OUR TEAM
Our dedicated employees and Board members along with hundreds of committed volunteers are the people who “make it happen” at Building One Community. They are the essence of the services we provide and the immigrants we support.
Staff
Executive
Executive Director:
Anka Badurina, PhD
(203) 674-8585 ext. 104
[email protected]
Deputy Director:
Don Strait
(203) 674-8585 ext. 106
[email protected]
Program Director:
Fanny Ferreira
(203) 674-8585 ext. 145
[email protected]
Development & External Relations
Development and External Relations Director:
Elena Perez Moreno
(203) 674-8585 ext. 105
[email protected]
Communications Director:
Suzanne Wind
(203) 674-8585 ext. 136
[email protected]
Grants Manager:
Valeta Prendergast
(203) 674-8585 ext.141
[email protected]
Marketing & Outreach Coordinator:
Alejandra Gomez
O: (203) 674-8585 ext. 123
C: (475) 333-9216
[email protected]
Development Associate:
Andrea Hunt
(203) 674-8585
[email protected]
Volunteer Director:
Margarita Zimmerman
(203) 674-8585 ext. 120
[email protected]
Adult Education and Workforce Development
Adult Education Director:
Gretchen Anderson
(203) 674-8585 ext. 107
[email protected]
Skills Development Manager:
Olga Lopez
(203) 674-8585 ext. 116
[email protected]
ELL Manager:
Suzanne Vega
O: (203) 674-8585 ext. 103
C: (203) 883-2098
[email protected]
Technology Specialist:
Miguel Carnero
(203) 674-8585 ext. 138
[email protected]
Skills Development Coordinator:
Jessica Stone
O: (203) 674-8585 ext. 137
C: (203) 249-0864
[email protected]
Family and Individual Services
Family and Individual Services Director:
Lorely Peche
(203) 674-8585 ext. 119
[email protected]
Family and Individual Services Case Manager:
Fernanda Moreno Soto
(203) 674-8585 ext. 134
[email protected]
Education Support Coordinator:
Bernadette Sotomayor
O: (203) 674-8585 ext. 135
C: (203) 883-2059
[email protected]
Family and Individual Services Case Manager:
Nijole Vileikis
(203) 674-8585 ext. 122
[email protected]
Family and Individual Services Case Manager:
Leni Borges
(203) 674-8585 ext. 144
[email protected]
Immigration Legal Services
Immigration Legal Services Affirmative Practice Director:
Adriana Podesta, Esq.
(203) 674-8585 ext. 112
[email protected]
Immigration Legal Services Removal Defense Director:
Jennifer Williams, Esq.
(203) 674-8585 ext. 129
[email protected]
Affirmative Practice Attorney:
Cathy Butcher
(203) 674-8585
[email protected]
Removal Defense Attorney
Paola Idrovo, Esq.
(203) 674-8585 ext. 121
[email protected]
Immigration Legal Services Senior Program Manager:
Dan Wilson
O: (203) 674-8585 ext. 139
C: (203) 391-4084
[email protected]
Immigration Justice Corps Fellow
Lauren Hughes, Esq.
(203) 674-8585 ext. 124
[email protected]
Immigration Legal Services Paralegal
Eva Lopez Reyman
(203) 674-8585
[email protected]
Immigration Legal Services Assistant:
Jenny Ramirez
O: (203) 674-8585 ext. 115
C: (203) 391-4084
[email protected]
Operations
Operations Manager:
Valeria Verdejo
(203) 674-8585
[email protected]
Office Manager:
Lupita Figueroa
(203) 674-8585 ext. 117
[email protected]
Data & Cloud Systems Manager:
Pia Roeser
(203) 674-8585 ext. 113
[email protected]
Data Systems Associate:
Sophia Corsaro
(203) 674-8585
[email protected]
Facilities Coordinators:
Fernando Castellanos,
Brayan Lopez,
Leonel Restrepo,
Yenny Rodriguez,
Doris Victorino
(203) 674-8585 ext. 110
Board of Directors
• Jose Luis Zepeda, Chair
• Mary Sommer, Vice Chair
• Eleanor Riemer, Secretary
• The Rev. Edward Pardoe, Treasurer
• Susan Adamsen
• Sonia Alcantarilla
• Aldo Cabrera
• Adhlere Coffy
• David Cohen
• Talay Hafiz
• Belle Horwitz
• Laura Jordan
• Bruce Koe*
• Dr. Tamu Lucero
• Mary Maarbjerg*
• Arisleyda Riehl
• Patrick de Saint-Aignan
• Andy Schau
• Aleksandr Troyb
• Ellen Williams
• Christopher Geotes, Esq., Pro-Bono Counsel
Past Board Members
• Jeannette Ayerza
• Ana Maria Badash*
• Bia Bettamio
• The Rev. Jean-Luc Charles
• Jorge Chiluisa
• Beatrice Chodosh*
• Angeles Dam
• Melanie Danisi
• Carmen Domonkos
• Anne Downey
• Ginny Fox
• Sarita Hanley*
• Ellen Isidro
• The Rev. Tommie Jackson
• Maryann Kann
• Earl Kim
• Peter Krane*
• Hana Lane
• Rev. Mark Lingle*
• Robie Livingstone
• Mary Luvera
• Eilish Main
• Eva Maldonado*
• Alex Martinez
• Mike Meyer*
• Ted Michelfelder
• Caroline Murray*
• Cathy Ostuw*
• Rev. Juan David Paniagua*
• Douglas Penn
• Diane Rosenthal*
• Maria Sandoval
• David Smith*
• Mirellise Vazquez
• Kathleen Walsh*
• Arthur Wit
• Ximena Velasquez
*Founding Board Members
• Catalina Samper Horak, Founding Executive Director
• William Malpica, Esq., former Pro-Bono Counsel
OUR PARTNERS
Because It Takes a Village to Build One Community.
Our partners are essential to the success of our work at Building One Community and to the advancement of our mission.
From devoted volunteers who share their time and skills, to the generous donors providing financial or in-kind support, to the community and program partners that work with us hand in hand to make our life-changing programs a reality. Together we act as a beacon of hope to the immigrant community.
The deep appreciation we have for our partners is boundless. Without you, we simply could not be the Center for Immigrant Opportunity.
Our Community and Program Partners include:
- 4-CT
- All Our Kin
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, CT Chapter
- Americares
- ASISTA
- Avon Theater
- Bruce Museum
- Cancer Care
- Catholic Charities of Fairfield County
- Catholic Legal Immigration Network
- Center for Children's Advocacy
- Center for Wellbeing/Centro Bienestar
- City of Stamford
- Child Guidance Center
- Children’s Learning Center
- Community Groups: Crisol, Quetzal, HACGS
- Community Health Center
- Congregation Shir Ami
- Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut
- ConnCAN
- Connecticut Department of Children and Families
- Connecticut Fair Housing Center
- Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI)
- Connecticut Legal Services
- Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center
- CT Private Schools: Brunswick School, Greens Farms Academy, Greenwich Academy, Greenwich Country Day School, King School, New Canaan Country School, Rye Country Day School, Sacred Heart High School
- CT Public High Schools: AITE, Brien McMahon, Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Stamford, Staples, Westhill, Weston
- CT Students for a Dream
- DOMUS
- Domestic Violence Crisis Center
- East Side Partnership
- Fairfield University
- FaithActs for Education
- Family and Children's Agency
- Family Centers Inc
- Ferguson Library
- Filling in the Blanks
- Future Five
- Goodwill of Western and Northern Connecticut
- Grace Church
- Greater Stamford Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Green of Greenwich
- Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC)
- Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
- INDEED
- Inspirica
- Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS)
- Interfaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut
- Kids Helping Kids
- Lower Fairfield County Immigration Collaborative (LFCIC)
- Make the Road CT
- Members Credit Union
- Neighbor to Neighbor
- New Canaan Community Foundation
- New Covenant Center
- Norwalk Art Space
- Norwalk Community College
- Open Door Shelter
- OPTIMUS Health Care
- Our Lady Star of the Sea Church
- Pacific House
- Parent Leadership Training Institute
- Person-to-Person
- Pro-Bono Partnership
- Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition
- Qualitas of Life Foundation
- RAGETIME CT
- River House Adult Day Center
- Rowan Center
- Rye Country Day School
- Saint Joseph Parenting Center
- St. Luke’s Parish Darien
- Salvation Army
- SCORE
- SimplifyCT
- Social Venture Partners
- SoundWaters
- Springboard Collaborative
- Stamford Cradle to Career (SC2C)
- Stamford Health and Social Services
- Stamford Hospital
- Stamford Police Department
- Stamford Public Education Foundation
- Stamford Public Schools / Office of Family and Community Engagement / Stamford Adult & Continuing Education
- Stamford Senior Center
- State Education Resource Center
- Talmadge Hill Community Church
- Temple Beth El
- Trinity Church
- Unitarian Church in Westport
- United Methodist Church of Darien
- United Parents and Students
- Vera Institute of Justice
- Vita - The Stamford Community Collaborative
- Waterside Coalition
- Women's Business Development Council
- Youth Community Fund of Darien
