Legislative Fellows Class IV Bios

Legislative Fellows Program Biographies Class IV Rafael Arciga Garcia, Fayetteville, Arkansas   

Home Organization: University of Arkansas Host Organization: Juntos Por la Educación Host City: Asunción, Paraguay



Mr. Arciga is a former undocumented student originally from Michoacán, Mexico who came to the U.S. when he was 14 years old. He works in a split position as community liaison for the Office of Diversity and as an admissions counselor for the Office of Admissions at the University of Arkansas. Mr. Arciga’s responsibilities cover recruitment, retention and outreach for students and prospect students, especially the Latino population. Mr. Arciga also serves as the State Director for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Director of Membership Services for Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity Inc. and is also a member of the Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas (HWOA) board of directors. Mr. Arciga graduated with a B.A. in International Relations and Latin American Studies in 2010 from the University of Arkansas. Mr. Arciga is an active member in his community and a strong advocate for higher education and issues related to the DREAM Act.

Derek Carmona, Sioux City, Iowa  

Home Organization: City of Sioux City Host Organization: Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONAP)  Host City: Guatemala City, Guatemala Mr. Carmona has career focused on sustainability with an emphasis on agriculture and environmental quality. For the past two years he has been an Environmental Services Analyst for the City of Sioux City. His current responsibilities focus on maintaining and updating the stormwater program as permitted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Agency, overseeing the solid waste

contracts with contracted waste hauler, environmental inspection and enforcement, Director of the City's Environmental Advisory Board, and Blue Zones Community Coordinator. As a volunteer, he organizes residents for local clean up days and serves on the board of the Sioux City Growth Organization. Mr. Carmona has also led the grassroots efforts for Sioux City to become a Blue Zones Demonstration Site, a wellness initiative funded through public and private partnerships.

Alicia Davis, Denver, Colorado   

Home Organization: National Center for State Courts Host Organization: TBD Host City: TBD



Ms. Davis is a Principal Court Management Consultant with the National Center for State Courts, a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization. Ms. Davis has experience in all aspects of justice sector planning and performance improvement, including work with judicial and corrections institutions, public defender and social welfare services for traditionally marginalized groups, including women, juveniles and the poor. An expert in high-performance court frameworks, Ms. Davis has conducted operational assessments, facilitated participatory evaluations, and designed standard operating procedures for numerous judicial sector institutions. Ms. Davis received her J.D. from the S.J. Quinney School of Law at the University of Utah in 1999 and is a trained project management professional and certified mediator. She is fluent in Spanish and English.

Vladimir Diaz, Miami, Florida  

Home Organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture Host Organization: Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture  Host City: Brasilia, Brazil 

Mr. Diaz serves as Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Hispanic-Serving Institutions National Program. He assists students, faculty, and administrators from 80 universities in Florida and Puerto Rico in accessing USDA educational, employment, and institutional development programs. Mr. Diaz earned a master's degree in marketing

from the Johns Hopkins University and was a fellow at Stanford University.

Gregory Egan, St. Paul, Minnesota   

Home Organization: Minnesota Board of Public Defense Host Organization: Management Systems International Host City: Baja California, Mexico

Mr. Egan has worked for the Office of the Public Defender in Ramsey County Minnesota since 2006, safeguarding the rights of the poor accused of crimes ranging from misdemeanor traffic offenses to homicide. He is also an adjunct faculty member of Hamline University School of Law, where he teaches a course he designed in Minnesota Criminal Procedure and Practice, lectures to attorneys practicing in the field in fulfillment of their continuing legal education requirements, and tutors law school students and Bar Exam applicants.

While in private practice in Wisconsin, Mr. Egan acted as Onalaska Municipal Court Prosecutor and worked on complex civil tort litigation and corporate law. He looks forward to a fellowship where he will observe a variety of practitioners and academics working in the field of criminal law in Bogota, Colombia before going Mexico as a faculty member with Management Systems International’s “Programa de Apoyo en Seguridad y Justicia.” He will train Mexican Public Defenders in case analysis and advocacy as Mexico continues its transition from the inquisitorial system of criminal law to an accusatorial system more closely mirroring the adversarial system in the United States.

Paula Fynboh, Minneapolis, Minnesota  

Home Organization: Independent Contractor/Consultant Host Organization: Centro de Información y Recursos para el Desarrollo  Host City: Asunción, Paraguay 

Ms. Fynboh works as a consultant in the areas of capacity building, strategy development, grassroots campaigns, training and storytelling. Whether she is working with a corporate client in the United States who is trying to engage their employees around corporate responsibility or with women displaced by the conflict in Colombia, Ms. Fynboh strives to "put a human face" on the issue and bring people together by

uniting their story. Ms. Fynboh has 15 years of experience in developing and incorporating creative strategies to advance civil society, public policy and civic engagement campaigns.

Jeff Glenn, Atlanta, Georgia 

Home Organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  Host Organization: Ministry of Health  Host City: Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Mr. Glenn is a Global Health Policy Analyst at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia where he is responsible for the global health program in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. Since joining to CDC as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2010, Mr. Glenn has been involved in planning, implementing, and evaluating cancer and other noncommunicable disease projects around the world. Mr. Glenn’s previous experience includes policy work at the federal, state, and local levels of government as well as working as Country Director in Guatemala for a US-based NGO. Mr. Glenn holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in International Relations from Brigham Young University.

Amilcar Guzman, Washington, D.C.   

Home Organization: Data Quality Campaign Host Organization: Juntos Por La Educación Host City: Asunción, Paraguay



Mr. Guzman is an Associate at the Data Quality Campaign (DQC). In this position, he works to support the effective development and use of statewide longitudinal data systems to promote student achievement. Prior to joining DQC, Mr. Guzman served as a Research and Policy Associate at the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships where he worked to improve data collection efforts and funding for federal college access programs. He has also held positions in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. In the local community, Mr. Guzman serves as an Adjunct Professor, elementary school tutor and a member of the Lycoming College Alumni

Association's Executive Board. He also serves as the VicePresident for the CHCI-Alumni Association. He holds an M.A. in Educational Policy and Leadership (Higher Education) from the University of Maryland, College Park and a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology from Lycoming College.

Lisa Hallberg, St. Paul, Minnesota 

Home Organization: Office of the Public Defender, State of Minnesota  Host Organization: Santiago Public Defender’s Office  Host City: Santiago, Domican Republic Ms. Hallberg serves as Assistant Public Defender representing felony clients. Recently, Ms. Hallberg was involved in implementing the Evidence-Based Decision Making Initiative focusing on how best to handle misdemeanor cases in Ramsey County with the goal to improve defendants’ success. Ms. Hallberg received her Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law during which she studied abroad at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland in Galway. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Criminal Justice from the University of North Dakota.

Russell Hicks, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania   

Home Organization: Ebony Suns Enterprises, LLC Host Organization: Ministry of Tourism Host City: Salvador da Bahia, Brazil



Mr. Hicks is a passionate business leader and committed educator with a global outlook for sustainable impact. As owner and principal consultant of Ebony Suns Enterprises, LLC, he currently provides youth programming for nonprofits, schools, and churches regarding social entrepreneurship. He also has expertise in delivering fullservice consulting packages for small businesses in the areas of sustainability, bookkeeping and finance, human resources, social media, market research and outreach via focus groups, industry-specific events, and strategic business planning for sustainable growth. Mr. Hicks is also founder and head designer of Ebony Suns Fashions. Ebony Suns Fashions is a sustainable apparel company that provides organic designer lines to retailers and wholesalers online. Mr. Hicks graduated from Howard University in Washington D.C. with a B.B.A. in

Business Administration.

Vonzelle Johnson, DeLand, Florida   

Home Organization: City Commissioner Host Organization: TBD Host City: TBD



Recently recognized by the Florida League of Women Voter's as The Future of Florida: A Young Elected Official to Watch, and the Volusia/Flagler County Business Report's Young Business Leader of the Year, Mr. Johnson serves as a DeLand City Commissioner and Chair of the Volusia County Democratic Executive Committee. Mr. Johnson earned his B.A. in Sociology from Colgate University and his M.S.W. from Valdosta State University. He is currently working on his educational doctorate with a double concentration in organization leadership and human resource development. Mr. Johnson has served as a social work adjunct professor at Bethune-Cookman University and the University of New England. In 2009, Mr. Johnson founded Brothers Advocating Service and Inspiration in the Community, Inc., a non-profit mentoring organization that provides guidance and positive role modeling to adolescent males in the DeLand community.

Mr. Johnson’s interdisciplinary background, consisting of public policy, counseling, success coaching, fundraising, and non-profit development primed him to serve within his current professional role as a managing partner at Strategic Philanthropic Solutions, LLC., a multifaceted public relations firm. Recently, Mr. Johnson served as an At-Large Delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention; he received an appointment as a 2012 Florida Democratic Presidential Elector, and was unanimously elected by the DeLand City Commission to serve as Legislative Liaison to the Florida State Legislature.

Betty Knighton, Charleston, West Virginia   

Home Organization: West Virginia Center for Civic Life Host Organization: University of São Paolo Host City: University of São Paolo

Ms. Knighton is the Executive Director of the West Virginia Center for Civic Life, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes the practices of nonpartisan public dialogue and civic engagement throughout West Virginia. A primary focus of her work has been building a network of public forums in the state through collaborative partnerships with educational, civic, faith-based, and governmental organizations. Through the Center, she works with West Virginia communities to develop balanced frameworks for discussing local and statewide issues, to convene and moderate community-based discussions, and to report on the public forums to officeholders, the media, and the public. A particular focus of her work is helping the public design processes to move from productive dialogue to action that addresses community needs.

Carla Kohler, St. Paul, Minnesota 

Home Organization: Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES)  Host Organization: TBD  Host City: TBD 

Ms. Kohler is the manager of the Community Health Worker Services program at CLUES. Ms. Kohler manages logistics of all program activities scheduled/organized by the Urban/Rural Supervisors, and oversees all Family-Centric Health Promotion Programs. She also coordinates data entry, analysis, reports, assists with grant writing, collaborates with external evaluators, and provides logistic support for program meetings and ad hoc projects. She graduated from Hamline University in 2010 with a B.A. in Legal Studies/Political Science and has previous experience working as a Paralegal for worker's rights. Currently, Ms. Kohler participates in the MN DHS Diabetes Prevention Program/I CAN Prevent Diabetes Advisory Committee, the MN CHWs Alliance, and is a fellow of the Leadership and Advocacy Institute to Advance Minnesota's Parity for Priority Populations.

Nicole Kubista, St. Paul, Minnesota 

Home Organization: State of Minnesota - Board of Public Defense  Host Organization: Haitian Bar Association  Host City: Port-au-Prince, Haiti 

Ms. Kubista is a litigator for the Office of the Public Defender in Minnesota. Her cases range from murder and criminal sexual conduct to drug possession and theft charges. She is part of an elite forensic unit specializing in DNA evidence.

Ms. Kubista was a law clerk at the South African Constitutional Court and a member of a Rotary International sponsored Group Study Exchange focused on law in India. Ms. Kubista was the past president of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and was recently named a Best Lawyer under 40 by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Tony Landis, Washington, D.C. 

Home Organization: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  Host Organization: Institute for Studies on Labor and Society (IETS)  Host City: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Mr. Landis is an International Environmental Program Specialist for EPA in the Office of International and Tribal Affairs and has a particular focus on environmental justice, social inclusion, and vulnerable communities in the Latin America and Caribbean Region. His current responsibilities include leading an effort to develop environmental justice collaboration between EPA and the Brazilian government.

During his fellowship, he will elaborate on EPA's effort to develop a social inclusion and solid waste workshop and community demonstration project by collaborating with officials from the City of Rio de Janeiro, other government agencies and civil society organizations. He will then travel to Brasilia to participate in a U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial Discrimination (JAPER) meeting during which he will meet with Brazilian Federal government officials to discuss their role in the project.

Zenia Lewis, Washington, D.C.  

Home Organization: Brookings Institution Host Organization: Unidad de Planeación Minero Energético  Host City: Bogotá, Colombia 

Ms. Lewis currently works as a Research Analyst with the Africa Growth Initiative (AGI) at the Brookings Institution.

AGI works mainly with scholars from Africa with the goals of bringing the African voice to the Washington policy debate and influencing policy on the continent through targeting regional groups like the African Union. In her work with AGI, Zenia conducts research on a broad spectrum of topics surrounding economic growth, including transparency and accountability. Much of her current work involves analyzing natural resource management policies, specifically oil, gas, and energy. She completed her Master of Public Policy at the University of Michigan focused in International Economic Development. She has studied, worked or volunteered in several countries, including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nepal, Malawi, and South Africa.

Michael Lofstrom, Lincolnshire, Illinois 

Home Organization: International Development Assistance Company  Host Organization: Asociación Dominicana de Planificación Familiar (ADOPLAFAM)  Host City: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 

Mr. Lofstrom was first elected Committee Person for the municipality of Lincolnshire in Lake County, Illinois in 2004 and he has been reelected ever since. He is responsible for identifying and resolving community development issues including environmental and economic planning, designing and implementing community and social service programs, and carrying out other municipal objectives of good governance. Mr. Lofstrom is also Principal of IDAC, a small development consulting business. As a program manager, he provides services for development project analysis, design, documentation, implementation and strategic planning. In 2000 and 2002, he served as president of the Illinois-São Paulo, Brazil Partners of the Americas. In this role, he provided assistance in sustainable economic and

environmental conservation projects that benefited diverse communities in both states, while managing a 40 member organization. He is currently on the Board of Directors and chair of the environment and agriculture committee.

Sarah Loh, New York City, New York   

Home Organization: World Bank Institute Host Organization: TBD Host City: TBD

Ms. Loh’s overall career focus is to assess, communicate and manage opportunities for cross-cultural learning among developing countries, particularly in the fields of Health and Social Services, and Water and Sanitation. Through her position as a Knowledge Management Analyst at the World Bank Institute, Ms. Loh designed the communications strategy and materials for the Knowledge Exchange Practice Group, preparing case studies on the impact of water and sanitation conditions on community health. Ms. Loh studied American Foreign Policy at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), during which she focused on Global Health and Foreign Policy through historical case studies of international cooperation in health and offered an in-depth analysis of mental illness in China. Ms. Loh served as a health trainer in Uganda and led a health education program for Soft Power Health and conducted an impact evaluation of malaria prevention services at a grassroots level.

Mariella Martinez, Queens, New York   

Home Organization: The Legal Aid Society Host Organization: TBD Host City: TBD



Ms. Martínez is a staff attorney with The Legal Aid Society in New York City, the oldest and largest not-for-profit legal services organization in the nation. As a member of the Juvenile Rights Practice, she primarily represents children in juvenile delinquency proceedings in Family Court and presently is serving on a post-dispositional committee. She also spent a year working within the Practice's Educational Advocacy Practice which provides special education advocacy for children who are involved in abuse and neglect cases in New York City. Previously, Ms. Martínez worked as an Assistant Child Advocate for the New Jersey Office of the Child Advocate. Ms. Martínez graduated from Brown with a B.A. in political science and received her J.D. from Rutgers School of Law - Newark. At Rutgers, she was a Kinoy-Stavis Public Interest Fellow and a Governor's Executive Fellow, and was awarded the Judge J. Skelly Wright Prize for her commitment to civil rights.

Allan McGarvey, Kalispell, Montana 

Home Organization: McGarvey, Heberling, Sullivan & McGarvey  Host Organization: Myrna Mack Foundation  Host City: Guatemala City, Guatemala 

Mr. McGarvey assists organizations that strengthen access to justice, and use of informal systems of dispute resolution, including the Center for Restorative Youth Justice in Kalispell, Montana. He promotes the strengths of informal justice programs, such as cost efficiency, accessibility and the higher efficacy achieved through disputant participation. He also emphasizes sustainability models for growth and transformation. Mr. McGarvey is an attorney with over 30 years of experience in complex and class litigation. His firm represents over 1,000 victims of the asbestos environmental catastrophe in Libby, Montana.

Erin Randall, Minneapolis, Minnesota   

Home Organization: Nonprofit Organizations Host Organization: Fundo Brasil de Direitos Humanos Host City: São Paulo, Brazil



Ms. Randall, a Minnesota native who has had the opportunity to learn three foreign languages and live abroad in Spain and Bangladesh, is committed to strengthening cultural and social ties between Minnesotans and peoples of the world through intercultural exchange and dialogue. Ms. Randall is a seasoned non-profit professional with over seven years of relevant experience. Most recently, she served as a Development and Marketing Manager for Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES), where she conducted fundraising and public relations project management activities. Ms. Randall currently serves as the president of the Fulbright Association Minnesota Chapter Board of Directors. An alumna of the Fulbright Program, she is passionate about the intersection of human rights, public policy, and fundraising. Ms. Randall earned her bachelor's degree in international relations and Spanish from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Jeff Richter, Hightstown, New Jersey 

Home Organization: State of New Jersey, Civil Service Commission  Host Organization: Municipal Government of Port-auPrince  Host City: Port-au-Prince, Haiti 

Mr. Richter is Manager of Planning and Research for the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. He holds a B.A. in History from Johns Hopkins, an M.A. in History from Harvard, and an M.A. from the Rider University Program for Administrators, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Mr. Richter began his public service career in the U.S. Army in the late 1960s, as a Personnel Officer in Germany. He has worked in the State Government of New Jersey since 1972, holding positions in the Department of Institutions and Agencies, the Department of Civil Service, the Department of Personnel, and the Civil Service Commission.

Until 1992 he also pursued a parallel career in the Army Reserve, serving as an Administrative Officer, Civil Affairs Officer, and linguist, and retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel with

several awards and decorations.

Adilene Rosales, Washington, D.C. 

Home Organization: House of Representatives Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.  Host Organization: TBD  Host City: TBD 

Ms. Rosales works in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Congressional aide to Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02). She handles press and communications and is responsible for constituent outreach, particularly to college students and the Hispanic population. She has served as a mentor to disadvantaged high school students, encouraging and helping them pursue higher education. Ms. Rosales has a background in international affairs and has studied international peace and conflict resolution in Ecuador and foreign policy through the Truman National Security Project.

Banafsheh Saifollahi, Washington, D.C.   

Home Organization: TRACE International Host Organization: State Government, Espirito Santo Host City: Vitoria, Brazil

Ms. Saifollahi is currently a Due Diligence Associate at TRACE International, a non-profit, member-based organization which provides anti-bribery and anti-corruption compliance solutions for multinational companies and their commercial intermediaries. As a due diligence associate, she investigates and determines whether international companies and commercial intermediaries exhibit compliance risks. She practiced in the field of complex tort litigation prior to her position at TRACE. Ms. Saifollahi has a particular interest in transparency, citizen advocacy and human rights. Ms. Saifollahi received her J.D. in 2009 from the University of Baltimore School of Law and received her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the College of William and Mary.

Daniel Swislow, Washington, D.C.  

Home Organization: National Democratic Institute Host Organization: Fundar, Centro de Análisis e Investigación  Host City: Mexico, City 

Mr. Swislow is a member of the governance team at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), which provides support to programs that strengthen democratic institutions on five continents. At NDI, Mr. Swislow has helped launch and manage OpeningParliament.org, a forum for more than 100 parliamentary monitoring organizations (PMOs) in over 70 countries, and the Declaration on Parliamentary Openness, a set of standards for open parliaments developed through the collective input of global PMOs. He also advises NDI's regional and country-level teams in the development of legislative strengthening programs, and assists in conducting legislative exchange programs that bring members of parliament and parliamentary staff to the U.S. from democracies around the world. He holds a Master of Public Policy in international policy and development from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in politics from New York University. During his fellowship, he will assist Fundar with programs aimed at enhancing legislative transparency.

Hillary Van Wyngeeren, Minneapolis, Minnesota   

Home Organization: Target Corporation Host Organization: Opportunity International Nicaragua Host City: Granada, Nicaragua

Ms. Van Wyngeeren is a bilingual business professional who is strongly engaged in her local community. In additional to her position as a Merchandise Specialist, she serves on Target Corporation’s Hispanic Business Council facilitating authentic and meaningful ways for Target team members to engage in the Hispanic community. Prior to this position she was the Assistant Manager of the Economic Advancement Division of Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES), for which she continues to consult on a part-time basis. Ms. Van Wyngeeren is a professional for Latino youth in the YA! (Ya es Ahora or Youth in Action) Mentorship Program.