About Us
Neighbors Link works to build stronger communities through immigrant empowerment and integration.
Our Mission
The Neighbors Link mission is to strengthen the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants. Our mission is achieved by filling a service gap for new immigrant families, offering education and empowerment programs, involving longer-term residents in volunteer opportunities and creating substantive partnerships with other local organizations. Our strategies to educate, empower and employ families include a Worker Center, English as a Second Language (ESL) education, legal services and advocacy, workforce development, parent education, early childhood programs and academic support for school-age children of immigrants.
Neighbors Link is headquartered in Mount Kisco, has three locations in Westchester County and offers services throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley. For more information on locations or programs, please call us at 914-666-3410.
Carola Otero Bracco, Executive Director
Carola Otero Bracco, Executive Director of Neighbors Link, has a strong personal connection to the Neighbors Link mission of strengthening the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants. As a first generation American born of immigrant parents from Bolivia, Carola understands the challenges that accompany the immigrant experience in America and is dedicated to inspiring healthy integration in the community. Carola is bilingual and bicultural and is driven by her passion for empowering immigrant families and advocating for personal growth through education and economic development.
During Carola’s tenure, Neighbors Link has become a leader in designing, implementing and directing community-based, bilingual educational and cultural awareness training programs. Furthermore, with her guidance and leadership, the organization has grown to include three community centers, the largest immigration legal practice in the mid-Hudson Valley and programming that serves immigrants in 186 towns across 35 counties in New York.
Before becoming Executive Director of Neighbors Link in April of 2004, Carola spent 12 years of her career gaining experience in financial management with General Electric Corporation, Ford Motor Company and Time Warner. She holds an MBA from Duke University and currently serves as the Board Chair for the New York Immigration Coalition. She previously served on the board of Northern Westchester Hospital, the National Council for Workforce Education and Nonprofit Westchester.
Carola is recognized as an expert on immigration issues and has received numerous awards and recognitions. Recently, she was recognized by Governor Kathy Hochul during Hispanic Heritage Month, was selected as a New York Senate District 40 Woman of Distinction by Senator Peter Harckham and was selected for City & State’s Westchester Power 100 list.
Providing leadership and vision for Neighbors Link is something Carola sees as her life’s work and she often says it is a privilege to be in her position as executive director.
Board of Directors
Elisa Burns, MD, Chair
Jelane Caspar, Vice Chair
Christopher Robinson, Treasurer
Adrienne Marcus, PhD, Secretary
Nancy Bauer
Cynthia Brill, Esq.
Monica Cliff
Kevin Conroy
Wendy Gardner
Barbara Bruce Jackson
Omar Lopez
Stuart Marwell
Julie Muniz
Robert Newborn, MD
Raymond Sanchez, EdD
Joel Seligman
Robert T. Shepardson
Mary L. Weiss, Esq.
Teresita Bango Wisell
Staff
Karin Anderson Ponzer, Esq., Director, Neighbors Link Community Law Practice (kanderson@neighborslink.org)
Luisa Granda-Rodriguez, Senior Director, Operations and External Relations (lgranda@neighborslink.org)
Elizabeth Mastropolo, Esq., Managing Attorney, Neighbors Link Community Law Practice (emastropolo@neighborslink.org
Kathy Thorsberg, Chief Financial Officer (kthorsberg@neighborslink.org)
Adrienne Vogel, Development Director (avogel@neighborslink.org)
Angela Aguilar, Administrative Assistant (aaguilar@neighborslink.org)
Lourdes Aguilar, Esq., Staff Attorney and ONA Legal Counsel (laguilar@neighborslink.org)
Ali Ahmadi, Evening ESOL Program Coordinator (aahmadi@neighborslink.org)
Daniel Arce, Workplace Safety, Security & Facilities Manager (darce@neighborslink.org)
Alyssa Besio-Baker, Grants Manager (abesio@neighborslink.org)
Constanza Bentancor, Senior Paralegal, DOJ Fully Accredited Representative (cbentancor@neighborslink.org)
Patricia Blanco, Case Coordinator (pblanco@neighborslink.org)
Ciara Bowes, Volunteer Coordinator (cbowes@neighborslink.org)
Jonathan Campozano, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney (jcampozano@neighborslink.org)
Beatriz Capellan, Legal Services Data Coordinator (bcapellan@neighborslink.org)
Anne Marie Curreri, Accounting Manager (acurreri@neighborslink.org)
Neissa Fils, Paralegal (nfils@neighborslink.org)
Christine Garcia Rubin, Educational Technology Specialist (cgarcia@neighborslink.org)
Beverliz Gillert, Program Manager (bgillert@neighborslink.org)
Katie Graves-Abe, Communications and Social Media Manager (kgraves-abe@neighborslink.org)
Enoc Guartambel, Bilingual Community Outreach Coordinator (eguartambel@neighborslink.org)
Denisha Hilario, ESOL Manager (dhilario@neighborslink.org)
Deborah Hubbe, Senior Accounting Manager (dhubbe@neighborslink.org)
Jodi Katz, Volunteer & Case Support Coordinator (jkatz@neighborslink.org)
Carli Leiva, Administrative Assistant (cleiva@neighborslink.org)
Jay Leon, Paralegal, DOJ Fully Accredited Representative (jleon@neighborslink.org)
Rina Lokaj, Development Associate (rlokaj@neighborslink.org)
Shoshanna Malett, Senior Staff Attorney (smalett@neighborslink.org)
Genesis Mangual, Administrative Assistant (gmangual@neighborslink.org)
Isaac Marquez, Hiring Site Manager (imarquez@neighborslink.org)
Rosa Martin, CRM Data Manager (rmartin@neighborslink.org)
Laura Martinez, Case Coordinator for Client Support Services (lmartinez@neighborslink.org)
Genesis Mayancela, Parent-Child Program Facilitator (gmayancela@neighborslink.org)
Magdalena Mazurek Kellar, Paralegal, DOJ Accredited Rep (Partial) (mmazurek@neighborslink.org)
Guadalupe Miranda-Castellon, Case Coordinator (gmirandacastellon@neighborslink.org)
Leslie Molina, ONA DOJ Accredited Representative (Partial) (lmolina@neighborslink.org)
Elizabeth Parry, Volunteer Manager (eparry@neighborslink.org)
Mercy Quezada, Case Coordinator (mquezada@neighborslink.org)
Magali Ramirez, Paralegal (mramirez@neighborslink.org)
Ana Restrepo, Senior Manager, Operations and Worker Center (arestrepo@neighborslink.org)
Ramiro Rincon, Program Manager (rrincon@neighborslink.org)
Emily Rodriguez, Housing Coordinator (erodriguez@neighborslink.org)
Gloria Roman, Paralegal (groman@neighborslink.org)
Jason Ruiz Ponce, Administrative Assistant (jruizponce@neighborslink.org)
Sandra Sacaza, Paralegal, DOJ Accredited Representative (Partial) (ssacaza@neighborslink.org)
Stephanie Sanchez, Carreras y Caminos Manager (ssanchez@neighborslink.org)
Peter Steward, ONA Legal Liaison (psteward@neighborslink.org)
Jackie Tirado, Family Center Program Manager (jtirado@neighborslink.org)
Kenta Togo, Community Outreach Coordinator (ktogo@neighborslink.org)
Elizabeth Tonne-Daims, Senior Staff Attorney (etonnedaims@neighborslink.org)
Sabrina Tuquinagui, Paralegal, DOJ Accredited Representative (Partial) (stuquinagui@neighborslink.org)
Natalie Urgiles, Paralegal (nurgiles@neighborslink.org)
Brianna Vasquez, MAP Case Coordinator (bvasquez@neighborslink.org)
Jeffrey Vides-Urrutia, Paralegal (jvidesurrutia@neighborslink.org)
Ana Vinansaca, Childcare Program Coordinator (avinansaca@neighborslink.org)
Evelyne Velez, PAT Parent Educator (evelez@neighborslink.org)
Susan Weissert, DOJ Accredited Representative (Partial) (sweissert@neighborslink.org)
Arielle Wisbaum, Staff Attorney (awisbaun@neighborslink.org)
Margarita Zambrano, MAP Case Manager (mzambrano@neighborslink.org)
Melanie Zamenhof, Senior Staff Attorney (mzamenhof@neighborslink.org)
Cesar Zepeda, Development Officer (czepeda@neighborslink.org)
Lesly Zhingri, Administrative Assistant (lzhingri@neighborslink.org)
Roberto Zumba, Worker Center Coordinator (rzumba@neighborslink.org)
For media inquiries, please contact Katie Graves-Abe at kgraves-abe@neighborslink.org or 914-752-2648.
To learn more about our Legal team, click here.
To learn more about our Family Center team, click here.
To learn more about our ESOL and Adult Education team, click here.
To learn more about our Community Engagement, Operations and Workforce Development team, click here.
To learn more about our Volunteer team, click here.
To learn more about our Development and Communications team, click here.
To learn more about our Administration and Finance team, click here.
Awards and Recognitions
SELECTED RECENT AWARDS
Carola Bracco was selected by City & State to be on the 2022 Westchester Power 100 List
The Dr. Harold Keltz Distinguished Public Health Service Award from the Westchester County Department of Health (2021)
Crain’s New York Business recognized Carola Otero Bracco as one of it’s 2021 Notables in Nonprofits and Philanthropy
New York Senate District 40 Woman of Distinction for 2019 by Senator Peter Harckham awarded to Carola Otero Bracco, Executive Director of Neighbors Link
New York Immigration Coalition Member of the Year (2018)
Pace Community Law School Immigration Law Society’s Immigrant Advocate Award awarded to Carola Otero Bracco, Executive Director of Neighbors Link (2018)
Neighbors Link first established our partnership with the New York State Office for New Americans (ONA) in 2016, when we were awarded the ONA Opportunity Center grant, designating us as a recognized resource among a statewide network of service providers for new Americans. Since then, Neighbors Link has expanded our work with ONA and we are currently an ONA designated Legal Counsel for the Eastern Hudson Valley, we now operate two ONA Opportunity Centers throughout the county, and we are an ONA Immigrant Community Navigator for the Hudson Valley region.
