Ana Marie Argilagos
Ana Marie Argilagos is guiding Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) with a bold vision: to usher in a new generation of philanthropy that is for, by, and about the Latino community. Under her leadership, HIP has spearheaded rapid responses to the biggest challenges facing Latinos today. HIP is coordinating a regional response to the migration crisis in the U.S. and Central America, supporting Puerto Rico’s long-term recovery from Hurricane Maria, and investing in nonprofits to fight for an inclusive and accurate 2020 Census, among other critical efforts.
Ana Marie is an entrepreneurial thinker bridging diverse agendas with a track record of working within the philanthropic, public, and nonprofit sectors. Previously Ana Marie was a senior advisor at the Ford Foundation, where she focused on urban development strategies to reduce poverty, expand economic opportunity, and advance sustainability in regions across the world. She also served as deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where she created the Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation (IPI) to deepen and scale collaboration between public and philanthropic sectors. Previously, she taught international urban planning at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service; and was a senior program officer at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, director of the New Workplace for Women Project at the National Council of La Raza (now UNIDOS US), and deputy director of Ayuda, a community-based legal clinic serving immigrants in Washington, DC.
Ana Marie currently serves on the board at Foundation Center and Rockefeller Philanthropic Advisors. She received her master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University and her bachelor’s degree in international relations from American University.
Carol Joyner
Carol Joyner is the Director for the Labor Project for Working Families (LPWF), in partnership with Family Values @ Work (FV@W). Founded in 1992, LPWF works to address the policy and programmatic solutions for improving workplace standards, including paid sick days, family leave insurance and workplace flexibility. In her capacity as director, Carol fosters collaboration between labor organizations, workers, advocates, and other stakeholders to improve the lives of working families.
Prior to the LPWF work, Carol provided consultation on work, family and Trust Fund administration issues. A longtime labor leader, Carol is the founding Director of the 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Fund, as well as and past President of the Child Care Corporation, a labor-management benefit fund by the 1199 Health and Human Service Employees Union and 400 Health Care Employers in New York State.
Carol is the recipient of work and family achievement awards including the Alliance of Work Life Professionals’ Innovative Program Award; the LPWF Annual Award; and the NBCDI, NY Bridge Builders’ Award. She has sat on the National Advisory Board for the Labor Project for Working Families and FV@W, and is a founding partner of the Work and Family Strategy Council. Currently, she is a member of the Black Women’s Roundtable and has appeared in the media on issues affecting working families and frequently contributes to online publications such as The Huffington Post. She lives in Washington, DC with her family.
Melissa Vargas
Melissa Vargas leads the Diverse Engagement & Partnerships for the Environmental Defense Fund. As a part of the Political Affairs team, Melissa works to create political will and bold policies with leading Latino advocacy organizations to fight climate change. Melissa served the Obama Administration as the Director of Public Engagement in the Office of Public Engagement at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She began the administration as Deputy White House Liaison in the Office of the Administrator, where she supported the Office and the Agency’s Presidential appointees. As Deputy White House Liaison, Melissa was selected to help develop, implement, and manage the Agency’s grassroots education and outreach initiative as a part of the EPA’s emergency response efforts to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Leading bilingual and bicultural community outreach efforts, Melissa was successful in building coalitions within Flint’s Latino and immigrant population.