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.
Laura A. Vazquez
Legislative Analyst, National Council of La RazaLaura Vazquez monitors immigration policy and conducts legislative and administrative advocacy in order to advance humane reforms to the current immigration system. She served as a caseworker for Congresswoman Norton, assisting D.C. residents with their immigration applications. As a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Fellow, she researched laws passed in 1996...
Get To know Laura A.
Delia Vega
Executive Director for Local and State Organizing, EPOCADelia was introduced to Ex-prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA) seven years ago when she was in a six- month residential facility after being paroled. She became a volunteer leader for 20 months and was hired in August 2008 as a professional Community Organizer. As EPOCA members engaged Delia in...
Get To know Delia
Alaide Vilchia Ibarra
Co-Executive Director, Together LabAlaide Vilchis Ibarra has over 10 years of experience working to protect and expand migrant rights. She is passionate about the intersections of policy, community organizing and mutual aid.
Get To know Alaide
Gabriela Villareal
Policy Analyst, California Immigrant Policy CenterGabriela Villareal is a Policy Analyst with the California Immigrant Policy Center. She provides policy advocacy towards ending the unjust detention and deportation of immigrants. Previously, she was the Immigration Advocacy Policy Coordinator for the New York Immigration Coalition and also worked for Safe Horizon’s Anti-Trafficking Program as the Training...
Get To know Gabriela
Preeti Vissa
Chief Operating Officer, Greenlining InstitutePreeti Vissa is the Director of Greenlining’s Community Reinvestment Program, which focuses on building wealth and economic sustainability in communities of color. Vissa works on a holistic set of wealth-building issues including homeownership, small business development, supplier diversity, financial services, and job creation. She also leads Greenlining’s efforts to ensure...
Get To know Preeti
Manar Waheed
Legislative and Advocacy Counsel, ACLUAs Legislative and Advocacy Counsel at the ACLU, Manar works on the intersection of issues impacting Muslims, Arabs, Middle Easterners, and South Asians, including immigration, national security and counterterrorism, and hate violence. Manar was previously the Deputy Policy Director for Immigration at the Obama White House Domestic Policy Council in...
Get To know Manar
Jo-Ann Wallace
President and CEO, National Legal Aid & Defender AssociationJo-Ann Wallace is the President and CEO of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA). She was previously NLADA’s Senior Vice President for Programs, responsible for oversight of both the Civil Legal Aid and Indigent Defense Program agendas. From 1994–2000, Ms. Wallace served as Director of the Public Defender...
Get To know Jo-Ann
Vince Warren
Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)Vincent currently serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), an organization that protects and advances rights guaranteed by the Constitution through groundbreaking litigation. Prior to joining the CCR, Vincent litigated civil rights cases for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), monitored hearings for South Africa’s...
Get To know Vince
Roy Waterman
Criminal Justice Project Manager, Jewish Council for Public AffairsRoy Waterman is the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) Criminal Justice Project Manager. This project is focused on educating and empowering the Jewish community relations field to advocate on criminal justice reform at the national and local level. He will assist to mobilize these communities against the modern day Civil...
Get To know Roy
Art Way
Senior Drug Policy Manager, Drug Policy AllianceArt is Senior Drug Policy Manager at Drug Policy Alliance, based in Denver. Art is a graduate of Florida Coastal School of Law, where he was appalled at the gap between our theoretical constitutional liberties and what he witnessed growing up during the escalation of the drug war in the 1980s....
Get To know Art
