Brenda Muñoz, Executive Director of the UC Berkeley Labor Center, sits down with Maria Rogers Pascual of LeadersTrust to share how accompaniment, coaching, and a culture of shared leadership transformed her organization into a powerhouse of collective power.
Maria: Hello Brenda. Thanks for making the time to share your accompaniment journey. Who are you and what’s moving you right now?
Brenda: I immigrated from Guatemala when I was eight years old. My family left seeking better opportunities for their children. My mother was the pioneer, she was ready to take the risk and endure the heartbreak to come here, leaving my brothers behind. She believed that we’d have a better future, especially us girls.
I don’t think that even in her wildest dreams she imagined that her daughter would be leading an organization like the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
My first public celebration since I became executive director was the Labor Center’s 60th anniversary celebration in April. Having my mother there was everything. This accomplishment isn’t just mine—it’s hers, it’s ours. It belongs to my community and to everyone who believed in me and cared for me along the way.
From my mother finding her voice and independence as a union member to me becoming a union organizer, my life has come full circle. After college, I wanted to make a difference by helping workers find their voice. If I’m able to contribute to building a society that prioritizes and values workers, and make the economy work for all of us, I feel like I’ve been successful.
Maria: What do you love about your own leadership?
Brenda: I love spotting talent, lifting others up, and modeling shared leadership. I believe in the right of people to have a voice and decision-making power at work. My mother was a union member, and that is how she was able to earn a good wage, provide for our family, and gain economic independence. She gained power by being part of something bigger than herself. I’m not alone either; I’m part of an organization with talented leaders and that keeps me inspired.
Maria: I love the connection that you’re making between your family history and the work that you do. What’s the most important thing the Labor Center is working on right now?
Brenda: We are focused on building a robust labor movement in California and beyond, so that workers build power in their workplace and communities.
Our work includes training over 1,000 rank-and-file workers annually through the Skills to Win program, supporting leadership development, conducting applied research to strengthen labor standards, and building a diverse pipeline of young people to grow the labor movement. It’s all about creating an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy.
Maria: Why are unions so important?
Brenda: Unions are a place where workers can learn about creating democratic workplaces and democratic societies. At this moment unions are essential to safeguarding our democracy. A big part of what unions do is build the capacity of workers to organize and build power at their job. They help workers develop the skills of talking with each other, building collective power, and taking collective action— the skills needed to rebuild our democracy.
Maria: This is such important work. Thank you for all you do. Can you share a bit about what accompaniment means to you?
Brenda: Accompaniment is powerful because it’s rooted in trust. It is knowing you have someone who believes in you, who coaches you through the toughest times, while giving you the freedom to lead in a way that aligns with your values and feels true to you. The LeadersTrust really accompanied us over the last four years. Every leader and visionary organization deserves this level of support. It changes everything.
Maria: What might you say was the most important shift that happened in your organization as a result of the work you’ve been doing with the LeadersTrust and your coach over these past 4 years?
Brenda: I think the most important shift is that we are able to prioritize organizational development. That this is not just an afterthought. We developed a theory of change for the first time and now use it as a blueprint to guide all of our decisions.
The greatest shift has been that we now have the entire staff participating in decisions about how our organization works. When we got started there was a lot of skepticism. But we’ve had a huge cultural shift, because now, four years later, people actually own a lot of the change. By including everyone at every step, we’ve made the results sustainable and inclusive. But we’ll also need to keep nurturing it for the long haul.
When the chance to become ED came up, I felt ready because I knew I wasn’t doing it alone. Leading a 60-year-old organization wasn’t just on me—I saw it as a collaboration with other leaders. I helped build this, so stepping into leadership felt natural. I don’t feel like I’m drowning.
Maria: One of the things we’ve learned over the years is that leadership and organizational development is not something that you just do once, or you start and you finish. So I’m curious, what is the next level of organizational development that you’re working on?
Brenda: We are so fortunate to have continued support from the LeadersTrust and the James Irvine Foundation to continue with our capacity coach to do the next level of work—building staff and team capacity. Coaching is a gift!
Maria: Speaking of coaching, can you share with us how you have changed as a leader?
Brenda: I’ve always known that it takes collective action to make change. I am experiencing this in my new leadership role. Coaching has helped me realize that with a successful shared leadership model, I don’t have the full responsibility of the success of the Labor Center on me.
I know that I don’t have to have all the answers. And if nobody else has the answers, we’re all going to work together to figure it out. I am very appreciative that people at the Labor Center have my back and believe in my leadership.
Maria: What have been the biggest hurdles for you so far?
Brenda: I think that I’m very aspirational. I have a lot of ideas and goals. And at times, I put a lot on my plate that I try to move quickly, and sometimes I think I have to do it all by myself. Sometimes that is a hurdle. I am learning to step back and include others in my aspirations for the organization. That’s really big progress, so the hurdle is getting lower.
I used to work until 3 in the morning, a lot of times. Now it’s more like midnight once in a while. I try not to work weekends to have real work-life balance.
Maria: Why do you think it’s so important to invest in organizations in this way with long term accompaniment?
Brenda: When we invest in organizations, it’s so powerful to make a long-term commitment, to stay beside them for a few years. And in this moment, as we’re thinking about safeguarding our democracy at all levels, it’s important for us to focus on that external work, but also to have the tools and support to lead an organization without being afraid. Sometimes I can do that. And when everything’s coming at me and I’m struggling, I call my coach. If we weren’t part of this accompaniment program right now, I probably wouldn’t have the funding for that coach.
This coaching support allows me to be a leader with a sharp focus and the ability to pivot when needed. I also need work-life balance, and I think this investment makes room for that!
Maria: What is your hope for the future of the Labor Center?
Brenda: I’m very proud to lead this organization, but I don’t plan to be the ED for 20 years. This accompaniment process has really helped me think about how I model sustainable leadership while I’m here, so that other staff are inspired to be the next leader.
My hope is that whoever comes after me will be excited to lead. I want to make sure they don’t feel it’s all on them either. It’s about making leadership something people want to do, not something they’re afraid of.
The work of building a more just society and building worker power needs to be a collective and inclusive effort. That’s the legacy I want to leave at the Labor Center—one of trust and shared leadership.