careers in everything I do,” she says. “My passion for service and my focus on paying it forward are what really drive me. That’s why I started the Latina Circle: I wanted to positively impact the next generation of leaders.”

Inspired by her work with the Hispanic National Bar Association Latina Commission, Román cofounded the Latina Circle in 2012 to empower Latina professionals across the Greater Boston Area. “We would get together quarterly for cafecitos,” she explains. “When we initially launched, our call to action was, ‘You’re a woman on the go; bring a woman on the rise.’ We wanted to make sure that we incorporated that next generation, so we could be lifting as we climbed.”

Five years down the line, the Latina Circle evolved into Amplify Latinx. “We realized that we needed to expand our work beyond Latina leadership,” says Román. “Amplify is not just about leadership; it’s about civic engagement, support for Latino-owned businesses, and economic mobility. It’s about making sure that we are driving home the message of Latino contributions and the importance of Latino prosperity to American prosperity—because a rising tide lifts all boats.”

That narrative will only become more important as the number of Latinos living in the US continues to rise. “It’s a missed opportunity for the American GDP if we do not champion and support Latino leaders and Latino businesses,” Román emphasizes. “At Amplify, we back up our work with data and numbers so decision-makers understand that Latinos are an asset––not a liability––to the American economy.”

Román is excited to bring her previous career experience to bear as she settles into her new role as Amplify’s CEO. “As a psychologist and an attorney, one of my strongest tools is that I’m a really good listener. I like to hear people out, and I always try to understand other people’s perspectives,” she says. “When people feel valued and respected, they tend to give more and to have a more positive outlook on their contributions.”

Román leverages her listening skills to foster collaborative relationships across generations. At the same time, she understands from her legal practice the necessity of translating those partnerships into tangible policy outcomes . “Amplify bridges leadership representation and economic mobility with policy solutions,” she says. “If you don’t find policy solutions to these structural inequities that have existed for decades, it’s harder to effect real progress.”

Beyond her knowledge of law, policy, and psychology, Román plans to apply her entrepreneurial expertise as she takes the lead at Amplify. “A nonprofit is a business like any other, so my transferable skills from the private sector serve useful to this new role,” she says. “I want to leverage the strengths I bring to the table and make sure that I work with our cross-sector collaborators to deliver on the mission of the organization: building economic prosperity and political power for Latinos.”

Already, Román has expanded Amplify’s reach from Boston to all of Massachusetts. In the coming years, she hopes to take it one step further. “We thrive on partnerships and programs that develop Latino leaders and build wealth in the community––because Latino progress is going to benefit everybody in the end,” she says. “My dream is to take Amplify national.”

On a personal level, Román strives to cultivate learning and bettering herself in all realms of her life, Amplify included. “I love this work because it’s very much aligned with my beliefs and my values. It almost doesn’t feel like work, even though it is very hard work,” she says. “But at the end of the day, I stay focused because I know that I’m making a difference and that there are so many other allies who wish to be engaged and serve as catalysts for Latino upward mobility.”