LATINOJUSTICE PRLDEF, INC.
NEW YORK, NY

LatinoJustice PRLDEF has a long history of developing Latino leaders – from attorneys and judges to politicians, educators and corporate and nonprofit leaders. To ensure that young Latinos have the opportunity to follow in the path of such leaders as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, corporate leader Gil Casellas and our own civil rights leader, Cesar Perales, the LatinoJustice Board of Directors launched the Institute to provide Latino students with the opportunity to make a difference in their communities today and to provide them with comprehensive services to support them as they become the leaders of tomorrow. The Institute provides two types of services for Latino students from high school through graduate studies and law school: – LatinoJustice guides students in developing and carrying out volunteer activities that allow them to hone their civic and political skills as they provide core support for the Latino community. Our Youth Leadership Network (YLN) invites students to become 21st century changemakers and advocates. For example, through the Institute’s Youth Leadership Network, students have united to: provide a youth voice to the policy of Stop-and- Frisk, register newly naturalized citizens to vote; raise awareness and support for the DREAM Act; and recruited college students to serve as poll workers helping Spanish-speaking voters to understand the new poll machines. – LatinoJustice offers education programs to help Latino students prepare for college, graduate and law school. Our programs run the gamut from LSAT Prep courses to LAWbound Scholars, which guides high school students in a five-year program aimed at getting them into graduate or law school. With assigned mentors, internship opportunities and scholarship support, the programs help students access career paths that will allow them to continue to advance Latino issues. LatinoJustice PRLDEF champions an equitable society. Using the power of the law together with advocacy and education, LatinoJustice PRLDEF protects opportunities for all Latinos to succeed in school and work, fulfill their dreams, and sustain their families and communities. History and Mission In 1972 three young attorneys decided to establish an organization that could provide Latinos with the legal resources to overcome the obstacles that frustrated their dreams and limited their lives. Our board of directors consist of 25 lawyers and other business leaders from a wide diversity of backgrounds. The LatinoJustice PRLDEF staff is dedicated to the work of protecting the rights of Latinos. Click here to see a list of our staff and to find out about job openings. By litigating precedent-setting impact cases across the country and training young people to be leaders in their community, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has profoundly improved the way Latinos are treated in U.S. society, working to ensure that they have more opportunities for political, economic, social and educational equality. Cesar Perales, NYS Commissioner of Social Services, Secretary of State at LatinoJustice. Diana has more than 15 years of nonprofit organizational and fund development experience. As a development officer for such diverse organizations as the YWCA of Brooklyn, the American Folk Art Museum and the NYC Board of Education, Diana has provided guidance and support for board and staff to increase donation revenue from foundations, corporations and individuals, as well as through event sponsorships. She has organized volunteers, training conferences and special events. During her tenure with Family Promise, a national nonprofit that establishes and supports local affiliates across the country to shelter and serve homeless families with children, Diana led local affiliate board and staff in organizational development and strategic planning, and provided training on board and fund development. As a volunteer, Diana supports and raises funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and for a homeless shelter in her New Jersey community. at LatinoJustice PRLDEF. Silvia has extensive non-profit management experience with a particular focus on strategic design & structure, strength analysis, change management, organizational culture, and transformational leadership development. Silvia is a strategic partner driving key business decisions and implementing performance-driven initiatives. Silvia has a strategic vision and a keen eye for identifying individual strengths and aligning them to organizational objectives and mission, as well as a clear eye for priorities and processes. Silvia has successfully created and implemented strategies that directly impact employee development and organizational culture, and has facilitated a work environment of ownership and accountability. In addition to her strategic role, Silvia is experienced on core human resources functions managing talent acquisition, onboarding, employee engagement & performance, and benefits & compensation. Silvia is the adviser to the President and General Counsel and the Senior Management team on core human resources issues, she is a motivator with high standards, with the ability to gather consensus and promote change. at LatinoJustice PRLDEF. She has been with LatinoJustice for 17 years working solely in the legal education department, managing current initiatives and developing new projects. As the current director, Sonji oversees the new Cesar A. Perales Leadership Institute (CAP) and manages all pre-law programs. Sonji works to uphold LatinoJustice PRLDEF’s long-term guiding principles: preparing Latinas and Latinos for law school, thereby cultivating new leaders, and nurturing young Latinos to become change makers in their communities. Sonji helps to accomplish this by directing a continuum of comprehensive services: legal education programs, leadership and professional development, and volunteer opportunities at LatinoJustice PRLDEF. Programs include the LSAT Prep Course, LAWbound®, LSAT-to-JD workshop series, legal internship programs, and one-on-one counseling services. Sonji also executes the organization’s signature event, LatinoJustice PRLDEF’s Annual Law Day. Sonji makes regular presentations at NY area colleges, addressing pre-law groups and student organizations on law school admissions. Sonji also manages our strategic partnerships, i.e. leveraging partnerships to enrich our programming, broaden our outreach, and deepen our footprint. She serves on the New York State Bar Association, Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, as part of their Youth Law Day planning group, and is a member of the Diversity Pipeline Initiatives Committee of the New York City Bar Association. She has contributed to pre-law guides, and written articles for the CLEO Edge and the NYSBA Pro Bono Newsletter. Sonji is also a member of the Northeast Association Pre-Law Advisors.