Lydiette works in collaboration across departments to ensure the delivery of programming and events in addition to providing administrative support to the president and general counsel. Lydiette is instrumental in serving as the liaison between LatinoJustice and the multitude of constituencies the organization serves.
A native of Puerto Rico, Lydiette has always had a profound interest in the Latino community and experience within and beyond the borders of the United States. She received her B.A. from Rutgers University and her M.A. from the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University.
Lydiette has worked at a private law firm as a paralegal in their toxic tort division; at a higher education institution in their special programs division; and interned at a nonprofit organization advocating for refugees and asylees. These experiences led her to LatinoJustice PRLDEF where she hopes to further the mission of protecting the rights of all Latinos.
After more than 10 years in the banking industry, Lissette is now dedicating her expertise in the nonprofit sector, safeguarding the mission and vision of the organization.
Lissette is a notary public and received academic distinction making the dean’s list in the fall 2015 and fall 2016. Lissette holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from Lehman College, and is currently pursuing her master’s in Business Administration.
Kira focuses on immigrants’ rights, voting rights, economic justice and criminal justice reform. Kira began her legal career as an equal justice works fellow for the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association in Orlando, Florida where she focused on representation of undocumented immigrant children in juvenile and immigration court.
Prior to joining LatinoJustice, she was the program director for the children's legal program at Americans for Immigrant Justice where she led a team of lawyers representing immigrant children in dependency and removal proceedings. Kira is the co-chair of the advocacy committee for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Central Florida Chapter. She is a graduate of Rollins College and Florida State University, College of Law.
Diana joined LatinoJustice in 2009 to guide the organization’s fund development strategy and informs organizational planning. Before joining the LJP team, Diana served as the national director of affiliate services at Family Promise, where she oversaw and implemented organizational development services, including strategic planning and board training, for more than 100 affiliates.
Throughout her career, Diana has worked with myriad non-profit teams, including the YWCA of Brooklyn and the American Folk Art Museum, to strengthen organizational resources and capacity. A Brooklyn native and New Jersey resident, Diana volunteers with several nonprofit organizations and is an avid baker.
One of the nation’s leading voices on equality and nondiscrimination, Constitutional and Civil Rights Attorney Juan Cartagena inspires change to systems that marginalize communities of color. As a public speaker, El Diario columnist, and Rutgers University lecturer, Juan focuses extensively on Puerto Rican and Latino rights issues, including the community impacts of mass incarceration.
José is in his 35th year as a public interest lawyer and is a 1985 graduate of St. John’s University School of Law. He began his legal career as a prosecutor with the Queens County District Attorney’s Office and the NYC Housing Authority’s Anti-Narcotics Strike Force.
Read José's full bio here
Born in New Mexico but raised in Texas, Jorge is the son of a farmer of Louisiana descent, whose family moved to South Texas over 150 years ago, and a mother who waded the Rio Bravo at 15. He is an Army veteran, has a MSSW from the University of Texas at Austin, and is the proud father of Catarina Amelia Renaud. As a Policy Analyst at the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, Jorge authored dozens of bills in 2013 and 2015 that addressed Texas prison conditions and parole supervision.
As a Senior Policy Analyst at the Prison Policy Initiative he authored numerous studies examining ways to alleviate this country's obsession with incarceration and disproportionate sentences. Jorge has published poetry and essays across the country. He was also previously incarcerated for over 27 years. Jorge has been an integral part of Reenvision Justicia’s network of Latinx organizers, lawyers and policy analysts for years and a regular and popular speaker at LatinoJustice annual convenings of Latinxs and the Criminal Justice system.
Jorge litigates on a broad range of civil rights matters throughout the United States. In addition, Jorge works on an array of policy matters and campaigns to address local and national social justice disparities.
Jorge is a second-generation Nuyorican and a proud product of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University at Albany, a Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University School of Law, and an LL.M. in trial and advocacy from Basely School of Law, Temple University.
Jerónimo focuses on building Latinx power to end the criminalization of communities of color. Jerónimo has over a decade of experience working to advance criminal justice and immigration reforms through the use of grassroots and digital strategies. He has honed his skills through his time working in grantmaking philanthropy, organized labor and national legislative advocacy arenas.
Saldaña is also a proud member of Mijente, a new political home for Chicanxs and Latinxs. A skilled digital strategist, Jerónimo volunteers on their communication squad where he was the driving force behind the viral anti-Trump “Make America Mexico Again” hat campaign and continues to pursue cultural shifting dialogues through the use of online spaces.
In 2016 Remezcla included his activism in their list of Latino activists who fought for a better world. He is currently based in Brooklyn and holds a bachelor’s degree in Chicana/o Studies.
Joining LatinoJustice in 2000, Jackson finds opportunity in handling civil and constitutional rights litigation, legal advocacy, community outreach and education to redress racial and socio-economic inequality. A native New Yorker and multilingual lawyer, his impact work helps affirm the faith and sacrifice of America’s immigrants, refugees, and racial minorities who seek a safe and just future.
Jackson has been admitted to the New York bar, federal district courts and appeals circuits. He's won and collected over $1,268,000 for low-wage workers. He has won injunctive relief in various civil rights victories that have improved the lives of Latinos and immigrant families. He has received career honors: New York City Bar Association’s Legal Services Award (2018), Public Justice's "Trial Lawyer of the Year" (2017).
Prior to joining LJP, Jackson was the Supervising Attorney at Safe Horizon’s Immigration Law Project; Legal Director at Center for Immigrant Rights; Law Guardian at The Legal Aid Society NYC. He was educated at Bronx H.S. of Science, C.C.N.Y., Washington University in St. Louis, and, University of California S.F.-Hastings College of The Law.
“In tribute to my Chinese immigrant parents: ‘Live in diversity. Adelante!’”