Immigrant justice fund Senior leadership

Kica Matos, President

Kica Matos is the president of the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) and the Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF). She is also a Distinguished Practitioner at Yale University’s Brady Johnson Program in Grand Strategy. Kica joined NILC and IJF as executive vice president of programs and strategy in January 2023. Prior to this, Kica was vice president of initiatives at the Vera Institute of Justice. She also served as the director of immigrant rights and racial justice at the Center for Community Change. She has extensive experience as an advocate, community organizer, and lawyer.

Kica has also headed up the U.S. Reconciliation and Human Rights Program at Atlantic Philanthropies. Before joining Atlantic Philanthropies, she was deputy mayor in the city of New Haven, where she oversaw community programs and launched new initiatives including prisoner re-entry and youth and immigrant integration. Kica was previously the executive director of JUNTA, New Haven’s oldest Latino advocacy organization. She also worked as an assistant federal defender for death sentenced inmates and with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Amnesty International on death penalty and criminal justice issues.

She has a B.A. from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, an M.A. from the New School and a J.D. from Cornell Law School. She was awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Albertus Magnus College in 2017 and the University of New Haven in 2019. She is a recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award and in 2021, she was inducted into the CT Women’s Hall of Fame.

Briannon Gillis, Political Director

Bri heads the Immigrant Justice Fund and is responsible for helping to manage the growth of the c4’s work, as well as the creation and implementation of its programs. She guides the strategic direction of NILC/IJF by providing vision and leadership to create effective programs that build political power for immigrant inclusion in the United States. Briannon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in building political power on reproductive justice and gun safety issues which will be extremely beneficial as we strive to enhance our capacity to build political power with immigrant communities. She most recently served as Deputy Political Director for Giffords, managing relationships with candidates, members, and their staff, including coordinating political engagement for Gabby Giffords. She has experience managing PAC and C4 spending for federal and statewide candidates. Bri also served as PAC Director for NARAL Pro-Choice America, managing relationships with candidates and serving as political contact answering policy questions for a portfolio of over 100 candidates. This included advising major donors and Board Members on political contributions.

VICTORIA BALLESTEROS, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Victoria Ballesteros heads NILC’s communications team and is responsible for developing strategic communication initiatives for the organization, to help grow the visibility and reach of NILC’s work on behalf of immigrants. She came to NILC with more than 15 years of experience leading communication efforts in the nonprofit and public sectors. She has worked for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Children’s Defense Fund, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency, California’s Senate majority leader, and The SCAN Foundation. Ms. Ballesteros earned her master’s degree in communication management from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. She is bilingual (Spanish/English).

JENNY REJESKE, DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND ADVOCACY

Jenny Rejeske leads the planning and execution of NILC IJF’s policy development, legislative, and advocacy strategies. Jenny has 18 years of experience working in nonprofits, starting at a migrant health center in Colorado. She has served in various positions at NILC, most recently as associate director of policy and advocacy and senior health policy analyst. Before joining NILC in 2011, Jenny was director of health advocacy at the New York Immigration Coalition. She holds an M.S. in nonprofit management from the Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment.

JOSHUA STEHLIK, DEPUTY LEGAL DIRECTOR

Joshua Stehlik is an integral member of the management team that oversees NILC’s Legal Department, including its entire litigation docket of complex federal cases aimed at systemically advancing and defending the rights of low-income immigrants. In that capacity, Mr. Stehlik is responsible for the administration of the department, including the coordination of supervision of nearly 20 staff and management of NILC’s litigation docket and other legal advocacy. Prior to joining NILC, Mr. Stehlik served as a supervising attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, where, for over ten years, he represented low-wage workers in a variety of wage-and-hour cases, unemployment insurance benefit appeals, and criminal record expungement proceedings to enhance employability. In that capacity, he also coordinated and supervised three weekly workers′ rights self-help legal clinics that assisted nearly 2,000 low-wage workers each year. Mr. Stehlik holds a juris doctor degree from Yale Law School.

Marisa Aguayo, Senior Officer, Institutional Giving 

Marisa Aguayo has lead responsibility for developing and implementing institutional fundraising strategies, which involves securing support from foundations, law firms, unions, corporations, and other associations. She also plays a leadership role in crafting annual fundraising plans that ensure NILC IJF’s long-term sustainability. Prior to joining NILC in 2004, Marisa worked as a program director for the MultiCultural Collaborative, a social justice organization created after Los Angeles’ 1992 civil unrest. Prior to that, she was a development associate for El Rescate, a legal and social services agency serving immigrants in Los Angeles.