Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director

Lisa has been executive director of the Latin America Working Group since June 2002. From 1993 to 2001, she served as Senior Associate at the LAWG, where she worked on Colombia and Central America policy, development assistance and other topics. She has testified before the U.S. Congress and produced numerous reports and articles on U.S.-Latin America policy. Prior to her work at the LAWG, she was executive director of the Central America Historical Institute in Washington, DC and writer, editor and translator for the Jesuit Instituto Historico Centroamericano in Managua, Nicaragua. She has a BA from Swarthmore College, a Master’s degree in Latin American studies from New York University, and was a Fulbright scholar in Central America. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Mavis Anderson, Senior Associate

Since 1997, Mavis has covered U.S. policy toward Cuba, cultivating congressional, organizational and grassroots support for the LAWG coalition's efforts to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba. She also works on U.S. policy toward Venezuela and other issues. Prior to her work with LAWG, Mavis was the program director for International Travel Seminars at the Center for Global Education at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, where she worked since 1982. During part of her time with the Center for Global Education, Mavis lived in El Salvador from 1988-1990, where she founded and coordinated the Center's El Salvador educational programs. A mid-westerner, Mavis received her Master's degree from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she focused her studies on international development. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Jennifer Johnson, Senior Associate

Jennifer began her work on issues relating to Mexico and the U.S./Mexico border region as a program coordinator for BorderLinks, a binational nonprofit organizationbased in Tucson, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora. While there, she taught experiential educational seminars on the impact of U.S. trade, law enforcement and immigration policy on border communities. As part of her graduate studies, Jennifer conducted research and mobilized support for an occupational health program in Hermosillo, Sonora. Jennifer worked for the Virginia Justice Center for Farm and Immigrant Workers, conducting advocacy on policy issues that impact immigrant communities and low-wage immigrant workers in Virginia. Jennifer has a B.A. from Earlham College in Peace and Global Studies and a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Arizona. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 Vanessa Kritzer, Communications Director / Program Associate

Vanessa works on our Colombia, Mexico, and Guatemala campaigns, manages our grassroots outreach and communications, and oversees LAWG's finances. Vanessa has been committed to changing U.S. policy towards Latin America since she participated as an international observer in El Salvador’s 2004 elections and saw the effects of U.S. influence first hand. In 2007, Vanessa lived in the Dominican Republic, where she worked in solidarity with the women’s empowerment organization Tú, Mujer to develop a youth project that used peer-to-peer education as a way to improve everyday problems. Before coming to LAWG, she worked as a Head Organizer for the DNC field campaign during the 2008 elections. Vanessa graduated from Vassar College with a degree in Latin American and Latino/a Studies and Political Science. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Ben works on the LAWG’s Mexico and U.S.-Mexico border programs in addition to overseeing general office administration duties. Ever since an awareness trip to Guatemala in 2001, he has followed Latin American politics and U.S. – Latin American relations. Ben spent his junior year of college studying in Quito, Ecuador and later completed a year of graduate work in political science as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar in Caracas, Venezuela. Prior to joining LAWG, he served as a program assistant and editor for the Peace Studies Institute at Manchester College. Ben holds a B.A. from Manchester College in Spanish and Peace Studies with a concentration in Latin American Studies. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Emily Chow, Program Assistant

Emily works on the LAWG’s Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela programs and provides IT support for the organization. Her first experience in Latin America was in 2008 when she participated in a research and community service trip to Ecuador that focused on the indigenous rights movement and environmental protection among indigenous communities. This trip propelled Emily into the world of social justice and advocacy both in Latin America and the United States. Before joining LAWG as an intern, Emily studied abroad in Cuba in 2009. Her first-hand experience living in Cuba motivated her to work on advocating for U.S. policy change towards the island. Emily graduated from American University with a degree in International Relations, with concentrations in Peace and Conflict Resolution and Spanish and Latin American Studies.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .