Staff
Natalie Chap
Natalie joined The Dignity in Schools Campaign as Campaign Coordinator in July of 2012. In her previous roles, she acted as the Campaign Coordinator of New York Neighbors for American Values, a Community Organizer at Voices of Women Organizing Project, and the Education Reform Associate at the New York Immigration Coalition. She received an MSW from the CUNY Hunter School of Social Work-Community Organizing program in 2007, and received a BSW from CUNY Lehman College in 2006. She was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, and has lived in New York since 2004.
Contact: natalie@dignityinschools.org
Phone: (212) 253-1710 Ext. 312
Joao Da Silva
Mr. Da Silva joined the Dignity in Schools Campaign as Communications Coordinator in January 2011. A native of Chile and Brazil, Joao grew up in Kamuela, Hawaii and then relocated to Santiago, where he graduated with a BA in Sociology from the Universidad de Artes y Ciencias Sociales (ARCIS). In 2004 he moved to Washington, D.C. and became involved in the local activist community. In 2006 he was hired as the Communications Coordinator for School of the Americas Watch (SOAW). After two years with SOAW, Joao moved to New York to join the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) as Outreach & Circulations Coordinator.
Contact: joao@dignityinschools.org
Phone: (212) 253-1710 Ext. 317
Fernando Martinez
National Field Organizer
Mr. Martinez joined the Dignity in Schools Campaign as the first National Field Organizer in April 2012. Fernando was born in El Salvador and started his organizing career in the late 80’s organizing youth groups in churches throughout El Salvador during the civil war. Later he moved to the United States and continued his fight for social justice in different community-based groups in New York City; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Birmingham, Alabama; and Paterson, New Jersey. Fernando was the first organizer for the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA), which fought back the first anti-immigrant laws that preceded HB56 in 2005. In New Jersey, he started the Paterson Chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee (SEOC) in late 2008. He led, engaged and organized parents to win two new school projects for the city of Paterson and for the return of the Music and Art programs to the classrooms. Fernando studied Industrial Engineering at the Universidad Católica de Occidente.
Contact: fernando@dignityinschools.org Phone: (205) 960-3498