The Hub is comprised of a team of former congressional staff, executive branch officials and immigration policy advocates with deep roots in advocacy and communications and decades of collective experience. We are strategic and tenacious optimists fighting for social change. We believe in an inclusive society where immigrants are able to thrive and contribute fully to their communities, and where America recognizes immigrants as intrinsic to our national identity and heritage.
Emerson Collective incubated the Immigration Hub in 2017 to provide strategic support to a broad spectrum of partners to help counter escalating anti-immigrant sentiment and restrictive immigration policies. The Immigration Hub continues to serve as a national convener, in addition to driving innovative communications strategies, advancing a pro-immigrant Congressional agenda and fostering collaborative partnerships.
Kerri Talbot, J.D., is the Hub’s Executive Director. She works with non-profit organizations and Congress on policy and legislative advocacy to promote fair treatment of immigrants and refugees.
She was previously a Partner at the Veng Group where she assisted non-profit organizations and businesses including the National Immigration Law Center, Deloitte, Human Rights First, and the Women’s Refugee Commission with immigration policy advocacy. Kerri previously served as Chief Counsel for U.S. Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey for five years. She staffed the Senator on the Gang of 8 and assisted in writing the comprehensive immigration reform bill which passed the Senate in 2013. Kerri previously worked at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Rights Working Group, Break the Chain Campaign, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and Physicians for Human Rights. She graduated from Harvard Law School and Tufts University.
Beatriz Lopez is the Hub’s Deputy Director. She provides executive management support of public advocacy strategies across departments and leads the Hub's multifaceted political and communications programs.
Beatriz was a founder of CKZ, designing strategy, benchmarks and programs for several nonprofit leaders and organizations. Previously, she was the Managing Director of Communications for the Center for American Progress (CAP) Action Fund. Prior to her time at CAP, Beatriz was the Assistant Communications Director for the Service Employees International Union’s (SEIU), where she led the communications strategy for the Immigrant Justice Campaign and Latino electoral program and created and launched a new, innovative multi-platformed model for the union, called iAmerica, to galvanize battleground voters. Formerly, she led the Latino and labor outreach efforts for the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood and Public Citizen, respectively. She also served in the Peace Corps (El Salvador). Beatriz is a graduate of Pace University and proud mother to a toddler.
Lia Parada is the Hub’s Chief Advocacy Officer. She brings deep expertise working with Congress and national advocacy campaigns engaged in critical policy fights. Lia leads the Hub’s advocacy campaigns for major policy reforms.
Previously she was the Director of Government Relations at the Center for American Progress where she focused on criminal justice reform, immigration reform, women’s economic security and rights and judicial nominations. Prior to CAP, Lia was the Legislative Manager for Planned Parenthood Federation of America where she focused on access to reproductive rights for underrepresented communities. Formerly, she was the deputy campaign manager for legislation and policy for the national coalition for immigration reform, the Alliance for Citizenship. Lia was also the legislative aide to former Rep. Xavier Becerra where she oversaw bipartisan immigration reform negotiations and worked on the passage of the Dream Act in the House of Representatives in 2010. Lia is the proud daughter of Salvadoran immigrants and a graduate of George Mason University.
Carlos Guevara joins the Immigration Hub as the Director of Policy. In this role he will help lead the team’s mission of advancing fair, effective and humane federal immigration policies that reflect the America’s values and strong traditions of welcoming and integrating immigrants into its social, economic, and cultural fabric. Prior to joining the Immigration Hub, Carlos served as the Director of Immigration Policy at UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights organization, for nearly 6 years helping oversee the organization’s immigration initiatives. He has also served as a counselor in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2014 to 2017, where he worked on immigration policy issues in the Obama Administration. Carlos is proud to have started his career in the immigration law and policy as attorney representing predominantly low-income immigrants and their families through the Catholic Charites network throughout Michigan and Maryland.
Carlos is proud immigrant himself hailing from Hermosillo, Mexico, and later moved to, and grew up in, San Antonio, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and the University of Virginia where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He is the father of 2, an avid basketball fan, and is an aspiring gardener.
Daishi is the Senior Manager of Federal Advocacy for the Immigration Hub. In this role, he supports the development and implementation of the Hub’s federal advocacy strategy by working with partners, the administration, and Congress with a focus on improving and updating pathways for those with family ties to the U.S. Previously, Daishi was the Manager of Immigration Advocacy at Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) and led their family immigration and visa backlog reduction advocacy through the nationwide Value Our Families Coalition. He also served as Co-Chair for the NCAPA Immigration Committee, a national advisory council of Asian American and Pacific Islander immigrant rights organizations. Daishi was a public servant with the City and County of San Francisco and entered the immigrant rights space through the ACLU of Southern California and the Immigration Center for Women and Children in Los Angeles. Daishi received his B.A. from Harvard University in Government and is a Filipino-Japanese DACA recipient. Daishi enjoys rooting for the L.A. Dodgers, singing karaoke, and hosting hot-pot dinner parties.
Jazmin is the Director of Communications for the Immigration Hub. She is responsible for developing and implementing the Hub's communications strategy to support federal and political advocacy, including managing media relations, creating earned media opportunities, leveraging the Hub’s research and data to shape the national narrative, activating and amplifying a diversity of voices, and driving messaging to inform key stakeholders. Before joining the Hub, Jazmin was a senior manager at Weber Shandwick's corporate crisis team, where she helped advise Fortune 500 clients on social issues and crises. Prior to Weber, Jazmin served as the National Press Secretary at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), Press Secretary for Senator Tom Carper, and Communications Director for BOLD PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Barnard College of Columbia University. Jazmin was born in Peru and her first language was Spanish, but she was raised in New Jersey.
Jennifer Pierre is the Senior Digital Marketing Manager who oversees the implementation of the Hub’s digital and political strategy to reach key audiences and shift cultural and political attitudes on immigration by developing and applying data-driven messaging and research. Before joining the Hub, Jennifer was the Digital Communications Associate at PAI, where she developed and executed online advocacy campaigns efforts around key legislative policies to advance the organization’s mission to secure and protect sexual and reproductive health and rights. Prior to PAI, Jennifer was also the Digital Marketing Specialist at Surefire Local. Jennifer is also the founder of Melanites, serving to inspire children of color to dream big, stand tall, and live out their childhood, by designing and offering diverse toys, storybooks, and games that celebrate brown boyhood. Jennifer holds a Masters of Science in Entrepreneurial Management from Babson College and a Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing and Entrepreneurship with minors in Africana Studies and Sociology from the University of Miami. Jennifer was born in Haiti and is a South Florida native.
Claudia Hernandez is the Senior Communications Manager at the Immigration Hub. In this role, she works closely with the team to drive targeted communications strategies that promote the dignity and well-being of immigrants and their families. Claudia brings several years of experience in non-profit communications, spanning a diversity of issues such as reproductive justice, immigration, anti-poverty, and climate policy.
Prior to joining the Hub, Claudia served as the Communications Manager at the Center for Law and Social Policy for 2 years. In her role at the Center, Claudia worked alongside the Children Thrive Action Network to develop narrative campaigns and fact-based resources that support just policy solutions for children in immigrant families. She began her career in advocacy and political communications working on international energy policy at CLASP and the Center on Global Energy Policy. Claudia grew up in San Diego, California, and is the proud daughter and granddaughter of Mexican immigrants. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Scripps College and a Master of Arts in Sociology from Columbia University.
Monica is Hub's Chief Managing officer and leads the Hub’s strategic organizational planning efforts. As part of the executive leadership team, she helps drive the organization’s overall strategy and oversees the Hub’s leadership development programs.
In her previous role as the Hub’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, she led efforts to cultivate and strengthen partnerships in and outside of the immigrants' rights movement to leverage a broader base of support for pro-immigrant policies. Prior to joining the Hub, Monica served as a senior advisor to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid on legislative and policy developments impacting Latino and AAPI communities, including immigration policy. Monica also served as the Senior Policy Advisor for Latino Affairs to Senator Bob Menendez in the years during and following the establishment of DACA and the Senate fight to pass comprehensive immigration reform. She began her work on Capitol Hill as a postgraduate legislative fellow in the office of Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard and has worked in DC on policy advocacy benefiting immigrant communities for more than a decade. Prior to moving to Washington, D.C., Monica worked at the Women of Color Policy Network at NYU Wagner and advanced the policy institute’s legislative priorities in the areas of economic security, social equity and immigration reform. Monica is a Peace Corps alumna (Dominican Republic) and a graduate of Dartmouth College and Columbia University School of Social Work.
Khadija Gurnah is the Director of Leadership Development and Engagement. She leads the Hub's engagement of federal advocacy partners, as well as the leadership program for rising leaders in the immigrant rights movement.
Khadija brings over 10 years of policy, field, and organizing experience, including working on immigration campaigns as a Senior Campaign Director at MomsRising, electoral work as Field Director for Color of Change PAC, and as a health equity consultant for the Head Start program, among other organizations. Khadija has a Bachelors of Arts from Dalhousie University and a Masters from Yale School of Public Health. She received the Emerging Majority Award in Health Disparities from her alma mater for her work in advancing policies that improve the health and wellbeing of immigrant children and families. Her entry into immigration advocacy came through the research she conducted and published on the challenges Black immigrant communities faced in accessing reproductive healthcare.
Khadija is a proud immigrant. She was born in Kenya, raised in Papua New Guinea, and is still adjusting to New England winters, where she has lived for the last 10 years.
