Our Team

Our Office

Libraries Without Borders US is headquartered in Washington DC, with offices in Baltimore and San Antonio.
Our Tax ID number is 680666319.

Team Members

Adam Echelman

Executive Director

Adam (he/his) advocates for dynamic programs that increase access to information by meeting people where they are—whether through digital literacy classes in laundromats or health workshops in churches. A graduate of Yale University, he has worked with asylum seekers at the Karnes Detention Center in Texas and has served as a Visiting Professor of Practice at John Jay College, where he co-taught a program on access to justice and legal information.

Katherine Trujillo

Deputy Director

Kat (she/her) believes that access to information is inextricably linked to human dignity, civic participation, and improved quality of life. As Director of Education/Deputy Director at LWB US, she has designed, iterated and improved upon pop-up library and digital literacy programs around the world. Prior, she worked on immigration and education policy at Humanity in Action and the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Azure Grimes

Senior Program Manager

Azure Grimes (she/her) is a west-Baltimore native and joined LWB US in January 2019. Prior to working with LWB, Azure served on a variety of AmeriCorps national service programs and was honored to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement Award for completing over 4,000 community service hours. Azure is passionate about advancing racial equity through community-led initiatives.

Lisa Alvarenga

San Antonio Project Coordinator

Lisa Alvarenga (she/her) is an almost life-long San Antonio resident, a graduate of the University of The Incarnate Word, and the Project Coordinator of the Wash and Learn Initiative in San Antonio. A proponent for digital equity, Lisa believes access to information and education is the most empowering tool available for marginalized populations.

Alejandra González Vargas

Operations and Finance Coordinator

Alejandra González Vargas (she/her) supports our programs’ finances and operations at the local and national levels. She’s excited to contribute to LWB’s impact through effective planning, management, and reporting. Originally from Mexico City, Ale recently graduated from Tulane University with a B.A. in Anthropology and a B.S.M. in Management. She loves to learn languages and is passionate about the value of cultural diversity.

Sarah Baron

Development Manager

Sarah Baron (she/her) performs development and communications work for Libraries Without Borders US. She focuses on engaging donors, organizing fundraising campaigns, and hosting outreach events. Previously, she worked in education with low-income communities in Senegal and Morocco. She recently graduated with a B.S. in Regional and Comparative Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Edward Hilbrich

Manufactured Housing Project Coordinator

Edward (he/his) believes that advocating for free, open access to resourceful information is a revolutionary act, which promotes public discourse, political engagement, and autonomous, collective decision-making. Edward has a rich and varied background as a Homeless Rights and Housing Advocate, a Union Organizer, and as an Independent Bookstore Owner. Edward is a NYC transplant working and living in the Twin Cities.

Victoria Becker

Communications Associate

Victoria (she/her) works alongside the Development Coordinator to oversee LWB US’ external communications. She is currently pursuing a BA in Linguistics and minors in Psychology and French from Georgetown University and loves learning foreign languages.

Julia Vallera

Technology and Design Manager

Julia (she/her) is a designer and educator who explores creative and free expression through community engagement. Previously, Julia managed programs at Mozilla Foundation that focus on digital equity and internet advocacy. She has an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons The New School for Design and enjoys teaching college classes that focus on technology, design, and media studies. In her spare time, she gardens, bicycle tours, mountain bikes, and skis.

Alexis Taylor

Baltimore Project Coordinator

Alexis Taylor (she/her)

strongly believes in closing the literacy gap and eliminating the digital divide across all sectors of the population in Baltimore. She has lived in Charm City since 2008 and is a graduate of both Morgan State University and Johns Hopkins University. The former teacher is also a journalist and photographer, with a passion for creating change through the Arts.

Board

Patrick Weil

Chairman of the Board

Founder

Georges Lurcy Visiting Professor of Law and Senior Research Scholar in Law
at Yale Law School

Senior research fellow at the French National Research Center in the University of Paris 1, Pantheon-Sorbonne

Peter Sahlins

Deputy Chairman of the Board

Director of Interdisciplinary Studies Department and Professor of History at UC Berkeley

Chelsea Stieber

Treasurer of the Board

Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Catholic University

Katherine Reisner

Co-Secretary of the Board

Consultant for public sector and non profit organizations

Ramona Naddaff

Co-Secretary of the Board

Associate Professor of Rhetoric at UC Berkeley

Zachary Sims

Co-Secretary of the Board

Co-founder and CEO of Codecademy

Yves Istel

Senior Advisor at Rothschild & Co

Noorain Khan

Program Officer at the Office of the President of the Ford Foundation

Owen Fiss

Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law at Yale Law School

Jeanne Friedman

Strategic Development Adviser

Jessica Marshall

Co-Founder LightSail Education

Eric Parrie

Chief Executive Officer, COVIDCheck Colorado

Sara McDougall

Associate Professor at John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center