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Thomas A. Saenz 

President and General Counsel

MALDEF

Thomas A. Saenz is President and General Counsel of MALDEF, where he leads the civil rights organization's five offices in pursuing litigation, policy advocacy, and community education to promote the civil rights of Latinos living in the United States. Saenz re-joined MALDEF in August 2009, after spending four years on Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's executive team as Counsel to the Mayor.  He previously spent 12 years at MALDEF practicing civil rights law as a staff attorney, regional counsel, and vice president of litigation. He served as MALDEF's lead counsel in successfully challenging California's anti-immigrant Proposition 187.  Saenz graduated from Yale College and Yale Law School, and he clerked for two federal judges before initially joining MALDEF in 1993.

David Shapiro

Executive Director

Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights

David Shapiro became Executive Director in January 2023 and leads the work of the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. Prior to joining Chicago Lawyers’ Committee, David devoted his career to fighting for racial justice and civil rights, first at the ACLU National Prison Project, and most recently as a MacArthur Justice Center attorney and a Northwestern Law Clinical Professor. 

In 2016, David founded and became director of MacArthur Justice Center’s Supreme Court and Appellate Program, growing the team from just him to a team of sixteen staff members, and working to ensure that people subjected to police brutality, indecent prison conditions, wrongful convictions, and other law enforcement abuse have the best representation possible in appellate and Supreme Court cases. In 2022, the MacArthur Justice Center was honored by Bloomberg Law as a Pro Bono Innovator for the work of the Program. 

David has argued appellate cases in state and federal courts across the nation, including the U.S. Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court, the Seventh Circuit, and many other appeals courts sitting both as panels and en banc. He has won major victories on such issues as police brutality, deaths in custody, wrongful convictions, prisoners’ religious exercise, criminal sentencing, and freedom of speech.  David spent the first ten years of his career litigating principally in federal district courts. For example, he obtained a consent decree that restructured a jail’s censorship policies, helped to try a case that abolished the segregation of prisoners with HIV throughout the State of Alabama, and litigated many federal cases on behalf of innocent people who were wrongfully convicted. David has had the privilege of exposing law students to the power of litigation to achieve justice. Students that have worked under his supervision have argued and won cases in federal courts across the United States. 

David has published law review articles on civil rights, incarceration, and policing in the Harvard Law Review, the Notre Dame Law Review, and the George Washington Law Review, among many others, in addition to co-authoring a textbook on prisoners’ rights and training federal court staff on civil rights litigation through the Federal Judicial Center. 

David graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 2001, was a Fulbright Scholar from 2001-02, graduated from Yale Law School in 2005, and clerked for Judge Edward R. Becker on the Third Circuit.

Pronouns: he/him/his

Linda Xóchitl Tortolero

President & CEO

Mujeres Latinas en Accion

Linda Xóchitl Tortolero is President and CEO of Mujeres Latinas en Accion, the nation’s longest standing Latina organization. She has dedicated much of her professional career in fundraising, building strategic relationships, and organizational and program management in the nonprofit sector. Linda is responsible for carrying out Mujeres’ strategic plan to address effectively the immediate needs facing Latinas and their families. Under Linda’s leadership, Mujeres is a fierce advocate on key issues such as gender-based violence, women’s health and economic security, immigration, and reproductive justice. Moreover, Mujeres’ annual budget size has grown to $4.5M with over 60 employees. In 2019, Mujeres opened its third office in Brighton Park with its partner Esperanza Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center, and expanded its second office in North Riverside. She is a first-generation Mexican American and is a very proud Chicagoan. Linda serves on the Action Council of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Women’s Advisory Council and Gender Based Violence Implementation Taskforce of the Mayor’s Office for the City of Chicago. Linda has a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Political Science and History of Modern Latin America and a Juris Doctor from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. In 2019, Chicago Community Trust presented Linda with its inaugural Fellowship Award for the Leadership Greater Chicago Signature Fellows program. She was awarded the 2020 Public Service Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers. Linda serves on the Board of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.Linda is delighted to serve as President and CEO of Mujeres Latinas en Accion, the nation’s longest standing Latina organization. She has dedicated much of her professional career in fundraising, building strategic relationships, and organizational and program management in the nonprofit sector. Linda is responsible for carrying out Mujeres’ strategic plan to address effectively the immediate needs facing Latinas and their families. Under Linda’s leadership, Mujeres is a fierce advocate on key issues such as gender-based violence, women’s health and economic security, immigration, and reproductive justice. Moreover, Mujeres’ annual budget size has grown to $4.5M with over 60 employees. In 2019, Mujeres opened its third office in Brighton Park with its partner Esperanza Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center, and expanded its second office in North Riverside. She is a first-generation Mexican American and is a very proud Chicagoan. Linda serves on the Action Council of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Women’s Advisory Council and Gender Based Violence Implementation Taskforce of the Mayor’s Office for the City of Chicago. Linda has a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Political Science and History of Modern Latin America and a Juris Doctor from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. In 2019, Chicago Community Trust presented Linda with its inaugural Fellowship Award for the Leadership Greater Chicago Signature Fellows program. She was awarded the 2020 Public Service Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers. Linda serves on the Board of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.Linda is delighted to serve as President and CEO of Mujeres Latinas en Accion, the nation’s longest standing Latina organization. She has dedicated much of her professional career in fundraising, building strategic relationships, and organizational and program management in the nonprofit sector. Linda is responsible for carrying out Mujeres’ strategic plan to address effectively the immediate needs facing Latinas and their families. Under Linda’s leadership, Mujeres is a fierce advocate on key issues such as gender-based violence, women’s health and economic security, immigration, and reproductive justice. Moreover, Mujeres’ annual budget size has grown to $4.5M with over 60 employees. In 2019, Mujeres opened its third office in Brighton Park with its partner Esperanza Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center, and expanded its second office in North Riverside. She is a first-generation Mexican American and is a very proud Chicagoan. Linda serves on the Action Council of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Women’s Advisory Council and Gender Based Violence Implementation Taskforce of the Mayor’s Office for the City of Chicago. Linda has a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Political Science and History of Modern Latin America and a Juris Doctor from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. In 2019, Chicago Community Trust presented Linda with its inaugural Fellowship Award for the Leadership Greater Chicago Signature Fellows program. She was awarded the 2020 Public Service Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers. Linda serves on the Board of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice..

Nnaemeka  Ekwelum 

Independent Researcher,  Artist, & Curator

Nnaemeka Ekwelum is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Black Studies at Northwestern University, where he is completing a dissertation on the theory and practice of "collaborative friendship"--a pedagogical strategy that he has been developing as a pathway toward building a meaningful life. In addition to his scholarly practice as an arts-based researcher, educator, and cultural worker, Nnaemeka is also a multidisciplinary fiber/weaving artist who creates art objects and large-scale installations that grapple with themes of grief and love. Prior to pursuing his doctorate at Northwestern, Nnaemeka held a professional career as an educator/classroom teacher in his home state of Massachusetts, formally and informally working with youth and adult learners across a range of cultural contexts in the Boston/Greater Boston Area. His intellectual values and philosophies are a reflection of his training in Comparative Ethnic Studies (Columbia University, B.A.) and Arts in Education (Harvard University, Ed.M.), drawing on Black diasporic theories, cultural practices, and political discourses to interrogate ideas of power, privilege, and personhood through art and art making. Most importantly, however, across his various commitments and responsibilities, the essence of Nnaemeka's life's work is to serve as a conduit for emotional capacity building and human connection.

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Noor Jones-Bey, PhD

Director of National Resource Center

Mujeres Latinas en Accion

Noor Jones-Bey is a transdisciplinary educator, researcher and artist from the Bay Area, CA with over fifteen of experience working within the field of education. As a scholar and practitioner deeply interested in the liminal spaces between theory and practice, Noor has extensive experience designing humanizing programming and curriculum that is responsive and relevant to global and local communities. Noor currently serves as an equity and design consultant, providing technical assistance to a variety of professionals, organizations, and universities nationwide. Noor earned her Ph.D. in Urban Education and her M.A. in Sociology of Education from New York University and her B.A. in American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Noor’s interests range across disciplines from sociology, education, Black and Native studies, and visual culture to examine issues of liminality, identity, space and power as they relate to education. Her dissertation work examines intergenerational knowledge of Black womxn and girls navigating in and out of schools. In her spare time, she loves to cook, dance, run marathons, travel, and stir up good vibes

Valerie F. Leonard

Founder

Nonprofit Utopia, LLC

 Valerie Leonard is the founder of Nonprofit Utopia, LLC, where she facilitates an online community and provides leadership coaching and consulting services. She is also a member of the John Maxwell Leadership Certified Team, the world’s largest leadership training and development company, providing leadership coaching, speaking and DISC assessment. Valerie is the host and producer of the Nonprofit Utopia Podcast, and Nonprofit Utopia Livestream, inviting nonprofit thought leaders to share lessons learned and the latest developments in the nonprofit sector.

Valerie has been working with nonprofit organizations for over 20 years, in some form or fashion.

In one life, she was a financial analyst, helping the CFO of Mount Sinai Health System arrange nearly $120 million in bond financings to cover major building expansion projects. In another life she was the founding executive director of a neighborhood grantmaking organization, using small grants to help residents develop the leadership skills they needed to take control of their economic environment. Valerie leveraged those experiences and lessons learned to launch her own consulting practice, where she helps nonprofit leaders to improve their own leadership skills while guiding their organizations to sustainability. To date, she has assisted about 1,000 nonprofit leaders raise over $100 million through proposal writing and technical assistance. She has also helped nonprofit founders obtain tax-exempt status within 3 months through Nonprofit Utopia’s Nonprofit Founder’s 90-Day Challenge. Valerie has helped nonprofit leaders increase their nonprofit management and leadership skills up to 3X through the Capacity Building BlocksTM Intensive and the R3 Capacity Building And Beyond Program.

Valerie also teaches courses in nonprofit management and social enterprise at local universities, giving students the tools they need to immediately apply their learning to their own situations. Valerie has been an engaged citizen, working on several social justice issues surrounding education and school improvement; equitable community development and the importance of the Census and how it impacts our everyday lives.

Valerie played an integral role in the development of North Lawndale’s most recent community planning process. She is the co-founder of what has become the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council, where she recruited and oriented members of the Steering Committee and developed much of the infrastructure for the planning process. She wrote the proposal for the group to receive local technical assistance from CMAP, as well as the proposal to receive Quality of Life Plan funds from LISC. Her innovative program models for community development have been adopted by LISC and replicated in other communities around the City of Chicago.

Valerie graduated from Spelman College with a degree in economics. She also has a Master of Management degree in finance and marketing from Northwestern University.

José Marco-Paredes

Vice President of Civic Engagement 

Latino Policy Forum

José Marco-Paredes is the Vice President of Civic Engagement. He oversees the Forum’s advocacy and policy work in Housing and Immigration, as well as the Multicultural Leadership Academy, a leadership program that brings together African American and Latino leaders.  José is responsible for maintaining, building, and strengthening strategic relationships with key stakeholders, such as city and state policy makers, coalitions, civic leaders, and funders. He convenes the Illinois Latino Agenda, the largest coalition of Latino leaders in Illinois and the Forum’s Acuerdo network, a coalition of up to 100 community-based organizations throughout the state. He is also responsible for the Welcome to Illinois coalition, a group of civic leaders that work to share information, better coordinate, and propose policy solutions to the new influx of asylum seekers.

As part of the Senior Leadership Team, José helps set and oversee the implementation of the organization’s vision, strategy, goals, and overall policy agenda. He is also responsible for maintaining and strengthening the culture and work ethics of the organization.

José received his Master’s in Corporate Communications from IE Business School and his bachelor’s in journalism from CEU University in Valencia, Spain where he served as a political radio reporter for a decade.

Rhea Yap

Co-Interim Executive Director & 

Director of Strategic Initiatives

Chinese Mutual Aid Association

Rhea Yap joined CMAA in 2021 as the Director of Strategic Initiatives after serving on the board of directors for three years. Prior to joining CMAA, Rhea served as the Senior Philanthropic Advisor at the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation and as Director of Development at Erie Neighborhood House. She is a member of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), the Breakin’ It Down Conference steering committee, Asian Giving Circle, OPRF NextGen Leaders in Philanthropy giving group, Chicago Council on Planned Giving, Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, Gingarte Capoeira Chicago and TEDxOakParkWomen. Rhea earned her B.A. at the University of Michigan and M.A. at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice (formerly known as School for Social Service Administration).

Rhea is a second generation Chinese-Filipina immigrant born and raised in the Detroit-area  before coming to Chicago. She lives in the northwest side with her other half and two children, who represent a mix of Chinese, Filipino, Puerto Rican and Mexican descent.

Sayeed Sanchez

Advocacy Manager

Mujeres Latinas en Accion

Sayeed Sanchez is the first full-time bilingual Advocacy Manager for Mujeres Latinas en Acción and organizes Mujeres’ advocacy initiative at the local, state, and national level. This includes advocating on the behalf of Mujeres’ community members, staff, and program services, specifically around the issues of immigrant justice, economic justice, women’s health, and confronting gender-based violence. His professional accomplishments at Mujeres include leading the writing of ¡Actívate! as well as accomplishing the 40-hour training for the Culturally Specific Training for Advocates for Survivors of Sexual Assault.