Ober, Kayly

Kayly Ober

Kayly Ober (she/her) is the senior advocate and program manager of the Climate Displacement Program at Refugees International. She also currently serves as a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Task Force on Displacement. Kayly has more than a decade of experience on climate, migration, and displacement issues, including authoring the World Bank report Groundswell: Preparing for Internal Climate Migration. She has also previously worked at the University of Bonn, Overseas Development Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and World Resources Institute, among others. Kayly holds a Master of Science in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from American University. She is currently completing her PhD in Geography at the University of Bonn, where her dissertation analyzes policymaking and governance structures around the climate change-adaptation-migration nexus.

Orr, Allen

Allen Orr

Allen Orr (he/him) is the founder of the Washington, DC-based Orr Immigration Law Firm PC, a minority-owned law firm. His practice is focused on US immigration compliance for US corporations, including visa applications for immigrants and non-immigrants. In addition to serving on and chairing several national and local committees, he has written numerous articles and regularly speaks at immigration conferences. Before founding Orr Immigration Law Firm, he worked for an international global law firm in their immigration department for over 12 years. Mr. Orr received the 2009 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award for contributions made in the immigration law field. He is listed in The International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers and The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers. He is the Immigration Section Chair for the National Bar Association and the National President of the Board of Directors for AILA. He was the first black President of AILA in its 75-year history. Mr. Orr received a BA in Philosophy from Morehouse and a JD from Howard School of Law. He is an active member of the DC, Virginia, and National Bar Associations. Mr. Orr has appeared on the British Broadcasting Corporation, MSNBC, FOX News, and Deustsche Welle, and is a frequent national and international speaker on US immigration and policy.

O'mara Vignarajah, Krish

Krish O'mara Vignarajah

Krish O'mara Vignarajah (she/her)  is the President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. She previously served in the Obama White House as Policy Director for First Lady Michelle Obama and at the State Department as Senior Advisor under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry. Krish has committed her career to public service because she knows how differently life could have turned out. Krish was 9-months old when she and her family escaped a country on the brink of civil war and built a life in Maryland. Her parents came to this country with no jobs and $200 in their pockets.Krish is a graduate from Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County and then attended Yale College, where she earned a Master’s degree in Political Science and a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She was a Marshall Scholar at Oxford University, where she received an M.Phil. in International Relations, before returning to Yale Law School, where she served on the Yale Law Journal.

Ndayininahaze, Claudette

Claudette Ndayininahaze

Claudette Ndayininahaze (she/her) serves as the executive director of In Her Presence. She has developed an effective network of resources that provides needed support for the immigrant, asylee, and refugee communities on a grassroots level. She is a leader in the Portland immigrant community, encourages individuals and communities to help themselves, but has never lost sight of the importance of compassion, gratitude, and modesty, which allows others to feel comfortable coming to her for assistance.  A native of Burundi, Claudette has a bachelor’s degree in administration/management from the University of Burundi and was a National Sales Manager for a beverage brewery whose majority stockholder was Heineken.  Claudette has served on the boards of different community organizations: Hope Acts, First Parish Unitarian Universalist, Youth Family Outreach, Vice president of Burundi Community Association of Maine, Furniture Friends, Welcoming Immigrants Network, and Financial Stability Expert Panel with United Way.

Navarro, Claudia

Claudia Navarro

Claudia Navarro (she/her) is the Co-Executive Director of WeCount!, a membership-based workers’ center of agricultural workers, day laborers, and domestic workers in South Florida. Claudia’s work includes developing worker leaders, engaging in policy advocacy, and facilitating popular education, including WeCount!’s community radio station, Radio Poder 97.7 FM. Prior to this role, Claudia was a Domestic Worker Organizer at the Miami Workers Center, where she organized immigrant nannies, house cleaners, and home health care aides. Claudia graduated from Florida International University with Bachelors’ in Women and Gender Studies and Economics. Born and raised in Miami, Claudia is of Mexican and Nicaraguan descent.

Moore, Theodore

Theodore Moore

Theodore Moore (he/him) is the Vice President of Policy and Programs for the New York Immigration Coalition, where he leads the Policy and Membership & Programs teams. He is the architect for many of the NYIC's recent successful campaigns including the passage of the Our City, Our Vote bill, which expanded voting rights in NYC to green card holders and those authorized to work in the United States, and many language access expansions on the state and local level.  He brings over 15 years of non-profit and political advocacy experience, having previously worked as a Senior Policy Analyst for NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito in the Policy & Innovation Division, as the National Lead Organizer with the Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC-United), with ALIGN: The Alliance for a Greater New York, and with the Working Families Party. Theo is also a founding member of New Kings Democrats and serves as a board member of the Riders Alliance. He is a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, born and raised in the East Flatbush section of the borough, and a long-suffering Mets fan. #LGM

Michaels, Dan

Dan Michaels

Dan Michaels (he/him) is a Community-Based Organizations Associate at ActBlue where he specializes in Immigrant and Refugee Services &Immigration Reform. Dan is passionate about dismantling traditional fundraising structures and empowering the small-dollar donor revolution. In his role as a Movement, Issue, & Charitable Organizations Associate with ActBlue, he works with myriad of nonprofits nationwide to assist them in fully harnessing the power of their digital programs and grassroots support. Prior to joining ActBlue, Dan worked as a fundraiser for adult education, animal welfare, and immigrant rights. Originally from New York, Dan and his partner have made their home in beautiful San Antonio, Texas.

Marques, Thaís

Thaís Marques

Thaís Marques (she/her/hers/ella)is the Director of Communications for RAICES. She is a movement builder, campaigner, and digital and communications strategist born in Brazil and raised in Newark, New Jersey. She brings a decade of experience working for politically progressive grassroots campaigns and organizations. As a leader specializing in designing movement narratives, building effective campaigns, and mobilizing people using distributed organizing tactics, Thaís brings a unique set of skills and experiences that is key to winning campaigns and shifting public opinion on immigration issues.

Luna, Vanessa

Vanessa Luna

Vanessa Luna (she/her) is the Co-Founder of ImmSchools, an immigrant led nonprofit organization that transforms schools into safe and welcoming spaces for undocumented students and families. Vanessa immigrated to the U.S. at the age of ten from Peru and grew up undocumented in NY. In 2014, she joined Teach For America as a DACAmented teacher and taught in Los Angeles and NYC, and was on the organization’s DACA Advisory Board. Vanessa is a nationally recognized leader in the intersection of immigration and education, and has been featured in The New York Times, ABC Nightline, Forbes, TIME and Ed Week. She is inspired by her parents and the immigrant community to fight for educational equity and immigrant justice. She resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Lopez, Kimberly

Kimberly Lopez (she/her) is Youth Organizer for CHIRLA. As an immigrant from Mexicali, Baja, California, who was born on December 14, 2002, and immigrated to the United States when she was four years old. Growing up undocumented, Lopez understood the difficulties undocumented students faced when studying in a country that didn’t shine a light on their educational opportunities. In 2019, CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, helped Lopez obtain residency, and that’s when her passion for immigrant rights began. She became a youth volunteer for Wise Up!, CHIRLA’s high school youth program, and is now a youth organizer herself, helping immigrant youth navigate their journey through higher education.

Lijó, Edmundo D.

Edmundo D. Lijó

Edmundo D. Lijó (he/him) is an Assistant City Attorney with the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota where he is developing and managing the immigrant and refugee program for the city – a program dedicated to ensuring that Saint Paul is a welcoming city for all.  Prior to joining the City Attorney’s Office, Edmundo spent over twenty years practicing immigration law and was an Assistant County Attorney representing the El Paso County Hospital District in El Paso, Texas which operated a public hospital on the US-Mexican border.

Kassa, Amaha

Amaha Kassa

Amaha Kassa (he/him) is the founder and Executive Director of African Communities Together. Amaha has 25 years of professional experience as a labor and community organizer, nonprofit director, and social entrepreneur. For nine years, Amaha directed East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, a workers’ rights nonprofit in Oakland, California, growing it from a startup to one of the leading organizations in its field. Prior to launching ACT, Amaha earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. He is an immigrant from Ethiopia.

Jumale, Mustafa

Mustafa Jumale

Mustafa Jumale (he/him) is the immigration policy manager at Envision Freedom Fund. Also, he is one of the co-founders of the Black Immigrant Collective. He has worked in human rights, policy, and advocacy for more than ten years. Mustafa served as former Congressman Keith Ellison’s lead aide on foreign affairs, civil rights and liberties, public safety, and immigrant issues in his district office. Previously, he worked for the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), the Minnesota House of Representatives, the Wilder Foundation, and the Immigration History Research Center. Mustafa advocates for progressive policy initiatives that address pressing human rights issues. He’s a recipient of the 2011 Josie Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award at the University of Minnesota. Mustafa graduated from the University of Minnesota with bachelor’s degrees in African American and African studies and sociology. He was a 2015 policy fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Policy at the University of Minnesota. 

Jozef, Guerline M.

Guerline M. Jozef

Guerline M. Jozef (she/her) is the Executive Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance. She is a woman on the move with a passion to serve others and promote her beloved Haiti. An activist, servant, mother, sister, niece and wife, Ms. Jozef dedicates her life to bring awareness to issues that affect us all locally and globally such as immigration, social justice, domestic violence, child sexual abuse. Ms. Jozef is the co-creator of “Faith in Action and Immigration justice movement” in Southern California a four-part immigration program for both impacted communities and allies. Ms. Jozef serves as the president of Haitian Bridge Alliance alongside five dynamic members Ms. Martine Jean, Mr. Jay Lamothe, Ms. Marie Carmelle St Louis, Mr. Wister Gaetan and Mrs. Izabelle Noel to assist thousands of Haitian refugees who spent a dangerous journey from Brazil to California crossing 10 countries and 11 borders in search of a better life. The Haitian Bridge Alliance’s mission is to guide, elevate and empower Haitian immigrants through advocacy, organizing, outreach, direct services included but not limited to immigration detention visits, transitional housing, legal assistance in partnership with UCI Law Clinic, The Public Law Center and other allies, educational, social and cultural programs so that they may fully integrate into American society while maintaining their cultural heritage as they continue to navigate the complex immigration system in the U.S.

Jeke, Amasai

Amasai Jeke

Amasai Jeke (she/her) is the Regional Community Organizer with Utopia Washington. A young Feminist Indigenous I-Taukei Fijian, she is an adamant and very outspoken person who adores and thrives in creating awareness and advocating on human rights, mainly on Gender Equality and LGBTQI rights. She has been involved in the Feminist and LGBTQI movement for more than six years and worked as the Project Support Officer for Rainbow Pride Foundation in Fiji and Coordinated the Transgender Reference Group for RPF. She has organized in community as a working group member for the Peer Support Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and the Pacific Urgent Action Hub on Climate & Ecological Justice that works with LGBTQI people in the Grass-root community in Fiji. She is also a core working group member for the Youth Voices Count an Asia-Pacific regional LGBTQI Youth Led Organization. Ms. Jeke is also a member of the Women’s Major Group for Sustainable Development and Women & Gender Constituency for Climate Change Negotiations with UNFCCC which is the United Nations Major Groups on Women and YOUNGO which is the official youth constituency at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Jany, Taif

Taif Jany

Taif Jany (he/him) is the Director of Policy and Practice for Refugee Council USA (RCUSA), a coalition of 33 nonprofit organizations, including all nine resettlement agencies, working together to promote humanitarian protection and support refugees, asylees, and all forcibly displaced populations. A first-hand witness of the 2003 Iraq war, Taif experienced life as a refugee and asylee for more than fifteen years before becoming a United States citizen. His work has been published in Business Insider, Newsweek, The Nation, and other publications. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and French from Union College and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Enabling Peace in Iraq Center.

Jackson, Martha K.

Martha K. Jackson

Martha K. Jackson (she/her) is the Assistant Commissioner of Workforce and Business Development of the NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD). She joined MOPD in 2015 to create New York City’s first workforce program for New Yorkers with disabilities: NYC: ATWORK. Launched officially in late 2017, this public-private partnership is business-led/business-driven and person-centered.

This pilot has connected over 650 New Yorkers with disabilities to jobs and careers within high-growth sectors, including 100+ jobs within the NYC government through the city’s 55-a Civil Service Program. None of this would have been possible without the dedicated and resilient staff of NYC: ATWORK.Martha established MOPD’s first Business Development Council, developed AbilITy,the only Cisco IT Training Academy for New Yorkers with disabilities in partnership with the Institute for Career Development; was instrumental in creating EMPOWERED NYC, the first financial empowerment program specifically for New Yorkers with disabilities and their families; launched “ConnectabilITy”, addressing the digital divide for our jobseekers, providing laptops, assistive technology, and access to training. And in November 2022, piloted “ConnectabilITy at STRIVE”, collaborating with a non-profit workforce organization on creating an accessible and inclusive train-to-place model. In 2020, MOPD launched EMPOWERED CITIES, a national initiative addressing the needs of people with disabilities, spearheaded by NYC MOPD and in collaboration with the Commissioners of Disability in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, with Detroit, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Houston joining in 2022. Prior to MOPD, Martha served as Goodwill NYNJ’s director of Operation: Good Jobs National Veteran and Military Families’ employment initiative; as Director of Career Services for people with visual and hearing disabilities. To address the barriers to competitive employment; she created train-to-place programs in production, e- commerce, hospitality, and transportation, establishing a brick-and-mortar customer service and support center for international airlines and retail operations. She received the 2021 Zero Project Award for innovative government policies on behalf of MOPD and the City and State Award for Social responsibility in 2020. Martha serves as MOPD’s liaison to the city’s newly formed Cabinet for Older New Yorkers and represents Workforce for the Office of Talent and Workforce Interagency Task Force. Martha is a graduate of Marymount Fordham with a BFA in Speech, Communications, and Drama.

Huang, Vivian Yi

Vivian Yi Huang

Vivian Yi Huang (she/her) has been honored to work for more than a decade and now as Co-Director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network. Being from a Chinese immigrant family, she was raised in a culture of loving your people, living in the world of possibility, and the importance of making ideas tangible. She has played a leadership role in strengthening APEN’s organizing and leadership development, advancing collective strategy for just transition and systemic change, catalyzing innovative models, and deepening embodiment of feminisms and shared power. Prior, she spent a decade working on policy, legislative, and budget campaigns, including model policies to improve health care interpretation. She has also been a facilitator, trainer, and teacher with the Women’s Policy Institute, School of Unity and Liberation, and San Francisco State University’s Department of Public Health.

Hirakawa, Kaori

Kaori Hirakawa

Kaori Hirakawa (she/her) is the Chief Executive Officer of One Language, which helps organizations connect with their constituents, customers, and audiences through language access and plain language consulting and training. With 16 years of experience in immigrant integration and language access at a local government, Kaori provides culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches to systemic change to maximize access to program and service delivery. Her experience includes working as a diplomat for the Embassy of Japan in Russia and managing educational programs at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and other educational institutions. Kaori earned a master’s degree from the University of London and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Osaka.

Hidalgo Salazar, Mayra

Mayra Hidalgo Salazar

Mayra Hidalgo Salazar (she/her) serves as the Deputy Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force and National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund. She has been organizing for immigrant and LGBTQ+ justice as one of the catalysts and founders of the immigrant youth movement for the past 14 years. She is part of the first generation of undocumented youth in Florida that began courageously sharing their stories and organizing as both LGBTQ+ and undocumented immigrants. Mayra has led work at the intersections of immigrant and LGBTQ+ issues since the 2010s, when she first served as the Campaign Manager for the Trail of Dreams, a mobilization that was instrumental in the negotiations with the Obama administration for the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. In the wake of the news of Trump’s presidency in November 2016, Mayra led the post-election response for the immigrant community in the Hudson Valley of New York as Executive Director of the Hudson Valley Community Coalition. As a co-founder of United We Dream Action, she mobilized millions for the 2020 elections and to defend DACA in the courts, and drove the fundraising strategy for United We Dream, United We Dream Action, and United We Dream Action PAC. She is a recognized national expert and organizer on queer and immigrant issues and has been featured in Forbes, The Advocate, La Nación, and Univision. She resides in Brooklyn, New York.