I am an experienced litigator, strategic thinker, and senior leader with two decades of experience in the immigration arena. As the Director of Litigation at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS), I currently lead CGRS's affirmative litigation, direct representation work, and appellate practice before federal courts and immigration agencies. Prior to joining CGRS, I served as a Senior Supervising Attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Immigrant Justice Project, where I led strategic litigation and advocacy to promote fair and humane immigration policies. As Legal Director of the American Immigration Council from 2010 to 2017, I jumpstarted the organization’s impact litigation agenda and oversaw the development of a robust docket of cases intended to enhance due process for noncitizens, promote government accountability, and challenge overly restrictive interpretations of our immigration laws. I served previously as a senior advisor at the Department of Homeland Security, counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy during the 2007 Senate debates on immigration reform, a partner in private practice, and a clinical law professor. These diverse experiences have taught me that litigation is most effective when undertaken as part of a multipronged advocacy strategy.