MORNING SESSIONS

Implementation from the Ground Up: Highlights and Future Policy Targets from the Invisible No More Campaign

Moderator: Maya Berry, Executive Director | Arab American Institute 

Maya Berry is executive director of the Arab American Institute (AAI). In 1996, she established AAI’s first government relations department, which she led for five years before becoming a legislative director for U.S. House of Representatives Minority Whip David Bonior, where she managed the congressman’s legislative strategy and developed policies on international relations, human rights, immigration, civil rights and liberties, and trade. With a deep knowledge of public policymaking, Maya has helped expand AAI’s work on combating hate crime, protecting the rights of securitized communities, and strengthening our democracy. In her personal capacity, Maya is a long-time Democratic Party activist who served as a member of the 2016 Democratic National Convention’s Platform Standing Committee and has attended all but one Democratic National Convention as a Delegate, Alternate or Standing Committee Member since 1992.

Jeemin Cha, Data Policy Coordinator | Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF)

Jeemin Cha (he/him) is the Data Policy Coordinator at CACF. As Data Policy Coordinator, he co-leads the Invisible No More Campaign for Data Equity (INM) and represents AAPI New Yorkers in data collected by city and state agencies. From his role, he works to rectify the systemic erasure of AAPI New Yorkers in data collected by city and state agencies and ensure that AAPIs and our needs are accurately and properly included in disaggregated data. Before arriving at CACF, he worked as an organizer and policy analyst at various immigration nonprofits in NYC, Washington D.C., and Chicago focused on advocacy for increased visibility of AAPI undocumented immigrants and fought for the passage of a comprehensive immigration reform bill in Congress. Jeemin graduated from Baruch College – CUNY with a major in Public Affairs. He also completed his PPIA Fellowship at Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. Jeemin was raised in Hong Kong and China. He is currently based in Queens, NY.

Francesca Perrone, Senior Policy Analyst | Hispanic Federation

Francesca Perrone is a Senior Policy Analyst for Hispanic Federation, working to elevate the needs of the Latino community through policy and advocacy. She is passionate about public health equity,  and seeks to alleviate disparities through practices that are community centered.

Prior to working with the Hispanic Federation, Francesca spent two years as a bilingual COVID-19 Contact Tracer for NYC Health and Hospitals, providing support to New Yorkers during the Pandemic. She got her start in health policy at NYC Council Member Ben Kallos’ Office, where she supported the Legislative Director in identifying critical concerns in the community, and crafting solutions to address them.  Francesca holds a BA in Political Science from Barnard College of Columbia University, and received her Master’s in Public Health from NYU. She is currently enrolled as a part-time evening student at New York Law School, and seeks to bring a legal perspective to her advocacy work. Recently, she was appointed to the New York City Commission on Racial Equity.

Rana Abdelhamid, Founder and Executive Director | Malikah

Rana Abdelhamid is the child of Egyptian immigrants, a community organizer and 1st Degree Black Belt from Queens, NY. At age 16, after experiencing a hate based attack, Rana founded Malikah, an antiviolence organization addressing hate and gender based violence through self-defense, healing, financial literacy and organizing education. Since then she has taught over 650 self-defense classes and healing workshops, reaching thousands of women in 32 countries across the globe. Today she serves as the Executive Director of Malikah as an Echoing Green fellow.

Taina Wagnac, Senior Manager of State and Local Policy | New York Immigration Coalition

Taina B. Wagnac is the Senior Manager of State & Local Policy at the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), a state-wide and member-led coalition of immigrant and refugee organizations. Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Taina possesses more than 10 years of expertise in policy analysis, legislative drafting and research. Currently, Taina oversees the NYIC’s policy work within the Building Political Power & Guaranteed Civil Rights program area, to advance and develop legislation that empower immigrant communities in all the regions of New York State. Taina leads the NYIC’s work in advocating data disaggregation policies for Middle Eastern, and North African, and African Caribbean communities in New York state.

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Meeting the Promise of the Revised Federal Race and Ethnicity Data Collection Standards

Moderator: Andrea Senteno, Regional Counsel | Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)

Andrea Senteno is the Regional Counsel of MALDEF’s Washington, DC office, where she oversees MALDEF’s legislative and regulatory work in Washington and litigation work covering the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Fourth and Eleventh Circuits.  She was part of the litigation team for LUPE v. Ross, a successful challenge to the addition of the citizenship question to the decennial Census, and LUPE v. Ross II, a challenge to Donald Trump’s attempt to create citizenship redistricting data and exclude undocumented immigrants from Congressional apportionment totals.  She also represented defendant-intervenors to oppose Alabama’s suit to exclude undocumented immigrants from congressional apportionment in the case Alabama v. Department of Commerce.  She is responsible for managing MALDEF’s federal policy work, and has worked on efforts to pass a legislative fix to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 following the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder.  She has had a long commitment to public interest work, as well as social and racial justice issues. Prior to attending law school, Andrea advocated for govern​ment transparency and accountability in New York, focusing on election reform issues.  ​She received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and B.A. from Pitzer College.

Karen Battle, Chief, Population Division | U.S. Census Bureau

Since 2014, Karen Battle has served as the Chief of the Population Division at the U.S. Census Bureau. In that role, she oversees the research, development, analysis and dissemination of statistics related to the population and demographic characteristics of the United States and selected countries around the world. This includes managing the development of annual population estimates for the United States, states, and counties by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, as well as research to improve the measurement of race, ethnicity and other special population topics.

Ms. Battle began her career at the Census Bureau in 1998 in the Special Population Statistics Area within the Population Division where she worked on analyzing data and developing products that focused on race and ethnicity. Since then, much of Ms. Battle’s career has been spent leading the production and analysis of statistics from decennial censuses and household surveys on the demographic characteristics of special populations in the United States.

Spotlight on U.S. Census Bureau Research to Inform Discussions for Improving Federal Race and Ethnicity Data Standards – U.S. Census Bureau Subject Matter Experts

Nicholas Jones, Director, Race/Ethnicity Research & Outreach | U.S. Census Bureau

Nicholas Jones is the Director for Race/Ethnicity Research and Outreach in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division. He joined the Census Bureau in 2000 as an analyst in the Racial Statistics Branch, and served as Chief of Racial Statistics from 2007 to 2014.  His research over the past couple decades has helped shed light on race reporting patterns and the demographic characteristics of Multiracial children and interracial families, the size and distribution of racial and ethnic groups, and the racial/ethnic diversity of the United States population.

Nicholas led the Census Bureau’s extensive research and outreach to explore and discuss alternative approaches for improving data on race and ethnicity and to prepare for analyzing and communicating the results of the 2020 Census.  He has presented at numerous academic conferences and professional meetings, and discussed race and ethnicity research and trends with a wide variety of media outlets and national and local organizations.  Nicholas earned three Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Awards for the review and analysis of 2000 and 2010 race data and leadership in Tribal Consultations with American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Nicholas received a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Anthropology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Rachel Marks, Chief, Racial Statistics Branch | U.S. Census Bureau

Rachel Marks is chief of the Racial Statistics Branch in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. She leads a research team that analyzes data on race and ethnicity from the 2020 Census, 2020 Island Areas Census, American Community Survey, and the Current Population Survey. She advises and guides research focusing on the reporting patterns of racial and ethnic groups in the United States, Puerto Rico, and other Island Areas.

Rachel has conducted extensive outreach, presentations, and workshops with various stakeholder groups throughout her career and was a lead researcher for the 2015 National Content Test, which examined alternative ways to collect data on race and ethnicity. She is a leading expert on the Middle Eastern and North African population in the United States – and has authored many reports and presentations.

Rachel joined the Census Bureau in 2007 as a survey statistician in the Decennial Management Division’s Puerto Rico, Island Areas, and Overseas Enumeration Branch. She has a master’s degree in sociology from the University of New Hampshire and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. She also completed a master’s certificate in project management at George Washington University.

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Data Disaggregation: A View from the States

Moderator: Maria Filippelli, Member | 2030 Census Advisory Committee; Board Member | TechShift Alliance

Maria Filippelli is a data, technology, and policy professional. Maria has worked as a nonprofit data director, public interest technology census fellow, and regional planner. Maria’s work emphasizes the need for data stewardship, tech products, and policy to work in conjunction to ensure representation, equity, and responsible implementation.

Scott Powell, Chief Data Officer | State of Michigan

Scott Powell is the Chief Data Officer for the State of Michigan and director of the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics. Scott and his team lead state efforts to enhance and promote evidence-based decision making across state government. He has over ten years of experience in turning data into actionable information, specializing in advanced analytics, program evaluation, and administrative data systems. Before taking on his current role, Scott served as the center’s director of research for over five years. Prior to joining the State of Michigan, he held appointments at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, where he developed multiple research projects for the State of New Jersey, as well as the University of Tennessee. Scott is a native of the Flint, Michigan area and holds degrees from Michigan State University and Ohio State University.

Jason Rosensweig, Director of Legislative Affairs and Policy | Illinois Department of Human Rights

Jason Rosensweig serves as the Director of Legislative Affairs and Policy at the Illinois Department of Human Rights, with a background in academia, policy, advocacy, community- and coalition-building, and public service. Jason’s passion is in bringing together different groups and people to build a strong social fabric, communities, and institutions. Jason has also served as Commissioner on the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes since its establishment in 2021, and is currently Adjunct Professor of Government for Northwestern University, teaching courses in government and history for the Northwestern Prison Education Project inside Illinois’ Stateville prison. Previously, Jason was Director of Chicago for the Shalom Hartman Institute, a think tank, and Assistant Director for Advocacy and International Affairs at the American Jewish Committee (AJC).  Prior to his career in public service, Jason’s research and teaching focused on pluralism, community, and how we can best get along in a shared, free society. He taught at American University, the University of Chicago (where he earned his PhD) and Stanford (where he earned his BA).

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Implementing New Federal Data Collection Standards: Challenges and Next Steps

Moderator: Meeta Anand, Senior Program Director for Census & Data Equity | The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights & The Leadership Conference Education Fund

Meeta Anand most recently served as census consultant to The Leadership Conference Education Fund. Prior to this role, she served as New York Immigration Coalition’s Census 2020 Senior Fellow where she spearheaded the organization’s efforts to ensure a fair and accurate count of New Yorkers, particularly immigrants, in the 2020 Census. In this capacity she also served as the facilitator and convenor of New York Counts 2020, the statewide coalition of CBOs engaged in the 2020 Census. She also recently served as Board Chair for Sakhi for South Asian Women, an organization dedicated to addressing gender-based violence in the South Asian community of NYC. Anand spent over 10 years working at the law firm White & Case, where she was an associate in the project and asset finance group and headed business development for the same group. Prior to that, she clerked at the Court of International Trade, interned at the Division of Appeals and Opinions at the New York State Office of the Attorney General, worked as a commercial banker at Banco Santander, interned at the Bureau of Human Rights at the State Department, and assisted research in economics at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. She received a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.A from the The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a B.A. from Tufts University in Political Science and Economics, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.

Karen Battle, Chief, Population Division | U.S. Census Bureau

See above for bio

Nicholas Jones, Director, Race/Ethnicity Research & Outreach | U.S. Census Bureau

See above for bio

Rachel Marks, Chief, Racial Statistics Branch | U.S. Census Bureau

See above for bio

Scott Powell, Chief Data Officer | State of Michigan

See above for bio

Jason Rosensweig, Director of Legislative Affairs and Policy | Illinois Department of Human Rights

See above for bio

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AFTERNOON SESSIONS

Keynote Address

Jer Thorp – Author of Living in Data, former Library of Congress Innovator in Residence, Former New York Times Data Artist–in–Residence

Jer Thorp is an artist, writer and teacher living in New York City. He is best known for designing the algorithm to place the nearly 3,000 names on the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan. Jer was the New York Times’ first Data Artist in Residence, is a National Geographic Explorer, and in 2017 and 2018 served as the Innovator in Residence at the Library of Congress. Jer is one of the world’s foremost data artists, and is a leading voice for the ethical use of big data.

Jer’s data-inspired artwork has been shown around the world, including most recently in New York’s Times Square, at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, at the Ars Electronica Center in Austria, and at the National Seoul Museum in Korea. His work has also appeared in a wide variety of publications, including Scientific American, The New Yorker, Popular Science, Fast Company, Business Week, Popular Science, Discover, WIRED and The Harvard Business Review.

Jer’s talks on TED.com have been watched by more than a half-million people. He is a frequent speaker at high profile events such as PopTech, and The Aspen Ideas Festival. Recently, he has spoken about his work at MIT’s Media Lab, The American Museum of Natural History, MoMA, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena.

Jer is a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow, and an alumnus of the World Economic Foundation’s Global Agenda Council on Design and Innovation. He is an adjunct Professor in New York University’s renowned Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), and is the Co-Founder of The Office for Creative Research. In 2015, Canadian Geographic named Jer one of Canada’s Greatest Explorers.

Jer’s book ‘Living in Data’ was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in the spring of 2020.

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Data Disaggregation and Artificial Intelligence

Moderator: Alejandra Montoya-Boyer (she/her/ella), Senior Director | Center for Civil Rights & Technology

Alejandra Montoya-Boyer (she, her, ella) is the Senior Director of the Center for Civil Rights and Technology at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, where she focuses on research, policy solutions, and advocacy that responds to the growing opportunities and challenges from AI and emerging technologies and their impact on marginalized communities.

Prior to the Leadership Conference, Alejandra was the Director of Policy at Prosperity Now where she led the development and advocacy of policies that work to close the racial wealth gap by creating a more equitable tax system, putting Black and Brown people on a path to homeownership, and ensuring economic well-being for workers and families. She has also worked at the National Association of Counties (NACo), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and the Office of Ben Ray Luján (NM-03). She has a diverse background in policy, political campaigning, grassroots advocacy, and program management with deep content expertise in workforce development, tech policy, economic justice, and racial equity.

Alejandra calls Albuquerque, New Mexico home, and is a fan of the best green chile, hot air balloons, and hikes up the Sandia Mountains.

Miranda Bogen, Director, AI Governance Lab | Center for Democracy & Technology

Miranda Bogen is the founding Director of CDT’s AI Governance Lab, where she works to develop and promote adoption of robust, technically-informed solutions for the effective regulation and governance of AI systems.

An AI policy expert and responsible AI practitioner, Miranda has led advocacy and applied work around AI accountability across both industry and civil society. She most recently guided strategy and implementation of responsible AI practices at Meta, including driving large-scale efforts to measure and mitigate bias in AI-powered products and building out company-wide governance practices. Miranda previously worked as senior policy analyst at Upturn, where she conducted foundational research at the intersection of machine learning and civil rights, and served as co-chair of the Fairness, Transparency, and Accountability Working Group at the Partnership on AI.

Miranda has co-authored widely cited research, including empirically demonstrating the potential for discrimination in personalized advertising systems and illuminating the role artificial intelligence plays in the hiring process, and has helped to develop technical contributions including AI benchmarks to measure bias and robustness, privacy-preserving methods to measure racial disparities in AI systems, and reinforcement-learning driven interventions to advance equitable outcomes in products that mediate access to economic opportunity. Miranda’s writing, analysis, and work has been featured in media including the Harvard Business Review, NPR, The Atlantic, Wired, Last Week Tonight, and more.

Miranda holds a master’s degree from The Fletcher School at Tufts University with a focus on international technology policy, and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA with degrees in Political Science and Middle Eastern & North African Studies.

Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director | Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)

Caitriona Fitzgerald is Deputy Director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). Caitriona leads the development of EPIC’s policy agenda, providing expertise to advance strong privacy, open government, and algorithmic fairness and accountability laws at both the state and federal level. She has testified before Congress and state legislatures. Prior to joining EPIC, Caitriona served as Chief of Staff to Massachusetts State Senator Barry Finegold, where she focused on election law reforms. A member of the Massachusetts bar, Caitriona graduated from Northeastern University School of Law (J.D.) and the State University of New York at Geneseo (B.A., Computer Science). She was recently selected as a 2023 Harvard Law School Wasserstein Fellow.

Claudia Ruiz, Senior Civil Rights Analyst | UnidosUS

Claudia Ruiz is a Senior Civil Rights Analyst at UnidosUS, formerly NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. Working with cross-cutting civil rights issues ranging from voting rights to policing reform to digital equity & tech accountability, Claudia advocates for policy reforms and civil rights protections that promote equity and inclusion for the Latino community.

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Data Visualization Workshop – Avoiding Territorial Stigmatization: Data Literacy for Data Stewards

Robert Gradeck – Project Director, Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Social and Urban Research

Robert Gradeck has spent his career helping people find and use civic information. He manages and co-founded the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh. The WPRDC is an inclusive open data partnership between the University, Allegheny County, and the City of Pittsburgh. The WPRDC helps to inform many community initiatives in the areas of health, housing, environmental protection, transportation, and social justice. He is a member of the Civic Switchboard project, which helps libraries and library workers become participants in civic data initiatives, co-leads of the Black Equity Coalition’s Data Justice Working Group, participates in the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, is a fellow in the AISP Equity in Practice Learning Community, and finished third in the 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show butter sculpture competition

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Messaging and Media Training 101

Sofía Costas, Senior Manager, Strategic Communications | The Leadership Conference Education Fund

Sofia Costas is a Senior Communications Manager at The Leadership Conference working on messaging and strategy to protect and promote the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. She leads our voting rights work and the development and implementation of strategies to maximize the communications capacity of the coalition. Before joining The Leadership Conference, Sofia worked for GQR Research helping progressive candidates, organizations, and causes around the world with strategic communications and messaging. Sofia was born in Bolivia and is a graduate of the University of Florida and the George Washington University.

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Data in Action Part 1: Building and Leveraging Data Ecosystems

Moderator: Laura E. Durso, Ph.D. | Founder, Harmonic Strategies

Dr. Laura E. Durso (she/her) is a nationally recognized expert and researcher influencing federal, state, and local policy with particular emphasis on the advancement of LGBTQ health and civil rights.  She is the founder of Harmonic Strategies, a DC-based consulting practice working with clients at the intersection of research and policy.  Previously, Dr. Durso was the Chief of Staff at the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she helped lead the civil rights and health information privacy agenda under the Biden-Harris Administration.  Prior to public service, she was the Executive Director and Chief Learning Officer of the Whitman-Walker Institute, where she led the strategic integration of research, policy, and education for the Whitman-Walker community health enterprise, and was the Vice President of the LGBTQ Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress.  Dr. Durso’s research and advocacy leadership has secured protections for LGBTQ people across a range of areas of life, including under the Affordable Care Act and Fair Housing Act, and her work is cited in briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court.  A native New Yorker, Dr. Durso holds a BA in psychology from Harvard College and master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

Lloyd Feng, Data Policy Coordinator | Coalition for Asian American Children and Families

Lloyd Feng (he/him) joined CACF in August 2021.  In his current role as Data Policy Coordinator, Lloyd co-leads the Invisible No More Campaign (INM), focusing on effective policy implementation and oversight of ethnicity-based data disaggregation at NYC, NYS, and federal agencies so that Asian and NHPI populations and all New Yorkers can be fully represented in government demographic data collection.

Prior to CACF, Lloyd served as a Program Associate at the Committee of 100, uplifting the needs of Chinese Americans in the U.S. policy sphere as well as in U.S.-China relations.  Lloyd is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Washington Heights and Upper Manhattan who now calls Williamsburg, Brooklyn home.  He serves as Chair of the Committee on Public Safety & Human Services of Brooklyn Community Board 1.  Lloyd is a graduate of Princeton University with a Bachelor’s degree in Art & Archaeology and a Certificate in East Asian Studies.

Sara Ismail, State Policy Manager | ACCESS/National Network for Arab American Communities

Sara is State Policy Manager with the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) which is an institution of ACCESS. Sara’s work is centered on Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) inclusion at the state and local level, addressing data inequities and racial disparities for MENA communities. All the work she does is centered on highlighting political and social inequities, racial disparities, and understanding the consequences of organizational effectiveness on mental health institutes providing services to minority communities. Sara is a doctoral candidate at Wayne State University, where she also received her Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution.

Emily McRae – Center for Health Innovation

Emily McRae (she/they) is the Director for the Information and Special Projects Department with the Center for Health Innovation Public Health Institute. With a background in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data systems, Emily loves the intersection of art and science inherent with mapping. She is passionate about data sovereignty, equitable and representative data, and data for public health. Emily is grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from so many who support a diversity of health outcomes across New Mexico.

Aaron Yore–VanOosterhout (he/him/his), Research Manager | Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy

Aaron is a research manager at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this role, he designs and carries out community-based research to help nonprofits, schools, and other organizations better serve people. Since joining the Johnson Center in 2017, he has been honored to work with organizations providing housing to people experiencing homelessness, educators and administrators at K–12 schools, and universities providing postsecondary education in prison, among many others.

Aaron also serves as the co-director of the Bellamy Creek Program, which offers a bachelor’s degree to GVSU students incarcerated at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan. In this capacity, he represents GVSU on the Michigan Consortium for Higher Education in Prison, an advisory board for the Michigan Department of Corrections.

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Data in Action Part 2: Data Disaggregation and Civic Engagement

Moderator: Esteban Camarena, Field Manager, Census & Data Equity | The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights & The Leadership Conference Education Fund

Esteban Camarena is the Field Manager for Census and Data Equity at The Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights. In this role, he helps manage the States Count Action Network – a broad coalition of organizations advocating for the census and ACS. He also co-manages the Data Disaggregation Action Network, which works to advance federal and state policies as they relate to data disaggregation by race and ethnicity. He has over a decade of community organizing experience working on issue-based campaigns, such as healthcare enrollment, reproductive health rights, voter registration, and GOTC during the 2020 Census. Esteban is a first-generation, Mexican American from Tucson, Arizona. He has a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies and served as a Fulbright scholar in Brazil.

Cynthia Romo, Associate Director of Civic Engagement | AltaMed

As the Associate Director of Civic Engagement at AltaMed, Cynthia Romo is responsible for implementing AltaMed’s Civic Engagement mission and guiding principles. Working closely with department leadership to set the strategic direction for AltaMed’s civic engagement strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and priorities. Cynthia leads a dedicated team in implementing the Integrated Civic Engagement Model (ICEM) across all clinic sites, fostering continuous communication with medical and clinic leadership. She develops civic engagement curricula for internal stakeholders, including providers, family medicine residents, nurses, and new hires, ensuring comprehensive internal engagement. Cynthia is a passionate advocate for community health equity. As an immigrant, Latina, and mother of two dedicated activists, she brings a deep personal commitment to her role as Associate Director of Civic Engagement at AltaMed. Her work focuses on empowering communities and advancing health equity through strategic initiatives and partnerships.

Mar Velez, Director of Policy | Latino Coalition for a Healthy California

Mar Velez the Policy Director for the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. In her role, Mar leads LCHC’s policy agenda to address the social determinants of health, ensure healthcare access for California’s Latinx and vulnerable populations, and incorporate community voice in all policy initiatives.

Mar’s experience in advocacy, research, and in local, state, and federal government provides her with unique insight to advance equity, justice, and accountability for public good. Previously, Mar worked for the City of Oakland and later became a Congressional Aide to Congresswoman Barbara Lee where she oversaw the criminal justice, Latinx, and women’s rights district issues portfolio. Additionally, she has worked with grassroots leaders and organizations, particularly in the criminal and youth justice field, to successfully pass and promote public safety measures at the state and local levels for positive health and life outcomes for youth.

Mar holds a dual Master’s degree in Public Health and City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. As a daughter to immigrant parents from Mexico who has had to overcome systemic barriers, it is Mar’s passion to undo cycles of poverty to achieve positive and equitable life and health outcomes for her community.

Rosa Flores (she/her/ella), Director of Programs | Latino Coalition for a Healthy California

Rosa Flores is the Director of Programs with the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC). She oversees the strategy for community engagement with Latine and Indigenous communities. With roots as a community organizer, she brings years of experience to the LCHC team on community mobilization on issues relating to health equity, migrant rights, education, climate action, and youth and women’s leadership development. In her previous role, she led multiple health programs that elevated farmworkers’ access to comprehensive healthcare services and enacted community-led policy, systems, and environmental changes. Rosa’s experience also includes leading and training teams of Community Health Workers, also known as Promotorxs, on community-based health education and participatory research practices.

Rosa is the newly elected co-director of the New Leaders Council Sacramento and a board member for My Sister’s House, an organization serving AAPI survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Rosa earned a Political Science degree and a Spanish minor from San Diego State University. In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga and spending as much time as possible in, near, and around water, specifically, exploring Tahoe and the San Diego coastline.

Dr. James Sadler, Director of Research | Baltimore’s Promise

Dr. James Sadler is the Director of Research at Baltimore’s Promise, a collective impact non-profit that harnesses the power of data and collaboration to achieve better outcomes for Baltimore’s youth and their families. James oversees the research agenda of the Baltimore City Youth Data Hub, an integrated data system founded by Baltimore’s Promise, the City of Baltimore, and Baltimore City Schools that was established by state legislation in 2022. James holds a PhD in Education Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania that he earned while teaching in a Philadelphia high school. Now living and working in Baltimore, James is committed to using his skills to help empower institutions and communities in the city to improve outcomes for youth from cradle to career.

Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean, President | Fair Count

Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean is the President at Fair Count, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, founded by Stacey Abrams. Fair Count’s goal is to ensure that every person in Georgia and the nation is counted for a fair and accurate census and to build pathways to continued civic participation, including voting and redistricting. Jeanine is a highly skilled researcher with over 20 years of experience conducting population-based studies and projects. She led the creation of statistically-relevant census undercount maps of all 50 states with a focus on Black and Latinx communities and advocated for community-driven solutions through the pairing of researchers and organizers. Jeanine was recently selected for the Keseb Democracy Fellowship program, which focuses on cross-country learning with democracy entrepreneurs from the United States, Brazil, and South Africa.

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Closing Keynote

Lurie Daniel Favors, Executive Director | Center for Law and Social Justice

Lurie Daniel Favors, Esq. serves as Executive Director at the Center for Law and Social Justice. She is an activist and attorney with a long-standing commitment to racial and social justice. Ms. Daniel Favors earned her J.D. from New York University, where she was a Root-Tilden-Kern public interest scholar. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BA in African and African American Studies, with a Minor in Spanish Language.

Ms. Daniel Favors started her legal career as an attorney in the New York offices of Proskauer Rose LLP and Manatt Phelps and Phillips, LLP. She also served as a federal court law clerk in the chambers of the Honorable Sterling Johnson, Jr., in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. She later founded Daniel Favors Law PLLC, a law firm that focused on economic and racial justice.

Before completing law school, Ms. Daniel Favors co-founded Sankofa Community Empowerment, Inc., a non-profit organization designed to educate and empower communities of African descent. She later co-founded Breaking the Cycle Consulting Services LLC, which specializes in creating comprehensive professional development for educators, youth education programs and family engagement workshops designed to address the crisis in urban education through the use of culturally responsive teaching. Ms. Daniel Favors hosts the Lurie Daniel Favors Show on Sirius XM’s Urban View Network.

Ms. Daniel Favors is a contributing author to The Birth of a Nation: Nat Turner and the Making of a Movement. She has also penned Afro State of Mind: Memories of a Nappy Headed Black Girl, a coming of age story about a Black girl fighting to find her place in a world where her hair texture and skin color did not fit the accepted beauty standard. Through an examination of the history of African textured hair and racism, Ms. Daniel Favors identifies Black hair, identity, skin color and self-esteem as areas that are ripe with potential for personal and political power.

​Ms. Daniel Favors adheres to the West African principle of sankofa and believes one must use the past in order to understand the present and build for a brighter future. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. You can follow her on Twitter; Instagram; or Facebook.