Features Nonprofit

When a seamstress in the Philippines no longer had a working sewing machine, her business came to a halt.  The woman, who lives on the island of Mindanao, tried to get by with needle and thread, but couldn’t take on the large projects she once relied on to support her family.   “One sewing machine may […]

For more than 35 years, C.J. Hafner has walked the halls of power in the Pennsylvania State Capitol complex in Harrisburg. Hafner, the chief counsel to the Democratic leader (currently Sen. Jay Costa) of the Pennsylvania Senate has advised and guided as many as 25 and as few as 16 Democratic state senators on pending […]

This October will mark Ayiesha Beverly completing over half a decade as a lawyer. Yet, she has a second passion, one that began when her father, a technologist, introduced her to computer games and code in MS-DOS operating system for Microsoft, popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. “If I wasn’t a lawyer, I figure […]

A marathon runner and all-around athlete in his personal time, Roberto Federici says he’s all about going the distance. “If I have to wake at 3:30 to run 16 miles because I have an 8 a.m. meeting, I’ll do it,” he tells Vanguard in March, a month or so before he leaves his Rio de […]

Around the office, Danielle Cooper Daughtry hopes to be known as the candy lady—and with good reason. With two and a half decades of experience as a law associate, corporate and chief counsel, Daughtry watched employees avoid in-house counsel like they’d avoid a school principal—something she, a strong believer in communication, found problematic. So, around […]

Using standard scuba diving gear, a diver can go up to about 120 feet below the surface of the ocean. Mesophotic diving, or deep diving, allows them to go far deeper, up to 450 feet under water. Because of the increased pressure and lack of light, divers need much more advanced equipment and training, as […]

So far, 2021 has had a lot of defining moments for the transgender community. Dr. Rachel Levine became the first openly transgender person confirmed to a federal post. Openly transgender athletes competed in the Olympics for the first time. But there have also been numerous attacks. Dozens of states have proposed, and some have approved, […]

While Debbie Liu has always known it’s important to protect the earth, in recent years she’s become passionate about the environment. In addition to taking everyday actions, like recycling and conserving water, she uses her legal expertise to fight climate change. As vice president and general counsel for The Wilderness Society, Liu ensures the organization’s […]

At an age when most children are begging their parents for a puppy, playing with dolls, or squealing with delight at birthday parties, Yun Kim of South Korea knew exactly what she wanted to do when she grew up: become an English-speaking attorney in the U.S. In 2008, with a law degree and work visa […]

It’s a cycle that can be mentally taxing, Jose Antonio Rodriguez acknowledges. Chief legal officer and executive vice president of New York’s largest Hispanic-led nonprofit, Acacia Network Inc., he’s aided some of the most underserved communities statewide and beyond. “At least we know we’re making a dent,” he tells Vanguard in April from Acacia’s headquarters […]