MLP Board Member Bios

 

Christopher Luis Stevenson is an MPA student with a focus on state and urban policy and the founder of the Minority Leadership Program at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration. Christopher has a strong background working in Maryland politics, both at the federal and state level and currently serves as a community liaison for a Maryland State Senator. His passion to create this program stemmed from his deep involvement and previous work on minority issues and organizations, such as The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), where he managed various legislative and equal opportunity initiatives. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the George Washington University. Christopher has experience in communications, legislative processes, community organizing and political strategy. Just this past year, he helped lead an initiative that derailed a proposed plan that would destroy the homes of over 1,300 residents in the city that he was raised in. He is a staunch advocate for minority, gender and sexual-orientation equality, and loves promoting and participating in activities that help with these initiatives. 

 

Erika Ross graduated from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor with a Bachelor’s in Political Science. There, she worked as a research assistant for the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse and an assistant facilitator of the Youth Arts Alliance Program, working with detained youth. After graduation in 2014, Erika became a Teach for America Corps member in Charlotte, NC and obtained a Middle School and Secondary Social Studies certificate. As a teacher, she developed a student organization geared towards leadership and involvement with various community service and social action projects. She has completed two policy and advocacy fellowships through Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE), working for the School Justice Project, a nonprofit that advocates for special education for incarcerated youth. Currently, she works in policy and communications at the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) and plans to pursue a lifetime career in social policy. 

 

Hunter Gomez is the Vice Chair of Membership for the Minority Leadership Program. Hailing from Arizona, Hunter is a 2nd year MPA student with a focus in emergency management and crisis communications. Prior to his enrollment at the George Washington University, Hunter graduated with honors from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Science. After spending over a decade working in the entertainment industry, he entered the world of marketing and communications as a marketing director with a cosmetics startup based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now a full-time student at the Trachtenberg School, Hunter focuses primarily on disaster and crisis management and communications. Being a descendant of Mexican and Spanish immigrants, Hunter is dedicated to serving and representing Hispanic populations at the highest levels of the private and public sector.  

 

Dale Abraham was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Austin College in 2016. In Summer 2014, he participated in the Social Entrepreneurship for Poverty Alleviation program. Through this initiative, he was a Grant Writing Intern for the Sherman Symphony Orchestra. Subsequently, in Summer 2015, Dale was an AmeriCorps State and National Member, where he dedicated his time to rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy throughout New Jersey. In Fall 2016, Dale was concurrently, an Intern at the U.S. House of Representatives and an Intern for the U.S. Department of Commerce.  Currently, he is entering his final year as a Master of Public Policy Candidate. In addition to serving as the Vice Chair of Communications at the Minority Leadership Program, he is the Co-Treasurer of the Trachtenberg Student Organization and a Student Trainee at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

 

Ahoefa Ananouko is a Master of Public Policy student with a passion for service and social justice, and a staunch advocate for ethical values in the policy-making process. As a refugee-immigrant from Togo, she has a strong interest in the impact of policy on low-income and marginalized communities. She began to nurture her passion in high school while working for Food Works, an organization which aims to empower low-income youth and their communities through farming and community food projects. In her undergraduate program at the University of Portland, she volunteered with the Girls Scouts of Oregon & Southwest Washington’s Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program, facilitating visits between girls and their incarcerated mothers. She later interned with the Boy Scouts doing life skills education and curriculum management for at-risk youth in local public schools.  Before coming to the Trachtenberg School, Ahoefa served as Civic Engagement Chair at the Urban League of Portland Young Professionals, a volunteer auxiliary of the National Urban League. She also served as a member of the Multnomah County Citizen Review Board, where she worked to bring transparency and oversight to cases of foster care youth, ensuring accountability for policies and procedures.

 

Cesar Villanueva is Vice Chair of Programming for the Minority Leadership Program. Currently, he is obtaining his Master of Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration on education and urban policy. Prior to coming to the Trachtenberg School, he worked at the Youth Policy Institute (YPI), a nonprofit organization that closely aligns with his values. YPI is addressing intergenerational poverty by providing access to education, workforce training and essential human need services to low-income families and communities. At YPI, Cesar worked as a Business Service Representative to conduct job fairs, assist with professional development workshops, partner with employers and community agencies and help low-income communities overcome barriers to employment. He obtained his Bachelor's in Political Science at Cal State University Northridge, in which he spent some of his time working on Capitol Hill as a congressional intern for the Office of Congressman Xavier Becerra. Cesar is passionate about helping minority communities thrive in higher education, leadership roles and access to economic advancement opportunities. As Vice Chair of Programming, he hopes to help the program be inclusive of all minority communities.