Snell & Wilmer Partner Marian Zapata-Rossa Selected for the HNBA’s Inaugural Puente Leadership Institute Cohort

PHOENIX – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that Partner Marian Zapata-Rossa has been selected for the Hispanic National Bar Association’s (HNBA) inaugural Puente Leadership Institute.

Zapata-Rossa has been selected as one of 24 leaders nationwide to participate in the inaugural cohort of the Puente Leadership Institute. Her selection into this six-month leadership program reflects her exceptional professional achievement, high-performance, and positioning for expanded influence in the legal profession.

The program officially kicked off with a welcome reception at the HNBA’s Corporate Counsel Conference 2026 in Las Vegas.

The Puente Leadership Institute is the HNBA’s premier Su Carrera leadership development experience, offering a hybrid leadership journey that combines executive-level instruction, client development and relationship building, cohort-based learning, and national in-person convening at major HNBA leadership events throughout the year.

“This opportunity represents both a personal milestone and a responsibility to lead with intention, strengthen client-facing relationships, and meaningfully contribute to shaping the future of the legal profession,” shared Zapata-Rossa.

Zapata-Rossa’s practice is focused on labor and employment law. She represents employers in a wide range of labor and employment matters, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage‑and‑hour, and restrictive covenant disputes. She litigates both single‑plaintiff and class action cases and guides clients through administrative proceedings before state and federal agencies. In addition to her litigation practice, Zapata-Rossa advises clients on business solutions across all aspects of employer-employee relations and compliance. She conducts workplace investigations under Title VII and whistleblower laws and has trained thousands of managers and employees on company policies, employment best practices, and preventing harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. She also advises employers on day‑to‑day operations and HR matters, such as hiring, performance management, diversity, inclusion and belonging programs, workplace accommodations, and terminations, while drafting employment agreements and policies and ensuring clients remain current on evolving employment laws.