Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director
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Lisa, the executive director of the Latin America Working Group, has spearheaded advocacy on human rights and peace issues in Latin America for two decades. She directs advocacy on Colombia, Central America, development and military aid and policy and coordinates coalition campaigns with U.S. and Latin American partners. Lisa has testified multiple times before the U.S. Congress and produced reports, memos, and blogs on human rights topics. She has participated in international human rights verification missions in Colombia, Mexico and Central America, including on extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, migrant rights, and electoral observation.
Lisa has served as executive director of the LAWG since June 2002 and as senior associate from 1993-2002. 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 Histórico 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. Email Lisa.
Mavis Anderson, Senior Associate
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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. In the past, she has also worked 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. Email Mavis.
Daniella Burgi-Palomino, Senior Associate
@DaniBurgiP
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Prior to joining LAWG as our Senior Associate for Mexico, Border and Migration Issues, Daniella worked for six years on the protection of migrant rights in the U.S.-Mexico-Central America corridor with a variety of civil society organizations and foundations. She was the first coordinator of the Central America and Mexico Alliance (CAMMINA), a Fulbright García Robles Fellow in Mexico from 2010-2011, and a Program Associate at Oxfam America. Daniella has completed research contributing to organizational advocacy strategies on issues such as transitional justice, migrant rights, gender and internal displacement. She holds a BA from Tufts University in International Relations and History with a focus in Latin American studies and a Master’s in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy where she focused on human security and migration. Daniella is originally from New York and has Swiss-German and Peruvian family. Email Daniella.
Andrea Fernández Aponte, Program Associate
@ACFernandezA
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Andrea works on our Colombia, Cuba, and Central America programs, and also serves as our Finance Associate. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she has always felt a strong, albeit complex, connection to the Latin American community. After a short but eye-opening trip to rural Guatemala at the end of her high school career, she became passionate about improving human and economic conditions in the region. She went on to obtain a BA in Political Economy from Georgetown University, focusing her studies on Latin America and its countries’ economic and political history, democratic institutions, and welfare states. In the past, Andrea has worked for the State Department and the women-led grassroots peace group, CODEPINK. She’s particularly interested in gender issues, peacebuilding and diplomatic processes, and the empowerment of marginalized communities. Email Andrea.
Lily Folkerts, Program Associate
@LilyFolkerts
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Lily works on our Mexico and Borderlands program and also serves as our Fundraising Coordinator. Born and raised in Texas, she consistently volunteered with Mexican and Central American migrants, developing a strong interest in the region, its people, and the Spanish language. She earned a BA with highest honors in International Relations & Global Studies and Latin American Studies from The University of Texas at Austin as well as a Global Business Certificate. While a student, she fortified her interest in human rights and foreign policy, interning at The World Affairs Council of Houston and The Office of Congressman Lloyd Doggett. She also served as a LAWG intern and is honored to return to LAWG full time. Email Lily.
