Marielena Hincapié

Before assuming the position of executive director in September 2008, Marielena Hincapié served as National Immigration Law Center’s (NILC) director of programs, managing the organization’s employment, public benefits, and immigration work. Ms. Hincapié specializes in and has dedicated her legal career to protecting and advancing the rights of immigrant workers, particularly those who are undocumented. She has authored numerous publications and policy analyses, provided strategic assistance and training to thousands of legal and social service providers, labor unions, and community-based organizations. Her work also has focused on using legal tools to help support community and labor organizing efforts, as well as to help build and strengthen community coalitions working to improve working conditions for all low-wage workers. She is also a frequent lecturer at national and international conferences addressing issues of migration. Ms. Hincapié has litigated law reform and impacted litigation cases dealing with the intersection of immigration laws and employment/labor laws. She specializes in cases following the Hoffman Plastic Compounds, Inc. v. NLRB decision. Before joining NILC, she worked for the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco’s Employment Law Center, where she founded the Center’s Immigrant Workers’ Rights Project. Ms. Hincapié holds a Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University School of Law.