In This Section

Meet the Staff and Board of ALIGN NY.

Staff Members

Theodore Moore

Theodore Moore (he/him) is the Executive Director of ALIGN, setting the organization’s strategic vision for worker power and climate justice, leading engagement with campaigns and movement partners, and supervising a team of nine staff members. …

Lucas Shapiro

Lucas Shapiro (he/him) is the Deputy Director of ALIGN, supporting staff in leading policy campaigns and coalitions while promoting the overall success and effectiveness of ALIGN as a mission-driven organization. …

Nina Terhune

Nina Terhune is the Director of Finance and Development for ALIGN, promoting the organization’s growth and sustainability. Prior to joining ALIGN, Nina graduated from the Retail Action Project’s (RAP) Member Organizing Training program and went on to serve as Operations Director for RAP’s sister nonprofit, the Center for Frontline Retail (CFR).…

Lisa Thomas

Lisa Thomas (she/her) is the Director of Communications for ALIGN, overseeing media relations, digital strategy, and messaging for the organization and its campaigns.…

Jenille Scott

Jenille Scott (she/her) is the Climate Director for ALIGN, leading the green team and overseeing climate justice coalitions, renewable energy initiatives, and policy campaigns.…

Matrice Sherman

Matrice M. Sherman (she/her) is the Operations Manager for ALIGN, where she supports office administration and financial management to sustain New York’s community-labor movement for social and economic justice.…

Patrick Nevada

Patrick Nevada (he/him) is the Communications Manager for ALIGN, leading digital communications for the organization and its campaigns. Prior to ALIGN, Patrick worked as a middle school teaching assistant in New York City, and for the education advocacy group Class Size Matters, where he supported campaigns on school privatization, student privacy, and class size.…

Tal Frieden

Tal Frieden (they/them) is the Campaign Manager for ALIGN’s Raise Up NY Coalition, which aims to raise the minimum wage in New York State and index it to inflation.…

Faiza Azam

Faiza Azam (she/her) is the Climate & Labor Organizer for ALIGN, engaging labor unions in city and state climate campaigns to support an intersectional, inclusive climate justice movement.…

Board of Directors

Stuart Appelbaum

  • President
  • Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union
Stuart Appelbaum has served as the President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union since 1998. He is also an International Vice President and member of the Executive Board of the 1.4 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.…


Lucia Gomez

Lucia Gómez is the Political Director of the NYC Central Labor Council – AFL-CIO. Prior to joining the NYC CLC, Lucia was the Director of Organizing and Strategic Partnerships for LiUNA Local 78.…

Bernadette Kelly

Bernadette Kelly has been a fearless advocate for workers, families, women and immigrants for decades.  She learned about unions at a young age from her father, a shop steward and 20-year member of Teamster Local 831.…

Eunice Ko

Eunice Ko is the Deputy Director of NYC-EJA. Most recently, at the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency, she worked in climate adaptation and urban policy with a focus on climate and environmental justice.…


Juanita Lewis

Juanita O. Lewis brings almost two decades of community and electoral organizing experience. She joined the staff of Community Voices Heard as the Yonkers Organizer in 2009, then Lead Westchester Organizer.…

Jose Lopez

Jose Lopez is one of the three Co-Executive Directors of Make the Road New York. For two decades, Jose has demonstrated his commitment to Make the Road New York and the communities which we serve.…