<em>Billboard</em>’s VP/Latin industry lead, Leila oversees the brand’s Latin editorial team while leading its Latin coverage, programming <em>Billboard</em>’s annual Latin Music Week and hosting the weekly <em>Latin Hitmaker</em> podcast. A Fulbright scholar proudly from Cali, Colombia, Leila is a classical pianist with a performance degree from Manhattan School of Music and a master’s in communication from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California. Formerly <em>The Miami Herald</em>’s pop music critic, Leila has covered Latin music for over two decades and is the author of two novels and four music books, including a best-selling biography on Jenni Rivera (Penguin) and <em>Decoding Despacito: An Oral History of Latin Music</em> (Vintage/Random House), included in <em>The New York Times</em>’ 2021 Summer Reading list. Both were published in English and Spanish. Leila is a recipient of the TJ Martell Trailblazer award and the Latin Grammys’ Leading Latin Lady award and was named to the 100 Latinas list by <em>Latino Leaders</em> magazine in 2021. When not obsessing over music, you can find her running in Key Biscayne, Fla.
