Cristina Jiménez is a community organizer, political strategist, and storyteller. She is the co-Founder & former Executive Director of United We Dream & United We Dream Action. She served as chair of the Board of Directors and transitioned to staff in 2011. Cristina has organized immigrant youth and workers for the passage of the DREAM Act, comprehensive immigration reform, and pro-immigrant legislation at the local and national level since 2004.
She co-founded the New York State Youth Leadership Council, was an immigration policy analyst for the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, and an immigrant rights organizer at the Latin American Integration Center, now merged as Make the Road New York. Cristina’s immigration policy work has been published in the American Prospect, El Diario, and the Huffington Post. Cristina was recently named among Forbes “30 under 30 in Law and Policy”, the “21 immigration reform power players” and one of 5 non-profit leaders who will influence public policy in 2013 by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College, CUNY, and graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Political Science and Business from Queens College, CUNY. Originally from Quito, Ecuador, Cristina came to the U.S. with her family at the age of 13, attending high school and college as an undocumented student.