Jorge Elorza, President
Roger Williams University School of Law

The son of Guatemalan immigrants, Jorge Elorza was born and raised in Providence, RI. He is a product of the Providence Public School system from Head Start through High School. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island where he graduated first in his accounting class. After college, Jorge practiced as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in New York City. After a brief stint as an auditor, Jorge enrolled and graduated from Harvard Law School.

Since graduating from law school, Jorge has been an advocate for affordable housing. As a staff attorney for Rhode Island Legal Services, he represented a wide range of clients in their quest to obtain fair and decent living accommodations. Jorge has litigated housing cases in federal and state courts, including the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Currently, Jorge is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Law at the Roger Williams University School of Law. He teaches Housing Law and Policy, Equal Protection and Civil Rights, and Property Law. His research and scholarship focuses on urban poverty and housing dynamics.

Jorge is involved in extensive public service work. He is currently representing a group of community organizations and the City of Providence in a case before the Rhode Island Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of the Lead Hazard Mitigation Act. Additionally, he involved in a Pro Bono collaborative in which private law firms, community organizations, and law students work together to provide long-term affordable housing opportunities for families. Additionally, Jorge is leading an effort to create a Latino Policy Institute in Rhode Island.

Rafael Yepez, Vice President
Sovereign Bank

Gisella Soriano, Treasurer
Former Voz Mujer Alumna

Gisella was born in Lima, Peru and lived in the country until the age of 10. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from Providence College and is currently pursuing a career in business management. Gisella is a proud Latina dedicated to social justice for all underrepresented and oppressed individuals due to their color, ethnicity, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. She looks forward to traveling around the world in her efforts to become multi-lingual and expose the advantages of business globalization.

Gisella is a former VozMujer participant and passionate about her present role as Treasurer on the board of directors. Most importantly, she feels fortunate to have found a loyal and loving family at EFA.

Andy Lohmeier, Secretary
Putnam Investments

Born and raised in Chicago, Andrew (Andy) Lohmeier earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgetown University and a Ph. D. in history from Northwestern University. Since finishing his education, Andy has moved a few times, to Boston, Honolulu, and Rhode Island. He now lives with his family in Cranston, just outside Providence. His wife, Naoko Shibusawa, is an Assistant Professor of History at Brown University. Andy has two daughters, Arisa, 14 who attends Cranston East High School, and, Miya, 8, who attends Rhodes Elementary School.

Andy learned about EFA through his wife’s colleagues at Brown University and volunteered to serve on the board of directors because of his combined interests in social justice, community service, education, and ethnic integration. This year he is part of the executive board, serving as secretary.

Andy is Senior Financial Editor in the Marketing Communications group at Putnam Investments, a mutual fund company in Boston. Aside from work, Andy likes to read history, study Spanish, swim at the YMCA, and tries to maintain an old house in Cranston.

Janet Isserlis
Brown University Swearer Center for Public Service

Janet Isserlis has worked in adult education, teaching learners and practitioners, since 1980. She has worked in Providence for most of that time, but also, in the 1990's, in Vancouver, BC.

Janet has been an informal advisor to EFA for the past four years, and has served on the board since June of 2006. At present, she divides her time between the Swearer Center for Public Service, at Brown University, where she oversees student-run community-based programs, and the RI Adult Education Center, where she works with adult education practitioners across the state.

Jeshua Zapata
Xzito Creative Solutions LLC

Born in Medellin, Colombia in 1982, Jeshua Zapata, son of Marta Botero and Leobardo Zapata, migrated to the United States with his mother at the age of 7. “While growing up, it wasn’t easy moving to the United States, because I didn’t know the language, I missed my friends and family…And the worst part of it was that I had to start from scratch from a social and language perspective”. “I made it a personal vision to make my mother proud for all her sacrifices of bringing me to this country”.

Jeshua was able to fully exercise his entrepreneurial passion by joining Xzito Creative Solutions LLC, a professional creative design firm equipped to deliver strategic branding solutions through a wide range of services. Today, Zapata is a member of the English for Action board of directors. His goals are to continue in his role of President at Xzito Creative Solutions LLC and cultivate strong community ties in Rhode Island.

Action Committe 2007-2008