Community Change/Action Announces Lorella Praeli and Dorian Warren as Co-Presidents
Their co-leadership positions the 53-year-old organization for big, bold wins toward a progressive future.
Washington, D.C. – The Community Change and Community Change Action Boards of Directors are thrilled to announce that Lorella Praeli and Dorian Warren have been named co-presidents of both organizations in a historic move that reinforces our commitment to build Black, brown and immigrant power.
With this shift, the organizations are poised to win transformative policy change for all people, especially low-income people of color, and particularly in this moment to ensure that the new Administration, elected by a multi-racial coalition of voters, enacts a vision for all families.
“I’m honored to take the helm of Community Change and Community Change Action alongside my friend and colleague, Dorian Warren,” said Lorella Praeli. “After years of organizing and power-building, we find ourselves in a moment of extraordinary opportunity, with a clear vision for justice. CC/A is at the center of that moment, anchoring fights for immigrant justice, for housing, for child care, for an economic recovery that uplifts all communities, and more. And I know that we will win, because our strategies are grounded in the power of Black, brown, and immigrant communities. I am thrilled to partner with Dorian to lead CC/A at this historic time.”
“We have our work cut out for us in the coming months: We are fighting to end poverty, pushing for the resources that allow all families to thrive and demanding full inclusion and immigrant and racial justice for all of us,” said Dorian Warren. “I can’t think of a better teammate to work with than Lorella to position us for the big bold wins we need at the federal and local levels.”
As Community Change/Action cement their roles in building the progressive movement, they need a leadership model that provides more depth and ability to move and align complex relationships in the ever-changing landscapes of politics, media, technology, philanthropy and organizing.
“Lorella and Dorian make up our leadership Dream Team,” said Community Board Chair Arlene Holt Baker. “They have complementary and overlapping skills, shared vision and values, a strong and aligned year of working together. Most importantly, they’ve built a relationship of trust.”
“These changes in title reflect the way Dorian and Lorella have led this organization already over the last year,” said Community Change Action Board Chair Lisa García Bedolla. “They both embody the promise and potential of building Black, brown and immigrant power in this country from the ground up. Not to mention that it is long past time for Community Change to have a woman leader, especially a woman of color leader for the first time in our 53-year history.”
About Lorella Praeli: Lorella Praeli is co-President of Community Change and Community Change Action. She comes with deep political experience as the National Latino Vote Director for the Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign, where she developed and directed a national Latino vote strategy that won almost 80 percent of the Latino vote nationwide. Most recently, Praeli served as Deputy National Political Director and Director of Immigration Policy & Campaigns at the American Civil Liberties Union. Prior to joining the Clinton campaign, she was National Director of Policy and Advocacy for United We Dream, the largest immigrant-youth led network in the country.
Lorella moved from Peru to Connecticut with her family at the age of ten. Her life was transformed after coming out as “undocumented and unafraid” and organizing undocumented students to step into their power in Connecticut.
As a commentator, Praeli has appeared on Spanish- and English-language television and radio, including MSNBC, Univision, NBC News, CNN en Español and NPR. She has been featured in key media outlets, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.
About Dorian Warren: Dorian Warren is co-President of Community Change and Community Change Action. A progressive scholar, organizer and veteran media personality, Dorian has worked to advance racial, economic and social justice for more than two decades.
Growing up on Chicago’s South Side, Dorian learned firsthand the power of unions to unleash economic opportunities. His great-grandparents were sharecroppers, his grandparents were janitors and his mother was a teacher in Chicago’s public schools for more than 40 years.
Dorian is a broadcast veteran. He co-hosts the podcast System Check with Melissa Harris Perry and is a regular contributor on MSNBC news shows, including “The Beat with Ari Melber” and “All In with Chris Hayes.” He has also written for NBC Think, the Washington Post and Salon, and he has been quoted in several publications including The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.
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