Figuring Out FEMA: A Trauma-informed Resource for Disaster Survivors

• When: Wednesday, January 29, 2020 | 1:00 - 1:45 pm ET
• Moderator: Jeanne Ortiz Ortiz, Pro Bono & Strategic Initiatives Manager, Pro Bono Net
• Speakers:
  • Shrushti Kothari, Disaster Relief Unit Staff Attorney, Lone Star Legal Aid
  • Katie Lam, Legal Empowerment & Technology Fellow, Pro Bono Net
  • Yasmin Safdié, Director of Programs, Center for Urban Pedagogy
  • Clair Beltran, Program Coordinator, Center for Urban Pedagogy 
• Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/449780923723703307

Join Pro Bono Net & the Center for Urban Pedagogy for the official launch of Figuring Out FEMA, a new pocket-sized, trauma-informed visual resource for people affected by natural disasters. Figuring Out FEMA helps natural disaster survivors apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and will be available for free download nationwide. Speakers will talk about 1) legal empowerment as a tool for action and 2) equity-based design principles and strategies used to develop Figuring Out FEMA. This webinar will be recorded and shared via www.disasterlegalaid.org. All registrants will receive a link to the recording after the webinar. To download a free copy of "Figuring Out FEMA," please visit http://welcometocup.org/Projects/PublicAccessDesign/FiguringOutFEMA.

Speaker Bios

• Shrushti Kothari is a Staff Attorney in the Disaster Relief Unit at Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) in Houston, Texas. In addition to being a Staff Attorney, Ms. Kothari is also a Content Manager for DisasterLegalAid.org and the Disaster Assistance and Recovery Tool (DART) Project. Ms. Kothari obtained her Juris Doctor at The University of Memphis in 2017 and has been working on disaster cases at LSLA since 2018. Ms. Kothari’s areas of expertise include disaster, probate, real estate, and title clearing.
• Katie Lam joined Pro Bono Net in June 2019. Originally from Los Angeles, Katie (she/hers) moved to New York City to study Sociology at Barnard College. While in school, Katie led Columbia University’s Asian American activist group, helped VoteRunLead train women to run for office, and supported teachers all across the country as a part-time customer experience agent for DonorsChoose.org. Just before graduating, Katie discovered that she could combine her academic training, tech/nonprofit operations background, and her community organizing experience by pursuing roles that explore the intersection of law, government, and technology. Prior to Pro Bono Net, Katie worked as a business operations associate at a UX research startup called Validately and volunteered as an Open Data Youth Leadership Council coordinator for the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics. In her free time, Katie loves cooking and taking dance classes.
• Yasmin Safdié is the Director of Programs at the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP). She is a social worker, community organizer, and educator, and is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at Columbia University School of Social Work. Prior to CUP, Yasmin was the Senior Manager of Organizing and Advocacy at the New York City Anti-Violence Project where she worked to end violence against the LGBTQ community.
• Clair Beltran is a Program Coordinator at the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), mainly working in their Community Education program. She is interested in how art and social justice interact and can be used to empower and represent different communities.
• Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz (Moderator) is a bilingual attorney and coordinates, develops and grows digital initiatives that strengthen the work of legal advocates and mobilize pro bono volunteers helping communities with their legal problems. For close to two years, she was Pro Bono Net’s Disaster Response Legal Fellow and organized initiatives to support disaster survivors and attorneys working on disaster relief and recovery efforts. Before joining PBN, Jeanne provided free legal representation and employment discrimination litigation on behalf of low-income LGBT individuals in Puerto Rico and worked as a legal fellow with the Central Alabama Fair Housing Center. She also founded an award-winning Ms. JD chapter in her law school and facilitated Know-Your-Rights community events to low-income and low-wealth communities in Puerto Rico. Jeanne is a member of the ABA-YLD’s Disaster Legal Services Program, where she volunteers to coordinate immediate and free temporary legal help to disaster survivors across the country.