Meet the Leaders

Our 2025–2026 class represents a rich diversity of geography, backgrounds, and practice areas. While 30 fellows hail from all corners of California, including both urban and rural communities, ten fellows join us this year from Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Washington. Fellows include many Chief Executive Officers, Executive Directors, and other executive managers, as well as senior directors of legal services, litigation, development, communications, pro bono, and various practice areas.
This year’s fellows have deep expertise across an impressive range of legal services issues, including children’s rights and child welfare, civil rights, community economic development, consumer rights, criminal justice, disability rights, domestic violence, economic justice, elder law, family law, housing, immigration, and LGBTQ and gender equity.
Executive Fellow Class of 2026

Abigail Esquivas (She/Her)
Director of Partnerships and Advocacy, Social Justice Collaborative

Amanda Bernardo (She/Her)
Deputy Director, ABA Immigration Justice Project

Amber De Buizer (She/Her)
Chief Development Officer, Law Foundation of Silicon Valley

Andres Rapoport (He/Him)
Director of Litigation, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County

Ashley Holliday (She/Her)
Executive Director, West Tennessee Legal Services

Brandon Greene (He/Him)
Director of Policy Advocacy, Western Center on Law and Poverty

Carol McBirney (She/Her)
Deputy Director, Legal Aid Society of San Diego

Chelsea Crowton (She/Her)
Supervising Attorney, Southern Nevada Senior Law Program

Chriselle Raguro (She/Her)
Director of Pro Bono and Strategic Partnerships, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area

Diana Cruz (She/Her)
Executive Director, Housing Equity & Advocacy Resource Team

Elizabeth Kristen (She/Her)
Legal Director, California Women's Law Center

Francis Antonio (He/Him)
Director of Operations and Technology, National Housing and Community Development Law Project

Gabriel Negrete (He/Him)
Deputy Director, La Raza Centro Legal

Jenna MacRae (She/Her)
Deputy Director, Elder Law & Advocacy

Joanna Davis (She/Hers)
Managing Attorney, Legal Aid Society of NENY, Inc.

Joseph Calaceto
Director of Development, Northeast New Jersey Legal Services (NNJLS)

Katie Furuyama (She/Her)
Director of Institutional Partnerships, Asian Law Caucus

Linh Nguyen (She/Her)
Legal Services Manager, Tacoma Community House

Lizbeth Silva (She/Her)
Program Manager, The Watsonville Law Center

Lydia Nicholson (They/Them)
Administrator, Los Angeles Center for Community Law and Action

Makiedah Messam (She/Her)
Executive Director, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality

Marcus Tang (He/Him)
Executive Director, California Immigration Project

Margaret DeMatteo (She/Her)
Directing Attorney, California Center for Movement Legal Services

Maria Arrine (She/Her)
Legal Director, African Advocacy Network

Michael Stone (He/Him)
Executive Director, Center for Disability & Elder Law

Michelle Uzeta (She/Her)
Interim Executive Director, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

Monica Arellano (She/Her)
Deputy Director, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

Nadia Segura Narvaez (She/Her)
Directing Attorney (Small Business Development Program), Bet Tzedek Legal Services

Paul Haidle (He/Him)
Director of Strategic Advocacy, Cabrini Green Legal Aid

Reena Arya (She/Her)
Director of Immigration Legal Services, Jewish Family Community Services of the East Bay

Richard Eisendorf (He/Him)
Director of Development, Senior Legal Services

Sarah Cottingham (She/Her)
Managing Attorney, Step Forward Foundation

Sharon Cartagena (She/Her)
Directing Attorney, Public Counsel

Shelby Emore (She/Her)
Lead Attorney, Dependency Legal Services

Soo Woo (She/Her)
Assistant Managing Attorney (Housing Unit), Northeast New Jersey Legal Services

Stacy Townsend (She/Her)
Senior Attorney (Housing Program), Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA)

Stephanie Bilinski (She/Her)
Pro Bono Director, Legal Aid Society of San Mateo

Sylvia Torres-Guillén (She/Her)
President & CEO, Disability Rights Legal Center

Vicki Bass (She/Her)
Associate Director of Strategy and Innovation, Disability Rights California

Zoe Cronin (She/Her)
Deputy Director, Greater Boston Legal Services
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