This document provides biographies of the panelists and moderator for the Immigration and Rural America Roundtable: Felicia Escobar from the White House Domestic Policy Council, Julie Rodriquez from the White House Domestic Policy Council, Erica Lomeli from the UFW Foundation, and moderator Edyael Casaperalta from the Center for Rural Strategies. It summarizes their backgrounds and experience in immigration policy and advocacy.

1. Immigration and Rural America Roundtable
Presenters
Panelists:
Felicia Escobar, Director of Immigration Policy,
White House Domestic Policy Council
Julie Rodriquez, Public Engagement Advisor
White House Domestic Policy Council
Erica Lomeli, Policy Director, UFW Foundation
Moderator:
Edyael Casaperalta, Center for Rural Strategies

2. Immigration and Rural America Roundtable
Edyael Casaperalta
Center for Rural Strategies
Edyael joined Rural Strategies after serving as a consultant for
our efforts in the Gulf Coast in the fall and winter of 2006-2007.
She has worked with the Llano Grande Center for Research and
Development, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educational
pursuits and community youth leadership, beginning when she
was a sophomore at Edcouch-Elsa High School in Elsa, Texas.
Edyael is one of four founders of the Llano Grande Center’s
Spanish Language Immersion Institute, and she led several
community based research initiatives in her rural South Texas
home town. She was born in Mexico, immigrated to the United
States when she was 12, and graduated from Edcouch-Elsa High
School in 2001. Edyael received a B.A. from Occidental College in
Los Angeles and a master's degree in Latin American Studies at
Ohio University in Athens.

3. Immigration and Rural America Roundtable
Felicia Escobar
Senior Policy Director for Immigration
Felicia develops the President’s strategy for building a 21st century immigration system.
This work involves coordinating efforts across the Executive branch to strengthen the
current system and working toward passage of meaningful, comprehensive immigration
reform legislation. Felicia previously served on U.S. Senator Ken Salazar’s legislative
team, working with him to develop his legislative agenda on a host of issues including
labor, civil rights, judicial nominations and immigration. Felicia advised Senator Salazar
during the comprehensive immigration reform debates of 2006 and 2007 in which
Senator Salazar was a key member of the bipartisan group pressing for reform.
Prior to this, Felicia was Associate Director of the Senate Democratic Steering and
Outreach Committee. In this role, Felicia helped cultivate relationships between
Democratic Leader Tom Daschle and key stakeholder groups, including Latino,
immigration and education advocacy groups. Felicia started her career as a State Policy
Analyst working for the National Council of La Raza. She represented NCLR and its
network of affiliates in the Texas State Legislature, testifying before legislative
committees to advocate for education, immigrant access to benefits, and hate crimes
legislation. Felicia is a native of San Antonio, TX. She received an undergraduate degree
from Yale University, a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of
Government and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law.

4. Immigration and Rural America Roundtable
Julie Chavez Rodriguez
Public Engagement Advisor
Julie Chavez Rodriguez is a Public Engagement Advisor in the White House
Office of Public Engagement. Most recently Julie served as the Director of
Youth Employment at the Department of the Interior under Secretary Ken
Salazar. Prior to joining the Administration, Julie served as the Director of
Programs for the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, a non-profit organization,
founded in 1993 by the Chavez family to educate the nation about his life and
work. In 2001, Julie helped launch the Chavez Foundation’s service-learning
programs in Latino communities across the United States. In the nine years
she spent with the organization, Julie distinguished herself as an effective
program manager, community organizer, and advocate for Latino youth. She
has established school and community based partnerships in major cities,
including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Phoenix, and helped develop curricula
widely used in school districts throughout the country. Due to her extensive
traveling and commitment to service, Julie has helped to engage Latinos and
other communities of color across the country in service-learning and
community development programming.

5. Immigration and Rural America Roundtable
Erica Lomeli
United Farmworkers Foundation
Civic Participation and Policy Director
Ms. Lomeli joined the UFW Foundation in March of 2007. She assists
with coordination of civic participation efforts for immigration
reform for agricultural workers. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms.
Lomeli worked at VELA, a non-profit organization, where she was
responsible for coordinating various community projects serving
low-income families and mentally challenged children. Ms. Lomeli
received her bachelor's degree in Social Science in Public and
Community Service at UC Irvine, and her master's degree in Public
Administration at the University of Washington.

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The National Rural Assembly is
supported in part by a grant from the
W. K. Kellogg Foundation