Communications Institute

The Opportunity Agenda’s Communications Institute is an annual event that brings together diverse social justice leaders from around the nation for intensive communications skill-building and support. The Institute, which takes place in New York City, is a four-day residency that prepares the movement’s up-and-coming voices to cut through the noise with effective messages that will persuade and mobilize key audiences.

Juanita Monsalve

Senior Marketing and Creative Director, United We Dream

Juanita A. Monsalve is a cultural, creative, and digital strategist working for the freedom of all communities of color.

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Native San Diegan Enrique Morones is an internationally acclaimed human rights advocate. He was formerly the highest-ranking Latino in Major League Baseball (1995-2001) as Vice President of Latino & Diversity Marketing for the San Diego Padres. In 1986, Enrique founded Border Angles’ “Saving Migrant Lives,” placing life-saving water on the...

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Roberta Myers

Director, National H.I.R.E. Network of the Legal Action Center

Roberta became the Director of the National H.I.R.E. Network in 2007. Before this, she held other policy and direct service positions at the Legal Action Center. She has worked to improve criminal justice policies that directly affect employment and re-entry opportunities for people with criminal records; trained hundreds of workforce...

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Rev. Erica N. Williams, M.Div.

National Social Justice Organizer, Repairers of the Breach

Rev. Erica N. Williams is a preacher, activist and community leader, who serves with head and heart. Rev. Erica is a 2016 graduate of The Howard University School of Divinity. Currently, she serves as a National Social Justice Organizer for Repairers of the Breach, a social justice organization founded by...

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Ricardo J. Negron-Almodovar

Legal Services Coordinator, LatinoJustice PRLDEF

In his role, Ricardo J. Negron-Almodovar assist those transitioning from Puerto Rico to Florida after Hurricane Maria devastated the island and led election protection efforts to ensure access to the ballot box for Spanish-dominant voters.

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Matt Nelson

Executive Director, Presente.org

Matt Nelson serves as the Executive Director of Presente.org—the nation’s largest online Latinx organizing group; advancing social justice with technology, media, and culture. Before his work at Presente.org, Matt was the Organizing Director at ColorOfChange.org and prior to that, he co-founded several worker-owned cooperatives in multiple Midwestern cities, including a...

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Rev. Vivian Nixon

Executive Director, College and Community Fellowship

Vivian Nixon is Executive Director of College and Community Fellowship (CCF), an organization committed to removing individual and structural barriers to higher education for women with criminal record histories and their families. She is currently a Columbia University Community Scholar and has received multiple honors, including the John Jay Medal...

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Zachary Norris

Executive Director, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

Zachary Norris is the Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, former director of our Books Not Bars campaign, a Harvard graduate, and an NYU-educated attorney. Prior to rejoining the Ella Baker Center, Zachary founded and co-directed Justice for Families, a national alliance of family-driven organizations working...

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Mark O'Brien

Director of Opioid Overdose Prevention and Treatment, Baltimore City Health Department | Behavioral Health System Baltimore

Mark O'Brien is the Baltimore City Director of Opioid Overdose Prevention and Treatment where he works to implement a multi-agency response to the opioid crisis and resulting overdose deaths. Prior to starting at BCHD and BSHB, Mark was a Senior Criminal Justice Policy Associate and Acting Director of Communications in...

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Priscilla Olivarez

Policy Attorney, Immigrant Legal Resource Center

Priscilla Olivarez is a Policy Attorney at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) based in San Antonio, TX. Priscilla's other advocacy experience includes working abroad, providing legal support to survivors of human trafficking in the Philippines. Priscilla has also advocated on behalf of survivors of domestic violence and represented unaccompanied...

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