JUNTOS Board Members

Angelica Victoriano – Is on the Program Committee of the Board and is a parent leader in our education
organizing work. She is vice-president of her child’s elementary school’s Home & School Association. South
Philadelphia Review recently named her as one of the most influential leaders in South Philadelphia, making
her the first Latina to ever receive the award. She is originally from Mexico and has been working with Juntos
as a leader for over four years.

Brenda Hernandez – Is on the Program Committee of the Board and is a leader in Juntos’ Youth Committee,
Fuerza. She is a recent graduate of the Philadelphia public school system and was a leader in her high school
before becoming an activist with Juntos. She is originally from Mexico, is 20 years old, and is enrolling in the
Community College of Philadelphia this year.

Carolina Fritz – Is on the Finance Committee of the Board and is an expert accountant and grant writer. She
currently works with iDrexel and has worked on immigration issues in the past with Esperanza. She is of
Ecuadorian decent.

Christina Phillips-Ramos – Is the secretary of the Board and is on the Executive and Fundraising Committees.
She currently works at LaSalle University as a Development Director, and is an expert grant writer.

David Bennion – Is on the Program Committee of the Board and is an expert immigration lawyer who
works very closely with Dream Activists PA. He is also on the board of the Pennsylvania Immigration and
Citizenship Coalition.

Edgar Ramírez– Is an active as leader in the immigrant community, and is expert on community media. He
runs several websites and publications. Originally from Mexico.

Emiliano Rodriguez – Is on the Program Committee of the Board and is a regional director of the union Unite
Here! He is originally from El Paso, TX, is Chicano, and has been doing work on labor issues and immigration reform for over 10 years.

Erling Brooks – Is on the Program Committee of the Board and is a leader in the Immigration work of Juntos.
She was a teacher in her Native Nicaragua and her state’s representative to the country’s teachers union.

Javier Hernandez – Is on the Governance Committee of the Board and has been active in immigration and
labor issue for over five years. He is currently an organizer for PHILAPOSH and a student at the University of
Penn. He is originally from Mexico City.

Juan Carlos Romero – Is on the Fundraising Committee of the Board, and owner of Los Taquitos de Puebla,
a well-known local restaurant. He is originally from Puebla, Mexico and has been working on business
development for most of his time here in the US.

Mark Lyons – Is on the Fundraising Committee of the Board and is the Co-Director of the Philadelphia
Storytelling Project. He is an expert grant writer, and has been doing work with immigrant communities for
over 25 years.

Rita Banegas –Is the treasurer of the Board and is on the Executive and Finance Committees. She is originally
from Honduras where she was both trained as an accountant and is a certified teacher.

Yoshiaki Yamasaki – Is on the Governance Committee of the Board and is the executive director of The
Philadelphia AIDS Consortium. He is an expert in grant writing and organizational development. He is of
Mexican and Japanese decent and speaks three languages.