Our Fellows
The Opportunity Agenda’s Communications Institute Fellows are media-ready experts on some of the country’s most urgent challenges, coming largely from communities most affected by those challenges. For journalists seeking voices with a grassroots perspective that links economic opportunity, criminal justice, immigrant opportunity, and racial justice issues to the lived experiences of Americans, Communications Fellows are ideal spokespeople.
Jessica Valoris
Jessica Valoris is a multidisciplinary artist and community facilitator. Through ritual performance, sound collage, and mixed media painting, Jessica creates sacred spaces that honor the earth-based traditions of her Black and Jewish ancestors. Her art is rooted in practices of collective care, ancestral reverence and embodied study.
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Jesse Van Tol
Director of Membership & Organizing, National Community Reinvestment CoalitionJesse Van Tol is Director of Membership and Organizing for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. In that capacity, he is responsible for implementing comprehensive communications and outreach strategies that highlight the organization’s membership, public policy positions and programs. Van Tol oversees a department of three communications staff, who are responsible...
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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...
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Monique Verdin
Monique Verdin is a transdisciplinary storyteller, citizen of the Houma Nation and director of The Land Memory Bank & Seed Exchange, responding to the complex interconnectedness of environment, economics, culture, climate, and change in the Gulf South.
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Aisha Wells
Paid Family Leave Organizer, Mothering JusticeAisha Wells organizes with mamas of color in the community to understand the paid leave issues in the workplace to help pass legislation.
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