AYUDA - Key Persons
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- MANAGER of POPULATION HEALTH CONSULTING, CAREFIRST
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- FOUNDER and CO - OWNER of TIMBER PIZZA CO. and CALL YOUR MOTHER
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- PRESIDENT, MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE
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- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NVMS CONFLICT RESOLUTION CENTER
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- Senior Language Access Coordinator
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- Manager, Children 's Legal Services, VA
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- Immigration Managing Attorney, DC
- MANAGING ATTORNEY, DC IMMIGRATION
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- Staff Attorney, Project END, DC
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- Operations and HR Associate
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- Member of the Management Team
- Domestic Violence / Family Law Managing Attorney, DC
- MANAGING ATTORNEY, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE / FAMILY LAW
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- MANAGING ATTORNEY, PROJECT END
- Managing Attorney, Project END, DC
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- Volunteer and Intern Manager
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- Managing Attorney of Children
- Managing Attorney, Children 's Legal Services, VA
- MANAGING ATTORNEY, CHILDREN's LEGAL SERVICES
Corie O'Rourke is the Managing Attorney of Children's Legal Services at Ayuda. She manages our detained immigrant children's work and supervises a team of attorneys and paralegals who provide direct representation to immigrants in both affirmative and defensive humanitarian and family-based immigration cases. Corie serves on the American Immigration Lawyer's Association (AILA) Board of Publications and has contributed to publications on a wide range of immigration topics.
Corie received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, as well as her bachelor's degree in international studies cum laude and master's degree in international studies from the University of Oklahoma College of International Studies. Corie speaks Spanish and is licensed to practice law in Virginia. She began her legal career as a Gallogly Foundation Fellow at Ayuda in 2016 and later served as a staff attorney and supervising attorney before becoming a managing attorney.
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- Language Access Coordinator
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- Community Outreach Specialist, DC
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- FINANCE DIRECTOR
- Member of the Management Team
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.
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- COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, OFFICE of GOVERNMENT RELATIONS and COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
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- Social Services Manager, VA
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- SENIOR PRINCIPAL, the CLEARING
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- Operations and HR Associate
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- Member of the Management Team
- Advisory Board Member of the Peaceful Families Project
- MANAGING ATTORNEY, PRO BONO
- Pro Bono Managing Attorney, DC
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.
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- CHEF and CULINARY DIRECTOR, LA CASITA PUPUSERIA RESTAURANT 198
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- Senior Language Access Coordinator
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- EDUCATION and TRAINING ATTORNEY, AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL
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- Member of the Management Team
- DIRECTOR of GRANTS and STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
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- 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.
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- 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:
- Legal Orientation Specialist, VA
Joyce Cowan, a healthcare and public policy lawyer, formerly a partner in Morgan Lewis' Healthcare Practice, has more than 30 years' experience counseling healthcare organizations and other clients on transactions, regulatory, compliance, and public policy matters. Joyce also has experience organizing advocacy groups and coalitions to influence federal healthcare policy. Joyce has advised clients on healthcare delivery, Medicare, Medicaid, and other healthcare issues.
Joyce also works with emerging businesses, primarily in the healthcare sector. Throughout her legal career, Joyce has maintained an active pro bono practice, including assisting individual clients with their immigration needs. Joyce has also represented classes of individuals secure their full benefits under state Medicaid programs.
Most recently, Joyce was on a team that won a significant pro bono victory on behalf of low-income Pennsylvania households seeking retroactive emergency food benefits denied to them by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Joyce has served on other nonprofit and private Boards of Directors. Joyce lives in Washington DC and is an active in her local community.
Joyce received her BA from the University of Washington, and her JD from the George Washington University Law School.
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- Immigration Supervising Attorney
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- Immigration Supervising Attorney, VA
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- Supervising Case Manager, DC
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- Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney, DC
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- DIRECTOR of DEVELOPMENT and COMMUNICATIONS
- Member of the Management Team
- Director of Development & 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.
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- Immigration Supervising Attorney, DC
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- Language Access Coordinator
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- Legal Program Coordinator, DC
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- SENIOR MANAGER, INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMPLIANCE, GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
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- Language Access Director
- SENIOR LANGUAGE ACCESS MANAGER
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- Immigration Managing Attorney
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- Legal Orientation Supervisor, VA
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- Intake Specialist / Office Manager
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- Manager of Emergency Client Services / Senior Case Manager, DC
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- Immigration Supervising Attorney, VA
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- SENIOR LANGUAGE ACCESS MANAGER
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- PRINCIPAL, the RABEN GROUP LLC
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- Director, Federal Government Affairs at Microsoft Corporation
- DIRECTOR, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, MICROSOFT
Paul F. Caron serves as Director, Federal Government Affairs at Microsoft Corporation and is based in Washington, DC. Previously at Microsoft he served as chief of staff of U.S. government affairs for seven years, and worked for six years as an attorney for at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington. From 1999 to 2004, he served as an attorney for Software AG in Reston, Virginia.
Job Titles:
- PRO BONO PARTNER, STEPTOE & JOHNSON LLP, CHAIR
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- 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:
- Immigration Supervising Attorney, VA
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- Training and Technical Assistance Specialist
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- Director of Operations
- Member of the Management Team
- 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.
Job Titles:
- PARTNER, CROWELL & MORING LLP
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:
- Member of the Management Team
- ADVOCACY MANAGER
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- Intake Specialist / Office Manager, DC
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- Member of the Management Team
- LANGUAGE ACCESS MANAGER
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- Immigration Supervising Attorney, DC
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- Legal Orientation Specialist, VA
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- Immigration Supervising Attorney, VA
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- Legal Orientation Supervisor, VA
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- PROFESSOR of LAW and DIRECTOR of the IMMIGRANT and REFUGEE ADVOCACY CLINIC, the CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY of AMERICA
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- Intake Specialist / Office Manager, VA
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- Language Access Coordinator
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- 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.
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- FEDERAL IMMIGRATION COURT JUDGE ( RETIRED )
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- VICE CHAIR
- PARTNER, JOSEPH, GREENWALD & LAAKE, LLP, VICE CHAIR
Veronica Nannis is a seasoned litigator who takes on fraud. She is a principal in Joseph, Greenwald & Laake's Civil Litigation department. For more than 10 years, Veronica has represented employees who blow the whistle on employers defrauding the government. She files suit under the False Claims Act in district courts all around the country, primarily focusing on health care fraud and all sorts of illegal kickback schemes. She is barred in State of Maryland, District of Columbia, United States District Courts for Maryland, D.C., and Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
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- Immigration Managing Attorney, VA
- MANAGING ATTORNEY, VA IMMIGRATION
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- BLANK ROME LLP, ASSOCIATE