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PPIA Fellows/Alumni Profile

Impact of PPIA Program:

PPIA opened my eyes to the possibilities that exist in the world of public policy. I gained an incredible amount of confidence in statistics and economics that I didn't have before. The experience in the program guided my decisions about graduate school and exposed me to various professionals in the field.

Biography:

Genevieve is a Chicana Lesbian from the borderlands of El Paso, Texas. She completed her undergraduate education from Stanford with dual degrees in Chicana/o studies and urban studies. While at Stanford, she worked as an intern on immigration policy for the National Council of La Raza and was active in a number of campus organizing activities. She co-chaired the California Queer Latina/o Youth Conference and the Stanford MEChA.

She gained further insight into local and state policy mechanisms through her work with the Government Relations Division of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce. While in El Paso, Genevieve organized the city’s first Gay Pride Parade in 2001. She has conducted workshops and trainings on outreach strategies and organizing to community groups.

In 2003, she gained a dual Masters in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School. While in New Jersey she was employed by the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey and conducted organizing around economic opportunities for racial minorities.

She moved west to Seattle in 2003to become the Field Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington. She works with seventeen county and student chapters across the state and assists them with leadership development, strategic guidance and resources for organizing. She also manages mobilization campagins on ex-felon voting rights, reproductive freedom, the USA PATRIOT Act, immigration work and LGBT issues. In that capacity she is currently chair of the Washington Alliance for Reproductive Choice, a statewide coalition of pro-choice organizations. Genevieve had the honor of speaking before one million individuals at the national March for Women's Lives in Washington, DC in 2004. In her work capacity she previously served as co-chair of Equal Rights Washignton, a statewide coalition of LGBT organizations and allies.

Awards and Memberships:

Outside of her work with the ACLU-WA, she recently served as President of the Board of Entre Hermanos, an LGBT Latino organization and currently serves as the Secretary of the Latina/o Political Action Committee of Washington.

Advice and/or Recommendations:

I would reccomend that individuals take as many opportunities as they can to gain experience in the field of public policy and understand what tools they will need to learn while in graudate school. Whenever possible, ask people in the field about how they made their decisions and what they would do differently. The wisdom and experience of others will help you as you make your own decisions about your future.

Contact Information: aguilar@aclu-wa.org