The world is currently grappling with a global pandemic, unlike anything that has been experienced in nearly a century. In the United States, the public health pandemic spawned by COVID-19 has been coupled with another crisis that is occurring simultaneously, prompted by the homicide of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement on May 25, 2020. This untimely and tragic homicide (Hill et al., 2020) gave rise to outcries for racial justice. The impacts of these dual crises have stimulated fierce dialogues and unprecedented demands for systemic reforms, including in higher education institutions (Glazer & Mehta, 2020; Mishra, 2020). While many educational practitioners in California's public institutions of higher education had previously been working to advance equity efforts on campuses in recent years (McNair et al., 2020), this charge has been compounded by the calls for action to address racial disparities and promote social justice. This study examined how eight Latina leaders have advanced equity-inspired systemic and institutional reforms within the public systems of higher education in California. Meaningful institutional reforms cannot occur without being race-conscious and addressing the implications of institutionalized bias (Bensimon et al., 2016). These leaders have worked to advance equity efforts and contributed to "moving the needle" in educational institutions by using culturally responsive approaches. Gender, as is race and ethnicity, is another characteristic that serves to influence a person's identity, as these elements influence how individuals experience the world when it comes to access, privilege, and challenges based on social norms and power structures. The results of this study reveal strategies these Latina leaders have used to advance equitable outcomes, challenge bias and barriers, and improve student outcomes in the University of California, California State University, and California Community College systems. This study utilized a grounded theory and appreciative inquiry framework to apply postcolonial feminist and shame resilience theories to reveal the relevance of two elements utilized by Latina leaders to advance equity and social justice: the significance of empathy and an emphasis on fostering agency. The contributions of these Latina leaders have served to create transformative learning environments and experiences for students in higher education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]