Our Staff

Erica Gallegos (she/her) is a movement leader with firsthand experience in the field as a former Early Childhood Education teacher, and a mom of two kids. Most recently, Erica was the policy director for the Organizers in the Land of Enchantment (OLÉ) where she worked in coalition to move the successful landmark campaign for a constitutional right to early education in New Mexico.

Andrea Paluso (she/her) is a dedicated community activist with a deep commitment to economic, racial and gender justice. Drawing from her roots in social work, public health, and her experience as a mother of two, Andrea has played a pivotal role in advancing key labor rights and social policies for caregivers.

Before joining the Child Care for Every Family Network/Child Care for Every Family Action, Andrea served as the Executive Director for Family Forward Oregon and Family Forward Action. In these roles, she helped secure important victories on paid sick days, paid family and medical leave, pregnancy accommodations, equal pay laws, increased investments in child care, and more. Her leadership has bridged grassroots efforts with political action, demonstrating her ability to drive change on multiple fronts.

Andrea is now leveraging her expertise and experience to help build a national network focused on achieving transformational investments in a universal child care system, with a commitment to ensuring that every parent and caregiver has access to the resources they need to thrive.

Christel Allen (she/her/hers) has worked in progressive movements for over 15 years, as a community organizer, fundraiser, state lobbyist, campaign manager, and political director. Following her role in a decisive ballot measure defeat of a backdoor abortion ban and the successful passage and implementation of the nation's strongest and most inclusive reproductive health equity laws and paid family medical leave policy, she was selected as the first woman of color to assume the role of executive director of Pro-Choice Oregon (NARAL) in 2020. More recently, Christel has served worked with Seeding Justice to support a community-led process to guide the investment of a first-of-its-kind $15 million Reproductive Health Equity Fund, has supported APANO in launching a new initiative to advance decriminalization of sex work led by BIPOC sex workers, and provided the Child Care for Oregon coalition with strategic communications and advocacy support. Christel is deeply inspired by reproductive justice and is thankful for the opportunity to work across movements with an array of diverse and brilliant humans.

In her free time she enjoys creative writing, spending time with her cat Pickles, running for fun, and thrifting for her closet and for mid-century treasures. Raised in Salem, Oregon, she credits the support and wisdom she’s received from her family of immigrants, her chosen community, fellow survivors, and her working parents for teaching her how to lead with empathy, solidarity, resilience, and grit.

Anali Alegria (she/her/hers) has spent her political career fighting for policies that support women and working families. She previously served as Senior Advisor and Communications Director for Democratic Women’s Caucus, which includes all 94 Democratic women in the House. During her time with DWC, Anali led communications in response to the child care cliff and advised the caucus in their continuing efforts to pass emergency child care stabilization funds. Anali has also served as Communications Director for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee under the leadership of then-Chair Patty Murray. During her time with the HELP Committee, she led communications for the response to the Dobbs decision and the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the PUMP Act and more. She also helped advise Senator Murray’s continuing efforts to pass comprehensive child care reform and elevate child care as a key priority for the Democratic party.

Anali is a native of San Mateo, California and graduated from Harvard College with a degree in History. She currently lives in Pittsburgh with her fiancé and two cats.

Danielle Alexander (she/her) is a writer, artist, and organizer raised in rural Michigan, where her mother operated a 24-hour in-home child care center. Utilizing trauma-informed storytelling and transformational organizing principles, Danielle has led winning communications campaigns in Oregon for the past five years, including passing a $100M investment in child care. Prior to working in politics, she led communications and advocacy work for afterschool programming and early education. She lives in North Portland, Oregon with her five-year-old and an unruly brood of rescue pets.

Mercedes Phelan (she/her) is radical Black feminist who is fighting for Liberation, with a focus on breaking the school- to-prison pipeline. Before working in politics and organizing she was a childcare teacher in her hometown of Rochester, New York. She came into organizing in 2017 as an Organizer at Citizen Action for New York. After founding Citizen Action’s first Rochester Chapter in 2018, the chapter went on to win its first campaign, the removal of SRO’s (School Resource Officers) from the Rochester City School District. Mercedes was also a part of campaigns such as the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, and the Campaign for Universal Childcare. She has a deep commitment to prioritizing the voices of those that are directly impacted and a strong belief in the importance of leadership development. She is a mom of two plus fur babies Rosie and Luna, and spends her free time wandering in the woods, reading socially relevant nonfiction, and trying new things, such as her latest obsessions: roller skating and succulent gardening.

Regina Gutierrez is mission driven and constantly strives towards positive social impact. Her academic and professional work have always been service oriented and focused on both community development and international development. Prior to working with the Network, she served in PeaceCorps Morocco, provided refugee and immigrant services in San Diego, CA, and obtained her Master of Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She hopes to continue challenging systems of social injustice and being an agent of social change both in her personal and professional life.

Mayra Lopez (she/her/ella) is a passionate community organizer with deep roots in the labor, migrant justice and climate justice movements. She is a first-generation immigrant from rural Guanajuato, Mexico who firmly believes in the power of community to bring about transformative, systematic change. Mayra brings over 10 years of experience organizing alongside thousands of Black, Latine, indigenous, and working class community leaders to win back thousands in stolen wages, pass pro-worker pro-immigrant policies, elect numerous progressive allies into public office, and fight against some of the greediest corporations on the planet. Mayra is excited to bring all of these experiences to continue fighting against oppressive systems that deny us our inherent rights and dignity, and build a new life-affirming world where we all will thrive. In her free time, Mayra enjoys spending time with her two puppies Chrysanthemum and Tuco, floating the Guadalupe River with her husband Jason, and enjoying live music in Austin, Texas where she currently resides.