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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Andrew Baranoski joined PIRC in January 2020 as Executive Director. He has long been committed to refugee and asylee resettlement and access to legal services for all immigrants. Prior to joining PIRC, Andrew proudly served as the Executive Director of the American Civic Association in Binghamton, New York from 2008 until 2015. Most recently, he worked in higher education at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina. He graduated from Binghamton University with a BA in anthropology. After college, he became certified as a paralegal at Syracuse University. Later he earned his Master of Public Administration degree at Binghamton University and completed a year-long graduate internship at the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York.
Andrew was born and raised in Snyder County, PA. Andrew and his wife Barbara are excited to return to Pennsylvania to be close to family and friends. They enjoy traveling and all genres of music and often combine these two past-times attending music festivals abroad and across the USA.
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Elizabeth Miller joined PIRC in 2022 as Development Director, previously serving the organization as Office Manager/Development Manager, Office Manager, and intern over a period of 10 years. Miller received her Bachelor’s in Sociology from Goucher College, with a concentration in Social Justice and Minor in Communications and Media Studies and earned her Master’s degree in Social Justice and Human Rights from Arizona State University, with a Concentration in NGO Management. She is a Lancaster native, and most recently worked with the Mennonite Economic Development Associates as Strategic Engagement Coordinator. She is passionate about human rights issues, specifically those surrounding immigrant rights and gender equity. Miller serves on the board of the Lancaster-based Feakins Foundation.
REMOVAL DEFENSE PROGRAMS
MANAGING ATTORNEY | REMOVAL DEFENSE PROGRAMS
Ryan Brunsink is a managing attorney for the Removal Defense Programs. He joined PIRC in March of 2015, after serving as a judicial fellow in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia where he regularly drafted legal opinions. Ryan graduated, cum laude, from Pepperdine University School of Law in May of 2014. At Pepperdine, Ryan successfully represented vulnerable clients with fear-based claims through Pepperdine’s Asylum and Refugee Clinic. He worked as a summer law clerk at the Law Offices of Carl Shusterman, a prominent immigration firm in Los Angeles, and provided pro bono legal aid to indigent clients through Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles during his time in law school. Ryan obtained a BA in Economics and Religious Studies at the University of Virginia in 2008, and remains an avid Wahoo fan. Ryan is proficient in Spanish.
SUPERVISING ATTORNEY | REMOVAL DEFENSE PROGRAMS
Ben Hooper is a supervising attorney with PIRC’s Removal Defense Programs. Since joining PIRC in January 2018, Ben has represented immigrants in Pennsylvania detained at York and Moshannon Valley, and other prisons in the Eastern United States. Ben’s work has focused on applicants for asylum and protection under the United Nations Convention against Torture, defending individuals with refugee status from removal, and advocating for immigrants with limited English-language proficiency. Ben’s notable cases include B.C. v. AG United States, 12 F.4th 306 (3d Cir. 2021) and Ishmael v. AG United States, 77 F.4th 175 (3d Cir. 2023). Ben has been a legal aid attorney for 25 years; he previously worked for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, MidPenn Legal Services, Columbia Legal Services and Legal Assistance of Western New York. Ben earned his J.D. degree from Northeastern University, and a B.A. in Political Science at Binghamton University. Ben lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with his wife, Victoria, and their dog and two cats.
SUPERVISING ATTORNEY | REMOVAL DEFENSE PROGRAMS
Yarima Gonzalez Crespo is a native Spanish speaker, born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She has a JD from the Inter American University of PR, School of Law. As part of her interests, she took elective courses in Immigration Law, Therapeutic Justice and Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues Advocacy. Yarima has over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector with an emphasis on public interest work and Human Rights. Yarima’s dedication for advocacy for those most vulnerable is what made her join the Removal Defense team in September 2022, where she started as a Staff Attorney. Yarima is passionate about social justice and about her home country, Puerto Rico.
LAW CLERK | REMOVAL DEFENSE PROGRAMS
Maria Sabatino joined PIRC in September 2024 as a Law Clerk for Removal Defense Programs. After working with an international population for many years in a variety of roles and settings, including extensive experience teaching English to students from around the world, Maria realized her lifelong dream of going to law school. With a clear focus on immigration advocacy, Maria had the privilege of completing her legal externship at PIRC during the Summer of 2023. The experience solidified Maria’s commitment to working with the most vulnerable immigrants, and she is thrilled to have found her way back to PIRC. Maria earned her B.A in English from Penn State, her M.A. in Italian from Binghamton University, and her J.D. from Widener Law Commonwealth. Maria is fluent in Italian, is working on improving her Spanish, and has basic communication skills in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Colloquial Arabic.
LEGAL ORIENTATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR/DOJ ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE
Samantha Naranjo-Gonzalez joined PIRC in 2020 as Office Manager and assisted with Citizenship Coordination along the way. She graduated from HACC with a degree in Paralegal Studies and received DOJ Accreditation in 2022. She is fluent in Spanish and coordinates all aspects of the Legal Orientation Program which provides education to immigrants in detention in Pennsylvania. Samantha is passionate about immigration law and helping other immigrants achieve their dreams.
LEGAL ORIENTATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Gabriela Menjivar started with PIRC in 2023. She graduated from Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) in 2020 with an associate degree in paralegal studies. Gabriela is currently attending Central Penn with a major in Legal Studies and is planning to attend law school with the end goal of becoming an immigration attorney. She decided to join PIRC because immigration is something that is very close to her heart, and it is an organization where she believe she will be able to help make a change. Gabriela has a 4-month-old daughter, a husband and a very energetic Australian Shepard.
At PIRC, Gabriela is the Legal Orientation Program Coordinator where she will be providing operational support services for PIRC’s Removal Defense Programs, primarily the LOP.
PA IMMIGRANT FAMILY UNITY PROJECT COORDINATOR
Milca Louis is originally from Haiti and has resided in the US since 2009. In March 2023, she joined the PIRC – Removal Defense Team as a DOJ Accredited Representative. She earned my bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the Pennsylvania State University in 2017. For the past 7 years, she worked as an ABA Therapist/Teacher Counselor, specializing in working with children and individuals on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Louis enrolled in HACC in 2023 for Nursing and will be undertaking the VIISTA Program at Villanova for my DOJ Accreditation. Her motivation to work in this field stemmed from encountering individuals in immigration proceedings who lacked guidance to navigate the difficult process.
LEGAL ORIENTATION PROGRAM MANAGER/SENIOR DOJ FULLY ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE
Fernanda Hernandez has worked with the Removal Defense team since joining PIRC in 2016. She graduated HACC with a degree in Behavioral and Social Sciences, with a concentration on Paralegal Studies in 2016, and earned her Bachelor degree in Applied Science in Technical Leadership from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in 2019. Fernanda is fluent in Spanish, and received her DOJ accreditation in early 2018.
After getting her partial accreditation, she started providing legal orientation classes to detained immigrants at York County Prison and Berks County Residential Center, continuing to do so today at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center & Clinton County Correctional Facility. Now with full Department of Justice Accreditation, Fernanda hopes to start working towards not providing education to immigrants in detention but to also help them fight for their freedom, representing them in front of an immigration court.
At PIRC, Ms. Hernandez provides remote and in-person classes for immigrants in detention to inform them of their rights and what to to expect in immigration court. She also manages the Legal Orientation Program (LOP), from scheduling in-person services all the way to stakeholders’ meetings such as ICE, EOIR, and detention facility staff. Fernanda would love to have more capacity or partner with other organizations to refer detained immigrants who are PA residents and to collaborate on a bond project – currently the need for detained representation and bond help far outweighs the capacity among organizations throughout the state.
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDRENS PROGRAM ATTORNEY | IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CORPS FELLOW
Micaela Kitchen Micaela Kitchen joined PIRC’s Removal Defense team as an Immigrant Justice Corps Unaccompanied Children Program Justice Fellow in September 2024. She earned her J.D. from Drexel University Kline School of Law in May 2024, graduating with Pro Bono Service Honors and receiving the Faculty Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Student. During law school, Micaela provided direct client services in criminal and immigration law at Philadelphia organizations including the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Legal Assistance, Community Legal Services, and Nationalities Service Center. As Pro Bono Coordinator of Drexel’s Immigration Law Society, she spearheaded law student pro bono work with Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, TX. Micaela earned her B.A. in political science and Spanish from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA in 2021 and studied abroad at the University of Málaga in Spain. Micaela lives in Philadelphia, PA and enjoys running, thrift shopping, and relaxing at her local dog park. She possesses intermediate Spanish fluency and is working towards more advanced fluency.
PA IMMIGRANT FAMILY UNITY PROJECT COORDINATOR
Yomayra Burgos started with PIRC in 2022 as the PA Immigrant Family Unity Project (PAIFUP) coordinator. Born and raised in Lancaster, PA Ms. Burgos is Puerto Rican/Peruvian, and fluent in Spanish. She earned her bachelor’s in 2018 from Millersville University with a degree in Geography and Latino Studies. In 2018 she also conducted community outreach through her internship with the Jess King for Congress campaign. For years Ms. Burgos mentored young women pursuing their higher educational goals, a part of the Miss Hispanidad Scholarship Program (Latin American Alliance). Yomayra Burgos is committed to serving the immigrant community.
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
MANAGING ATTORNEY | COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Diana Bieber Locke rejoined PIRC in January 2021 as a supervising attorney in Community Programs, having previously worked at PIRC during the development of the Immigrant Survivors Project. She brings over ten years’ experience in immigration legal representation for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking and has provided trainings on this topic across the state. Prior to law school, Ms. Bieber Locke worked as part of an Americorps volunteer program in southern Colorado where she helped initiate the San Luis Valley Immigrant Resource Center and successfully applied for its DOJ recognition. Ms. Bieber Locke earned her law degree cum laude from New York University School of Law and her undergraduate degree in English Literature and Sociology/Anthropology with a concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies from Swarthmore College. She has studied and worked in Peru, Colombia, and the Netherlands and is proficient in Spanish.
STAFF ATTORNEY | IMMIGRANT SURVIVORS PROJECT
Ashley Morgan
STATEWIDE LIAISON/SENIOR DOJ ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE | IMMIGRANT SURVIVORS PROJECT
Sarah Martin-Torres is the State Liaison for the Immigrant Survivors Project at the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Temple University and has been providing immigration legal services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking for nearly a decade as a Department of Justice Accredited Representative. Ms. Martin-Torres also coordinates the Immigrant Survivors Advocate Network (ISAN) and is fluent in Spanish.
LEGAL ADVOCATE/DOJ ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE | IMMIGRANT SUVRIVORS PROJECT
Rosa Perez-Lupian graduated from Delone Catholic High School in 1992 and attended DeVry University. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents. In 2005, she began her 12 year career as Bilingual Client Advocate and Community Education Coordinator at YWCA Hanover Safe Home, where she established a robust program of community outreach, speaking to thousands of students as well as adult groups about healthy relationships and intimate partner violence. While developing her skills as an advocate, Mr. Perez-Lupian found that assisting immigrant victims of crime brought deep satisfaction. Through this work, she formed a strong bond with the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center, where she began to work in November 2017.
LEGAL ADVOCATE/DOJ ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE | IMMIGRANT SURVIVORS PROJECT
Jazmin H. Hernandez joined PIRC in August 2019 as a Citizenship Coordinator. Jazmin is the daughter of Mexican parents who brought her to the U.S. in 2008 when she was 11 years old. She earned her Associate in Applied Science in Paralegal Studies in June 2017. Jazmin continued her education at Central Penn College and graduated in March 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies. She worked as a paralegal for a private law firm assisting in family petitions, asylum, and removal proceedings. She is passionate about helping the immigrant community as she is an immigrant herself and knows the obstacles and challenges they face. Jazmin is fluent in Spanish.
OFFICE MANAGER & ADVOCATE
Minerva Orengo-Costa joined PIRC in December 2022 as Office Manager/ISP Coordinator. Prior to joining PIRC, Minerva worked in different fields involving administrative work, customer service, and quality control. Minerva is currently pursuing DOJ Accreditation to work closer with immigrants in their immigration journey. She is a native Spanish speaker and fully bilingual. Her diverse background alongside her passion for access to justice, motivates her every day to go above and beyond to support the immigrant community, the organization and its mission.
COORDINATOR | IMMIGRANT SURVIVORS PROJECT
Dalia Berroa joined PIRC in early 2024. She was born in the Dominican Republic and was brought to the US by her parents in 1998 at the age of six. Dalia completed my associate degree in early childhood education online through Ashford University. She taught preschool for 10 years and managed a childcare center for 4 years before deciding to make a change and explore immigration law. She has always enjoyed helping others.
ATTORNEY | IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CORPS – KATZMANN FELLOW, IMMIGRANT SURVIVORS PROJECT
Chelsea Caplinger
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kimberly Mahaffy, Ph.D.
Board President
Millersville University
Professor of Sociology
Amy Chamberlin
Board Vice President
Family First Health
Senior Director of Development
David Corman
Secretary
Family First Health
Manager of Donor Relations
Marilyn Neuberger
Teacher of English as a Second Language
Community Volunteer
Tamara Shehadeh-Cope
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
Attorney/Hearing Examiner
Gabriela Dehart
York City School District
Bilingual Outreach Worker
Caty Houtman
York County Public Defenders Office
Attorney
Komal Patel
Members 1st FCU
Commercial Relationship Manager
George Stoltzfus
Retired Physician and Administrator
Angus Love
Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project
Emeritus Director
contact us
- Call: 717-600-8099
- E-mail: info@pirclaw.org
- Mail: P.O. Box 20339, York, PA 17402
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