STAFF UP CONGRESS COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMY Staff Up Congress COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMY BIOGRAPHIES

HECTOR ARIAS Committee on House Administration - Franking Commission Calexico, California I grew up in a small border town in Southern California where I saw firsthand the disadvantages of the underrepresented, yet at the same time saw how motivated low-income communities are to succeed. As a first-generation Mexican American, my family and I are no exception. Once I completed my Associates Degree from a local Community College, I transferred to California State University, Sacramento to study Criminal Justice. I never thought I would work in politics, let alone work in the Congress. My life goals completely changed when I decided to study Political Science and Media Relations at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. I was able to get out of my comfort zone and grow both emotionally and academically. My study abroad experience came after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, there I learned a world view of how other countries see the United States and we were able to exchange ideas of what is working and what could be done better. When I came back to the U.S, I knew that politics was what I needed to do. After graduating from college, an opportunity presented itself, and I’ve been in Washington D.C. ever since ready to make an impact.

KRISTEN ARMELLINI Rep. (CA-02) Thousand Oaks, California Hello! My name is Kristen Armellini and I am currently a Press Fellow for the Office of Congressman Jared Huffman. I graduated this past year from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in History of Public Policy specializing in US-Middle Eastern Foreign Policy and a minor in Professional Writing for Civic Organizations. As part of the minor, I had the privilege of working for Planned Parenthood as a Communications & Marketing Intern. I am a second-generation adoptee; my birth mother was adopted from the Philippines and I was adopted at birth in Florida before moving to and growing up in Southern California. I am passionate about mixed-race, mixed-culture, and adoptee experiences and wrote my Senior Thesis on Korean International Adoption. As a university student, I was heavily involved in the movement to establish local self-governance in Isla Vista and hope to continue contributing to efforts that increase representation and justice for communities throughout my career. I am humbled to be a part of the NALEO Communications Academy and look forward to working with you all! CLAUDIO BOFFELLI Rep. Donna E. Shalala (FL-27) Managua, Nicaragua / Miami, Florida Born in Nicaragua, moved to Miami in 2007; graduated from George Mason University in 2017 with a major in Communications, Public Relations; worked for Rep. Ros- Lehtinen as a Communications Aide from Oct through January, then hired by Rep. Shalala where I’ve worked since January 2019 as a Press & Staff Assistant.

COURTNEY GREEN House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (SC-06) Tallahassee, Florida Courtney Green, from Tallahassee, Florida, has a variety of experience in communications and public relations. Courtney received her Bachelor of Science degree from Florida A&M University in Public Relations and Master of Science degree from Florida State University in Professional Communication with a concentration in Integrated Marketing Communication. She served as an intern during the 2017 Florida legislative session. That same year, she also worked as a Marketing Communications Assistant for The People’s Consortium for Human and Civil Rights. In 2018, Courtney was a Public Relations Assistant with Carolina Style Magazine. Currently, Courtney is a press assistant in the Office of Majority Whip James E. Clyburn.

JOY A. HAMER Rep. Dwight Evans (PA-03) Philadelphia’s Main Line Joy Hamer currently works on Capitol Hill as a Communications/Legislative Aide representing Pennsylvania’s 3rd District. Hamer graduated this past May from Georgetown University with her Master’s degree in Journalism. Having studied on five of the seven continents, she has cultivated a passion for International Affairs. Ultimately, Hamer hopes to cover Global Politics as a Foreign Correspondent. Hamer is from Philadelphia’s Main Line and is an alumna of Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. She can be contacted via social media; Twitter: @JoyHamer, Instagram: @jahamer. DANIEL LÓPEZ Rep. (CO-02) Grand Rapids, Michigan Daniel López is a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Public Policy Fellow, placed in the office of Congressman Joe Neguse. In Rep. Neguse’s office, he helps with immigration, education, health care, and environmental issues. Daniel also helps the Communications Director in his office to make graphics. Daniel is particularly interested in helping pass legislation addressing the mental health of people affected by changes in immigration policies. Daniel graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A in Sociology. At the University of Michigan, he worked as a Research Assistant with the Undocumented Migration Project (UMP) researching the experience of DACA recipients who went straight into the workforce after their high school graduation. He continues to work with UMP as the Social Media Coordinator on Hostile Terrain 94, a global exhibition highlighting the U.S/Mexico border crisis, which will launch in May 2020. Daniel co-founded Latinidad Magazine, a print and online publication that provides the Latinx population at UM an opportunity to share their artistic abilities. Daniel hopes to use his creativity, public policy, and research to keep advocating for the marginalized population.

HERLINE MATHIEU Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (MO-05) Orlando, Florida Herline is a Haitian American Florida native who serves as the scheduler to Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-5). Herline relocated to the Washington DC area after attaining a bachelor’s in political science Pre-Law from the University of Central Florida. While in DC Herline has dedicated her time towards community service and raising awareness towards minority representation within executive leadership roles through the power of media. She currently serves as the Vice President to US House Staff Association the Congressional Black Associates and is constantly looking for opportunities to refine her communications skills, i.e. effective marketing strategies, video editing, and social media management as well as making creating connections with other creatives.

FABIOLA VICTORIA PAGÁN MELÉNDE House Committee on Natural Resources San Juan, Puerto Rico Fabiola Pagán Meléndez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and raised in Dorado, Puerto Rico. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Río Piedras Campus with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. During her college years, she pursued her interest in journalism and joined Pulso Estudiantil, a student-run news outlet on her campus. She became the Executive Director of the organization and covered events such as the Puerto Rican general elections and the 2017 UPR student strike. Fabiola is currently a CHCI Public Policy Fellow at the House Committee on Natural Resources’ Office of Insular Affairs. JEREMY ORTIZ Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Minority Staff Fontana, California Jeremy Ortiz is a Southern California native with an instinctive affinity for local and national politics. He came here to the nation’s capital to see what Congress is doing to combat the issues affecting his family, friends, and community. He is a strong writer with District and Hill experience as well as administrative and management experience under his belt. He has a robust background in time management, strategic planning, organization, employee management, as well as strong communication skills and proficiency in various software programs. After graduating with a Business degree from the University of California, Riverside, Jeremy began laying the frameworks for a local Young Democrats club, with the explicit mission of getting younger voters to participate in elections. Jeremy had interned for multiple offices, including with House Majority Leader , before joining the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with Ranking Member Senator Joe Manchin, where he currently does press and digital media. In the future, Jeremy hopes to use his communication skills to help turn out and mobilize the next generation of voters and expand democratic officeholders at the local, state, and federal levels.

NIAMBÉ TOMLINSON Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) Rochester, New York Niambé Tomlinson currently serves as a Legislative Aide to US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of NY. A native Upstate New Yorker, Niambé began working for Senator Gillibrand in her hometown of Rochester, NY and moved to DC to continue working for her state representative on her policy team. Although her professional experience has been centered on policy, Niambé had always expressed an interest in the communications field. Having recently completed her Masters in Strategic Public Relations at George Washington University, Niambé is hopeful that this program will teach her the necessary skill set to transition from a lege role to a communications/press role on or off the Hill. RACHEL MONTOYA Senator Udall (NM) Taos, New Mexico Rachel Montoya is a staff assistant in Senator Udall’s office. She is from Taos, New Mexico and joined the Udall staff in January 2020 upon completing the Fred Harris Congressional Internship program. Rachel received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Mexico in December 2019. Before coming to Hill, she worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development field office in Albuquerque. She also served as a communications assistant and organizer for Deb Haaland’s 2018 campaign for Congress. It should be noted that, as a proud New Mexican, Rachel takes green chile and breakfast burritos very seriously.

CESAR PRIETO Rep. Kenny Marchant (TX-24) El Paso, Born along the border region of El Paso, Texas, Cesar understands how to work with cross-cultural communities. Beginning his career in government as a liaison for the Mayor of Austin, Cesar helped implement a one-million-dollar grant to revitalize a blighted area near downtown Austin. He also served as a policy intern through the El Paso County Commissioner’s office where he helped promote policy recommendations in favor of economic development. Most recently, he relocated to Washington D.C. to participate in a congressional fellowship sponsored by the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI). Designed to equip young Latino leaders with the network and know-how to navigate Capitol Hill, CHLI provided Cesar with a platform to engage in coalition- building within the Latino community. He currently serves as the legislative correspondent for a Member on the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives. Cesar received his bachelor’s degree in Government and Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

ADÁN SERNA Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (NM-03) Texico, New Mexico Adán Serna is a proud New Mexican who is currently serving as the press secretary for Congressman Ben Ray Luján, the U.S. House Assistant Speaker. Adán is currently a member of the New Mexico State Society board of directors and previously served on the It’s On Us national advisory board. He is an active runner, writer, and photographer.