Speakers

Murad is a strategist, organizer, and advocacy expert currently serving as the President and CEO at the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC). The son of Palestinian immigrants, Murad has dedicated over two decades of his life fighting for low-income communities of color across the State of New York. He grew up organizing to stop dangerous and hazardous developments in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and engaging community residents to build power and bring transformational change to their neighborhoods. As the NYIC's Executive Vice President of Advocacy & Strategy he successfully led electoral, legislative, and policy campaigns at the federal, state and local levels, and mobilized hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers at demonstrations against anti-immigrant policies. As the Executive Vice President of NYIC Action, the NYIC’s sister 501(c)4 political advocacy and action organization, he has successfully led grassroots electoral campaigns to elect progressive candidates. Murad has been featured in VICE and the Huffington Post, and was honored with a U.S Congressional Recognition, and Public Service Awards from the NYS Senate and Assembly. He serves as a Trustee of the New York University Family Health Centers Board, as a member of the Justice 2020 Committee, and as Commissioner of the New York City Civic Engagement Commission.

Berg is focused on raising awareness about voting rights, threats to the rule of law, and the need to advance human rights norms to protect vulnerable communities.

As former Counsel to a state lawmaker, Berg helped develop legislation across a wide array of policy areas. In his time as Executive Director of the New York Democratic Lawyers Council (NYDLC), Berg served as statewide Voter Protection Director from 2016-2018, training hundreds of attorneys and others to help identify and prevent voter suppression. He has participated or helped lead election monitoring programs in several states since 2012.

Berg's training in international human rights norms informs his advocacy for modern due process and improved access to civil rights. Berg closely follows developments in U.S. foreign policy and international law. Prior to returning to his New York roots, Berg assisted the Chambers of the International Criminal Court with the Situations in Darfur, Kenya, and Congo.

Jarret Berg holds an LL.M. from the University of Cambridge, a J.D. with high honors from New England Law | Boston, and a B.A. in Political Science from Boston University.

Brigid Bergin is a senior reporter on the WNYC and Gothamist People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. She’s covered elections for more than a decade, digging into the city’s campaign finance system and the candidates who use it. In 2016, she broke the news of a massive voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary triggering city, state and federal investigations. Her work has been recognized with awards from the New York Press Club and the New York State AP Broadcasters Association. In addition to reporting, Brigid is a regular guest host of WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show and All of It. 

Wennie Chin is the Senior Director of Community and Civic Engagement at the NYIC. She leads the organization's work in civic participation, electoral reform, and good government practices. Additionally, Wennie oversees NYIC's community education and empowerment programs.

Prior to joining the New York Immigration Coalition, Wennie was a Community Organizer at the MinKwon Center for Community Action working with Asian American youths and supported the launch of APA VOICE. Wennie previously managed two State Senate races in Queens and was formerly on the board for OCA-NY Advocates, chairing their Civil Rights Committee.

Wennie received her B.A. cum laude with high honors in Politics and Asian American Studies from NYU.

Anthony W. Crowell is marking his 13th year as New York Law School’s 16th Dean and President, and a Professor of Law. He also serves as the Faculty Director of the NYLS Center for New York City and State Law. His teaching and other academic work centers on state and local government law, civics education and engagement, and leadership. He began teaching at NYLS in 2003.

As a first-generation college student and a longtime New York City public servant, Dean Crowell proudly reintroduced NYLS as New York’s law school. His management philosophy is rooted in his experience as a senior executive in New York City government for more than a decade, where he served as Counselor to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Under the Dean’s leadership, NYLS has repositioned itself as a law school for the 21st century lawyer and a leader in New York City and State government. NYLS issued its first comprehensive Strategic Plan under the Dean's leadership, and adopted a dynamic and successful new curriculum—known as Think BIG. The School’s current Strategic Plan reflects the new demands and opportunities confronting law schools and the profession.

Dean Crowell has also led the creation of new academic centers, institutes, and leadership programs that capitalize on New York City’s fastest-growing job sectors, including those focused on financial services, technology and intellectual property, government and public interest, and in-house counsel and the business of law. Under Dean Crowell, NYLS became one of the first law schools to combine its academic planning and career development functions into a seamless unit, maximizing the student advising experience and driving the strongest job placement outcomes in the School's history.

Consistent with Dean Crowell's belief in the importance of place-based learning, NYLS has dramatically expanded clinical and experiential learning programs. Under his leadership, NYLS has established a sophisticated, high-tech training center that is home to 20-plus clinics and experiential learning programs in the heart of Lower Manhattan. The School recently introduced a semester-long Washington, D.C. Honors Externship Program and New York City Gotham Honors Program.

Having earned his J.D. as an evening student and while working full-time in Washington, D.C., Dean Crowell is deeply committed to the NYLS Evening Division and instituted its new NYLS Pro program which meets the needs of, and embraces the modern post-pandemic realities confronted by, today’s ambitious working professionals.

For its efforts, NYLS has received top recognition in government and public policy, clinical and experiential learning, and a host of legal specialty areas, including criminal law, immigration law, family law, and corporate law. Dean Crowell has been honored as Faculty Member of the Year by the NYLS Black Law Students Association.

Dean Crowell is a leader in advancing American legal education. He is a member of the Executive Committees of the Association of American Law Schools as well as the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York. He also is the Founding President of the National Association of Standalone Graduate Schools.

He is consistently named each year to the “Law Power 100” and “50 most influential people in academia” statewide lists by City & State New York. And, Crain’s New York Business named him to its lists of “People to Watch in Higher Education” and “Notable LGBTQ Leaders and Executives.”

In his prior role as Counselor to the Mayor, Dean Crowell was counsel to the Mayor, a senior management and policy advisor, as well as general counsel to the Office of the Mayor. For more than a decade in City Hall, he successfully managed a broad portfolio of legal, regulatory, legislative, governance, economic development, administrative, and operational matters focused on enhancing New York City’s performance, competitiveness, accountability, and public integrity. He also worked on numerous civil rights and government-access initiatives affecting women, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities. Dean Crowell served as Executive Director, Counsel, or Commissioner of six city Charter Revision Commissions.

He was previously an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the New York City Law Department’s Tax & Condemnation and Legal Counsel Divisions, working on an array of real property tax, eminent domain, and land use and zoning issues. In 2001, he was counsel to the city’s Family Assistance Center, aiding families of 9/11 victims and directing the city's World Trade Center Death Certificate Program. Dean Crowell began his career at the International City/County Management Association in Washington, D.C., where he managed government affairs and policy. He also served as a Law Clerk at the State and Local Legal Center assisting in the preparation of amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court in constitutional federalism cases.

Dean Crowell is a highly visible leader in the New York City and State legal and civic communities. He is a Commissioner on the New York City Planning Commission. He is Chair of the New York State Independent Review Committee for Nominations to the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Public Library for the past 23 years (and was Chair for five years). He is a member of Board of Directors of the Citizens Union Foundation, and a member of the New York City Bar Association’s New York City Affairs Committee. He previously served as a member of the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board for nine years, as well as on the Boards of Directors of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and the Congressional Award Foundation in Washington, D.C.

As a Senior Advisor with the Institute for Responsive Government, Rosalie provides state motor vehicle agencies with implementation expertise, guidance, and support on automatic voter registration (AVR), Mobile ID programs, and reentry IDs for individuals returning from incarceration. Rosalie previously worked for the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles, where she most recently served as their Senior Deputy Director. In this role, she led the implementation of Colorado’s best-in-class AVR system, its Mobile ID program, and partnerships with the Department of Corrections to issue IDs to returning individuals. Prior to her role with the Colorado DMV, she worked as Operations Manager at Amazon, focused on performance management and process improvement initiatives to meet productivity requirements and customer expectations, and as Community Manager for Walgreens, where she was responsible for staff development, inter-office coordination, and customer service management. Rosalie is a governmental and public sector organizational leader with 20 years of senior management experience, leading a wide variety of cross-functional organizations with diverse staffs, primarily focused on multi-unit operations, strategic planning and execution, representing government departments before legislative committees, problem solving, stakeholder engagement, and team management. Rosalie received a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix.

Clyanna Lightbourn is an organizer, educator, and advocate with over 15 years of experience advancing racial, social, and economic justice. She currently serves as Campaign Director for the League of Women Voters of NYS, where she leads the Democracy During Detention campaign to secure voting rights for eligible New Yorkers held in local jails.

A daughter of immigrants and native of Miami, Clyanna has worked in the New York State Senate, led statewide grassroots and digital organizing efforts, and contributed to significant legislative victories. She’s also a certified doula, committed to supporting safe, affirming birth experiences for Black and marginalized communities.

Clyanna holds a B.S. in Psychology from Union College and will be graduating the day after this event with a Master’s in Forensic Mental Health from Russell Sage College—a field that examines the intersection of psychology, criminal justice, and public health to better understand and address the needs of justice-involved individuals.

Prof. Mollenkopf teaches Political Science and Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center, directs its Center for Urban Research, and chairs the public policy subfield in political science. He has also been a consortial faculty member with CUNY’s new School of Labor and Urban Studies. His teaching and research use New York City as a laboratory for understanding urban politics and public policy in comparison with similar large cities in the U.S. and Europe. He focuses on urban political mobilization, immigrant political incorporation, and the formation of governing coalitions. This work seeks to understand how different coalitions yield distinctive policy responses to core problems and how they affect diverse groups and interests, particularly new immigrant groups.

He has authored or edited eighteen books on these subjects. His most recent study of the politics of immigration is Unsettled Americans: Metropolitan Context and Civic Leadership for Immigrant Integration (Cornell University Press, 2016), co-edited with Manuel Pastor. Related work includes Bringing Outsiders In: Transatlantic Perspectives on Immigrant Political Incorporation (Cornell University Press, 2009), co-edited with Jennifer Hochschild. His 2010 book with Philip Kasinitz, Mary Waters, and Jennifer Holdaway, Inheriting the City: The Children of Immigrants Come of Age(paperback by Russell Sage Foundation, 2010), won the Distinguished Book Award of the American Sociological Association, the Thomas and Znaniecki Award of the ASA Immigration Section, and the Mirra Komarovsky Award of the Eastern Sociological Society. This research project for that book also yielded Becoming New Yorkers: Ethnographies of the New Second Generation (Russell Sage Foundation, 2004), co-edited with Philip Kasinitz and Mary Waters. Finally, The Changing Face of World Cities (Russell Sage Foundation, 2012), co-edited with Maurice Crul, compares immigrant second generation trajectories in West Europe and the U.S.

Prof. Mollenkopf teaches Political Science and Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center, directs its Center for Urban Research, and chairs the public policy subfield in political science. He has also been a consortial faculty member with CUNY’s new School of Labor and Urban Studies. His teaching and research use New York City as a laboratory for understanding urban politics and public policy in comparison with similar large cities in the U.S. and Europe. He focuses on urban political mobilization, immigrant political incorporation, and the formation of governing coalitions. This work seeks to understand how different coalitions yield distinctive policy responses to core problems and how they affect diverse groups and interests, particularly new immigrant groups.

He has authored or edited eighteen books on these subjects. His most recent study of the politics of immigration is Unsettled Americans: Metropolitan Context and Civic Leadership for Immigrant Integration (Cornell University Press, 2016), co-edited with Manuel Pastor. Related work includes Bringing Outsiders In: Transatlantic Perspectives on Immigrant Political Incorporation (Cornell University Press, 2009), co-edited with Jennifer Hochschild. His 2010 book with Philip Kasinitz, Mary Waters, and Jennifer Holdaway, Inheriting the City: The Children of Immigrants Come of Age(paperback by Russell Sage Foundation, 2010), won the Distinguished Book Award of the American Sociological Association, the Thomas and Znaniecki Award of the ASA Immigration Section, and the Mirra Komarovsky Award of the Eastern Sociological Society. This research project for that book also yielded Becoming New Yorkers: Ethnographies of the New Second Generation (Russell Sage Foundation, 2004), co-edited with Philip Kasinitz and Mary Waters. Finally, The Changing Face of World Cities (Russell Sage Foundation, 2012), co-edited with Maurice Crul, compares immigrant second generation trajectories in West Europe and the U.S.

Ralph R. Ortega has led City & State as Editor-in-Chief since October of 2020. He got his start in journalism as a clerk working at the New York Times, assisting what would become a Pulitzer Prize-winning team for their coverage of the 1993 World Trade Center attacks. As a reporter, Ralph worked for about 8 years at the New York Daily News, among other news organizations in the New York metropolitan area. At the News, he reported on the biggest stories of the day and delivered exclusives on crime, politics, sports, and entertainment. He has covered presidents, members of Congress, governors and mayors, and has witnessed as a journalist some of the most significant events of the past century, including the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He has traveled extensively on assignment, covering stories across the U.S. and abroad, including in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. He is also the father of four grown children, a pianist, bicyclist and film buff.

John Park (he/him) is the Executive Director at the MinKwon Center for Community Action. He oversees MinKwon’s all program areas including Advocacy & Organizing, Civic Participation, Social Services, Development and Operations. Prior to joining the MinKwon Center, John served as the Executive Director of the Korean American Youth Foundation and the Director of Operations and Development at the YWCA of Queens. John received both his B.A. and M.A. in English at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Karines Reyes has been a Bronxite for nearly 20 years. Born in the neighborhood of Los Minas, Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, she identifies as an Afro-Latina. She is a registered nurse in the Oncology Department at Montefiore Einstein Hospital. Karines has two young sons and has been balancing the tasks of being a nurse, union representative, activist and volunteer without neglecting the duties of her most important job – being a mother.

Her family left the Dominican Republic and moved to her father’s homeland of Carolina, Puerto Rico, in her early childhood. She immigrated to the United States with her mother when she was 6 years old. Moving to Corona, Queens, to live with her maternal grandfather, she experienced the culture shock of a place that was different and unknown. The challenge of learning English made her apprehensive, but Karines dove right in and excelled in all areas of her education.

Her love for the arts and music continued to develop as she moved throughout the public school system. At Louis Armstrong Middle school in Queens, she played the clarinet in the concert band and was senior band leader. During her years at the High School of Art and Design, Karines focused on visual arts – creating an array of inspiring works of art. She majored in advertising and served as the account executive for the student-run advertising agency. After graduating with honors, Karines attended CUNY Baruch College and studied communications. During that time, she began working at Mount Sinai Hospital in the Health Information Management Department. Three years later, she had her first son. The financial demands of raising a family pushed Karines to work a second job. She obtained a position with Aramark at Mount Sinai Hospital and worked as a hospital employee and an outside contractor simultaneously. Soon after, she moved to the Physical Therapy Department as an admissions coordinator when her second son was born in 2010.

While on maternity leave, she decided to return to school and pursue a career in nursing. As a student nurse, Karines volunteered in Haiti after the earthquake and participated in numerous community health fairs in the Bronx. She acquired her degree in nursing by 2013 – while working full time and managing the demands of being a mother. She graduated with the third-highest nursing average in her class and passed the boards. Shortly after, she began her nursing career at Montefiore Hospital on the In-Patient Oncology Ward. Karines attained a certification in chemotherapy infusion and worked in the hospital and as an infusion nurse at the Eastchester Cancer Center. She was an active leader and served on the NYSNA Executive Committee at Einstein Hospital as vice chair of the bargaining unit. Additionally, she has participated in lobbying for safer nurse-to-patient ratios and single-payer health care in New York State. Her leadership role has led Karines to address local community boards and build relationships with many of the city’s elected officials. Karines has also traveled around the country attending conferences as a representative with NYSNA to speak about issues affecting communities nationally.

As a Latina of Puerto Rican descent, her interest in the island’s economic struggles led Karines to participate in many demonstrations both in the states and on the island of Puerto Rico, particularly in reference to health equity and human rights issues. After Hurricane Maria hit the island, she served as a volunteer nurse with the first group of medical professionals deployed by New York State. Along with a team of fellow nurses, LPNs, doctors and pharmacists, they staffed medical tents outside San Pedro Hospital in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. They provided much-needed medical services to the community.

Karines has devoted much of her career, both in labor and in nursing, to helping others. She has made it her life goal to be sure to represent those who need it most and will continue to do so as the New York State Assemblymember for the 87th District.

Gabby Seay is a Senior Advisor at Grossman Solutions and the founder of Seay Strategies, a social impact consulting practice that works with campaigns, companies and causes looking to organize their communities, win campaigns, build their lists, and deepen their relationships with supporters and stakeholders. In her role with Grossman Solutions, she consults on both campaigns and executive searches using her extensive political experience and strong network.

Gabby’s nearly 20 year career has been spent electing Democrats from mayors and county commissioners, to ultimately serving as President Barack Obama’s Ohio Political Director in 2012. Gabby went on to lead the Grassroots Team at 270 Strategies before launching Seay Strategies in 2017. Gabby is the former Political Director for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the nation’s largest local labor union where she led a 40+ person team responsible for the union’s political, legislative, and policy work along the East Coast. Gabby serves on the boards of Workers Action Center and Win Black.

Ashley Torres is the Democratic Commissioner of the Ulster County Board of Elections in New York, a position she has held since 2017. Beginning her career in election administration in 2010 as a clerical worker, she rose through the ranks to become one of the youngest elections commissioners in the state at the time of her appointment.

In 2024, Torres co-authored an op-ed detailing Ulster County's efforts to facilitate voting for individuals detained in local jails. She emphasized the importance of ensuring that all eligible voters, including those in detention, can participate in elections. Ulster County's program involved delivering absentee ballot applications and ballots directly to the jail, allowing detainees to vote without delay

Torres continues to advocate for inclusive and transparent electoral processes, ensuring that every eligible voter in Ulster County has the opportunity to participate in democracy.

 Crystal is an educator and community organizer committed to the work of social justice, with specific emphasis on the work of liberation and healing in Black and Latinx communities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Binghamton University and a Master of Arts in Social Studies Education from Hunter College. She uses her love for music and poetry to create opportunities to intersect social justice movement building with the creative arts. Crystal is a proud daughter of East New York, Brooklyn, a former NYC high school teacher, and has served as Executive Director of Faith in New York since 2019.

Latrice M. Walker has been serving people her entire adult life.

Walker is one of the most experienced and accomplished lawmakers in the New York State Assembly. She brings fortitude and a fire reminiscent of the streets of Brownsville, Brooklyn, where she was born and raised.

A graduate of the Pace University School of Law, Walker built a strong record of advocacy that eventually led her to politics. She represented people who were targeted by the NYPD’s use of the unconstitutional police tactic known as stop-and-frisk. Walker battled in court on behalf of tenants, including NYCHA residents, who were on the brink of eviction. 

Walker learned the intricacies of the legislative process while working as counsel to Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), mastering everything from organizing and programming to analyzing the effectiveness of community initiatives.

Walker is the chair of the Assembly’s Election Law Committee. And she’s a member of the Housing, Judiciary, Codes and coveted Ways and Means Committees. She is a leading voice on voting rights, having been the Assembly sponsor of the landmark John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York, which was signed into law in 2022. She is also a champion of criminal justice reform, improving maternal health outcomes, environmental justice, affordable housing, tenants’ rights, and a host of other issues that are important to New Yorkers.

While she has compiled an impressive legislative record, she is probably best known for being the engine behind the 2019 bail reform law which eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. The intent was to stem mass incarceration and to dismantle the two-tier system of cash bail where people who could afford to pay bail were able to wait for their trials at home. Those who couldn’t afford to pay – the majority of them Black or brown – were jailed pretrial.

In her beloved 55th District, she is a mentor to young people and is beloved by seniors. She is a familiar face in churches, businesses and in the courtyards of public housing developments that no doubt remind her of the Prospect Plaza Houses where she was raised.

When Assemblywoman Walker is not in Albany, she mentors young people, spends time with seniors and is a dedicated mother to her daughter, Nile Anderson. She’s an active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. She lives in Ocean Hill/Brownsville and belongs to Wayside Baptist Church.