Get to Know the La Piana Team: An Interview with Humberto Camarena, Senior Consultant

This blog post is part of our series getting to know the La Piana team. This week we spoke with Humberto Camarena, Senior Consultant, who joined the firm in 2021. He is based in Washington, D.C. Humberto is one of the founding members of our bilingual and bicultural consulting practice for the Latine social sector: Vías.

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

• Thought-partner: I like working through sticky situations with leaders. Often, the folks I work with find it helpful to have a sounding board to talk through things, challenge assumptions, and open new possibilities.
• Facilitator: Making sure we have diverse perspectives in discussions and creating spaces for all voices to be heard. I value approaching my work in a light-hearted manner with authentic human connections.
• Connector: I always have a resource in my back pocket to share. Whether it’s an article, podcast, or tool, I keep a long list of helpful resources and enjoy sharing the knowledge when helpful.

What attracts you to working with nonprofits, foundations, and/or the consultants who serve them?

• When I started my career, I worked with families experiencing homelessness. The work that I did was incredibly important to the hundreds of families in extremely vulnerable situations. Yet, that experience also left a persistent feeling that the way in which the social sector provides services and promotes social justice must evolve. We have to innovate and continue to experiment until our methods reflect the future we want to create. My consulting work allows me to collaborate with nonprofits to continue to work towards big picture goals and social issues that are near and dear to my heart.

What skills or lessons from your past experience do you draw from the most in your role?

• Teaching has been one of the through-lines of my career, whether in classrooms, workshops, or consulting sessions. I often bring reflection questions, game-based learning, articles, and case studies into my work with clients to spark new ways of thinking. A pedagogical framework has also been helpful for being clear on session learning objectives and developing a learning path to getting us to our end goals…not to mention that my classroom management skills always come in handy during heated conversations!

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

• I enjoy variety, but what makes any project meaningful to me is the people involved. When teams bring openness, curiosity, and a willingness to try new approaches, that energy is contagious. I thrive in collaborative spaces where we can design solutions that reflect the culture and values of the organization while keeping equity at the center.

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

• I love creating art. It’s both a grounding and expressive practice for me — another way to think creatively, process experiences, and connect with the world around me. Sometimes that means turning everyday materials into something new, other times it’s trying out a craft or heading outdoors for inspiration. I’m drawn to hobbies that let me explore and keep learning, and I enjoy the freedom of letting my interests shift and evolve over time. (It’s become an annual ritual for Humberto and a group of friends to snowshoe up to a different hut in the Colorado Rockies. They are up to 8 huts and counting: Pictured right)

What’s a movie, book, or piece of art that changed your perspective on something?

• Pedagogy of the Oppressed has had a profound impact on me. Paulo Freire’s work affirmed my belief in the power of education and dialogue as tools for liberation, and it continues to shape how I approach both life and consulting.