Board

Isaac Carter was named as Dean of Students at St. Thomas University in July of 2007.  He is also a lecturer in the School of Leadership Studies at St. Thomas University.  Before coming to St. Thomas University, Mr. Carter was the Associate Director of Housing at Humboldt State University.  Mr. Carter was also an adjunct in both the Ethnic Studies and Leadership Studies departments.

Mr. Carter is pursuing his doctorate of philosophy at Florida Atlantic University.  His research area is African mythical representations within the diaspora of Black American music.  Mr. Carter earned his masters degree from DePaul University in Human Services and Counseling. As an undergraduate, he studied at Elmhurst College, where he earned a bachelors degree in psychology with a minor in sociology.

Reverend Mc Crae joined LIFFT in 2005. He is a pastor at the Redemption Missionary Baptist Church in Liberty City and a member of the Baptist Ministers Council. Reverend Mc Crae is an active member of the Liberty City community, where he is currently setting up a computer lab and food bank for Liberty City residents. Some of his past community outreach efforts include: conducting food and clothes drives for Hurricane Katrina survivors and Haiti relief efforts, and running Christmas toy drives. Rev. Mc Crae was born in Sanderson, FL and was raised in Miami, FL. He is a proud father of five children, and a grandfather of ten.

Gihan Perera is co-founder and Executive Director of the Miami Workers Center. Gihan is also one of the co-founders of the Right to the City – a national alliance of over 30 grassroots organizations, legal service providers, academics and policy groups seeking alternatives to gentrification and urban displacement of poor and working class communities of color. He is a nationally recognized progressive movement leader, organizer, and strategist. He frequently speaks at conferences and on the radio, and he has been published in both local and national media outlets. Gihan sits on the Advisory Committee of the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity, and the Board of Directors of MWC, Gihan worked in the labor movement as a lead organizer throughout the South with ACTWO and as the recruitment director for the AFL-CIO’s Organizing Institute.

Ms. Shah received a New Voices Fellowship and joined the staff at Florida Legal Services in 2006 to provide litigation and policy support to low-income communities of color fighting displacement and gentrification in Miami’s urban neighborhoods.  Since then, she has worked hand-in-hand with local community organizations on their community campaigns for affordable housing and tenant's rights. Ms. Shah’s practice consists primarily of low-income/affordable housing litigation including eviction defense, affirmative damages litigation to improve hazardous conditions in private-rental housing, representation of tenant unions and of tenants  in foreclosed properties.

Ms. Shah is also an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the University of Miami School of Law’s Community Economic Development Clinic and Board Member of the Miami Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Ms. Shah received her J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law at University of California, Berkeley (2006) and her dual B.S. in Social Policy and Political Science from Northwestern University (2002).

Norma Magarin, originally from Guatemala, Guatemala has been living in the neighborhood of Wynwood since the late nineteen seventies, when she came to Miami with her husband and 10 kids; but after her husband died in a tragic truck accident, she has worked in restaurants in Alaska and here in Miami to provide for her family. She is supposed to be retired, but continues working at the UM Hospital where she has been for over 20 years. Norma became involved with Miami en Accion four years ago, and participated in the campaign to win the Roberto Clemente Park for Wynwood. She has been an active member of the board for more than a year. She is a proud grandmother of many grandsons and even grandchildren and grand-grandchildren’s.

Olga Ramos, originally from Puerto Rico, has been living in the neighborhood of Allappatah since 1979, when she came to Miami with her husband and three sons. She has worked in garment factories in her native Puerto Rico and here in Miami. She is retired, but continues working occasionally at the factory where she has been for over 20 years. Olga became involved with Miami en Accion four years ago, and participated in the campaign to win the Roberto Clemente Park for Wynwood. She has been an active member of the board for more than a year. She is a proud grandmother of six grandsons and has eleven grandchildren.

Cookie has worked with the Miami Workers Center for eight years in various capacities, and has been a member of the board for two years. She has  worked on projects on issues ranging from: home vacancies, the Scott Carver campaign, Transit Village campaign, and tenants’ rights issues. Cookie is a member of the MWC leadership board, and presides over the Campaign Strategy Committee. Cookie was born and raised in Overtown, and attended MiamI Springs High School. Community activism and cooking are her hobbies and passion. Cookie embraces the Miami Workers Center’s Black & Brown Unity project, and sees it as an opportunity to, “Allow people to understand that in order to have anything in our community, we have to be as “one” as we can in order to make change possible, and to get people to understand that we need to fight to make our community change.”

Valory Greenfield is a founding member of the MWC Board of Directors and has served the Board continuously for over ten years.  Val's background is in public benefits law.  She is currently employed as a senior attorney in the Miami office of Florida Legal Services, Inc. doing impact advocacy on behalf of poor Floridians.  She previously worked for Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. and has been an adjunct professor at Florida International University teaching legal aspects of social work practice to MSW grad students. Val holds a B.A. With High Honors (in sociology) from the University of Florida and a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.  She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Human Services Coalition (Miami Catalyst), the Bromeliad Society of South Florida, and Chasing Tales improv troupe.