MFN Staff

Cecilia (she/her) is the Campaign Manager for Moving Forward Network. A first-generation Mexican American born and raised in Southern California, supports the work of the Campaign team. She entered the world of freight as the Yale Environmental Fellow in 2021 at MFN. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability–EJ and a Master in Public Policy. She received her Bachelors in International Relations from the University of California Davis. She has a dog named Lambert and loves tacos.

Molly (she/her) is the Campaign Director for the Moving Forward Network. Molly began working on ports and logistics issues as a social work intern with Change to Win and the Coalition for Healthy Ports. Following that, Molly worked as the EJ Policy Manager with Ironbound Community Corporation in Newark, NJ. She is working to complete her dissertation from The New School University. She received her MPhil from The New School University and MSW from Monmouth University.

Wendy (she/her) is from South Pasadena, CA. Since receiving her Master’s in Social Work she has spent much of her career working in academia in program and project administration and management roles. Wendy has been with the Moving Foward Network since 2022 managing operations. Prior to that she worked at USC Environmental Centers for 8 years leading environmental health related community engagement work with environmental justice organizations both in Los Angeles and across the country. She has been associated with MFN as a member and worked with member organizations in Los Angeles and nationwide since 2014.

Felicia T Perez (she/they/elles) is a storyteller, educator, and strategist with extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, program management, and movement-building. As Interim Deputy Director at Moving Forward Network, Felicia brings decades of expertise in organizational leadership, communications, and advocacy. Previously, Felicia served as Innovation Director at the Center for Story-based Strategy, Head of Memes at TaskForce, and Communication Strategist for United Workers Congress. They have also worked as an organizer with the ACLU of Southern California and Californians for Justice, and led education and labor advocacy efforts as a middle and high school social studies teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Beyond their work at MFN, Felicia is also a mixed media durational and modern relief artist whose practice is deeply rooted in disability justice. Their work centers the lived experiences of chronic illness and disability, transforming biomedical waste and photography into “sick art” that critiques systemic oppression while celebrating resilience and interdependence.

Isella Ramirez (she/her/ella) is a Chicana urban planner, a seasoned facilitator, and capacity builder with 17 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining the Moving Forward Network, she was the Director of Community Engagement & Capacity Building Hester Street, an urban planning, design, and community development nonprofit that worked to ensure neighborhoods and cities are shaped by the people who live in them, where she worked for nine years. Isella grew up in the City of Commerce; a community overburdened with industrial pollution a few miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. She began her career at East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ), a community-based organization fighting for a healthy and safe environment in Commerce, East Los Angeles, and Long Beach as an organizer. She is passionate about environmental justice and committed to lifting and implementing equitable and just policies and initiatives to effectively center and amplify the health and quality of life of low income communities of color. She holds a B.A in Latin American & Latina(o) Studies from Vassar College (2007) and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA (2014). She is happiest in nature alongside her three children and husband.