Founder & CEO

Cleveland, OH

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

Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

Adriana Salcedo is Colombian-Dutch-American, born and raised in Honduras, and living in Mexico. She received masters degrees in social work and public health in order to look at and address wellness at both the individual and social level. She has over 20 years of experience working in the foster care systems, in court systems and school systems in New York City and Washington, DC. In all these areas, Adriana has combined her multicultural and bi-lingual experiences to support immigrant families. As the director of Student Wellness at a DC Charter school, she started a Latina Moms group and has been an advocate for culturally inclusive trainings and support throughout DC.  Currently, she is a child and family therapist in Mexico and enjoys spending time with her family and dancing. 

.
 

Consultant & Trainer

DC / MD / VA

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” as well as an international registrar for a large school district in Maryland. Currently, Alba works as a School and Community Liaison Specialist in that same district's Office of Equity and Innovation. 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

DC / MD / VA

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

Boston, MA

Jessica Lander is an award-winning teacher, writer and author. She teaches history and civics to recent immigrant students in a Massachusetts public high school and has won numerous awards for her teaching, including being named the 2023 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year, presented by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History; a 2023 MA Teacher of the Year Finalist, presented by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; and a Top 50 Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize in 2021, presented by the Varkey Foundation. Jessica writes frequently about education policy and teaching. She is the author of Making Americans: Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas, and Inspiration in Immigrant Education, a coauthor of Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success and the author of Driving Backwards.

Consultant & Trainer

DC / MD / VA

Karen is a bicultural and bilingual Salvadoran Latina. She has been in the field of education for 10 years both in and out of the classroom. Starting off, she worked in elementary education in a Spanish Immersion setting and soon after found her way to a high school with one of the highest ESOL student demographics in Maryland. Karen completed her Associates Degree in Psychology, her Bachelors in English and is in the process of completing her Masters in Education. Karen is driven by the love for her community and her love for teaching. She enjoys supporting students and families through their immigrant experiences. Her drive to support immigrant communities led to her desire to support other educators in their journey towards cultural awareness. Karen has transitioned into the educational consulting sector and hopes to be an advocate for change through education.

Consultant & Trainer

Zuni, VA

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

Greensboro, NC

Laura Gonzalez has 25 years of experience working in higher education, addressing college access for youth from immigrant families. In Laura's post-faculty career, she served as the coordinator of the educational program at an ORR facility for unaccompanied minors in NC. This led to her current work co-founding an educational consulting company that equips facilities serving unaccompanied minors with meaningful educational tools. Laura holds a PhD in Counselor Education, a Master’s degree in College Student Development, and a Bachelor’s degree in Women's Studies. Laura and her husband have a bilingual and bicultural family, including three children. Laura collaborates part time with Immigrant Connections, while serving as the Research and Development Director for One Journey Together, LLC.

.

Consultant & Trainer

DC / MD / VA

Maritza is an expert practitioner in equity, access, and inclusion. She has deep experience as a district leader and has supported district and school leaders on Equity efforts across several states. Maritza was previously Executive Director for Metro Nashville Public Schools and Diversity Officer for Prince George’s County Public Schools. She established departments overseeing systemic Equity & Diversity initiatives, Translation & Interpreting services, and Family Engagement.  She was also co-founder and Chair of ALAS de TN, an affiliate for the Association of Latino Administrators & Superintendents. Originally from El Salvador, Maritza was the first in her family to surpass middle school and to pursue higher education. After earning the College Park Scholar’s Public Leadership Program Citation in completing her undergraduate, she continued her education, ultimately earning her PhD in Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy. 

Consultant & Trainer

NYC / NJ

Natasha has 20 years of experience advocating for immigrant children and families. She is Director of Education Policy and InsideSchools at the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs. Previously, she directed a family engagement program at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Natasha supports newly arrived migrant families in NYC temporary housing, led Flores monitoring visits to family and children’s detention facilities, and managed pro bono engagement helping separated parents. Natasha served as Executive Director of Escuela Bolivia in Virginia, and advised state and local education agencies on compliance with federal education laws at a law firm. Natasha received her J.D. and Master's in International Politics from American University and her B.B.A. and B.A. from the University of Texas. Natasha is fluent in Spanish and licensed to practice in NY.

Consultant & Trainer

Charlottesville, VA

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.

Consultant & Trainer

DC / MD / VA

Roberto is bilingual (Spanish), born to Puerto Rican parents in 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 10 years, he has worked in schools in Maryland as a Youth Advocate, Bilingual Family and Community Outreach Facilitator, and currently as a Community School Bilingual Specialist. In his roles, he has assisted immigrant families in navigating the school system and facilitated professional development for educators on working with immigrant students and families. Roberto has an Associate’s Degree in Addictions Counseling and is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland Global Campus. 

Consultant & Trainer

Chicago, IL
Trudi has been working with refugees in Chicago for 40 years.  As a Case Manager in the early ‘80s, she resettled refugees from Southeast Asia.  In 1985, she helped establish and lead a collaborative Refugee Women’s program 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.

Office Manager

Cleveland, OH

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.

​

​

​