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Executive Director

Lorena's journey began in New York City. She was born to immigrant parents who valued cultural heritage and community. In Mississippi, she raises her children with values of resilience and community involvement. As Executive Director of IAJE, Lorena employs innovative strategies, amplifying unheard voices and fostering recognition and respect for all. The many rich experiences and stories from her lived experiences inform her resilience, innovation, and dedication required for the strong leadership in IAJE’s fight for community empowerment.

Head of Operations

Lauren is a native Mississippian who moved to the capitol city to attend college. She has volunteered to organize with youth in the state. Lauren now works at IAJE full-time as the organization’s Operations Manager. She has experience in advocating and organizing around public health safety, herbalism, reproductive justice and healing as abolition. She uplifts language access, food and land sovereignty, baking therapy and cultural organizing through a Black feminist lens while implementing popular education through the arts at IAJE. Lauren has a multicultural and multi-ethnic background, and was raised in opposite spectrums: a Metropolitan area and the rural Mississippi Delta. With a father born in Mound Bayou, a historically significant town, and a mother born in South America, who later migrated to NYC. These ancestral gifts have shaped her viewpoint of the world around her.

Head of Finance

Leslye, a dynamic individual who grew up in the culturally rich city of Miami, serves as the Head of Finance at IAJE. Her work at IAJE places her firmly at the crucial intersections of health access, immigrant rights, and language sovereignty. She is trilingual, and ensures that community members whose first language is not English receive the essential information they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their families. Her unwavering passion for her work plays a vital role in ensuring that IAJE is fully able to continue its steadfast commitment to creating sustainable futures for all.

Senior Organizer

Efren is our Senior Organizer from Honduras. He has called Jackson, MS home for more than 25 years. Efren has a strong background in nonprofit organizing and working with Latino-based businesses to bring about economic development. Efren has an extensive history of volunteering with other nonprofits and churches in Jackson as well as coaching soccer here in the United States. In his free time, Efren enjoys being with his family.

Lead Youth Organizer & Policy Fellow

Sasha is the Lead Youth Organizer currently working for IAJE, the only organization in the state of Mississippi founded by immigrants for immigrants. She is a Mississippi native currently attending a historic HBCU. She strives to promote and encourage youth engagement in the state of Mississippi and focuses her work on amplifying the voices of youth in Jackson. She has contributed to her work by creating advanced curriculums for fellowships under the Progressive Youth of MS. As a creative, Sasha has added to the beauty of the IAJE facilities.

Youth Organizer & Public Health Fellow

Originally from Mexico, Crystal has lived in Mississippi during her formative years and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health in her Honors College at a prestigious HBCU. At IAJE, Crystal engages young people in civic education and works with Promotoras de salud, hosting bi-weekly discussions on preventive health and emotional intelligence. Her bilingual fluency in English and Spanish allows her to effectively support English learners in her community. When not working or studying, Crystal stays active and encourages her community to embrace movement through a holistic wellness approach.

Office Coordinator

As a first-generation Mexican-American, Kimberly, IAJE’s Office Coordinator, exemplifies the resilience and innovation that are fundamental to the mission of the IAJE. Her role in coordinating activities and schedules within the IAJE community center. Kimberly's dedication enables her to engage authentically with the state's immigrant communities. Kim facilitates new memberships, and presents new members with access to essential community services. Her efforts ensure that the IAJE remains a welcoming hub that cultivates connections and empowers individuals.

Facilities

Cooper serves as Facilities and Ground Support at IAJE, bringing strong dedication to community service and faith-based engagement to his role in the community center. His role is to ensure that IAJE's physical spaces effectively support the organization's mission of empowering Mississippi's immigrant communities. As a central MS native, his deep understanding of the unique regional context enriches his contributions to IAJE.

Communications & Development Coordinator

Mandesha is a Mississippi-based communications strategist dedicated to amplifying the voices of immigrant, Black, and LGBTQIA+ communities. With a background in television as a television news producer and digital anchor, Mandesha specializes in crafting narratives that highlight resilience, justice, and cultural pride. At IAJE, she leads strategic communications campaigns, supports community-centered messaging, fields reporter requests, and so much more! Outside of work, Mandesha finds joy in attending golf tournaments, music, shopping, creating TikTok’s, trying and exploring local food scenes, and hanging out with her cats. 

Coalitions Coordinator

Sabrina is a Mississippi-based organizer and coalition builder committed to community-rooted change across the South. As Coalition Coordinator for IAJE, she focuses on building trust, infrastructure, and alignment across a wide range of grassroots organizations, mutual aid networks, and advocacy groups fighting for immigrant justice, economic dignity, and racial equality. In her free time, Sabrina enjoys music, reading, knitting, and cooking new recipes.

Youth Organizer: Art And Culture

Adrian is an artist born and raised in Mississippi but his roots are forever tied to the Dominican Republic. His inspiration comes from the world he sees, the music he listens to, and the people he meets. His goals for the community is to inspire everyone to do everything out of love the way he does his art.

Junior Youth Organizer

Marymar was  raised in Mississippi. She is currently working as a Junior Youth Organizer at IAJE. As a first generation Mexican- American, she works to motivate young adults to become their best selves for a better and brighter tomorrow. Her goal is to educate communities and families. Marymar also owns a Husky named Sami. Following graduation, Marymar plans to join the United States Airforce. 

Communications Intern

Daniela is the communications intern. Born and raised in Mississippi, she is currently attending college and exploring a path in journalism. Her passions lie in the art of making music and photography. She has an eye for capturing moments in their most raw and beautiful form.

Digital and Tech Intern

As a Vietnamese-American, Jeannie holds a deep appreciation for culture, community, and minority voices. As IAJE’s Digital and Tech Intern, she supports the organization by managing systems to aid the team’s communication, organization, and community, ensuring that IAJE’s technical infrastructure matches its mission and values. As the relationship between tech and community grows, Jeannie is committed to bridging gaps between generations, cultures, people and the tools they need to thrive.

Program Support Intern

Faraaz is IAJE’s program support intern. He moved to Mississippi at the age of two with his family and has lived here ever since. His deep committed to social justice comes from watching the struggles of his parents in America. The lessons he learned from his family have greatly informed his political perspective as well. Faraaz is a history and international studies student, and loves to read many types of literature. In particularly, he has a soft spot for Sci-Fi and Fantasy. He also enjoys video games and watching the NBA.

Puto is a rich steamed rice cake snack from the Philippines. Usually cheese is added to it, which makes for a tasty treat!

Trakas is a modern Spanish slang term, made popular among younger generations in Latin America. It's a versatile expression that conveys surprise, disbelief, or admiration, depending on the context