Gabriella A. Romero is the assemblymember for New York State’s 109th Assembly District, representing the communities of Albany, New Scotland, and parts of Guilderland.

As the daughter of two proud, unionized state workers, Gabriella grew up with a deep appreciation for public service and the transformative power of collective action.

Gabriella earned her undergraduate degree from Union College, where she was selected as a Minerva fellow post-graduation, serving in Estero de Plátano, Ecuador. She later graduated from Albany Law School, distinguishing herself as the editor-in-chief of the Government Law Review and as a pro bono scholar.

Following law school, Gabriella served as a public defender, working as a felony trial attorney, taking cases to verdict and handling extensive mitigation files, with the goal of contextualizing the root causes of criminal behavior to advocate for fair sentencing and systemic reform. This role deepened her understanding of the systemic criminalization of poverty, housing, and food insecurity, inspiring her to champion meaningful changes in these areas.

Gabriella’s career in public service began in 2021 when she was elected to the Albany Common Council representing the 6th Ward. During her tenure, she championed tenant rights and criminal justice reform, and she increased youth recreational opportunities, building a reputation as a tireless advocate for her community.

In 2024, Gabriella was elected to the New York State Assembly, where she continues her commitment to equity, justice, and the betterment of the Capital Region.

Mia Ives-Rublee is the senior director for the Disability Justice Initiative at American Progress. Prior to coming to American Progress, she advocated for disability justice and inclusion at nonprofit organizations and businesses across the United States. She has worked with Women’s March, Families Belong Together, DC Action Lab, Adoptees for Justice, Fair Fight, People’s Collective for Justice and Liberation, and numerous other progressive organizations.

Best known for founding the Women’s March Disability Caucus, Ives-Rublee helped organize the original Women’s March on Washington in 2017. The Women’s March was one of the first large-scale events to have certified deaf interpreters on stage. Ives-Rublee’s work pushed for better access to disability accommodations at progressive events and more policy platforms inclusive of the disability community. For her work on the Women’s March, Ives-Rublee was named by Glamour magazine as one of 2017’s Women of the Year Award. She was also recognized by She the People as one of 20 Women of Color in Politics to Watch in 2020 and awarded the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Social Work.

Ives-Rublee worked on several political campaigns during the 2020 cycle. As a North Carolina community regional organizing director for the Elizabeth Warren Campaign for President, she communicated policies and organized events around specific issues affecting the disability and Asian American communities. She volunteered on Warren’s Disability Policy Group, helping shape the Disability Policy Platform and developing the campaign’s private event accessibility toolkit. During the general election, Ives-Rublee worked as the field director for Down Home NC to encourage rural residents to vote. She also worked with the Asian American Advocacy Fund and the Georgia Disability Vote Partnership to help elect Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and the Rev. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) during the 2021 special election.

For six years, Ives-Rublee worked as a vocational counselor at the North Carolina Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services to help disabled people obtain substantial employment and connect with services in their communities. She researched alternative mental health diversion programs at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2015 and, in 2017, was the confidential assistant to Commissioner Chai Feldblum at the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. At the Ford Foundation in 2019, Ives-Rublee created a Disability Inclusion Toolkit for nonprofit organizations.

Ives-Rublee holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in social work from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Lourdes Aguas is the immigrant program evaluation specialist for the New York State Office for New Americans (ONA) Ramirez June Initiative. She leads the pilot program evaluation for the ONA Bilingual Coordinator Program, which is a culturally and linguistically responsive case management program that helps immigrants overcome barriers and access disability services. She earned her PhD in sociology at the University at Albany in 2025.

Wilma Alvarado-Little focuses on racial and health equity issues from a linguistic and cultural perspective in addition to her interests in public policy, research, health literacy, and health disparities prevention. Joining the NYS Department of Health as the associate commissioner and director of the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Prevention, she focuses on Health Literacy and Language Access Initiatives.

She has been instrumental in the development and implementation of hospital and clinic-based programs and policy. She is the former co-chair of the Board of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC), serves as a member of the National Project Advisory Committee for the Review of the CLAS Standards, HHS Office of Minority Health, serves as a board member for the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, and has served as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Roundtable on Health Literacy initiative and as chair of the New York State Office of Mental Health Multicultural Advisory Committee.

Mustafa Rfat is a PhD candidate in social work at Washington University in St. Louis and a McDonnell international scholar. His research focuses on the intersection of forced displacement, disability, structural inequities, and social determinants of health. Drawing on qualitative data and personal experience as a refugee with disabilities, his work explores barriers to healthcare, education, employment, and housing in the US, aiming to inform equitable policy and practice solutions.

Dina Refki is the director of the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society (CWGCS) at the University at Albany. Refki studies and researches the interplay of gender with institutional structures in the US and international context. She applies gender mainstreaming and budgeting analysis from transnational perspectives. Prior to assuming leadership at CWGCS in 2009, she held different positions at the Center, including as director of the Immigrant Women & State Policy Program, which facilitated interagency collaboration, promoted dialogues with civil society and immigrant women at the state level, and worked to identify and address barriers to the integration of immigrant women in the social, economic, and political fabric of local communities. Refki studies the challenges of migration, the barriers facing immigrant women and their families, and the structural changes needed to better respond to the needs of immigrant women.