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

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

Matthew Lenaghan

Deputy Director (he/him)

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

Senior Staff Attorney, Robin Hood Project (she/her)

Diana Aragundi

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

Diana Imbert

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

Emily Rosenbach

Senior Manager, Grants and Contracts

Erika Palmer

Supervising Attorney (she/her)

Hilda Melendez

Data and Salesforce Manager

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)

Kaela Dockray

Administrative Assistant, PReP

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)

Kyra Sampson

Staff Attorney, Charter Schools

Leah Kramer

Communications Associate (she/her)

Lilliana Díaz-Pedrosa

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

Lisa Bernard

Staff Attorney, School Justice Project

Maleeha Chida

Equal Justice Works Fellow (she/her)

May DePierro

Policy Associate (she/they)

Marcia Flores

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

Melissa Atkinson

Senior Administrative Assistant

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)

Richa Raghute

Staff Attorney, Immigrants Students’ Rights Project

Rita Rodriguez-Engberg

Director, Immigrant Students' Rights Project

Rohini Singh

Director, School Justice Project (she/her)

Romi Paek

Director, Project Thrive

Ross Baker

Suspension Advocacy and Community Events Manager

Safa Salman

Development Associate

Sarah Part

Senior Policy Analyst (she/her)

Wayra Lopez

Legal Assistant