Carolina Espinal, Arlington, term expires 6/30/2009
Carolina Espinal is the National Civic Engagement Policy Manager for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She combines knowledge of education and skills for civic engagement to develop programs that support civil rights and social justice training and leadership development. Carolina’s expertise in education, program development, community outreach, and voter contact strengthen the NAACP’s vision of civic engagement.
As the NAACP National Civic Engagement Policy Manager, Ms. Espinal works to reduce disparities that adversely affect the participation of African Americans in the democratic process. Specifically, she is works to develop the NAACP policy and issue campaigns to assist in areas of Voter Empowerment, Protection of Constitutional Rights, Redistricting and Census Monitoring, and Promoting Ballot Initiatives to Address Social Justice Issues.
Prior to joining the NAACP, Ms. Espinal worked as the Aide to the Honorable J. Walter Tejada, the first Hispanic elected to the Arlington County Board. She served the County Board and Mr. Tejada’s work in a number of areas ranging from Civic Engagement and Hispanic Outreach to Human Services and legislative matters. Additionally, she has been a long-term consultant for the National Equity Center (NEC) where she developed innovative educational programs that promote the organization’s mission to support civil rights and social justice training.
Ms. Espinal has political experience serving as the Deputy Campaign Manager for the “Alvaro Cifuentes for DNC Vice-Chair” Campaign and as the Deputy Director for Hispanic Outreach for the Kerry-Edwards Presidential Campaign. She also served as the Project Manager for the first Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project in Northern Virginia. Prior to her political efforts, she worked as a Program Coordinator for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK) initiative in the District of Columbia.
Ms. Espinal earned a Masters of Education Administration, Planning and Social Policy from the Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Affairs and Latin American Studies from the University of Virginia. She currently serves as a member of the Human Rights Council for the Commonwealth of Virginia and is a member of the Steering Committee for the Arlington County Community Role Models.