Raghavan, Sushma

Sushma Raghavan

Sushma Raghavan is the daughter of immigrants from South Asia who was raised in the Bay Area and moved to Portland in 2012. Before coming to Unite Oregon, she was a union organizer, empowering workers of all backgrounds to come together as equals and assert their rights at work and at home. Over the next ten years, Sushma worked with a diverse range workers—from sanitation workers to child care workers to retail workers—organize unions to improve the material conditions of their lives. In 2018, Sushma joined Unite Oregon as the Field Director to build power with immigrants and BIPOC communities after the spike in hate crimes and white nationalism. She became the Interim Executive Director in January 2021.

Nyamuhungu, Sylvia

Sylvia Nyamuhungu

Sylvia Nyamuhungu is a former refugee from Rwanda and currently the Refugee Community Organizer in Grand Rapids, Michigan through Church World Service affiliated with Bethany Christian Services. She works with community leaders to advocate for pro refugee and immigrant policies in Michigan. Sylvia is an experienced multilingual community worker, with a bachelor's degree in International Development Studies from Calvin University. Sylvia has dedicated her life to serving others through advocacy and seeking a deeper understanding of a world that works for everyone. 

Nguyen, Tram

Tram Nguyen

Tram Nguyen serves the 18th Essex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The first of her family to attend college, Rep Nguyen earned a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. Before joining the House of Representatives, Rep. Nguyen worked as a legal aid attorney for Greater Boston Legal Services, advocating for domestic violence survivors, workers, immigrants, seniors, veterans, and children. Rep. Nguyen is the first Vietnamese American elected to the House of Representatives, the first Asian American on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, and the first Asian American woman to serve as vice chair of a committee, and she is committed to public service and continues advocating for others.

Munoz, Eduardo

Eduardo Munoz

Eduardo Munoz serves as the Project Coordinator of Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Office of Immigrant Affairs – Welcoming Atlanta, One Atlanta. Under his purview, Eduardo established the Victims of Crime Act Victims Assistance Program to provide logistical and social service support to immigrant and Limited English Proficient (LEP) victims of crime, assisted in expanding the role of the city’s Office of the Public Defender to provide Holistic Representation and legal services to detainees in immigration proceedings, helped the city end its immigrant detention contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and led multiple efforts to implement immigrant-inclusive emergency assistance and relief programs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office, Eduardo worked under the leadership of the Honorable U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown. His previous work also included working with the Immigrant Worker Project in Ohio to help rural immigrant workers. Eduardo holds a bachelor’s degree from Emory University with intentions of pursuing a master’s in public policy. 

Mohamed, Adamou

Adamou Mohamed

Adamou Mohamed is the Refugee Community Organizing Coordinator with the Immigration and Refugee Program at Church World Service. Adamou leads a team of Refugee Community Organizers in six states engaging refugee leadership development, community organizing, and civic engagement capacity trainings. He coordinates refugee and immigrant advocacy efforts in key states lifting refugee voices, stories, and promoting the welcome of refugees and immigrants.  Adamou is also an executive member of the Opportunity for All campaign. He previously served as the Detention and Deportation Pipeline Interruption Fellow at the AFSC of the Carolinas. Adamou holds an MA in International Studies from NC State University, Raleigh, NC.

López, Meghan

Meghan López

Meghan López, the International Rescue Committee’s Regional Vice President for Latin America, is a Doctorally prepared Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years of experience. Meghan leads the IRC’s Latin America response to migration and humanitarian crisis across the region in three distinct crisis points covering 8 countries (Mexico and cross border, Northern Central America - El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras; and Venezuela Crisis Response: Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. In 2017 Meghan received Johns Hopkins University’s Global Achievement Award. In 2019 she received the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing award for Innovative Research for her doctoral work in El Salvador in collaboration with UNICEF: “Setting up for Success: Breaking Transgenerational Experience of Violence by Supporting Positive Parenting.”

Hernandez, Javier

Javier Hernandez

Javier Hernandez is an immigrant and queer leader fighting for immigrant rights in the Inland Empire in Southern California. Javier believes that justice for immigrant communities includes addressing all the intersections that are crucial to the undocumented identity such as health, socioeconomic status, criminalization, and other disparities that keep undocumented immigrants marginalized. Javier has advocated and taken direct action against anti-immigrant policies and deportations throughout the country and has co-founded several grassroots groups. Javier is the Executive Director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ), a coalition of over 50 diverse organizations that advocate for immigrant justice.

Gebre, Tefere

Tefere Gebre

Tefere Gebre is the first political refugee, the first black man, and the first local labor council leader elected to AFL-CIO national office. Gebre became the Executive Vice President after he led the Orange County Federation of Labor through a transformative process of membership growth and building political power in an infamously conservative county. His exceptional story began at fourteen years old when he left Ethiopia and made his way as a child refugee to a camp in the Sudan. A year later he arrived alone in Los Angeles, put himself through school and earned a college scholarship. Eventually he petitioned for his mother to migrate to the U.S. At the Federation, he works to improve the political and organizing capacity for local labor bodies, as well as advancing democracy-building, racial justice and immigrant workers’ rights.

Cheer, Shiu-Ming

Shiu-Ming Cheer

Shiu-Ming Cheer serves as the Deputy Director of Programs & Campaigns at the California Immigrant Policy Center. She has over 25 years of experience in immigrant rights and social justice issues which began with student organizing and activism. She graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a double major in Ethnic Studies and English Literature and a minor in Asian American Studies, and from the Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law. Shiu-Ming has served as a Lecturer and Adjunct Professor at UCLA School of Law. She co-taught “An Introduction to Public Interest Law & Policy” class and has been co-teaching the Immigrants’ Rights Policy Clinic for the past two years. Apart from her day jobs, Shiu-Ming has continuously participated in organizing projects, campaigns, and coalitions.

Burgi-Palomino, Daniella

Daniella Burgi-Palomino

Daniella Burgi-Palomino is Co-director of the Latin America Working Group (LAWG) since 2019. She leads transnational advocacy on U.S. policies towards Mexico and Central America, human rights, migration and border issues and coordinates campaigns with U.S. and Latin American partners. She has worked on the protection of human rights in the U.S.-Mexico-Central America corridor with a variety of civil society organizations and foundations for over twelve years. She holds a BA from Tufts University and a Master’s in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy. Daniella is the proud daughter of immigrant parents from Switzerland and Peru.

Aguilar, Leonard

Leonard Aguilar

Leonard Aguilar, a native of San Antonio, becomes the first Latino to hold a top office in the Texas AFL-CIO. Aguilar began his career in labor with the United Association of Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 142 in San Antonio. He worked his way up, winning election to several offices in that union and distinguishing himself as an instructor in registered apprenticeship programs, soon after as an organizer and political activist. Later, as Executive Director of the Texas Building & Construction Trades Council and, more recently, as Political Director of the Southwest Pipe Trades Association — representing plumbers, pipe-fitters, welders and HVAC technicians in three states — Aguilar has advocated for programs that steer working people into union apprenticeships and for equal opportunity on the job.

Wamester, Tadd

Tadd Wamester

Tadd Wamester builds bridges to careers for New Americans, while developing diverse talent pipelines for growth sector employers through upskilling and incumbent worker training programs. He has 14 years of experience in immigrant & refugee workforce development, economic inclusion & educational programs. EnGen has partnered with hundreds of different organizations and employers across the U.S. to build blended programs that support their learners & employees with developing the digital literacy and English skills they need to succeed in their job, connect with technical training and achieve career advancement. Tadd earned his M.A., Business Education, NYU, and a B.A., Economics, Northwestern University.

Villela, Joseph

Joseph Villela

Joseph Villela is an immigrant, who came to the US from Mexico at the age of 13 to be reunited with his mother and siblings. Joseph has dedicated his career to effecting policy change through direct engagement with recent immigrants and other impact communities throughout California. A committed government relations professional and political adviser, Joseph has m15 years of experience in monitoring and analyzing legislation. During that time, Joseph also established a successful track record in developing and managing legislative and budgetary campaigns, helping to improve the lives of California's most vulnerable. Currently, Joseph serves as Direct of Policy at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, based in Los Angeles. Joseph graduated from the University of Los Angeles California (UCLA) and is a proud parent of a 10-year-old.

Hernández, Mario

Mario Hernández

Mario Hernández is Director of Public Affairs at Western Union. In this position, Mr. Hernández is responsible for the development and implementation of public affairs strategies to reach Western Union’s various constituencies in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, including government officials, legislators, diplomats, influencers and immigrant leaders.Mr. Hernández studied Public Administration at El Colegio de México, and received a M. Sc. in Public Policy and Public Administration from the London School of Economics.  Mr. Hernández serves on the Board of Directors of Welcoming America; the Advisory Board of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI); the Corporate Alliance of the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the Business Council of the Migration Policy Institute.

Fenton, Annie

Annie Fenton

Annie Fenton is the Program Director of the Michigan International Talent Solutions (MITS) program within the Office of Global Michigan. Annie previously served as Senior Associate for Employment Services with Upwardly Global. She also has extensive experience in capacity building and technical assistance for nonprofits, having previously served as statewide Capacity Building Manager with the Michigan Nonprofit Association. Her diverse experience includes directly working in refugee employment services and community and economic development initiatives across the United Kingdom and Ireland. She holds a MA in Politics, Ethnic Conflict from Queens University in Belfast, U.K. and a BA in Peace and Global Studies from Earlham College in Richmond, IN.

Choimorrow, Sung Yeon

Sung Yeon Choimorrow

Sung Yeon Choimorrow was born in South Korea and spent her childhood in Singapore and India. She came to the U.S. at the age of 18 to study Political Science and Urban Studies at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, and earned an M.Div from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. She is NAPAWF’s National Field Director - promoting her vision to build infrastructure for a robust base of immigrant community leaders. Before working at NAPAWF, Sung Yeon was the Director of Organizing at Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ). Prior to IWJ, Sung Yeon was a Community Organizer at Asian American Institute, where she helped organize the pan-Asian American community in Chicago to work together on presidential and mayoral elections, immigration reform, the state budget, and redistricting.

Berhe, Seyoum

Seyoum Berhe

Seyoum Berhe is the Virginia State Refugee Coordinator (SRC) and director of the Office of New Americans. Before becoming SRC, he was Director of the Catholic Charities, Migration and Refugee Services. Seyoum has also worked for the American University in Washington, DC and with the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC). He is an experienced trainer and mediator accustomed to working with culturally diverse communities in facilitating dialogue towards resolving conflict. Through his career he has conducted program evaluation, implementation and monitoring to ensure plans are put into practice.He has a BA in history, Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Niagara University and a certificate in Conflict Resolution from George Mason University.

Venugopal, Arun

Arun Venugopal

Arun Venugopal is Senior Reporter in the Race & Justice Unit at WNYC in New York. He also serves as a guest host at Fresh Air, regularly sitting in for Terry Gross, and often contributes to NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour and CBS News and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and The Atlantic, where his article 'The Making of a Model Minority' was featured. He lives with his family in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Powell, John a.

John a. Powell

John a. Powell is Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute and Professor of Law, African American, and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He was previously the Executive Director at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at the Ohio State University, and prior to that, the founder and director of the Institute for Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota. John formerly served as the National Legal Director of the American CivilLiberties Union (ACLU). He is a co-founder of the Poverty & Race Research Action Council and serves on the boards of several national and international organizations. His latest book is Racing to Justice: Transforming our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society.

O' Mara Vignarajah, Krish

Krish O' Mara Vignarajah

Krish O' Mara Vignarajah 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. Before joining the White House, she practiced law at Jenner & Block in Washington, DC, clerked for Chief Judge Michael Boudin in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and taught at Georgetown University as an adjunct. She has been recognized as one of The Daily Record’s “Top 100 Women.”