Dora Mendez, MPA, is a seasoned Chief Human Resources Officer and HR consultant with more than 12 years of C-suite and senior leadership experience across nonprofit, public sector, and technology-adjacent organizations. Dora partners with organizations to build inclusive, people-centered cultures that drive measurable results.
Her expertise spans the full HR lifecycle — from talent strategy and organizational design to leadership development and DEI integration — informed by a decade of public service investigating workplace discrimination. This rare combination of compliance rigor and strategic HR leadership gives Dora a distinctive edge in diagnosing systemic people challenges and designing solutions that are both legally sound and human-centered.
An adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice for 15 years and a contributing author to Latinas Rising Up in HR Vol. 3: Executive Edition and Extraordinary Latinas Vol. IV, Dora is a recognized voice in inclusive leadership. She hosts the Building Leadership Community podcast and writes the weekly Substack newsletter Coach Dora’s Beyond Heritage Months: Sunday Reflections. A lifelong New Yorker, Dora is known professionally as Coach Dora
