Lynn Tramonte
After twenty years working for national immigration organizations, Lynn Tramonte launched a communications consulting practice, Anacaona, in 2018. Anacaona tells stories that compel people to see and feel our shared humanity through advocacy communications, developmental editing, and coaching in writing and media relations.
Lynn also directs the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, a group of immigrants and allies working together to make Ohio a better place for immigrants. In 2021, Anacaona and the Ohio Immigrant Alliance published “Far From Their Eyes: Ohio Migration Anthology,” (order here). Currently, OHIA is leading #ReuniteUS, a campaign to bring deported people home, and seeking contributions for the next anthology, slated for publication in 2023.
Lynn and her work have been profiled in Cleveland Scene, La Mega Nota, and Columbus Free Press, among other outlets. She is a 2018 Marshall Memorial Fellow with the German Marshall Fund, and serves on the boards of the Justice Action Center and Babel Box Theatre.
Demba is an experienced Business Risk Analyst with a proven track record in AML, economic sanctions screening, due diligence, and quality control. Currently contributing to U.S. Bank’s Risk Management and Compliance in Columbus, Ohio, his expertise extends to senior roles at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where Demba specializes in court orders, levy processes, and dispute resolution.
Board Members
Deb Kline has over 35 years of experience as a national community organizer and activist on issues affecting both the low-income and labor communities. She successfully organized efforts to pass two federal laws, numerous state laws, and major reforms in the national child support system. Currently, she serves as the Director of Cleveland Jobs with Justice, a coalition of labor, faith, and community organizations that are joining together for worker justice. For the past ten years of her leadership, immigration reform—protecting undocumented workers and their families—has been one of Cleveland Jobs with Justice’s main areas of work. Deb is also very active in her neighborhood and community, and is in her second term as the President of OPEIU Local 1794.
Maryam Sy
Maryam Sy is freelance interpreter and translator for hospitals, lawyers, and individuals. Raised in France and Senegal, and now living in Ohio, Maryam speaks English, French, Wolof, and Pulaar/Fulani. She works as a medical interpreter and document translator for the USCRI in Cleveland OH, and also did various translation and other projects for Ideas42, the Catholic Charities Dioceses of Cleveland, and more.
A committed community activist in both the U.S. and abroad, Sy led successful fundraisers to help a baby in Senegal receive surgery and pay the bond for a Mauritanian man seeking asylum, among other efforts. In 2020 alone she helped raise over $10,000 to secure basic human rights for people in need of help. She graduated in 2013 from Cuyahoga Community College with a Healthcare Administration diploma.
In 2021, Maryam interviewed over 200 people who were deported from the United States or left to avoid detention and deportation, many of whom were born in Mauritania and are not able to live there safely. The #ReuniteUS project was featured in an article in the Columbus Dispatch. Maryam is also active in the campaign to secure Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure for Mauritanians in the United States.
Anabel Barron is a social worker, community leader, and organizer born in Mexico. She is co-founder of the Lorain Ohio Immigrant Rights Association (LOIRA).
Born in Uruguay, Claudia Longo has called Cleveland home since 2002. Currently serving as the Raiz Program Manager at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, Claudia dedicates her efforts to expanding reproductive rights and abortion access for the Latinx community in Northeast Ohio, while also fostering political empowerment within this demographic.
Previously, Claudia held the role of Director of Community Outreach at La Mega Cleveland, where she oversaw the management of La Mega Nota Digital platforms from 2022 to 2024.
Recognized for her impactful contributions, Claudia was named one of the “100+ Latinos Cleveland MUST KNOW” in 2020 by AmMore Consulting LLC.
In 2024 she received The Young Latino Network’s Democracy Builder Award for her continued efforts to motivate Latinos in Ohio to vote and be politically engaged.
Abdoul Mbow is a Black Mauritanian activist and community leader residing in Cincinnati. He assists African refugees in their arrival, and helps them get acclimated to life in the United States, including connections to English classes and networks of opportunity.
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