Team

MariaTeresa mariateresakumar

María Teresa Kumar is the co-founder and President of Voto Latino Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization, and its sister 501(c)(4 ) advocacy organization, Voto Latino. Voto Latino Foundation and Voto Latino are the largest Latino voter registration and Latino youth advocacy organizations in the country, respectively. Together, Voto Latino Foundation and Voto Latino, jointly known as Voto Latino, have registered over 1.4 million Americans in key battleground states since 2004, 79% of whom went on to vote. 

Latinos are the fastest-growing demographic in the United States, and Voto Latino’s work has directly led to a substantial expansion of the Latino electorate in key states like Arizona and Nevada. Voto Latino has pioneered the use of technology, social media, and influencers to effectively register voters and counter disinformation at unprecedented scale. Voto Latino reaches over 6 million Americans each month and has spent more than $100 million to ensure all Americans can participate in our democracy. 

For this work, Fast Company named María Teresa one of the 100 Most Creative Minds, and the Analyst Institute recognized Voto Latino with an Expy Award for expanding the field of voter registration. 

A sought-after political leader and strategist, María Teresa advised President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, and she currently serves on the National Task Force on Election Crises and the Brookings Institution’s Working Group on Universal Voting. She is chair of the Latino Anti-Disinformation Lab.

 María Teresa is also an Emmy-nominated analyst for MSNBC and serves on the boards of Steve Madden, Emily’s List, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Additionally, she is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. She has been named among Bloomberg’s 100 Influential Latinos, Washingtonian Magazine’s 100 Top Political Influencers, and Elle’s 10 influential women in Washington. The Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Hispanic Executive Magazine, Latino Leaders Magazine, and Hispanic Business have all honored María Teresa.

Ameer serves as Voto Latino’s Managing Director, where he oversees the organization’s operations and programs. Prior to his role as Managing Director, Ameer led Voto Latino’s Programs department, where he focused much of his time on designing programming and experiments aimed at increasing Latino registration and turnout rates. In 2020, he led Voto Latino’s successful and award-winning campaign to register over 600k new voters.

Before joining Voto Latino, Ameer headed data and analytics efforts for various environmental groups building coalition-wide data programs and infrastructure. Before that he spent time working at Catalist, GMMB, and is a proud alumni of Senator Kay Hagan’s 2014 campaign and President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

When not in the office, Ameer enjoys cycling, skiing, and going on hikes with his dog Oso.

Andre De Santos is a Partnerships & Advocacy Intern at Voto Latino Born and raised in El Paso, TX, he is a Senior at Howard University majoring in political science with a minor in computer science. Passionate about voting and Latino politics, he hopes to advocate for young Latinos to use their political power.

After finishing his undergraduate studies, he hopes to work in political campaigns and the political data field. He hopes to merge his love for his Latino community with his passion for politics by helping elect more Latinos to public office. In his free time he enjoys cooking, playing video games, DJing, and hanging out with his friends.

Camille Rivera comes to Voto Latino with long and deep ties to the labor and issue campaigns movement, both in New York City and across the country. An Afro Latina, born and raised in the Bronx, Camille’s values intertwine with how she drives campaigns. Camille received her bachelor’s degree at the City of University of New York (CUNY) and received her Masters’s in Public Policy at the New York University Wagner School of Public Policy. Rivera has offered her political commentary on CNN, NY1, BBC, and WNYC’s The Takeaway. She has written op-eds for publications including for Colorlines, and has been profiled by publications including mitú, the New York Daily News, Huffington Post, and other media outlets across the country. She is a frequent commentator on NY1.

Camille’s work has included serving as a Senior Advisor on the New York operation for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 Presidential campaign, and working with SEIU to build out the National Latino Civic Engagement Table, overseeing its Latino independent expenditure program in key battleground states, including Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Florida. At SEIU, she continued as a senior advisor from 2016 to 2024. Camille also worked as a consultant for Charles Booker for the United States Senate in Kentucky. She also serves as an advisor for the National Working Families Party and helped to lead key district attorney races in Michigan and Minnesota and LA and has served as a senior advisor on various political campaigns.

Rivera is the former national & legislative political director at the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, RWDSU, where she was responsible for overseeing the union’s political, legislative, and electoral work on behalf of its members and leadership. During her tenure, she led campaigns to ensure retail owners provided fair and stable work hours to their employees, Camille worked with other labor unions to pass a precedent-setting increase for airport catering workers and worked with the state legislature to pass a historic piece of legislation that would eliminate tipped wages for car wash workers and increase their pay to $15 an hour. When New York announced a deal that would have given Amazon billions in tax subsidies without any commitment to allow workers the right to organize, Rivera helped RWDSU lead the fight to ensure that workers and the community were allowed to have a voice in the process.

Rivera brings decades of experience in government, policy, and politics. Before her work at RWDSU, Rivera spent the 2016 presidential campaign as national deputy political director for the Service Employees International Union, working to get out the vote in swing states like Nevada, Colorado, and Florida and running its massive $4 million Latino GOTV effort.
She also dealt directly with one of the most pressing policy issues in the city while serving as a top staffer in the New York City Department of Homeless Services. Camille was also the Director for United NY, helping to build up the city’s low-wage worker rights campaign, and was one of the coordinators of the first fast-food worker strikes in NYC, as well as the Fight for 15. Camille’s work on low-wage workers is documented in the book New Labor in New York.

Cynthia serves as the Director of Operations for Voto Latino. Her previous experience includes project and operations management for various other Latino-serving non-profit organizations in Washington, DC with a focus on policy advocacy for education, workforce and professional development and financial literacy. Born and raised in Southern California, she became a DC transplant in 2018. She received her Masters in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management Certification from George Washington University.

Damián Lem Gonzalez is a VL On-Campus Intern. Hailing from the borderland of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, TX, he is a sophomore student at American University, majoring in Political Science and International Economics. As a first-generation college student and a proud Latino, Damián is deeply committed to advocating for marginalized communities and emboldening the Latine voice in politics.

With experience in grassroots organizing and internships, Damián aspires to continue working in political strategy and outreach after completing his undergraduate studies. He is passionate about bridging their love for their community with their dedication to public service, hoping to create strong bridges for others back home or from similar life experiences. In his free time, he enjoys exploring new places in DMV, reading in Spanish, and going out with friends.

Jessica Ramirez serves as Vice President of Digital Engagement. Prior to Voto Latino, Jessica spent more than a decade working on digital and social content development at international nonprofits and major media organizations. She has an MA in journalism and an MFA from NYU, where she was the Axinn Writer-in-Residence and worked on her first novel. Jessica lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their morkie, Lucy.

Kaylie serves the Strategic Initiatives Assistant for Voto Latino. A graduate of William & Mary, her time as an undergraduate was spent as a Research Assistant for the Social Networks and Political Psychology lab, interning with a local law firm, and working for Undergraduate Admissions as an Interviewer.

Since being an Election Page in high school, handing out “I Voted!” stickers, she has been interested in election and voting policy. She is dedicated to ensuring accessible and equitable voting procedures in all 50 states. When she’s not in the office, she is an amateur film critic, memorizing choreography, or reading on the Metro.

Lidya serves as Director of Paid Media for Voto Latino, leading the strategic planning and implementation of Voto Latino’s paid programs, including voter registration and GOTV.

Before joining Voto Latino, Lidya specialized in voter mobilization, spearheading successful multi-channel paid campaigns for nonprofits, candidates, and advocacy organizations, including Voto Latino’s groundbreaking voter registration program in 2020 that registered over 600k new voters.

In her spare time, she enjoys pottery, baking for family and friends, and playing card games.

Lydia serves as Digital Manager for Voto Latino. In her role, Lydia oversees the execution of digital fundraising and engagement across various platforms like SMS, ads, email, and web.

Before joining our team, Lydia worked as a digital fundraising consultant for numerous progressive organizations in the lead up to the 2020 elections and in mail persuasion for the 2018 midterms. She is a proud AmeriCorps alumna, a graduate of the College of Wooster, and a DC native. When she’s not working, you can find her hyper-focusing on her latest obsession or just outside. She really likes being outside. 

NorbertoBriceno norbertobriceno

Norberto Briceño is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied theater and Latin American studies. In 2014, he joined BuzzFeed as a staff writer, where he wrote articles and quizzes about geek culture, true crime, nostalgia, and Latinidad. In 2016, he co-founded Pero Like, BuzzFeed’s flagship Latino channel, where he produced a plethora of Latino video and editorial content ranging from social issues and Latin American food analysis to comedic skits and relatable Latino-isms. During his time there, with the support of a very small but talented team, the Pero Like Facebook page garnered nearly two million likes, while the YouTube channel has surpassed one million subscribers. He’s excited to be part of the Voto Latino family as the Director of Social Media.

Rolando Velásquez serves as Strategic Initiatives Manager for Voto Latino. Before joining the Voto Latino team, he served in membership and operations roles at the National Academy of Sciences, Protect Democracy, and Truman National Security Project. When he is off the clock, he enjoys reading, cooking, and watching television.

Shannon is the Operations Assistant at Voto Latino. Before joining Voto Latino, she worked in campaigns under Defend the Future and Organizing Corps 2020. She is passionate about advocating for voting rights and reproductive justice. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cat Toby, reading, and finding good coffee shops. She’s a graduate of Acadia University.

Sofia was born in Colombia and grew up in North Carolina. She is a rising sophomore at Duke University and is planning to double major in International Comparative Studies with a concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and Public Policy. Sofia is also interested in a Human Rights Certificate and has developed a passion for helping people and advocating for human rights. She plans to go to law school and focus on immigration law, specifically working with unaccompanied minors and the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Sofia is also interested in criminal justice. Her main goal is to become a strong advocate for her community. Sofia is a huge soccer fan, loves the sun, the beach, music and dancing!

Valeri is a rising senior at Miami University- Ohio pursuing a combined BA/MA in English Literature with a minor in Social Justice Studies. After completing her degrees, she plans to attend law school and pursue a career as a voting rights litigation attorney. During her free time, Valeri enjoys reading, trying out new coffee shops, and running.

My name is Dandelion. Cynthia is my mom.

My name is Darcy Bear (or Darcidious when I’m being naughty). I moved to DC from California with my mom Cynthia. I enjoy walking and taking my time smelling every blade of grass. Snacks, naps and belly rubs are my pleasures in life. I spend most of my days napping or playing with my favorite stuffed animal raccoon who’s name is Stinky.

My name is Lucy Bain. Queen of Prospect Park and the Fedex guy, protector of the sixth floor and all men vaguely shaped like my dad, the little brown cow of Brooklyn, the destroyer of bedsheets, and the breaker of all rules but just once.

I’m a Morkie, and Jessica is my mom.

My name is Oso. Or “Osito Athanasios-Patel” if you’re mad at me. I like to give lots of licks and I promise I can reach your face. Sometimes I worry about my existential personhood but then I remember ball is life.

My dad is Ameer and he’s always staring at the computer screen. So boring.