Carmen Perez-Jordan

President & Chief Executive officer

Carmen Perez-Jordan is the President and CEO of The Gathering for Justice, a national social justice organization founded by the late Harry Belafonte. Under his mentorship, Carmen has led the organization for nearly two decades, transforming it into a powerhouse for youth-led activism, cultural organizing, and policy change grounded in Kingian Nonviolence.

Through her leadership, The Gathering has launched and supported major national movements, including the historic March2Justice from New York City to Washington, D.C., the Free Meek Mill campaign, and high-impact initiatives like Free Pedro Hernandez, Take a Knee, and the I Am MEGAN campaign. She also co-founded Justice League NYC and Justice League CA, two task forces that have shaped criminal justice reform efforts and mobilized thousands in protest and policy advocacy.

Carmen has played a key role in global moments of movement-building, serving as a co-founder and national co-chair of the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, which mobilized over 5 million people worldwide. She also launched Latinx Police Accountability Next (LPAN) and is currently leading an oral history project documenting 250 years of state-sanctioned violence against Mexican and Latino communities in the U.S.

A nationally recognized movement strategist, Carmen brings deep expertise in coalition-building, cultural strategy, and public advocacy. She has been recognized by TIME, Forbes, and Glamour, and featured in Following Harry, a forthcoming documentary about the legacy of Harry Belafonte and the next generation of leaders he inspired.

Above all, Carmen leads with love, purpose, and the belief that there's a lane for everyone in the movement. 

Amanda Lefer

Director of Operations

Amanda Lefer joins The Gathering for Justice as the Director of Operations bringing with her seven years of experience in philanthropy. Most recently, she served as the Finance and Administration Manager at the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW), a funder in the higher education sector focusing on undergraduate scholarship programs for women in New York City. Amanda oversaw all financial and operational aspects of the foundation, supporting over 400 scholarship recipients annually through tuition assistance and career development programs. Prior to joining JFEW, Amanda held roles as a Program Officer and Grants Manager at a private family foundation, where she developed and monitored grantee programs in their K-12 public education portfolio. Before her career in philanthropy, Amanda worked for an education-based advocacy nonprofit, where she cultivated a passion for community organizing to affect policy and legislative reforms. In addition to her professional work, Amanda volunteers with SURJ-NYC (Showing Up for Racial Justice), an organization dedicated to mobilizing white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice. She provides technical and administrative support for the SURJ-NYC “Calling In” team. Amanda holds a B.A. in Art History from Bard College and is a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP). She and her family live in Queens, New York.

Jules Hoffenberg

Events Consultant

Julianne Hoffenberg (she/her) is the Events Consultant for The Gathering for Justice and has been integral in building Justice League NYC since its founding in 2014. Julianne began her producing career in 1987 as a Producer and eventually Producing Director of Naked Angels, a NY theater company where she helped found and subsequently produced over 30 plays and events. She is the co-founder of and current Board Member at Project A.L.S., a non-profit organization that raises awareness and funds for research into the fatal neurological disease. She served as Director of Operations and Executive Producer of Project A.L.S. for six years, raising tens of millions of research dollars and producing three films which generated considerable attention for the misunderstood disease. Julianne began fusing her passion for theater and politics in 2006 with noted political theater company Culture Project. Her notable work over three plus decades on numerous critically-acclaimed and award-winning projects led her to begin working with Harry Belafonte as a production consultant in 2012, through whom she met Carmen Perez and soon began her career with The Gathering for Justice. Julianne also proudly sits on the Advisory Board of SAY, an artistic home for children who stutter.

Kevin Hunte

Digital Strategist

Kevin (he/him/his) is an experienced brand builder, product manager and skilled strategic marketer. Driven by his love for music, sports and philanthropy, he’s been a key contributor to The David Ortiz Children’s Fund previously serving as the Digital Marketing Manager. In addition, Kevin has proven success in branding and positioning product lines for Converse, Coca Cola, Warner Records as Marketing Manager at Cornerstone agency/ The FADER. He has also worked closely with FADER Label artists like Saul Williams, Matt & Kim, The Bots and Yuna. After relocating to Raleigh, NC Kevin established The Hunte Agency, a grassroots marketing and management company that has developed creative marketing campaigns for The Gorillaz, Chance The Rapper, ill Camille, Damani Nkosi, IDK along with brands like Genius, Red Bull, and J Cole’s Dreamville Festival.

Michaela Perez

Field Organizer, Oxnard, CA

Michaela (she/her), an Oxnard native, is a Policy Advisor and Community Organizer and joined The Gathering for Justice in March 2023. She has a Masters of Public Health and a Bachelor's in Psychology from San Francisco State University. Perez has a 10-year track record in policy advocacy and community organizing. Previously, she managed a $17M budget program to increase BIPOC representation in STEM fields, she coordinated the Opportunities for All Workforce Development initiative, and implemented campaign strategies for elected officials during critical elections. She established a Legislative Committee which successfully passed over 10+ pieces of legislation within the last two years. She has worked with national organizations to develop policy frameworks to address the Digital Divide. Michaela's work is built on the concept that we can find and establish long-term solutions when our community and underinvested populations are included in the policy and program development process.