Founder & CEO

Laura has 20 years of experience working in education, refugee resettlement, and social work.  While in education, she worked as a district level manager for immigrant family and community engagement as well as a school social worker. Laura also worked for Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) managing their national technical assistance initiative to federal Refugee School Impact Grantees.  Laura has facilitated professional development on building the capacity of teachers and school systems to engage immigrant families in their children’s education, language access, cultural competency, equity, unaccompanied immigrant children, immigrant family reunification, and refugee resettlement.  Laura holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Education. Laura founded Immigrant Connections in 2017.
 

Consultant & Trainer

Alba is bilingual (Spanish) and bicultural and is originally from Colombia. She has 30 years of experience working in education, family and community engagement, and as a Spanish instructor. In Colombia, Alba had the opportunity to teach in all grade levels from K-12 and worked as a professor at a local university. Upon coming to the U.S., Alba worked as a “Bilingual Outreach Community and Family Facilitator” for a large school district in Maryland assisting immigrant families in navigating the school system. She also facilitated professional development for educators on how to engage and create meaningful relationships between schools and immigrant families. Currently, Alba works as the International Registrar for a school district in Maryland.  She holds a Master’s degree in Education from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Education from Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Colombia. She works part time with Immigrant Connections as a consultant and trainer.

Consultant & Trainer

Renata has taught elementary and secondary multilingual learners in Maryland and Virginia, as well as abroad in Cyprus and Costa Rica. She has developed curricula for newly arrived immigrant and refugee students dedicated to amplifying student voices, building inclusive communities, and cultivating student leadership skills. As a Fulbright Teacher for Global Classrooms, she has partnered with educators in Colombia and the U.S. to create professional development opportunities and curricula devoted to cultivating global awareness and culturally responsive teaching. In her current role as an instructional coach, she collaborates with educators to best support students who hail from 95 countries and speak more than 55 different languages. Renata is passionate about connecting schools, families, and communities. She holds degrees from Duke and Harvard. She works part time with Immigrant Connections as a consultant and trainer.

Consultant & Trainer

Natasha has spent the past 20 years advocating for immigrant children, youth, and families as a lawyer, fundraiser, and executive director. Most recently, she directed a family engagement program in the Educational Opportunities Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Natasha also led Flores Settlement Agreement monitoring visits to family and children’s detention facilities and managed pro bono engagement to support separated parents during the 2018 family separation crisis. Natasha has served as Executive Director of Escuela Bolivia (now Edu-Futuro) in Arlington, Virginia, and advised state and local education agencies on compliance with federal education laws at an education law firm. Natasha received her J.D. and Master's in International Politics with a concentration in Children and Youth Development from American University. She received her B.B.A. and B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. Natasha is fluent in Spanish and licensed to practice in New York. 

Consultant & Trainer

Karen is bilingual (Spanish) and bicultural and is originally from Mexico. She has worked for a school system in Maryland for nearly 20 years, both as a special education interpreter and as a  “Bilingual Family and Community Outreach Facilitator.” In this role she works with immigrant students and families directly as well as provides professional development workshops for educators on working with immigrant students and families. Previous to working in schools, Karen worked for 5 years as an educator for a nonprofit agency in California teaching school personnel, parents and students about child abuse prevention, sexual assault prevention, mandated reporting and parenting. Karen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with a minor in Business Administration from the University of California Riverside. She works part time with Immigrant Connections as a consultant and trainer.

​

​

Consultant & Trainer

Kelly has 27 years of experience in public education settings including consultant, ESL district program coordinator, school administrator, instructional specialist, & teacher. She is an international workshop facilitator, former WIDA Certified Facilitator, a recipient of the TESOL ELT Leadership Management Certificate, and a National Board Certified Early Childhood Generalist. She provides consulting and professional development services in all aspects of instruction, language development, program evaluation, curriculum development, & system level program planning. Kelly holds a Master's degree in Instructional Systems Development & certification in Elementary Education, Spanish, ESOL, & School Administration. She founded English Learner Portal in 2015 and is a close partner of Immigrant Connections.

​

​

Consultant & Trainer

Roberto is bilingual (English/Spanish), born to Puerto Rican parents in The Bronx, New York. He has dedicated over two decades to the immigrant community, meeting their needs through a faith-based organization, social services, and education. Within his many roles, Roberto has provided social services, financial guidance, and pastoral counseling. During the last ten years, he has worked within the schools in Maryland as a Youth Advocate, Community Resource, Interpreter, and currently, as a Bilingual Family and Community Outreach Facilitator. In this role, he assists and educates immigrant families on navigating the school system and facilitates professional development for educators on working with immigrant students and families. Roberto earned an Associate’s Degree in Addictions Counseling from Anne Arundel Community College and is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland Global Campus. He works part-time with Immigrant Connections as a consultant and trainer.  

.

Consultant & Trainer

Jaclyn Muñoz is bilingual (Spanish) and the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants. She has over 20 years’ experience in the education field. For the past 14 years she has worked for a large school system in Maryland as a “Bilingual Family and Community and Outreach Facilitator” and has served as a cultural broker for families and school staff. Ms. Muñoz helps families navigate the school system as the enter a new school setting that may be unique to what they are used to. She advocates for their needs and encourages them to step out of their comfort zone to become leaders in their communities to help others navigate the resources available to them. She created a parent leadership curriculum to empower parents to speak up about their children’s needs. She works part time with Immigrant Connections as a consultant and trainer.

​

​

​

​

.

​

Consultant & Trainer
Trudi has been working with refugees in Chicago for 40 years.  As Case Manager, in the early ‘80s, she resettled refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.  In 1985, through newly available federal funding, five Mutual Assistance Associations established a collaborative Refugee Women’s program which Trudi led for 5 years.  Expanding into the field of education, she taught ESL, while also directing the Refugee Family Literacy Program at Heartland Alliance. She interacted extensively with teachers of refugee students in elementary and high schools as well as at the local community college, helping to navigate education hurdles and facilitating improved communication with refugee families.  Later she worked as Youth Education Coordinator at Refugee One, Program Coordinator at Il State University’s Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline, and Education Director at Syrian Community Network.  Currently she serves as Volunteer Coordinator at Heartland Alliance’s Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture.  She’s happy to continue her focus on Education as part-time Consultant at Immigrant Connections.

 Office Manager

Goobs is bilingual (“dog speak”) and bicultural and is originally from South Carolina where she was rescued and brought to Washington, DC. She was crucial in the founding of Immigrant Connections and was an especially important teammate during the pandemic. Goobs is an excellent office manager and regularly shares her opinion when her boss is recording asynchronous trainings. She has won "Employee of the Month" twice. Her interests are eating, sleeping, and howling during trainings on Zoom.