Hernandez, Eduviges

Eduviges Hernandez

Eduviges Hernandez (she/he), is an organizer with Somos Un Pueblo Unido since 2012; originally from Zacatecas Mexico. She has participated in several Somos Campaigns. Her first fight with the Organization was to keep Driver's licenses for all in New Mexico.  Continuing her activism with Somos Un Pueblo Unido and being the wife of a worker in the oil and gas industry and a mother of five children, Eduviges testified before the New Mexico Congress in 2019 to support the passage of expanded renewable energy portfolio standards, as well as ensuring immigrant workers in rural areas are not left behind by the green economy.  In 2021 Eduviges was one of the leaders behind a redistricting campaign called Somos el Mapa in the Southeast of New Mexico that favored immigrant workers. Currently, she gives presentations and organizes around job diversification in rural communities like Hobbs, where the economy is largely dependent on oil and gas production. 

Gyamfi. Nana

Nana Gyamfi

Nana Gyamfi (she/her) is the Executive Director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, and her Juris Doctorate from UCLA School of Law. She brings with her over three decades of service to the Movement for Black liberation, and over 20 years experience directing Black social justice organizations and networks. Nana is a human rights and criminal defense attorney, a professor in the Pan African Studies Department at the California State University Los Angeles, and radio personality who hosts two popular shows in Los Angeles, CA. She is also the president of the National Conference of Black Lawyers. As a seasoned organizer and activist, Nana has been involved with and led various local, national, and international social justice organizations for over 30 years. She is a Co-Founder and managing member of two Black-led and Black-focused organizations – Justice Warriors 4 Black Lives and Human Rights Advocacy. She is a co-founder and Core Team Member of Black August Los Angeles. She has also served as Executive Director of Black Women’s Forum, an organization founded by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who serves as its President.

Ghirmatzion, Rahwa

Rahwa Ghirmatzion

Rahwa Ghirmatzion (she/her) is the executive director of PUSH Buffalo,  a community organization that works at the grassroots to create and implement a comprehensive revitalization plan for Buffalo’s West Side, with more than $80 million invested in affordable housing rehabilitation, solar installation, green jobs training, weatherization, and green infrastructure. Born in Asmera, Eritrea in the middle of a civil war, she came to Western NY at the age of eight by way of Sudan as a refugee. She was educated in Buffalo Public Schools and then the University at Buffalo. Over the last decade, PUSH has built a powerful, grassroots movement guided by racial, economic, and environmental justice rooted in the realities of poor and working-class people living in Buffalo. The benefits of PUSH’s organizing model extend far beyond the boundaries of our Green Development Zone on Buffalo’s West Side, a place that we practice our values through action and what it means to have a Just Transition to a regenerative and renewable economy. She serves on the New York State Climate Justice Working Group, a group created by New York’s 2019 climate law to identify disadvantaged communities on the front lines of climate change that will be a focus for state climate investment. 

García Torres , Leani

Leani García Torres

Leani García Torres (she/her) is the Deputy Director of State and Local Initiatives at the American Immigration Council where she oversees the Council's state legislative advocacy and leads efforts to engage state business leaders and advise governors' policy staff on immigrant and refugee integration. She has a decade of experience working at the intersection of business and public policy across the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Prior to its merger with the American Immigration Council, Leani built and managed the state-level policy and advocacy portfolio at New American Economy (NAE), a bipartisan research and advocacy organization that made the economic case for smart, sensible immigration policies in cities, states, and nationally. Leani holds an M.A. from New York University's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and a B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach.  

Gabigogo, Noah Mirembe

Noah Mirembe Gabigogo

Noah Mirembe Gabigogo (he/him) serves as Program Officer on Case Work at Rainbow Railroad.

Noah is a trans man, feminist, lawyer, and researcher on sexual and gender diversity in

Africa. He is a passionate advocate for gender equality and centers his work on increased

accountability and human rights protections. Noah has written on the role of strategic litigation in advancing human rights for lesbians and gays in Africa, and served as a researcher on various research projects including. Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights led by Prof. Nancy Nicols at York University, and on renown feminist scholar Prof. Sylvia Tamale’s recent book Decolonization and Afrofeminism published by Canadian Daraja Press in 2020. He has contributed to legal mobilization for LGBT movements in Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Liberia, Ghana, and Uganda to improve documentation of violence; and supported capacity strengthening for organizations and networks to build self-determined strategic alliances that use strategic litigation to advance social movement goals for social change. In 2017, he was arrested and deported by the government of Tanzania along with other lawyer colleagues for this work. He subsequently co-founded the Taala Foundation- an organization that promotes

wellness for youth on the margins through mental health, education, and the law. He has been recognised as a Ford Foundation Global Fellow 2021 and a G20 Young Global Changer. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Makerere University, and a member of the Uganda Law Society and East Africa Law Society- making him the first openly trans* member of a professional association in Uganda. He is currently enrolled at the University of Oxford, where his current research explores the history of trans* and

gender diversity in East Africa. A former athlete in the Uganda National Basketball League, Noah likes to remain active. When he is not at work, he spends time outdoors connecting with nature and exploring universal knowledge through food, books, films, art, theatre, and other oral narratives. He is a new resident in downtown Toronto, and now calls Canada home.

François, Krystina

Krystina François

Krystina François (she/her) is the Co-Director of Communities United for Status and Protection. An organizer, immigration expert, political educator and policy strategist, she is a first generation Haitian-American and currently completing her PhD in Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center. Prior to CUSP, Krystina most recentl  served as the founding Director of the Office of New Americans for Miami-Dade County and Co-Founder of the Black Collective. She is also the founder of Diasporic Minds and prior was the Florida New Americans Program Director at the Florida Immigrant Coalition, where she cultivated partnerships with community stakeholders to help eligible immigrants navigate the naturalization process through free legal services, education and financial resources. In her position as Co-Director of Law for Black Lives, she coordinated a network of more than 3,000 legal professionals to provide legal support to Black organizers and to democratize knowledge of the law. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History from CUNY-Hunter College, is a board member of the Junior League of Miami, The Nyah Project, and the Executive Committee for Leadership Miami. Krystina has been widely featured in media outlets including the New York Times, Miami Herald, NBC6, Bustle, WLRN, NPR, El Sentinel and The Miami New Times; and was named to the 2020 Haitian American Chamber of Commerce “Top 20 under 40.”

Fayadh, Amer Al

Amer Al Fayadh

Amer Al Fayadh (he/him) is the founder and CEO of Communication Essentials LLC and a board member of USAHello. A Certified Healthcare Interpreter with over 15 years of experience in interpretation and translation, Amer migrated to the US in 2010 and, in 2011, joined his family in Lancaster. He has experience working in multicultural work environments. Amer volunteered and worked in refugee resettlement in Lancaster for nearly a decade. During that time, he established a better understanding of new arrivals' service accessibility challenges in Lancaster and the surrounding areas.

Delia Espino , Ana

Ana Delia Espino

Ana Delia Espino (she/her)  is the Executive Director of ACIJ: The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice is a grassroots, statewide network of individuals and organizations that works to advance and defend the rights of immigrants in Alabama. Since joining the organization in 2020 Espino has worked tirelessly to strategically build leadership in immigrant communities that will lead to systems change. Ana Delia came to ACIJ after more than 17 years of leadership experience. Prior to joining ACIJ, Ana Delia served as program manager with The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, a community development and advocacy organization that champions economic equality, civic engagement, and social justice for Latino and immigrant families in Alabama. There, she served as lead organizer, Civic Engagement Program Manager and eventually Supervised the merge of two programs- community organizing and immigration legal services. Ana Delia served at the Arc of Blount and then Arc of Jefferson County for over 10 years. At the ARC she learned the importance of autonomy, self advocacy and people-first language. Ana Delia currently serves on the board at Alabama Arise and is an Alabama approved Spanish Interpreter. She is a Midwestern Academy, Lideramos and Center for Creative Leadership alumni. Ana Delia is the daughter of Mexican immigrants who migrated to New Mexico and then California. She has lived in Alabama for more than 20 years. She is a first generation Mexican American who has lived the experience to the fullest, a pioneer in every aspect of the Mexican-American experience with all of its contradictions, complexities and gifts.

Díaz, Marcela

Marcela Díaz

Marcela Díaz (she/her) is the Founding Executive Director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a statewide immigrant-based organization that works to promote racial and worker justice in New Mexico. Through its community organizing, electoral engagement, litigation, and policy advocacy efforts, Somos has helped shape New Mexico's immigrant and worker's rights landscape for over two decades. Under Marcela's leadership, the organization has spearheaded several local and statewide laws and has won dozens of awards for its grassroots work.

DeVries, Jessica "Jes"

Jessica "Jes" DeVries

Jessica "Jes" DeVries (she/her) is the Director of Programs at the New American Welcome Center of the YMCA of University of Illinois. A licensed social worker, Jes oversees a multilingual helpline that provides direct and referral services to immigrants in Champaign County. She also works in conjunction with the outreach and legal services side of NAWC to facilitate continuity of client care. On the macro scale, Jes has helped to create and implement the Champaign County Welcoming Plan, a framework for the county to reduce barriers immigrants face along five key pathways of integration.

Dar, Sarah

Sarah Dar

Sarah Dar (she/her) is the Health & Public Benefits Policy Director at the California Immigrant Policy Center. Sarah received her B.A. from Northwestern University and MPH from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She has organized on a number of different state and local campaigns and led enrollment and outreach following the Affordable Care Act. Before joining CIPC, she worked in the Navigator Program at MNSure, Minnesota’s state health insurance exchange. For the last 5 years, Sarah has worked on CIPC's policy advocacy to improve immigrants' access to health care and public benefits in California and currently leads that portfolio of work.

Cruz-Gonzalez, Xilonin

Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez

Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez (she/her) is currently Deputy Director for Californians Together. In this role, Xilonin manages the organization’s policy and programs teams. She also guides and supports the organization’s growth and sustainability, including strategy development, fundraising, communications, networking and coalition building. Prior to her current role, she served as a project director and launched the “Support for Immigrant and Refugee Students” project, which focuses on developing resources and training for educators to better support immigrant Students. Xilonin has served on the Azusa Unified School District Board of Education for 21 years and currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the California School Boards Association. She has extensive experience in the development of local, state and federal education policy with a focus on connecting policy to successful local implementation.

Owoimaha-Church, Estella

Estella Owoimaha-Church

Estella Owoimaha-Church (she/her) is Executive Director for EPIC. Estella  is the first-generation of her family born on Tongva Land (for now known as Los Angeles). While identifying as an Angeleno, deeply connected to the lands that raised her, Estella’s roots burrow deep beyond the asphalt of South Central L.A.. Her maternal grandparents are from the villages of Satufia of Savai’i and Saleilua of Upolu, Samoa; her paternal grandparents are from Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria. She transitions into the role of Executive Director at Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) post nearly two decades of service as an educator. Estella was the first Samoan to be named a finalist for the Global Teacher Prize in 2018 and awarded California Theatre Teacher of 2020. As a Black-Pacific Islander (PI), mother to a Black-PI child, and eldest sister of two Black-PI young men, she holds dear her responsibility to serve generations of past, present, and future. So long as she is capable, Estella will advocate for all those who look like her, step up as co-conspirator for others in the margins, and forge clear paths for young people where there once were none.

Chacón, Oscar A.

Oscar A. Chacón

Oscar A. Chacón (he/him) is a co-founder and executive director of Alianza Americas. Before stepping into his current role in 2007, Oscar served in leadership positions at the Chicago‐based Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, the Northern California Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the Boston‐based Centro Presente, and several other community-based and international development organizations. Oscar has also served on multiple advisory committees to national and international processes including the Civil Society Consultation process associated with the Global Forum on Migration and Development and the World Social Forum on Migration. Oscar is a frequent national and international spokesperson on transnationalism, economic justice, the link between migration and development, migrant’s integration processes, human mobility, migration policies, racism and xenophobia; and U.S. Latino community issues.

Castro-Portillo, Erika

Erika Castro-Portillo

Erika Castro-Portillo (she/her) is the Organizing Director at the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. She started volunteering to help fight for immigration reform back in 2010 before she had her permit from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. After obtaining DACA, she became a staff member in 2015 as the mining justice organizer. Shortly after, she took over the immigrant rights organizing responsibilities and began to lead the Nevada Immigrant Coalition in 2017. Erika graduated from the College of Southern Nevada in 2018 and obtained her Bachelor's in Urban Studies from UNLV in the Spring of 2022. When she isn’t fighting for everything that puts People and Planet First, you can find her having brunch with friends or somewhere enjoying the outdoors with her pup Kovie.

Bhojani, Alizeh

Alizeh Bhojani

Alizeh Bhojani (she/her) is the Immigration Policy Council at OneAmerica, where she is dedicated to serving immigrant communities by following the lead of directly impacted people in creating and advocating for policies that make our people safe and lead to a thriving home. Alizeh immigrated to the United States from Pakistan in 1999 and has firsthand experience with the confusing, bureaucratic, and dehumanizing nature of our immigration system. She fights at the federal, state, and local level to ensure that other families going through this system are treated with respect and dignity. While at OneAmerica, Alizeh is leading on policy to create an unemployment insurance system for undocumented workers in Washington state. She also is co-leading OneAmerica’s federal immigration campaign to fight for a pathway to citizenship and reducing and reallocating funding from immigration enforcement to efforts that actually benefit communities.Outside of work, Alizeh loves to escape in fiction – anything science-fiction or fantasy, as well as romance novels – and bake for her loved ones.

Benitez-Perez, Jorge

Jorge Benitez-Perez

Jorge Benitez-Perez (he/him) is Maryland Community Organizer for CASA Maryland. He started as a volunteer and advocate with CASA in 2018. He has grown into a badass community organizer from Prince George’s County. He was part of the team who spearheaded the fight for Prince George’s County to become a sanctuary county, a resounding victory with an unanimous council vote of 11-0. As a DACA recipient himself, he was a part of the fight to maintain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Jorge also helped turned the city of Riverdale, Maryland, into a sanctuary city. He is fighting for immigrant liberation and believes we have nothing to lose but our chains. The COVID crisis underscored the extreme housing instability of tenant communities. Since the pandemic started, Jorge has led half a dozen rent strikes and efforts to pass two local and county-wide rent stabilization laws. Through our c4 sister organization CASA in Action, Jorge led a campaign that successfully elected a tenant activist to the Riverdale Park City Council.

Benach, Ava

Ava Benach

Ava Benach (she/her)  is a founding partner of Benach Collopy. For nearly twenty-five years, Ava has navigated clients through the maze of immigration law. Ava has concentrated her practice on representing clients in removal proceedings and in litigation matters before the federal courts. She also has extensive experience advising clients on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions and complex citizenship and residence questions. Ava was identified as being a “go-to attorney when it comes to representing individuals in complex government cases” and at the “forefront of an emerging generation of litigators” in the immigration field by Chambers International.  In June 2017, Ava was awarded the Edith B. Lowenstein Award for Excellence in Advancing the Practice of Immigration Law by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Ava has represented clients in immigration courts across the country, addressing cutting edge issues in asylum, the immigration consequences of criminal convictions, jurisdiction and due process, and eligibility for relief, such as 212(h) waivers of inadmissibility and cancellation of removal.  Ava also brings actions in federal court to challenge unreasonable or delayed government decision-making and to ensure that her clients rights are protected. In the Fall of 2011, Ava was a Professorial Lecturer in Law at George Washington University Law School, where she co-taught the immigration clinic. Prior to forming Benach Collopy, Ava was a partner in the nationwide immigration practice at Duane Morris. She joined Duane Morris after leading the litigation practice at Maggio & Kattar for several years. Ava is a 1998 cum laude graduate of George Washington University Law School and a graduate of Boston College. She is fluent in Spanish.

Alper, Bell , Max

Max Bell Alper

Max Bell Alper (he/they) is the Executive Director of North Bay Jobs with Justice. For over 20 years, Max has organized for economic, racial, and climate justice with low-wage immigrant workers throughout California. With a particular emphasis on leadership development of workers and the most impacted communities, they have successfully developed and implemented strategic comprehensive campaigns where workers win real tangible victories on their immediate needs while building long term power. They are currently leading an effort with immigrant and Indigenous farmworkers that seeks to both provide safer working conditions during wildfires and create training programs to develop the skilled and trained workforce necessary to do the urgently needed climate adaptation and mitigation work. A foundational principle of the program is the immigrant and Indigenous workers’ deep relationship with the land through traditional ecological knowledge and lived working experiences. Max lives in west Sonoma County with their partner, where they try to spend as much time as possible tending to the Land, fruit trees, roses, and native plants.

Barragan, Iván

Iván Barragan

Iván Barragan (he/him) is the Health and Public Benefits Policy Coordinator of the California Immigrant Policy Center. Based in Los Angeles, he is responsible for co-leading the Health4All coalition as well coordinating coalitions that advance immigrant health and equity in the safety net in California. Iván has been immersed in immigrant rights and health policy for several years starting as a health insurance navigator and later obtaining his MPH with a concentration in Health Policy & Management from UCLA. Iván was born in Mexico and raised in LA. When not on the clock, he can be found reading yet another book, playing his favorite video games, or walking his Terrier mix, Muñeca.