Get to Know the La Piana Team: An Interview with Estephany Mendoza, Associate Consultant

This blog post is part of our series getting to know the La Piana team. This week we spoke with Estephany Mendoza, Associate Consultant, who joined the firm in 2022. She is based in Los Angeles.

What are three words you would use to describe your role with La Piana Consulting?

I would describe my role at La Piana Consulting as collaborative, cross-functional, and responsive. As an Associate Consultant, I contribute to multiple consulting teams on a variety of client projects. Our methodology remains consistent, but each project is unique, and my involvement within the team varies accordingly. I appreciate this diversity in my role, as it allows me to engage in different tasks and continually learn from my colleagues and clients. My position also provides the opportunity to interact with various organizational levels, including community stakeholders, staff, C-suite leadership, and Board members. With over two years at the firm, I now draw upon my experiences from numerous projects, enabling me to anticipate needs and adapt as needed.

What attracts you to working in consulting with nonprofits and foundations?

I am deeply attracted to impactful work and enjoy collaborating with nonprofits, foundations, and the consultants who serve them. Each person I’ve met and worked with shares the same end goal, even if our job roles differ greatly. This results in a strong sense of purpose and collaboration, both professionally and personally. I firmly believe that my contributions to consulting projects impact the larger picture of creating change.

What skills or lessons from your past experience do you draw from the most in your role? And/or what stands out as a career highlight for you to date?

I draw from my lived experience the most in my role. Growing up, I experienced firsthand the support of nonprofits, so I like to put that hat on when working with clients and their stakeholders. This perspective allows me to empathize deeply with the communities they serve and to bring a unique and inclusive approach to consulting.

A career highlight for me is the opportunity to work with nonprofits and foundations that serve the communities I grew up in and currently reside in, such as Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Los Angeles, California. It is truly special to encounter our clients while driving through these familiar areas, knowing I am contributing to some change in my own community.

What are your favorite types of challenges/projects/opportunities?

I welcome opportunities where I get to work side-by-side with community members as part of our stakeholder engagement for clients. The insights and feedback they provide, gathered through interviews, focus groups, and surveys, are crucial to our work and that of our clients. I particularly enjoy working with Spanish-speaking communities. While it is my native language, ensuring our approach is accessible and understandable to them is both challenging and deeply satisfying.

What do you most enjoy doing when you’re not working?

My time outside of work revolves around food exploration. I enjoy keeping up with new local restaurants and experiencing highly regarded spots, including those recognized by Michelin or the James Beard Foundation. A more personal focus lately has been learning traditional Mexican cooking. Preparing dishes from scratch with tools like the olla de barro (Mexican clay pot), comal (griddle), and molcajete (mortar and pestle) began as an effort to honor and preserve heritage practices. Unexpectedly, it has also helped me feel closer to my homeland and family, including those who came before me. As I get better at these cooking methods, I feel strongly about upholding them as a meaningful act of resistance and a step towards decolonizing my diet. (Estephany pictured at right with the Aztec Sun Stone at the National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropología) in Mexico City)

What is your favorite sight or sound in the world?

My favorite sound in the world (to date) is live music, but particularly mariachi. There’s something special about the way the instruments and voices come together that always evokes a strong wave of emotions that are impossible to ignore. What I especially enjoy about mariachi music is that it’s present in all parts of life and has the power to make good times better and bad times easier.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Growing up, I often heard the saying “El flojo trabaja doble,” which translates to “The lazy one works twice as hard.” This wisdom continues to resonate with me both in my personal and professional life, serving as a reminder that taking the time to do things right the first time saves effort and trouble down the road.