Staff

 


Anan Ayibotele – Senior Accountant & Controller

Iván Cazarin – Policy Coordinator

Iván Cazarin is the Policy Coordinator at AFR/AFREF where he works across issue areas to provide relief to consumers and take on unjust financial practices. Prior to joining AFR, Iván was a Senior Research Associate at Roosevelt Institute where he worked to advance a progressive economic agenda across issues like wealth taxation, anti-monopoly, industrial policy and climate justice issues. Iván graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) with a Bachelors in Public Policy, with a concentration in Economic Development. Prior to this, Iván worked with state and local organizations in Illinois to pass legislation like the Mental Health Early Action on Campus act and worked with the University of Illinois Chicago’s United Faculty Union and Graduate Employee Organization to organize and bargain for a fair contract. He also worked with community organizations on the West Side of Chicago to develop policies to redistribute vacant, city-owned land to low-income renters of color. In his spare time, Iván enjoys cooking, watching live music, and both watching and playing soccer.

Olive Deally – Operations Associate

Olive Deally is the Operations Associate at AFR/AFREF. She assists in AFR/AFREF’s operations support, development, scheduling, work environment coordination and other organizational projects. Prior to becoming Operations Associate, Olive joined AFR/AFREF as the Executive Fellow. Olive holds a Master of Arts in Environment, Development & Peace from the UN-mandated University for Peace and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from American University.

Darrell Diggins – Senior Human Resources Manager

Darrell Diggins is the Senior Human Resources Manager at AFR/AFREF. Darrell manages office operations, and provides grant and development assistance and HR support. Prior to joining the organization, Darrell was a conventions sales & catering manager for a major hotel franchise. Before that he worked as a personal chef, a baker, and managed operations for a community theater company, as well as an art & history museum. Darrell enjoys cooking, dining, tennis, theatre, reading and traveling to no end.

Lisa Donner Executive Director

Lisa Donner is the Executive Director of AFR/AFREF. Prior to joining the organization, Lisa was the Executive Director of the Half in Ten Campaign, and the co-director of the Center for Working Families. In these positions she developed and promoted policies on fair taxes, work and family, anti-poverty measures, and green jobs. Lisa began her career in advocacy as a union and community organizer and campaign strategists at ACORN, and as the Director of the Financial Justice Center, where she fought against big banks and predatory lending. Lisa previously served as AFR/AFREF’s Deputy Director before becoming Executive Director.

Carter Dougherty – Communications Director

Carter Dougherty is the Communications Director at AFR/AFREF. Carter coordinates and executes strategic communications to advance the organization’s advocacy, along with the work of coalition partners around the country. Prior to joining the team, Carter was a journalist for 20 years for publications including Bloomberg News and The New York Times. He covered the inception of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2010 and its initial work before beginning to write more broadly about financial sector reform. Beyond the U.S. financial system, Carter also has extensive journalism experience covering economic issues in Europe and Africa. 

Dustin Duong – Research Associate

Kimberly Fountain Field Manager

Kimberly Fountain is the Field Manager at AFR/AFREF. During a 16 year career in advocacy and organizing for progressive organizations and nonprofits, Kimberly has worked with grasstops and grassroots leaders on healthcare, climate, financial fairness, and other consumer issues. Prior to working as an organizer, Kimberly began her career as a social worker. 

Jessica Garcia Senior Policy Analyst, Climate Finance

Jessica Garcia is the Senior Policy Analyst for Climate Finance at AFR/AFREF. Most recently, she was an energy policy consultant for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). With UCS she researched various clean energy technologies and authored a few resources to create UCS’s Energy Storage Hub, which aims to help advocates and decision makers develop policies for the equitable deployment of energy storage to the benefit of climate and communities. Jessica attended Duke University and completed her Master of Public Policy in May 2021, with a focus on energy and environmental policy. Prior to that – she spent three years with The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental conservation nonprofit, on a team that worked at the intersection of science and corporate sustainability. 

Mark Hays Sr. Policy Analyst Fintech

Mark Hays is a Senior Policy Analyst on Fintech with AFR/AFREF and with Demand Progress. He works to ensure effective regulatory oversight of cryptocurrency and other financial technologies. Previously, Mark was the Anti-Money Laundering Campaign Director at Global Witness, where he led advocacy efforts to secure financial transparency measures, including legislation requiring shell companies – often used to facilitate corruption and financial crime – to reveal their true owners. In other roles, Hays has led advocacy work at the intersection of business, human rights, and the environment for a range of organizations, including The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, Greenpeace, Mighty Earth, NAACP, Public Citizen, The Sierra Club, Waxman Strategies, and others. In his spare time Mark enjoys cycling, singing choral music, cooking and enjoying the outdoors with family and friends. 

Amanda Jackson Director of Consumer Campaigns

Amanda Jackson is the Director of Consumer Campaigns at Americans for Financial Reform, where she continues her ongoing work of amplifying community voices in broader economic justice organizing with a particular focus on debt, all things Wall Street, and bank reparations. With over a fifteen-year background in grassroots organizing, advocacy, and organizational development, Amanda has led many issue and electoral-based campaigns. Her most successful campaigns have yielded $9 million in economic commitments from corporations as well as a reparations fund for the Tulsa massacre survivors. Originally from South Carolina, Amanda also possesses a background in international development and theatre. Amanda’s passions include bike riding, hiking and spending time with family. 

Isis Kenney – Digital Director


Isis Kenney is the Digital Director at AFR/AFREF with over 15 years of experience. She is ambitious and passionate about everything creative – especially digital solutions, typography and branding for both new and existing brands. As a Creative Director, she has designed campaigns, supervised creative teams, and assisted various businesses and media outlets such as the New York City Parks Foundation, The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, The Atlanta Bar Association, Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library and The American Business Immigration Coalition. During her spare time she works with other artists and uses her social media channels to promote education and positive images related to hip hop history and culture.

Moonyoung Ko – Climate Finance Campaigns Associate Director


Moonyoung Ko is the Climate Finance Campaigns Associate Director at AFR/AFREF, where she works to build strong relationships with diverse local and state organizations. Prior to joining AFR, Moonyoung worked at a climate organization where she worked on the Stop the Line 3 tar sands pipeline and Fossil Free Federal Reserve campaigns. She has also worked on a presidential campaign and at Inclusv, where she focused on breaking down barriers for BIPOC people who worked in or aspired to work in the fields of government, advocacy, or politics. In her spare time, Moonyoung explores her local beaches and parks.

Renita Marcellin – Advocacy and Legislative Director


Renita Marcellin is the Advocacy and Legislative Director at AFR/AFREF. Prior to joining AFR, Renita was a Senior Associate at JP Morgan Chase where she worked to strengthen the bank’s anti-money laundering controls and chaired her team’s Diversity and Inclusion committee to build awareness on the systemic racial inequities affecting the U.S. banking system. She has also worked with state and local advocates at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to help stop the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Prior to this, Renita began her career on the trading desk of a boutique fixed income trading firm and was introduced to the legislative process through several internships on the Hill. In her spare time, Renita enjoys the company of her friends, traveling, afro-beats music, and is a budding sommelier. 

Alex Martin, Ph.D. Policy Director, Climate and Finance

Alex Martin is a Policy Director for Climate and Finance at AFR/AFREF. He manages the organization’s growing engagement and policy portfolio at the intersection of financial regulation, climate change mitigation, and climate-related systemic financial risk. Before joining the organization, Alex served as a legislative fellow on the climate team for Senator Schatz (D-HI) and as informal committee staff for the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis, focusing on carbon storage tax incentives, climate-related systemic financial risk, economy-wide decarbonization, and environmental justice. Prior to that, Alex worked at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on projects related to clean energy, low-carbon vehicles, and deep decarbonization pathways. His research experience spans atmospheric chemistry, materials science, and optics.

Avery Mead Senior Grant Writer

Avery Mead is the Senior Grant Writer at AFR/AFREF. Prior to joining AFR/AFREF, Avery worked in public education for more than 15 years. Their most recent work was as a high school librarian, where they created grant-funded programs to improve reading accessibility for multi-language learners and students with disabilities. They also spearheaded the anti-racist task force at their school and served as a vocal and visible advocate for LGBTQ+ people. Avery collaborated with state and local agencies and policymakers to improve the school environment for marginalized students, staff, and families. In addition to their background in education and advocacy, Avery has an MFA in creative writing. They are also a member of the Stonewall Book Award Committee for the American Library Association, and a member of the children’s and young adult committee for the Washington State Book Award, part of the Washington Center for the Book.

Porter McConnell – Campaign Director, Take on Wall Street Campaign

Porter McConnell is the Take on Wall Street Campaign Director at AFR/AFREF. She previously ran the Financial Transparency Coalition, a global network of civil society, government representatives, and experts working to stop illicit financial flows out of developing countries. She has advocated on foreign aid policy and domestic resource mobilization issues at Oxfam America and the ONE Campaign. Prior to her international work, she was a legislative aide for a Massachusetts State Senator and a program analyst for a foundation making grants towards education and climate change. Before coming to Washington, Porter was based in Bogotá, Colombia, where she created a network of Latin American NGOs implementing social enterprise activities.

Alma Musvosvi – Climate Justice Policy Coordinator

Alma Musvosvi is a Climate Justice Policy Coordinator for AFR/AFREF. Prior to joining AFR, she was a legislative assistant and Assembly Fellow in the California State Legislature. During her time there, she staffed a progressive Assemblymember on the Natural Resources Committee and worked with various state advocacy groups to pass meaningful legislation in California. Alma holds bachelor’s degrees in Biochemistry and health communication. In her free time she likes to attempt new pastry recipes and travel.

Caroline Nagy – Senior Policy Counsel for Housing, Corporate Power and Climate Justice


Caroline Nagy is the Senior Policy Counsel for Housing, Corporate Power and Climate Justice at AFR/AFREF. Her research and advocacy work focuses on fighting housing displacement, climate change, affordable housing, and consumer financial protection. She was previously the Senior Housing Strategist at the New York Civil Liberties Union, and has also worked for the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, and the NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. She has organized several coalitions, including United to End Homelessness, a coalition of more than 100 organizations created to highlight New York City’s homelessness crisis during the 2013 Mayoral election, and the Coalition for Affordable Homes, which works to prevent displacement and support long-time residents of working-class neighborhoods. She received a JD from NYU School of Law in 2010, and graduated from Ohio University with a BA and MA in Political Science.

Tykeisa Nesbitt – Popular Education Associate, Take on Wall Street


Tykeisa Nesbitt is the Popular Education Associate at AFR/EF. Tykeisa is from Inman, SC and completed her undergraduate studies at Howard University in the spring of 2022. She graduated with a BA in Political Science and a minor in History. Tykeisa has always been heavily involved in non-profit work and advocacy, which led her to apply for an internship with Take On Wall Street in the fall of 2021. After having the opportunity to work in Popular Education, she was not ready to leave and decided to take a summer internship with the AFR Policy Team. After having two great experiences, Tykeisa had the opportunity to apply for a full-time role. Everything aligned perfectly, and now she is here at AFR as the Popular Education Associate.

Annie Norman – Save the Post Office Campaigner for Take on Wall Street


Annie Norman is the Save the Post Office Campaigner for Take On Wall Street. Previously, she served as the Associate Field Director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, where she oversaw their statewide field organizing team. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Oklahoma. In between obtaining her degrees, she served in the Peace Corps, where she spent two and a half years working on sustainable community economic development and sexual health education projects in the rural farming community of Tierra Blanca de Cartago, in Costa Rica’s central valley. Since then, she has worked nine electoral campaign cycles, and as a sexual health educator and then as an organizer for Planned Parenthood affiliates in Waco, TX, Tulsa, OK, and Detroit, MI.

Andrew Park Senior Policy Analyst, Hedge Funds & Private Equity

Andrew Park is a Senior Policy Analyst at AFR/AFREF. He specializes in research and advocacy targeting private equity and hedge funds. Andrew has both extensive research experience and a background in financial reporting. Andrew previously worked as a financial journalist for seven years covering a range of issues including leveraged finance, securitized products industries, residential mortgage backed securities, corporate debt, private equity industry, and hedge funds. Prior to working as a journalist, Andrew began his career at a major investment management firm.

Alexa Philo Senior Policy Analyst, Banking, Systemic Risk, and Economic & Racial Justice

Joining AFREF in March 2023, Ms. Philo has held a range of bank supervision, risk governance, and policy roles enabling her to interpret banking laws, rules, and regulations (LRR) and identify gaps in risk management and supervision undermining banks’ safety and soundness and contributing to systemic risk. Certified as Examiner in 2005, Ms. Philo supervised large, complex domestic and foreign, as well as regional and community banks with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 1999-2010. She developed supervisory strategies, led exams, assessed regulatory adherence, analyzed impacts, and distilled lessons learned from the Banking Crisis of 2008. More recently, Ms. Philo worked for UBS maintaining the firm’s US Risk Management Framework and assessing each business and control function’s conformance with underlying US regulations and the expectations of supervisors. Ms. Philo received her undergraduate degree from Barnard College and Masters in Management from the Yale School of Management.

William Pierre-Louis, Jr. – Communications Associate 

William Pierre-Louis, Jr. is the Communications Associate at AFR/AFREF. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science & International Relations from the University Notre-Dame of Haiti. He also earned verified certificates in American Government and Special Political & Decolonization from Harvard University. He is a former Diplomat intern at the United Nations Organization Headquarters in N.Y. William is an Op-Ed Writer and contributor to Online Media Outlets such as Haitian Times and Loop Caribbean Local News. William is also formerly the Communications and Multimedia Coordinator for Immigrant Family Services Institute, Inc., a large nonprofit organization in Boston, Massachusetts.

Natalia Renta – Senior Policy Counsel for Corporate Governance and Power 

Natalia is the Senior Policy Counsel for Corporate Governance and Power at AFREF, where she works to change the structures of corporate decision-making to build a more equitable and sustainable economy. Prior to joining AFREF, Natalia was a Senior Policy Strategist at the Center for Popular Democracy, where she provided policy and legal counsel to several campaigns, including those related to Puerto Rico’s debt crisis. Prior to that, Natalia was an attorney at Make the Road New York, an organization that builds the power of immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice. She earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School and her B.A. from Harvard University.

Gynnie Robnett – Chief Operating Officer

Gynnie Robnett is the Chief Operating Officer at AFR/AFREF. Gynnie previously served as the organization’s Payday Campaign Director, before expanding her role as the manager of administration and system organization. Prior to coming to AFR, Gynnie led the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards (CSS), a network of organizations working to strengthen the nation’s system of regulatory protections and encourage sound enforcement. She has extensive issue campaign and coalition management experience and has worked with state and local groups across the country on environmental, consumer and financial reform issues. In addition to her advocacy work, Gynnie loves to be outdoors with her 2 kids.

Aliya Sabharwal Private Equity Campaigns Manager

Aliya Sabharwal is a Private Equity Campaigns Manager, overseeing AFR’s campaigns to curb Wall Street and private equity greed. She was previously the COVID Oversight Campaign Manager at AFR, monitoring the response of the federal government and corporations to the coronavirus crisis. She mobilized a diverse coalition to recommend oversight and accountability measures for COVID relief programs to the White House. Previously, Aliya was a Senior Organizer at United for Respect where she helped build the organization’s Wall Street Accountability Corporate Campaigns program, developed campaign strategies to hold Wall Street companies accountable for mass layoffs in the retail sector, and crafted narrative change organizing strategies to build a more equitable economy alongside retail workers. She also managed a state campaign to strengthen protections for nail salon workers in her role at Adhikaar, a women-led worker center based in Queens, New York.   

Geraldo SalcedoResearch Associate


Geraldo Salcedo is a Research Associate at AFR/AFREF. Previously, he was a research fellow for the Edward A. Bouchet Fellowship at Yale University. There, he investigated the health and social outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic in underresourced, predominantly immigrant communities in New Haven. As a President’s Public Service Fellow, Geraldo also became involved with New Haven-based nonprofits to provide direct services and political education to communities. Geraldo enjoys reading, traveling, and volunteering at community organizations in his spare time.

Aditi Sen – Managing Director of Research and Campaigns

Aditi Sen is the Managing Director of Research and Campaigns for AFR/AFREF, leading campaigns and research work to increase the organization’s impact and capacity. Prior to joining AFR, she worked for several years as a tech regulator for the City of New York, strengthening protections for tenants and workers and ensuring enforcement of the platform tech sector at the municipal level. Before joining the public sector, she was a campaign researcher at the Center for Popular Democracy and SEIU Local 32BJ, working on a wide range of state and local policy areas including tenant organizing, fair scheduling, and public school funding; and supporting union organizing in the building services industry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies from Harvard College and a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University.

Ericka Taylor – Acting Chief of Staff & Popular Education Manager, Take on Wall Street

Ericka Taylor is the Acting Chief of Staff and Popular Education Manager for Take on Wall Street at AFR/AFREF. Immediately prior, she served as a Co-Director of the DC Working Families Party. Ericka has spent the bulk of her career in organizing and advocacy, including positions with Organizing Neighborhood Equity DC (ONE DC), DC ACORN, and Tenants and Workers Support Committee. She has also worked as a program officer with the Public Welfare Foundation and trained youth organizers as the Southeast Regional Program Coordinator for YouthAction. Ericka has served on the boards of Western States Center, National Priorities Project, and La Clínica del Pueblo, and she currently sits on the board of Jews United for Justice. 

Ricardo Valadez Private Equity Campaigns Manager

Ricardo Valadez is the Private Equity Campaigns Manager leading AFR/AFREF’s work to end private equity’s most abusive and harmful practices. Ricardo has over 20 years of organizing and program management experience at the intersection of economic and racial justice. He has worked as an organizer in Latino immigrant communities with SEIU locals in Seattle and Denver, and organized youth cohorts around educational justice and police accountability issues. Ricardo previously served as Program and Communications Director at the national office of Jobs with Justice, where he coordinated the network’s organizing and advocacy on healthcare, immigration, and labor law reform efforts. He also worked as the Economic Justice Program Director for the Leadership Center for Common Good (now the Center for Popular Democracy). Ricardo also worked with the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union on updating and expanding their racial justice programs.

Oscar Valdés Viera – Research Manager

Oscar Valdés Viera is a Research Manager at AFR/AFREF. He conducts research on a range of issues related to improving the fairness and resilience of the U.S. financial system and economy. Before joining the organization, Oscar interned at The Century Foundation, where he worked with the labor team on initiatives aimed at strengthening economic and job prospects for low- and middle-income people. He also worked as a Research Assistant at the Bard Prison Initiative, where he provided research support for incarcerated students completing a Bard College degree while serving their sentences.