Cuqui has been a Latina community leader and Criminal Justice Reform Advocate in New Jersey for over 30 years. She is employed by the Puerto Rican Action Board (PRAB) as a Records Coordinator & the Latino Action Network Foundation (LANF) as Programs Director. In addition to her position with LAN, she is Board President of the Anti-Poverty Network and the Campaign Coordinator for the JUNTOS/TOGETHER Puerto Rico Disaster Relief efforts, to name a few. She also has extensive service in Nonprofits, Youth, Community Building & Race Relations. She has also worked at La Casa de Don Pedro as a Case Manager for the Newark Re-Entry program and as the Outreach Manager for the Hispanic Directors Association of NJ.

Carlos Doel Hendricks-Verdejo was born in Trenton, NJ. At age three, his family relocated to Carolina, Puerto Rico, where he would enjoy his formative years. He returned to New Jersey 16 years later and began his studies at Livingston College Rutgers University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Spanish and Puerto Rican Studies. During his years at the bank, he was a student/athlete lettering for the RU baseball team and the Panthers varsity football team of Livingston College. Carlos was also active in several student organizations, such as the Unión Estudiantil Puertorriqueña, El Congreso Estudiantil Latino Americano, Rutgers University Hispanic Coalition (RUHC), and the Paul Robeson Athletic Association (Black Knights), to mention a few. One of his most outstanding achievements is being a charter member of Latinos Siempre Unidos (Lambda Sigma Upsilon, Latino Fraternity, Inc.), which was founded in 1979 at Rutgers University.

Dr. Ann D. Bagchi is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Rutgers University. Her research focuses on reducing health inequities among members of under-served populations, including those living in poverty, people with limited English proficiency, and people living with HIV. She is also a member of the Latino Coalition of Monmouth County, where she coordinates a soup kitchen in Freehold during the winter months to serve the area's day laborer community and homeless residents.

Daniel Santo Prieto has nearly 25 years of international experience in the non-profit sector, with a focus on community development and advocacy. From 1998 to 2010, he served as Executive Director of the Hispanic Directors Association of NJ (HDANJ), a network of 32 Hispanic-led community organizations. During this time, he contributed to several state commissions, including Governor Whitman's Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Protection Services and the Governor's Early Childhood Advisory Commission. In 2005, he co-chaired Governor Corzine’s Department of Human Services transition advisory group and served on the boards of the NJ Immigration Policy Network and Citizen Action.

A passionate advocate for universal health coverage, Daniel Santo Prieto was a leader in the Consumer Voices for Coverage project, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and worked with the NJ Healthcare Coalition on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. After retiring, he continued his advocacy work as a member of the Steering Committee for the Latino Action Network (LAN), where he helped establish the LAN Foundation and served as Executive Director until relocating to San Diego in 2018.

Daniel Santo Prieto holds a B.A. from Harvard College, was a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil, and completed graduate studies in Political Science and Latin American Studies at Stanford University. Fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish, he is the proud parent of four children and seven grandchildren.

Lazaro Cardenas is a Rutgers University School of Law – Newark graduate. Upon graduation, Mr. Cardenas and two other colleagues opened their law firm. He is a managing partner at Patel, Cardenas & Bost, LLC, headquartered in Freehold Borough, New Jersey. He also serves as the firm’s policy director. In his legal career, Lazaro takes pride in assisting clients in various legal matters, from foreclosure defense to probate and real estate matters. In addition, he serves on the boards of directors of some of the leading Latino advocacy organizations in New Jersey, including the Latino Coalition of New Jersey, where he serves as Deputy Director, and the Latino Action Network, where he is a steering committee member. Since 2016, he has worked with the Latino Action Network Foundation, where he is currently their Chief Compliance and Legal Officer.

Katy Sastre is the immigration committee chair of the Latino Action Network. From 2019 - 2021, Katy was the Campaign Strategist for the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ), responsible for coordinating and supporting NJAIJ's campaign priorities, ensuring members and partners were actively engaged. Before joining NJAIJ, Katy worked as the Program Coordinator for the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, providing programmatic support to legal and education services. Katy is a graduate of Cornell University (BA, Sociology & Government) and SOAS, University of London (MA, Gender Studies). After completing her undergraduate degree, she initially worked in the private sector, for a legal recruitment firm in NYC. Following this, she transitioned to the non-profit sector, and from 2010-2012, she worked as a Program Coordinator for the Middle East North Africa region at the International Center for Transitional Justice. From 2012-2015, Katy held various roles at the International Rescue Committee, including Program Manager for the CASAMENA Region and Syria Regional Response in NYC, Senior Grants Manager in Erbil, Iraq, and then Grants Coordinator for the Ebola Response Consortia Coordination Unit in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Following her post in Sierra Leone, she completed her master's in Gender Studies, with a focus on migration and the intersections of gender, class, and race.

An extensive public policy background, having served as a senior legislative and executive branch administrator with policy and management expertise in health care, transportation, telecommunications, homeland security, and urban affairs. Knowledge of the inner workings of the legislature and executive agencies, coupled with a vast network of resources and contacts, both in and outside of government. One of the most sought-after public affairs strategists in New Jersey.

Ana holds an Associate in Science with a focus on Chemistry from Camden County College (2004), a Bachelor of Arts with a focus on Biology from Rutgers University- Camden (2006). Since then, she has turned her sights toward Nursing and graduated from the Helene Fuld School of Nursing (2009). Ana Cecilia has dedicated her career to focusing on working in Behavioral Health and Pediatrics. She started off as a Registered Nurse at a Psychiatric Child Residential Facility, and currently, she is a Health Care Case Manager at Rutgers University, FXB: Child Health Unit. She also spent several years at a Behavioral Health Hospital encompassing a Dual Diagnosis, an Adult, a Geriatric, and an Adolescent Unit.  Ana's bilingual skills have continuously helped to facilitate services for Spanish-speaking clients throughout her career. In addition to the LAN Steering Committee, Ana Cecilia embraces her passion and leadership skills as a Union Representative with Health Professionals & Allied Employees (HPAE) Local #5094 and as a member of their Negotiation Committee. 

Kimi Wei's passions are justice, community building, conserving nature, and traditional cultures- all components of the field of sustainability. Kimi founded the merch, media and marketing agency The Wei LLC, which is a for-profit social enterprise with a give-back commitment to underserved communities. The Wei helps community-based small businesses, NGOs, and also government agencies to reach multicultural audiences. Team members are Kimi's sons Jorge, Ivan, and Ari, aged 31 and 27. 

Nicole Rodriguez is President of New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP). This nonpartisan think tank drives policy change to advance economic, social, and racial justice through evidence-based, independent research, strategic communications, and advocacy. Driven by lived experience, Nicole is deeply committed to centering Black and brown communities in policy change in pursuit of equity and justice. Nicole brings ten years of experience driving strategic campaigns through rigorous research, boosting prosperity for Massachusetts and New Jersey residents.