few years to raise a family. During this time, she also managed her husband's law firm. Cabral eventually returned to the university and graduated in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in political science. After considering several graduate schools, Cabral enrolled in a joint-degree program with Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University and the Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley. She and her family moved to Massachusetts. However, halfway through the program, Cabral decided to withdraw from the law school component in order to take care of family needs. In 1990, she obtained her Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard. She eventually completed her Juris Doctor degree at George Mason University School of Law in 2008. Public career In 1990, Cabral's husband obtained a job with the Justice Department; the rest of the family moved with him to Washington, D.C. The following year, Ms. Cabral went to work for Senator Orrin G. Hatch, as Executive Staff Director of the Task Force on Hispanic Affairs in the Senate Republican Conference which he chaired. In this capacity, she managed a caucus of 25 U.S. Senators working on issues related to the Hispanic community. In 1993, in addition to her work with the Republican Conference, Cabral assumed the post of Deputy Staff Director for the US Senate Judiciary committee for Senator Hatch, helping it to oversee federal judicial nominations as well as various Justice-related legislation. After several years, Cabral left government service but remained in the public sector. In 1999, she was hired as president and CEO of Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit coalition of 16 of the largest Hispanic organizations in the nation, HACR worked with Fortune 500 companies to increase Hispanic representation in employment, procurement, philanthropy, and governance. Under Cabral's leadership, HACR published a best practices series, and instituted a partnership with Harvard Business School to provide executive training programs in Corporate Governance Best Practices to community leaders. Cabral participated on a number of advisory panels during this time. In 2002, she was appointed by President George W. Bush to his Council on the 21st Century Workplace, providing guidance to the White House and the Department of Labor on work-related issues. That same year, she was named to a two-year term on the Diversity Council of the Premier Automotive Group, an outreach effort of the Ford Motor Company. She also served on the boards of