Louis Caldera is the co-founder and senior advisor to the Presidents’ Alliance. He serves as a distinguished adjunct professor of law and senior affiliate in the program of law and government at American University. His public policy and higher education administration experience includes serving as a California legislator, as president of the University of New Mexico, and as Secretary of the Army in the Clinton administration.
Email: lcaldera@wcl.american.edu
Miriam Feldblum is the co-founder and executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance. Miriam has over 25 years of experience in higher education administration, student support, and in teaching and research of immigration policy, politics and higher education. She previously served as vice president for student affairs/dean of students and professor of politics at Pomona College, as special assistant to the president at Caltech and senior director for academic support and planning, and is a non-resident fellow at the Migration Policy Institute.
Ellen E. Findley is the Administrative Manager for the Presidents’ Alliance. Before her time at the Presidents’ Alliance, Ellen worked as a law clerk for the advocacy team at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. Ellen specializes in immigration policy, legal research, writing, and social media advocacy. Ellen’s work has been published in the Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs. Ellen graduated from Lipscomb University and earned her juris doctor at Penn State Law, where she spent three semesters at the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic.
Email: ellen@presidentsalliance.org
Emily Fine is the Membership and Operations Manager for the Presidents’ Alliance. Emily has been involved in higher education for more than ten years. She has taught at multiple institutions of varying types and sizes, giving her a unique perspective on the challenges facing higher education today. Most recently, she taught English literature at the College of William & Mary and the University of Alabama. Emily earned her bachelor’s degree from William Jewell College and her Ph.D. in English literature from Brandeis University.
Email: emily@presidentsalliance.org
Christian Penichet-Paul is the Director of the Higher Ed Immigration Portal for the Presidents’ Alliance. Most recently, Christian was the Policy and Advocacy Manager at the National Immigration Forum. In that position, Christian oversaw multiple immigration-related policy issues. Christian’s expertise includes providing analysis on legislative proposals and federal immigration policies, developing strategic messaging and toolkit products, maintaining updated content and resources, and conducting legislative and administrative advocacy. Christian graduated from Texas State University and earned his master’s in American Government from Georgetown University.
Ronnie Rios is the Immigration Policy Communications Fellow for the Presidents’ Alliance. Ronnie is a doctoral student in the Center for the Study of Higher and Post-Secondary Education at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Prior to her arrival at the University of Michigan, Ronnie spent over 13 years in various capacities of Higher Education Administration supporting students of color, first generation, lower income and undocumented students (at the undergraduate, graduate, professional and doctoral levels).
Jose Magaña-Salgado is the Director of Policy and Communications for the Presidents’ Alliance. Jose formerly led the Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s Washington, D.C. office, directing its national policy advocacy in the legislative and regulatory spheres. Prior to working with the ILRC, Jose led MALDEF’s (Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund) national immigration portfolio. Jose also co-founded the DREAM Bar Association and Arizona DREAM Act coalition.
Email: jose@presidentsalliance.org
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