Nationally recognized for her commitment toward the betterment of underserved communities in Los Angeles and beyond, Antonia Hernandez joined the California Community Foundation as President & CEO in February 2004.

Previously, Hernandez was president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a national nonprofit litigation and advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of the nation's 35 million Latinos through the legal system, community education, research and policy initiatives.

An expert in civil rights and immigration issues, Hernandez began her legal career as a staff attorney with the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice and worked as counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary before joining MALDEF in 1981 as regional counsel in Washington, D.C.

Hernandez is a trustee for the Rockefeller Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors for the Automobile Club of Southern California and Golden West Financial Corporation. She serves on various commissions, advisory boards, committees and panels, including the Pacific Council for International Policy.

Hernandez is a member of the State Bar of California and the District of Columbia Bar. She also is a member of the American Bar Association, the Mexican American Bar Association of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Hernandez earned her B.A. in History at UCLA in 1970 and J.D. at the UCLA School of Law in 1974.