Catherine Ramirez Mejia (she/her) joined MIRA in October 2022 as the Access and Resource Specialist. Catherine builds organizational knowledge on immigrant access to various systems, creates and leads training, and designs resources and tools for a wide range of audiences in collaboration with the Communications Team and Digital Organizer. In addition, Catherine assists and advises the Policy Team on state and federal policy and legislative issues related to access to systems and services for immigrants.

Prior to joining MIRA, Catherine served as a Program Coordinator and Operations Manager with Connecticut Court Appointed Special Advocates. In 2021, Catherine earned a Master of Public Policy with a concentration in children, youth, and family policy, and immigration policy from Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Catherine also has professional experience supporting initiatives between state and federal government as a data and research AmeriCorps VISTA member with the City of Hartford, Connecticut.

Marie Smith is a Strategic Professional Learning Manager at Newsela and is based out of Seattle, WA. As a member of the Professional Learning team, she is responsible for supporting, designing, and delivering professional learning to accounts in the Western region. Marie is committed to providing teachers with strategies to engage their students in differentiated and personalized learning experiences. Prior to joining the Newsela team, Marie spent 17 years in education as an elementary educator, an Educational Technology Coach, and Professional Development Coach.