OLA Board and Staff
Board of Directors
Melina Amaya
Melina Amaya is an immigrant activist and advocate from Ecuador. She has served on OLA’s board since 2016 and lives in Hampton Bays, NY.
Sarah M. Burr
Sarah M. Burr, Secretary, is a retired U.S. Immigration Judge, appointed by Attorney General Janet Reno in 1994. She served on the New York City Immigration Court from 1994 to 2012. From 2006 to 2011 she served as the Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in charge of the immigration courts in New York City and upstate New York. She has decided many thousands of deportation/ removal cases, including asylum applications and other forms of relief. As an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge, she supervised the judges and staff, as well as worked with the Department of Homeland Security and the private and pro bono bar on issues of mutual concern to the courts. Judge Burr currently serves on the Board of Directors of Immigrant Justice Corps, a fellowship of law school graduates conceived by Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the Second Circuit to address the severe shortage of competent counsel to represent indigent immigrants in removal proceedings. She joined OLA’s board in 2020 to continue to advocate for competent immigration counsel on the East End of Long Island. She lives in Sag Harbor, NY.
Julia Chachere
Julia Chachere is a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner and Certified Nurse Midwife. She holds a Master’s Degree in Nurse Midwifery from SUNY Stony Brook as well as a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Columbia University. Working in the field of Women's Health for over 30 years, she has provided full scope midwifery care at Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn, at Stony Brook University Hospital, and at Southampton Hospital (on the East End). Prior experience includes working for the National Health Service in England from 1993 - 2000 as a research analyst in the area of perinatal health. She is dual-credentialed as a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner and now works in this capacity with Peconic Bay Medical Group to expand women's health services on the North Fork and the East End. Julia has served on OLA’s board since 2017 and lives in Sag Harbor, NY.
Pilar Corredor
Pilar Corredor is from Colombia, where she obtained her law degree from the University of Manizales and carried out additional studies focused on sociopolitical issues. For six years she worked in the Fiscal Investigations office of the Comptroller General of the Republic and the Audit and Fiscal Control office of the Departmental Comptroller of Manizales. She also earned a Family Development Credential through Cornell Cooperative Extension and worked as a Family Advocate at Long Island Head Start for 11 years. Since 2022, Pilar has served on the Suffolk County Hispanic Advisory Board and is a member of the East End Latina Women's Conference Organizing Committee. In 2023 she received the Educational Excellence Award from the SCOPE Board of Educational Services for her excellent service to the Hampton Bays School District, where she currently works as Registrar. Pilar joined the OLA board of directors in 2023 and lives in Hampton Bays, NY.
Michael Donovan
A member of OLA’s board since 2022, Michael Donovan was the founder, Chairman, and CEO of DDS for 45 years. In 2012, DDS merged to form Mediaocean, where Michael became Executive Chairman. In 2015, Mediaocean was bought by Vista. He is currently Vice Chairman of Vista’s board. Born in Panama and raised in Costa Rica and Peru, Michael went to high school as a boarding student at Winchester College (UK) and then graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Engineering. He continued his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he obtained an MS in Computers and Business. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Michael earmarked over $2 million in donations so that OLA could provide Chromebooks to East End schools, ensuring all students had access to remote learning. He also serves on the board of The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Foundation and The American Friends of Winchester College, as well as on the board of his NYC co-op building. An investor and advisor to several start-ups and small businesses, he lives in Bridgehampton, NY.
Anthony Hitchcock
Anthony Hitchcock, Treasurer, founded (with Jean Lindgren) the company Hitchcock & Lindgren. Based in Eastern Long Island, Hitchcock & Lindgren began as a multi-faceted company whose primary activities were custom carpentry, children's photography, catering, and in subsequent years, writing guidebooks on country inns, lodges, and historic hotels of the United States and Canada. In 1978, Hitchcock & Lindgren were asked to take over management of a small country horse show in the Hamptons. Since then, the Hampton Classic Horse Show, which is a benefit event for Southampton Hospital, has grown to be the largest Hunter/Jumper horse show in the United States. Under Hitchcock & Lindgren’s leadership, it grew to attract approximately 1500 equestrian competitors and about 50,000 spectators annually. Since its inception, the Classic has contributed more than $2,500,000 to its beneficiaries. Tony and Jean retired as the Hampton Classic’s Executive Directors in April 2006. Tony's equestrian management responsibilities have included, among several other positions, serving as the Senior Vice President of HITS, Inc., a Saugerties, New York company which produces horse show circuits throughout the country. His primary focus at HITS was as a member of the marketing team where his focus was on short- and long-range strategies for developing corporate sponsorships and working with the full-time staff in expanding HITS’ community outreach programs. Tony provides pro-bono financial management services to three charities: OLA (since 2003), Hayground School (Bridgehampton), and HEART Equine Ambulance (nationwide). He and Jean live in Sagaponack, NY.
Ana C. Kestler
Ana Kestler, President, was born in El Salvador. She holds degrees in Fine Arts and in Communications from Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado. Ana came to the United States in 1999 to work at the Consulate General of El Salvador in Manhattan and later moved to the East End. Since 2008, she has been a certified legal interpreter in the New York State Unified Court System and is currently a full-time court interpreter in Riverhead, NY. Ana joined OLA’s board in 2019 and lives in Westhampton, NY.
Lukas Ortiz
Lukas Ortiz is a literary agent employed by Philip G. Spitzer Literary Agency. An immigrant from Colombia, he has served on OLA’s board since 2017 and lives in Springs, NY.
Lixdany Peláez
Lixdany Peláez was born in Colombia, where she studied accounting. She came to the United States in 1995, and in 2005 she founded (with Jorge Marín) the Latin Center Store and Multiservice, a family business located in Hampton Bays. In 2022 the Suffolk County Hispanic Advisory Board and the East End Latina Women’s Conference recognized Lixdany for her leadership and community service. She is a longtime volunteer for OLA in addition to being a member of the Organizing Committee of the East End Latina Women’s Conference. Lixdany joined OLA’s board in 2023 and lives in Hampton Bays, NY.
Isabel Sepúlveda-de Scanlon
Isabel Sepúlveda-de Scanlon, Vice President and Founding President, emigrated from her native Chile to the United States in 1980 and has lived on the East End since 1991. She started the first local bilingual television show in 1999 called Vida en los Hamptons/Life in the Hamptons. In 2002 she and other first-generation immigrants founded OLA of Eastern Long Island. A year later, in partnership with the Southampton Press, she launched the East End’s only Spanish-language newspaper, Nuestra Prensa. In 2005, she founded Voz Latina, which is still the only East End-based bilingual newspaper in English and Spanish. A 2009 graduate of Long Island’s well-known leadership program, the Energeia Partnership, she was appointed that same year to the Suffolk County Hate Crimes Task Force.
In addition to her long tenure as OLA’s President, Isabel has served as a board member of the Long Island Immigrant Alliance, the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreation Center, the SUNY Multicultural Advisory Board, and the Latino Jewish Committee, among others. Currently she is a member of the Community Board of The Watermill Center, a Rogers Memorial Library Trustee, and a board member of the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons and The Jam Session. In 2019 Isabel co-founded the Mamalluca Chilean Film Festival at the prestigious Instituto Cervantes; the festival received the highest grade of 100 from the Chilean government. She also belongs to the local Drawdown group, working to reverse global warming. Since 2015 Isabel has held the position of Latino Community Liaison for the Southampton School District. She lives in Southampton, NY.
Staff
Minerva Perez
Minerva Perez is OLA’s Executive Director. Before starting at OLA in 2016, she was the Director of Residential and Transitional Services for six years at The Retreat, where she ran a 24-hour crisis shelter for women and children fleeing domestic abuse. Minerva was honored in 2024 as a Champion of Diversity by the Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker, was nationally recognized in 2019 as a #NBCLatino20 honoree for her leadership of OLA and its impact in our region, and was named Sag Harbor Person of the Year in 2018. Minerva is a sought-after speaker, regularly featured in radio, television, and print interviews as well as in panels and public forums focused on immigrant rights, women's rights, and the arts.
Under Minerva’s leadership OLA has greatly expanded its programs, services, and advocacy. Most recently, she conceptualized and oversaw the establishment in 2023 of the organization’s immigration legal services program and in 2022 of Youth Connect, an adolescent mental health support program. She led staff in developing strong partnerships with key local healthcare facilities for programs ranging from ongoing falls prevention programming for Spanish-speaking older adults to Covid-19 education and vaccination, which ensured that Latino community members had more equitable access to information and vaccines. Other programs and advocacy that Minerva has integrated into OLA’s work since becoming executive director include trainings for East End police departments, educational programming for teens, town justice court monitoring, policy advocacy at various government levels, medical transportation, and a youth scholarship program, among other advocacy, programming, and systemic change efforts.
During the pandemic she worked with Suffolk County officials to establish a coordinated response to meeting the needs of the homebound and hungry in Suffolk’s 10 towns and ensured ongoing, regular access to food for East End families hardest hit by COVID. She launched and oversaw OLA’s participation in Project Hope: Coping with COVID, a two-year FEMA-funded New York State initiative that allowed OLA to provide crisis counseling in English, Spanish, and Portuguese to the entire East End. She also oversaw the distribution of $1.75 million in Chromebooks and Wi-Fi access to local schools so that students without access to computers could learn remotely.
Minerva currently sits on the boards of Sag Harbor Cinema and LTV. Since 2012 she has been the Chairperson of the Affirmative Action Task Force of Southampton Town, which works to promote diversity in town government and provides town leadership with training on diversity, equity, and inclusion. She holds a BFA in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and lives in Sag Harbor, NY.
Sarahelena Barrios
Sarahelena Barrios is an Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow attorney working in OLA’s immigration legal services program. She holds a BS in Psychology from Fordham University at Rose Hill and a JD from William & Mary, where she was inspired by her own family’s immigration experience to specialize in immigration law. While in law school she worked with OLA, New York Legal Assistance Group’s Immigrant Protection Unit, and Powell Law, where she handled cases involving asylum, naturalization, T-visas, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. The daughter and great-granddaughter of immigrants from Colombia and Ireland, Sarahelena is excited to continue supporting East End immigrants as they seek to regularize their status in the US. Sarahelena lives in New Hyde Park, NY.
Adriana Cardona
Adriana Cardona, Youth Connect Crisis Counselor, has seven years of experience in management, hospitality, and customer service. Born in Colombia and raised in Montauk, NY, she joined OLA in December 2021 as part of the state program Project Hope, leading workshops and providing crisis counseling to people experiencing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She holds a degree in Dentistry from Santiago de Cali University and in Orthodontics from El Bosque University in Colombia. She applies her healthcare experience to the work she does with Youth Connect. Adriana lives in East Hampton, NY.
Lucía Damerau
Lucía Damerau is OLA’s Director of Immigration Legal Services. She recently served as the Fragomen Fellow at the City Bar Justice Center, a pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association. There she represented immigrant clients in removal proceedings and complex affirmative applications, organized and led pro bono clinics, participated in community outreach activities, and mentored pro bono attorneys. Lucía also provided critical support for special projects initiated by the City Bar Justice Center. Prior to joining Fragomen, Lucía served as a staff attorney with the Immigration Advocacy Project at Legal Services of New York City. In this capacity, she represented low-income individuals and crime survivors in removal proceedings, defensive and affirmative applications, and custody and guardianship proceedings. She also managed and coordinated pro bono clinics, supervised pro bono attorneys, and conducted community presentations. Lucía was also a staff attorney with the Immigration Intervention Project at Sanctuary for Families. For her work as a volunteer attorney at the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, Lucía was awarded the National LGBTQ+ Bar 40 Best Lawyers Under 40 award in 2023. Lucía earned her J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law and her B.A. from Syracuse University. Originally from Guatemala, Lucía is a longtime resident of Queens, NY.
Heidy Escudero
Heidy Escudero, Health Ambassador, was born in Quito, Ecuador to Colombian parents. She lived in Bogotá, Colombia for 18 years and has 16 years of experience in client services. Heidy worked for two years at the Banco del Pacífico in Quito as the management secretary. She then earned the degree of Social Communicator with a concentration in organizational communication from Saint Thomas University in Bogotá, where she achieved the highest cumulative grade point average in her graduating class. Heidy did her practicum at Saint Thomas University and created a call center in the Admissions Department. Since November 2021, she has worked for OLA in several capacities related to community outreach. For Heidy, working with OLA is a dream come true because of the wonderful staff, the professional development she has experienced, and the opportunity to help Latino members of the community. She lives in Hampton Bays, NY.
Andrés Espinosa
Andrés Espinosa, Director of Finance, has 16 years of experience in management, business development, sales, marketing, hospitality, and customer service. He has had the opportunity to work and live in different countries, lead multicultural teams, and share his expertise as a community volunteer. He joined OLA in December 2020 to lead Project Hope, a temporary FEMA-funded New York State initiative, and was promoted in May 2023 as OLA's Director of Finance. A native of Colombia, Andrés holds a Master of Management degree from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business. He is passionate about using his experience and knowledge to serve our community. Andrés lives in East Hampton, NY.
Faith Evans
Faith Evans, Youth Connect Crisis Counselor, has over 25 years of combined experience in sales, marketing, advertising, hospitality, and management from Los Angeles to East Hampton. Born and raised in East Hampton, Faith knows the East End well, understanding it from the perspective of a person of color. From 2020-2022 Faith worked for OLA as a crisis counselor for the state program Project Hope: Coping with COVID. She focused her training, efforts, and artistic ability on supporting youth mental health during that time. This, in addition to her passion for working with young people and her experience as a mother of two teenagers, led her to Youth Connect. Faith is a co-founder of the nonprofit Black Alumni Alliance. She holds a B.A. from California State University-Northridge in Radio, Television and Film Production and lives in East Hampton, NY.
Anastasia Gochnour
Anastasia Gochnour is the Program Director of Youth Connect. Prior to assuming this role, Anastasia provided professional consultation and staff support to the organization and was the recipient of the OLA award for Outstanding Mental Health Support in 2023. Anastasia has extensive experience working with at-risk youth in New York City through Safe Horizon Streetwork Project, where she served in a variety of capacities, including as Clinical Director, for over 20 years. Additionally, Anastasia has provided support services to chronically mentally ill adults through her participation on the Visiting Nurse Service Mobile Crisis Team as well as during her tenure as an assistant director for the Metropolitan Hospital Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team. A graduate of Antioch College, Anastasia holds a master’s degree from the Hunter College School of Social Work and has completed postgraduate clinical training through the Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy, the Women’s Therapy Centre Institute, the Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy Program, and the Zen Center for Contemplative Care. In addition to her role with OLA, Anastasia facilitates creative collaborations with individuals, communities, and spaces as the founder of Spruce New York. She lives in Sag Harbor, NY.
Fernando Hurtado
Fernando Hurtado, Youth Connect Crisis Counselor, was born in the Bronx, NY to Dominican and Salvadoran parents. He previously worked with OLA as a crisis counselor for Project Hope and has worked as a medical assistant at Peconic Pediatrics since 2013. He has also been engaged in community outreach since 2020. Fernando’s passion for working with people stems from his love of providing community members with helpful resources and information and of making a positive impact in their lives, with the understanding that sometimes it is the little things that can have the most impact on people. Fernando lives in Centereach, NY.
Jon Lopez
Jon Lopez, Youth Connect Intervention Advocate, is a first-generation college student at Georgetown University, where he is pursuing his BA in Sociology with a double minor in Government and Spanish. Before assuming his current role at OLA in 2024, he worked as OLA’s administrative assistant in 2019, which also gave him the opportunity to spearhead community workshops and initiatives for local Latino youth and their families. Jon brings his Mexican cultural heritage, years of leadership experience, academic background, and deep knowledge of the East End to his work of expanding Youth Connect's community outreach efforts and services for youth and families needing mental and emotional health support. A big believer in wellness and fitness as an outlet, Jon is also a dedicated personal trainer and amateur boxer. Born and raised on Eastern Long Island, he lives in Sag Harbor, NY.
Angélica Ortiz
Angélica Ortiz, Youth Connect Program Coordinator, has been with OLA since December 2023, when she began as a Youth Connect crisis counselor. Angélica was born and raised in Ecuador and attended the University of Cuenca to study social work. She moved to New York in 2015 and worked for Southampton School District for nine years in different roles, including as a teacher’s aide, teacher’s assistant, and interpreter/translator for the district. Angélica earned a BA and MSW in social work from Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare. She is also a CrossFit coach, personal trainer, and nutrition coach. Angélica lives in Southampton, NY.
Erika Padilla
Erika Padilla, Legal Advocate, was born in Ecuador and came to the United States during her first year of college. She arrived in 2003 and began working as a cashier in Yonkers, NY. After learning English and acclimating to the job she was promoted to manager. A year later she moved to East Hampton where she took a position at the local cinema for the next seven years, eventually becoming First Assistant Manager. In 2012 she started a home improvement company. Erika has 19 years of combined experience in customer service, management, and clerical work, and she has worked assisting criminal attorneys with their Spanish-speaking clients. Erika dreamed of a job where she could have the satisfaction of helping her community, a goal that was fulfilled when she started working for OLA in 2019. She lives in East Hampton, NY.
Jeison Pinilla
Jeison Pinilla, Youth Connect Crisis Counselor, brings a diverse professional background to his role. Born in Colombia and raised in New Jersey, Jeison holds an associate’s degree in architecture from Union County College. Before joining Youth Connect, Jeison spent years working with children as a Shotokan Karate instructor and a literacy tutor, helping young students develop essential reading and writing skills.
In addition to his educational work, Jeison has experience in the hospitality and event management industries. He has worked as a concierge and operations coordinator in hotels and managed front-of-house operations in restaurants, where he also curated atmospheres as a DJ. Jeison now applies his varied expertise to his work with Youth Connect, providing empathetic support and crisis help to adolescents. He is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of young people.
Evelin Portillo
Evelin Portillo, Social Media Manager, brings invaluable experience and a multicultural perspective to her work with OLA. Originally from Guatemala, Evelin immigrated to Los Angeles, CA at age 14 to pursue her passion for soccer. After returning to Guatemala to attend college, she opted to study in Florence, Italy, where she earned a BFA and MA in interior design, with a minor in graphic design and marketing from Florence Design Academy. Her educational journey continued with a graduate degree in architectural lighting from the European Institute of Design (IED) in Barcelona. She also obtained an MA in design from Elisava Barcelona School of Design and Engineering in Spain. Evelin's career has included significant projects in cities such as Barcelona, Paris, London, Tel Aviv, and Guatemala City. In 2019, she moved to the East End, where she transitioned into the field of hospitality. Evelin credits OLA for helping her integrate into the community and understand the struggles of local immigrants. This support laid the foundation for her to establish her own design studio, St. Etienne, and to complete a postgraduate program, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Design, at Parsons School of Design in New York City. As Social Media Manager, Evelin is poised to bring her unique blend of experiences to advance OLA’s mission and foster meaningful connections within the community. She lives in Southampton, NY.
Walleska "Wally" Ramirez
Walleska "Wally" Ramirez, Crisis Response and Recovery Coordinator, is Puerto Rican and was born in the Bronx but raised on Long Island. She has over 12 years of experience in different capacities within the medical field. Wally has experience with medical assistance, healthcare management, office administration, insurance navigation, and care coordination. Wally is currently a Human Services major at Suffolk County Community College. Her goal is to provide support to the community and to attempt to remove common obstacles to care, such as transportation problems and lack of awareness about funding and support options. Wally feels that with dedication, compassion, and empathy, she has been able to communicate with and gain the trust of people in need that she has encountered. Wally is happy to be part of the OLA team, which she joined in 2020 and which gives her a sense of accomplishment and pride at being able to help the Latino community. She lives in South Setauket, NY.
Karen Sánchez
Karen Juliet Sánchez, Program Manager, joined OLA in February 2023. Before that, she taught Spanish and was a boarding parent for the Ross School. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Karen worked as a project manager and research assistant at Columbia University. Her work involved assessing children’s math, literacy, and self-regulation skills to study the effects of poverty on child development. She also helped conduct studies on early childhood intervention for low-income mothers and newborns. Her final project focused on helping researchers and policymakers learn how NYC residents cope with financial poverty, material hardship, health challenges, and parental stress. As a once undocumented, first-generation immigrant, Karen is passionate about helping Latinx students achieve their highest potential and is a strong advocate for raising awareness about the importance of mental health. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Karen was raised in Southampton, NY. She graduated cum laude from Columbia University, where she earned her B.A. in Psychology. She lives in Hampton Bays, NY.
Leah María Suárez
Leah María Suárez joined OLA as Grants and Communications Manager in 2023. A first-generation Mexican American, she was born and raised in South Carolina. Leah is the cofounder and former executive director of Charleston Jazz, where she spent 10 years developing this nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting, preserving, producing, and educating people about jazz in one of the most important cradles of this art form. Combining her experience, talents, and passion for community organizing, social justice, and the arts, she created the boutique consulting and production company, DELALUZ Global, which she has led since 2005. A professional musician since 1999, Leah holds a B.A. in Music Performance from the College of Charleston, with a concentration in Jazz Studies (Jazz Voice, Piano). She divides her time among Mexico City, Charleston, SC, and the East End of Long Island.
Alma Tovar
Alma Tovar, Outreach Coordinator and Transportation Advocate, began working with OLA in 2018. In addition to managing most of OLA’s online outreach, she also oversees its medical transportation program, coordinating transportation to and from medical appointments for community members, providing interpretation as needed during appointments, and strengthening connections with the local medical sector. Alma also coordinated OLA’s food crisis program during the most challenging months of the pandemic in 2020. She works individually with many OLA clients to provide support through information and referrals. A native of Sonora, Mexico, Alma holds a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management from Sonora State University and brings years of customer service experience to her work with OLA. She lives in Southampton, NY.
Jessica Tovar
Jessica Tovar, Youth Connect Crisis Counselor, has been with OLA in this role since February 2023. Prior to this, she was OLA’s Executive Support, and from 2020-2021, she worked for OLA as a crisis counselor for the state program Project Hope, leading workshops and providing crisis counseling to people experiencing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jessica is a first-generation Colombian-American whose parents migrated to the United States as adults. She studied Culinary Arts at Suffolk Community College and now also works as a private chef. Her extensive experience in retail and customer service helps inform her work at OLA. Jessica lives in East Hampton, NY.
Erika Vargas
Erika Vargas, Executive Support, is from Valle de Santiago (Guanajuato, Mexico), where she lived until age 10 when her family immigrated to the US. Before joining OLA in 2024, she worked in the construction industry in various roles, including as purchasing manager and property manager; she also worked in the accounting department. Erika graduate cum laude from both Southampton High School and the University at Albany (SUNY), where she earned a B.A. in Economics and Business. As a first-generation Latina immigrant, she has always felt the desire to help her community. Erika lives in Southampton, NY.