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Our Team

For more than 50 years, AFC’s staff of attorneys, advocates, and education specialists have successfully helped hundreds of thousands of families by providing free legal and advocacy services, including representation at school-related hearings and appeals, and teaching families what they need to know to stand up for their children’s educational rights.

Meet our team


Melkis Alvarez-Baez

Chief Operating Officer, Board Secretary (she/her/ella)

Alex Elegudin

Director, Postsecondary Readiness Project

Allison Guttu

Supervising Attorney and Senior Pro Bono Manager

Andrea Picon

Bilingual Education Advocate

Anna Brehm

Advocate & Manager of Capacity Building, Robin Hood Project (she/her)

Anne Klein

Director of Human Resources and Finance (she/her)

Beata Jarosz

Manager of Administration and Technology

Betty Baez Melo

Director, Early Childhood Education Project (she/her/ella)

Brianna Kitchelt

Staff Attorney, Impact Litigation and Direct Services (she/her)

Brittney Melvin

Early Childhood Education Advocate

Daniela Garcia-Casares

Social Work Manager and Transition Specialist

Daniela Nauffal

Staff Attorney, Robin Hood Project (she/her)

David Marx

Law Graduate, Project Thrive (he/him)

Diana Aragundi

Assistant Director, Immigrant Students' Rights Project (she/her/ella)

Diana Imbert

Staff Attorney, Early Childhood Education Project (she/her)

Edgar Trinidad

Assistant Director of Development (he/him)

Emily Kramer

Data Specialist

Erika Palmer

Supervising Attorney (she/her)

Isabella Rieke

Senior Communications Manager (she/her)

Ivette Greenblatt

Director of Development

Jacqueline Ontaneda

Helpline Project Director

Janyll Canals-Kernizan

Director, Robin Hood Project (she/her)

Jennifer Pringle

Director, Project LIT (she/her)

Julio Gonzalez

Staff Attorney, Robin Hood Project (any pronouns)

Karen Alves

Senior Education Specialist and Outreach Coordinator (she/her/ella)

Karen Herrera

Parent Center Advocate (she/her)

Karoline Quiros

Senior Education Specialist and Administrative Coordinator, Helpline

Kim Madden

Director of Family Support (she/her)

Lilliana Díaz-Pedrosa

Director, AFC Parent Center (she/her/ella)

Lisa Bernard

Staff Attorney, School Justice Project

Maggie Moroff

Senior Special Education Policy Coordinator (she/her)

Maleeha Chida

Equal Justice Works Fellow (she/her)

May DePierro

Policy Associate (she/they)

Malika Harris

Director of Equity and Impact

Marcia Flores

Education Partnerships Manager, Project LIT (she/her/ella)

Melissa Atkinson

Administrative Assistant

Michael Arrington

Staff Attorney and Education Collaborative Manager, Project Achieve (he/him)

Michelle Eaton

Senior Education Specialist, Project Achieve (she/her)

Monique Faure

Education Specialist (she/her/hers)

Naphtali Moore

Staff Attorney, School Justice Project

Noelis Ciriaco

Administrative Assistant (she/her/ella)

Pamela Mendez

Staff Attorney, Project Achieve (she/her)

Randi Levine

Policy Director (she/her)

Rebecca Shore

Director of Litigation (she/her)

Rita Rodriguez-Engberg

Director, Immigrant Students' Rights Project

Rohini Singh

Director, School Justice Project (she/her)

Romi Paek

Director, Project Thrive

Ross Baker

Education Advocate

Safa Salman

Development Associate

Sarah Part

Senior Policy Analyst (she/her)