Annual Awards Dinner
Acknowledging Outstanding Latinos in the Legal Profession
2022 Judicial Leadership Award
Adalberto Jordán was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1961, and emigrated to the United States with his family in 1968. He and his wife, Esther, have two daughters, Diana and Elizabeth.
After graduating from St. Brendan High School, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1984 and his juris doctor degree in 1987 from the University of Miami. Following law school he clerked for Judge Thomas Clark of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the United States Supreme Court. He then returned to Miami, and was in private practice at Steel Hector & Davis from 1989-1994 before working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida from 1994-1999. During his last year at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was head of the appellate division.
In 1999 President Clinton appointed him as a district judge for the Southern District of Florida. He served in that capacity until 2012, when President Obama appointed him as a circuit judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
2022 Corporate Leadership Award
Horacio Gutierrez was named Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of The Walt Disney Company in February 2022. Mr. Gutierrez serves as the chief legal officer of the Company, overseeing its team of attorneys responsible for all aspects of Disney’s legal affairs around the world, and acting as a strategic advisor to executive leadership and the Board of Directors.
2022 Academic Leadership Award
Now in her second term at DePaul and fourteenth year as a law dean, Jennifer Rosato Perea has served as dean of DePaul University College of Law since 2015. A nationally recognized leader in legal education, Dean Rosato Perea brings a wealth of experience to DePaul as an experienced administrator, a longtime advocate of student engagement and professionalism, and a respected legal scholar. One of only a small number of Latina law school deans in the nation, she has been recognized and honored for her commitment to diversity through her presentations on implicit bias, mentoring, and creation of innovative programs. Most recently, Dean Rosato Perea received the Aguila award, the highest honor bestowed by the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. She also has presented nationally and regionally on the future and challenges of legal education before a variety of organizations, including the Association of American Law Schools and the American Bar Association. Dean Rosato Perea is an accomplished scholar and expert on family law, bioethics and legal ethics, having published extensively on a variety of legal issues affecting children and families. Prior to joining DePaul, she served as dean of Northern Illinois University College of Law for six years.
2022 Law Firm Leadership Award
Yvette Ostolaza is Chair of Sidley’s Management Committee. She is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, former global Litigation co-leader, and former managing partner of the Dallas office. Yvette is one of the world’s foremost business litigators, delivering winning results for clients at each stage of complex multijurisdictional commercial disputes and corporate investigations. Yvette’s litigation work and ability to solve her clients’ most difficult litigation problems has garnered her numerous accolades and recognitions, including 2021-2022 Band 1 Chambers USA recognition and Benchmark Litigation 2021 and 2022 National Commercial Litigation Star. Her clients include leading companies in the aviation, retail, hospitality, financial/insurance, energy, and manufacturing industries including Aspen Insurance, MGM Resorts, Celanese, Deutsche Bank, Chuck E. Cheese Entertainment, Neiman Marcus, Michaels, Best Buy, SAExploration, JPMorgan, McAfee, Inc., and Hunt Oil.
Past Honorees
2022 AWARDEES
HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. ADALBERTO JORDÁN
HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
HORACIO GUTIERREZ
HNBF Academic Leadership Award
JENNIFER ROSATO PEREA
HNBF Law Firm Leadership Award
YVETTE OSTOLAZA
2021 AWARDEES
HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. EDGARDO RAMOS
HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
RACHEL GONZALEZ
HNBF Academic Leadership Award
DONALD F. TIBBS
HNBF Law Firm Leadership Award
JORGE A. DEL CALVO
2020 AWARDEES
HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. RODOLFO “RUDY” A. RUIZ II
HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
PATRICIA MENENDEZ-CAMPO
HNBF Academic Leadership Award
JENNY S. MARTINEZ
2019 AWARDEES
HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
BARBARA LAGOA
HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
LISA MARTINEZ WOLMART
HNBF Latina Leadership Award
NOIANA MARIGO
2018 AWARDEES
HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. MARIANO FLORENTINO CUÉLLAR
HNBF Academic Leadership Award
DEAN S. JAMES ANAYA
HNBF Latina Leadership Award
ELIZABETH ESPIN STERN
2017 AWARDEES
HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. MONICA M. MÁRQUEZ
HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
CARLOS M. HERNANDEZ
HNBF Academic Leadership Award
KEVIN R. JOHNSON
2016 AWARDEES
HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. JOSE L. LINARES
HNBF Corporate Leadership Award
ALEX PONCE DE LEON
HNBF Academic Leadership Award
DEAN EDUARDO PEÑALVER
2015 AWARDEES
HNBF Diversity Leadership Award
DR. WALTER SUTTON
HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. MIGNA SANCHEZ-LLORENS
HNBF Academic Leadership Award
LUZ HERRERA
2014 AWARDEES
HNBF Lifetime Leadership Award
CESAR L. ÁLVAREZ
HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. HIRAM PUIG-LUGO
HNBF Academic Leadership Award
CRISTINA RODRÍGUEZ
2013 AWARDEES
HNBF Lifetime Leadership Award
MARGARET MONTOYA
HNBF Latina Leadership Award
CAROL ROBLES-ROMAN
HNBF Corporate Visionary Award
HOGAN LOVELLS
2012 AWARDEES
HNBF Lifetime Leadership Award
CLAUDIO GROSSMAN
HNBF Latina Leadership Award
CLARISSA CERDA
HNBF Corporate Visionary Award
MCKENNA LONG & ALDRIDGE
2011 AWARDEES
HNBF Lifetime Leadership Award
HON. RICARDO M. URBINA
HNBF Academic Leadership Award
R. ALEXANDER ACOSTA
HNBF Corporate Visionary Award
GENERAL MOTORS
2010 AWARDEES
HNBF Lifetime Leadership Award
CRUZ REYNOSO
HNBF Academic Leadership Award
NATALIE M. GOMEZ-VELEZ
HNBF Judicial Leadership Award
HON. VANESSA RUIZ
HNBF Corporate Visionary Award
WALMART
Awardee Selection Criteria
The HNBF acknowledges the outstanding achievements and contributions of Latinos in the legal profession at our Annual Awards Dinner & celebration. When selecting candidates to be honored, we seek leaders whose contributions exemplify the values of the HNBF including the advancement of education, diversity, equality, empowerment, and access.
The purpose of the awards are to distinguish leaders and corporations that advance our mission to help Latino students achieve their potential through access to higher education and increase diversity in the legal profession in their unique way.