Amalia spearheads the development of new program strategies and oversees implementation for programs like migration and forced displacement, health and education equity, and civic participation.

With 20 years of experience in global nonprofit social entrepreneurship, organizing, and legal advocacy, Amalia’s work to advance the rights of immigrants and refugees has led her all around the world—including to Ecuador, Egypt, Tanzania, Thailand, and all across the United States. As a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey and through work at Jesuit Refugee Services, the ACLU, Amnesty International, and other organizations, Amalia has launched several initiatives that continue to provide aid and advocacy for people on the move, all over the globe. This work has taught Amalia the strength of collective power, cross-sectional collaboration, and lifting up human voices and narratives to achieve greatest impact.

Amalia is a licensed lawyer in California. While receiving her J.D. degree at Washington College of Law, she co-founded Asylum Access, an international nonprofit fighting for the rights of refugees in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. As global programs director for four years, she launched new offices in Ecuador and Malaysia and started a consulting practice to launch new projects in the Middle East. Amalia also served on the organization’s Board of Directors for eight years.

Born in Venezuela and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Amalia currently lives in Oakland with her husband and young kids. She enjoys learning new languages and speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.