Loida L. Tapia has dedicated her career in building capacity for communities to engage in public policy and government both at the state and federal level. Loida led MI Poder, a new 501c4 in Michigan, to engage Latino communities across the state in civic participation and political advocacy.  She previously led the Redistricting Initiative for the Michigan Nonprofit Association; the largest statewide redistricting engagement program. In 2020 she led the ACLU of Michigan's Election Protection Program. In 2019 Loida established the Office of Public Engagement in the Michigan Department of State. As Director, she led internal analysis of policy to remove systemic barriers for marginalized communities to attain Secretary of State services and information. She led the implementation of a statewide public education strategy around new voting rights laws and helped establish the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.Prior to her work in Michigan, she served as a Senior Advisory on Workforce Planning and Talent Development to the Obama Administration. As a White House appointee to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, she led the strategic outreach in workforce development in diversity and inclusion. Loida’s previous roles include working in the U.S. Senate for the Assistant Minority Leader Dick Durbin (2009-2011), both 2008 and 2012 Barack Obama Presidential Campaigns (2007-2008) (2011-2012), and for Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid’s 2010 Senatorial campaign. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is a proud resident of Detroit, MI. 
 
Abril Valdes Siewert has dedicated her career to social justice. Ms. Siewert has spent the last decade specializing in immigration law; however, recently joined the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission for the State of Michigan as an Administrative Law Specialist. She has worked with small and large firms, as well as non-profit organizations such as Lakeshore Legal Aid; and as the Immigrant Rights Attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan. During her time at the ACLU, she co-authored the Michigan Crimmigration resource guide which was distributed throughout the state. Ms. Siewert is licensed in the states of Michigan and California. She received herJ.D., from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and her B.A. in English, from California State University Los Angeles. She is a Governor Whitmer appointed Commissioner and Secretary for the Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan, Secretary for the State Bar of Michigan’s Immigration Law Section, Director at Large and co-chair of the Diversity Equity & Inclusion committee for the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, as well as a Board of Director for the Hispanic Bar Association.
 
[SHOW NOTES]
 
United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions (Plum Book) http://tinyurl.com/4t9mc2ez
 
Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation--and Positive Strategies for Change
http://tinyurl.com/55vazbpj
 
 
Learn more about WLAM on our ⁠⁠website⁠⁠ and on our social media platforms ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠, and ⁠Twitter⁠.  
 
WLAM supporters can sponsor the Working Towards Nine Podcast. Sponsorship includes a 30-second promo, either audio created by the sponsor or ad copy read by the producer and the sponsor’s name cited in the show notes. Check out our website ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ to learn more and purchase a sponsorship.  
 
WLAM wants the WTN Podcast to be accessible to all who listen. If you would like a free transcript of an episode, please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠. 
 

Ver todos los episodios