Raquel M. Matas

Raquel M. Matas, 2026–27 President of the Hispanic National Bar Association, is an accomplished  lawyer, senior executive, strategist, educator, and community leader with more than four decades  of experience spanning real estate, business, banking, government, higher education, and nonprofit  leadership. Her career has been defined by leadership at the intersection of law, business, and  public service. 

Matas currently serves as Special Real Estate & Development Advisor in Miami-Dade County, where  she works on complex real estate projects that leverage County-owned assets to advance affordable  housing, economic development, and other public priorities. Prior to joining the County, she held  senior leadership and teaching positions at the University of Miami School of Law, serving as  Associate Dean for Administration, Counsel to the Dean, Director of the Graduate Real Estate  Development Program, and Lecturer in Law. 

Her career in real estate began in private practice, where she spent nearly two decades practicing  real estate law as a partner in major law firms and as the owner of her own law firm. She also  served for more than two decades on the Board of Directors of a South Florida full-service  community bank which grew to over $3 billion in assets, chairing several board committees and  gaining extensive experience in corporate governance, finance, and strategic oversight. 

An active community leader, Matas was the founding President of the Board of Directors of  Americans for Immigrant Justice and served as a strategic advisor to its Executive Director for more  than 25 years. She served three-year terms on both the American Bar Association’s Commission on  Women in the Profession and the Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. She is a  member of the International Women’s Forum and has served as Co-Chair of IWF-Florida’s Diversity,  Equity & Inclusion Committee. She has received numerous awards and professional distinctions for  her leadership and service. 

Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Matas earned her BA in Economics,  magna cum laude, from Regis College and her JD from Northeastern University School of Law.