AYUDA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- MANAGER of POPULATION HEALTH CONSULTING, CAREFIRST
Job Titles:
- SENIOR COUNSEL, BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER SCHRECK, LLP
Alice Lugo employs her deep understanding of lawmaking and regulation to navigate policy relating to national and homeland security, trade, cybersecurity and infrastructure security, and immigration as well as congressional oversight inquiries. As the assistant secretary for legislative affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) she served as the principal advisor to Secretary Mayorkas and senior leadership on all congressional engagements, hearings and matters before Congress. She leverages this experience to ensure clients are well-informed of relevant issues and the actions they can take to protect their interests.
Alice managed executive branch interagency policymaking at the highest levels of government, high-stakes legislative negotiations and rapid response teams during national security emergencies. This included reauthorization of Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System's (C-UAS) authority to protect against drone threats, passage of Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA), countering human trafficking legislation and immigration and border policies.
Prior to her work at DHS, Alice served as counsel and chief counsel to senior Latino members of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and is well respected within the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for her work on immigration law and border policy. Alice was also managing attorney at a Washington, D.C. nonprofit, Ayuda, representing immigrant survivors of domestic violence.
Job Titles:
- COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
- Communications Specialist
As Communications Manager, Alicja Johnson works across Ayuda's teams to create and publicize content that showcases its impact. Drawing on six years of nonprofit experience, she plans and executes communication strategy for Ayuda's program and fundraising initiatives.
Alicja first joined the Ayuda team as a communications specialist in 2022. Her experience writing for Mediaversity Reviews, a website that evaluates media through the lens of representation, informs her client-centered, inclusive approach to communication and storytelling. Prior to joining Ayuda, Alicja served as the Director of Communications for the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for ubiquitous, affordable internet access. She holds a B.A. in communication from George Mason University.
Job Titles:
- FOUNDER and CO - OWNER of TIMBER PIZZA CO. and CALL YOUR MOTHER
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT, MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE
Job Titles:
- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NVMS CONFLICT RESOLUTION CENTER
Job Titles:
- MANAGING ATTORNEY, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE / FAMILY LAW
Job Titles:
- MANAGING ATTORNEY, PROJECT END
Elsy serves as Ayuda's Finance Director, where she manages the financial operations of the organization. She ensures that the organization's general ledger is in compliance with all regulatory requirements and financial policies and procedures and maintains the integrity of the financial statements. Elsy has over 15 years of experience working in full cycle nonprofit accounting including accounts payable, revenue recognition, government grants and payroll processing. She is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from George Mason University.
Job Titles:
- COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, OFFICE of GOVERNMENT RELATIONS and COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Job Titles:
- SENIOR PRINCIPAL, the CLEARING
Job Titles:
- Advisory Board Member of the Peaceful Families Project
- MANAGING ATTORNEY, PRO BONO
Irfana Anwer is Ayuda's Managing Pro Bono Attorney where she ensures that low-income and vulnerable immigrant communities have access to excellent legal services. Irfana previously served as the Director of the Language Access program at Ayuda where she advocated for equal access to justice for low-income residents of Washington DC.
Before joining Ayuda, Irfana practiced immigration law at Chaudry and Anwer immigration law. She has also served as the Executive Director of Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights. She founded Karamah's family law division where she provided legal referrals for Muslim communities around the country in matters of family and immigration law. She also trained main stream services providers on how to best serve immigrant and Muslim victims of domestic violence.
Irfana also has extensive experience working on policymaking related to peace and security. She worked at Inclusive Security to strengthen the capacity of women policymakers.
Irfana is a advisory board member of the Peaceful Families Project, an organization with international reach devoted to ending domestic violence in Muslim families by educating religious leaders and communities, training service providers and developing resources. Irfana obtained her law degree from University of Essex and a Masters in Law from Boston University. She is barred in NY.
Job Titles:
- CHEF and CULINARY DIRECTOR, LA CASITA PUPUSERIA RESTAURANT 198
Job Titles:
- EDUCATION and TRAINING ATTORNEY, AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL
Job Titles:
- DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP HUB
Job Titles:
- SECRETARY
- Formerly an Assistant General Counsel
Jill Flack was formerly an Assistant General Counsel at Exelon and Pepco Holdings, where she handled labor, employment, and employee benefits matters for 30 years until her retirement in 2022. While at Exelon, she served as the co-coordinator for the company's D.C. pro bono program.
Jill has done pro bono work with many organizations, including several immigration relief clinics with Ayuda. Additionally, she has volunteered with nonprofits in her community as well as Arlington Public Schools. Jill received pro bono service awards from Exelon in 2021 and Ayuda in 2022, and she was also recognized for her pro bono work in an article in the DC Bar's Washington Lawyer magazine in November/December 2022.
Jill is a graduate of the Industrial & Labor Relations School at Cornell University. She received her juris doctor from Catholic University's Columbus School of Law and obtained a Certificate in Employee Benefits Law from Georgetown University.
Job Titles:
- President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation
- PRESIDENT and CEO, HISPANIC HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Jose Antonio Tijerino is president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, which focuses on education, workforce development, connectivity, innovative leadership and public awareness in addition to promoting cultural pride and accomplishment. Under Tijerino's leadership, HHF has built a network of 100,000 vetted Latino talent (15-35-year-olds) and focused on the STEM fields, entrepreneurship, finance, media, and other priority areas for America. HHF works closely with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and other nonprofits. Prior to HHF, Tijerino worked at Fannie Mae Foundation, Nike, Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe under the Young & Rubicam umbrella.
Tijerino has been honored with the prestigious Ohtli Award, which is the highest recognition by the Government of Mexico outside of Mexico; Lifetime Achievement Award by National PTA; Vision Award by Silicon Valley Latino Leadership; Brillante Award by National Society of Hispanic MBAs; Leadership Award from Telemundo; Army Strong civilian award by US Army; Community Service Award by Governor of Maryland; Cesar Chavez Award by National Hispanic Leadership Institute; and the Champion of Digital Equity Award by the Multi-Cultural Telecom & Internet Council (MMTC); among others.Tijerino serves on various boards including Harvard's Latino Leadership Initiative at the Kennedy School; The Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP); University of Maryland's Smith School of Business; PBS Sci-Girls; Nielsen's Latino Advisory Counsel; America's Promise Alliance; Latino Jewish Leadership Council; and Center for the History of the New America. Tijerino also founded The American Project with Notre Dame University to treat immigrants with dignity.
Job Titles:
- PARTNER, MASSUMI CONSOLI, LLC
Job Titles:
- SENIOR BUSINESS LIAISON, EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS, EXELON CORPORATION
Kevin Metz is a former litigator in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins where he specialized in complex commercial, securities and class action litigation. He served on the firm's Pro Bono, Ethics and Recruiting Committees, and currently serves on the Board of the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. Prior to law school, he worked for several years as a journalist, covering Florida politics for The Tampa Tribune. He graduated from Northwestern University and Yale Law School, and clerked for the Hon. Michael S. Kanne on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit before joining Latham's Silicon Valley office in 2000.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR of DEVELOPMENT and COMMUNICATIONS
Laura Trask is the Director of Development and Communications at Ayuda. In this role she supports the organization in achieving its fundraising objectives. She brings nearly a decade of fundraising experience and finds joy in cultivating meaningful relationships with Ayuda stakeholders to advance the mission of the organization.
Prior to joining Ayuda in November 2017, Laura worked in Santiago de Chile with a nonprofit that supports at-risk youth, and in Guatemala with a nonprofit that provides education, nutrition, and access to healthcare for low-income students in Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez.
Laura is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). She received her B.A. in Print Journalism and B.A. in Foreign Relations from James Madison University. She holds a graduate certification in International NGO Management from James Madison University, and a certification in Human Rights: Immigrant and Refugee Rights from the Henry Dunant Foundation. She is fluent in Spanish and a native of Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- LANGUAGE ACCESS DIRECTOR
Job Titles:
- Director of Federal Affairs for Lucid Motors
Michael Tubman is the director of federal affairs for Lucid Motors, overseeing the company's relationships with Congress and Federal government agencies, as well as engaging with the national policy community to advance transportation electrification.
His prior roles include as the manager of state government affairs and public policy at Electrify America, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America, and director of outreach at leading climate policy think tank, C2ES. Mr. Tubman‘s government experience includes service at the US Consulate - Shanghai and in the administrations of three Alaska Governors.
Mr. Tubman holds a master of arts in international policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR, GOVERNMENT, REGULATORY AFFAIRS PUBLIC POLICY, PwC
- Director, Government, Regulatory Affairs, and Public Policy at PwC
Miguel A. Martinez, Jr. is the Director of Government, Regulatory Affairs, and Public Policy at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a multinational accounting firm. He is an American University, Washington College of Law alum. From his experience with law to the House of Representatives, he has extensive knowledge in public policy and government relations.
Job Titles:
- SENIOR LANGUAGE ACCESS MANAGER
Job Titles:
- PRINCIPAL, the RABEN GROUP LLC
Job Titles:
- PRO BONO PARTNER, STEPTOE LLP, CHAIR
Job Titles:
- PDS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT and CONSULTING, LLC / POWERFUL PARTNERSHIPS
Job Titles:
- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
- Member of the Management Team
Paula Fitzgerald, Esq. is the executive director of Ayuda. As executive director, she leads Ayuda's efforts to increase the availability of direct legal, social, and language services for more than 3,000 low-income immigrants annually. Under Paula's leadership, Ayuda's programs have expanded throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia to reach more of our immigrant neighbors. Paula began her work with Ayuda as an immigration staff attorney, and quickly advanced as managing attorney at Ayuda's Virginia office. Prior to joining Ayuda in 2008, Paula served as an immigration staff attorney at Hogar Hispano of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, and as an associate at Hunton & Williams LLP.
Paula's personal and professional goals are driven by her inherent desire to make a lasting impact in the lives of others. Her immigration legal work focused on humanitarian relief for individuals, children, and families, including Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitions, U visas, T visas, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status petitions. She also has extensive experience in family-based immigration matters, consular processing, waivers, and NACARA cases. Paula deeply credits her parents with instilling the values that led to her work. Her mother, a Colombian immigrant, was a social worker at a school with a large Latin American immigrant population. Her father worked as a psychologist for the mentally ill at Saint Elizabeth's Hospital.
Paula participates on and has engaged with many councils and committees across the Washington metropolitan area. Additionally, she has been recognized with many awards and accolades, including:
2023 John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award, Georgetown University
David Bradt Nonprofit Leadership Award, Greater Washington Community Foundation (2020)
The El Tiempo Latino Powermeter 100: The Nation's Capitol 100 Most Influential People for the Hispanic Community (2019)
Women's Bar Association Star of the Bar (2018)
Washingtonian magazine, 40 Under 40 list of leaders in the Washington, D.C. region (2017)
In 2016, Paula completed Georgetown University's Certificate in Nonprofit Management program. She continues to provide Ayuda with strategic direction and ensures that her team offers the highest quality of services. Paula earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. She graduated cum laude with a B.A. in psychology from James Madison University. Paula and her family have lived in northern Virginia for more than 40 years.
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations
- OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Rose is the Director of Operations at Ayuda, where she oversees internal operations. Her work at Ayuda includes human resources, administration, and oversight over all internal systems and processes. Rose holds a Master of Research degree from the University of Glasgow, and a Bachelor's degree in Organizational Communication from Whitworth University.
Prior to coming to Ayuda, Rose managed operations at Polaris, a non-profit that combats human trafficking in the US and operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Earlier in her career she served as the communications director of Rise, a political advocacy campaign for sexual assault survivors.
Samir is a partner in the International Trade and White Collar Criminal Practice, Internal Investigations & Government Enforcement practice groups. He advises multinational corporations on export controls, economic sanctions and customs, and counsels individuals and corporations on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other anti-corruption laws. He represents clients in enforcement actions before U.S. regulatory agencies and conducts corporate internal investigations. Samir participates in many firmwide activities, including the pro bono program, and serves as the Washington D.C. chair of the firm's Diversity & Inclusion Initiative. He was a co-recipient of Thompson Hine's 2013 Diversity Champion Award for his work developing and launching the Diversity Externship Program, which provides law students in Washington, D.C. with rewarding educational opportunities and real-life work experience on pro bono matters.
While in law school, Samir served as a judicial extern for Judge Douglas Eaton of the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Also, he interned for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada.
Job Titles:
- PROFESSOR of LAW and DIRECTOR of the IMMIGRANT and REFUGEE ADVOCACY CLINIC, the CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY of AMERICA
Job Titles:
- CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
- Member of the Management Team
Teng Chamchumrus joined Ayuda as Chief Operating Officer in 2024. He has a BA in economics (magna cum laude) and an MBA from Harvard University. As an applied strategist with more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and private sectors, Teng served as Executive Officer, at the Smithsonian Institution, where he provided strategic thinking, leadership and management expertise in planning and implementing education and audience engagement initiatives. Prior to the Smithsonian, he held various management and leadership roles at the American Red Cross, including leading financial planning and analysis for major disaster relief operations including Hurricane Katrina. As a Fulbright specialist, he advised the Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage in strategy and organizational development. As a volunteer, Teng served on the board at ICOM-US and at Montgomery History and in peer support at Whitman Walker Health.
Teng has dedicated his career to serving communities. He is committed to bringing his professional expertise and experience to help communities thrive for generations to come. He is excited and honored to be part of the Ayuda team.
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT and FOUNDER, VIRGINIA LATINO LEADERS COUNCIL
The Honorable J. Walter Tejada served on Virginia's Arlington County Board from 2003 to 2015. He was first elected to the Board in a special election on March 11, 2003. Reelected in 2007 and 2011, he served as Chairman of the Board in 2008 and 2013 and Vice-Chairman in 2007, 2012 and 2015.
A community advocate, Walter has distinguished himself as a leader committed to enhancing the diversity of Arlington and the region's community voice. During his tenure on the Board, he reached out to local communities and encouraged residents to be active participants throughout the County and the Washington Metropolitan region. He has been instrumental in convening community stakeholders to address a wide range of issues such as affordable housing, civic engagement and volunteerism, community and economic development, education and employment, parks and recreation, tenant outreach and empowerment efforts, youth development programming, health and fitness, and nonprofit assistance.
Walter currently serves on the Board of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, appointed by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2016.
Job Titles:
- FEDERAL IMMIGRATION COURT JUDGE ( RETIRED )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- DIRECTOR of LEGAL PROGRAMS
Job Titles:
- BLANK ROME LLP, ASSOCIATE