Maritza Silva-Farrell is the Executive Director at ALIGN, a long-time organizer, political strategist, and a movement leader with a track record of winning campaigns in the progressive movement. Her vision is of a just and sustainable New York, achieved by workers and community coming together to tackle inequality, climate change while holding corporations accountable. Maritza has been spearheading coalition building, strategic organizing, and policy interventions at ALIGN for nearly 10 years.  Maritza has played a key role in successful coalitions winning transformational policies forging powerful alliances that benefit workers, immigrants, women, low-income communities of color, and the environment.  Maritza’s vision is of a just and sustainable New York, achieved by workers and the community coming together to tackle inequality, climate change while holding corporations accountable. Her passion for advancing innovations that prioritize the intersection of workers and climate is evident on the boards she serves which includes the board of the Partnership for Working Families, the Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills, Jobs with Justice, and New York Communities Organizing Fund (NYCOFI).

Sumathy Kumar is the campaign organizer with Housing Justice for All, a Statewide Coalition of over 100 groups that represent tenants and homeless New Yorkers and the co-chair of NYC-DSA. Before joining Housing Justice For All she worked as a tenant organizer in Central Brooklyn with the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board.

Melisa Tekin is a graphic designer living in NYC. She believes that effective design is an important tool, and aims to bridge the divide between effective design and pressing issues in her community through her work. Melisa holds a B.A. in Urban Economics and Marketing, and a B.F.A. in Design from Queens College. She works as art director and graphic designer at her design practice, Neighbors Studio. Currently, Melisa is hosting Cohort Two of her Design Mentorship program, where she provides guidance on pursuing a career in graphic design to students/ recent grads from underrepresented groups.

Rose Wong is an illustrator based in Brooklyn, NY. She earned her BFA in Communications Design with an emphasis in Illustration from Pratt Institute. Since then, she has worked for clients such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, NPR and more. In her free time, she makes zines and ceramics.

Are you an NYC-based community organization that wants to collaborate with CUP? Learn more about the open call and apply by April 5th, 2021 here!