Administration
Lindsay N. Marshall, Esq.
Executive Director
Lindsay Marshall grew up in Missouri and earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan, M.S.C. in Criminal Justice Policy from the London School of Economics, and J.D. from Northwestern University. Lindsay has traveled extensively in Vietnam, Malawi, Mexico, and Europe and serves on the U.S. Mexico Border Policy Task Force and the Steering Committee of the Detention Watch Network. She frequently speaks to community members about the immigration detention system in Arizona. She speaks Spanish and when not working can be found reading in a hammock, growing vegetables, and playing music as a volunteer deejay with Tucson’s community radio station. She has been with the Florence Project since September 2006, transitioning from the Pro Bono Coordinator position to Executive Director in July 2007.
Kara Hartzler, Esq.
Legal Director/Criminal Immigration Consultant
Kara Hartzler grew up in Kansas and earned her M.F.A. in play writing and J.D. from the University of Iowa. She has traveled and lived in Chiapas, Mexico and Harlingon, Texas. Kara has authored numerous articles and resources for criminal defense attorneys and currently teaches an immigration and crimes seminar at the University of Arizona School of Law. She speaks Spanish and enjoys picking bluegrass music, beating interns in pool, and writing internationally performed plays. She has been with the Florence Project since February 2005, transitioning from the Eloy Staff Attorney position to Legal Director/Criminal Immigration Consultant in April 2007.
Thalassa Georgina Kingsnorth, Esq.
Pro Bono Coordinator/Senior Staff Attorney
Michele Dando
Office Manager
Michele Dando was born and raised in Casa Grande, Arizona, where she attended Casa Grande Union High School. Michele is fluent in Spanglish and is the mother of six children and three granddaughters. She enjoys finding gems at yard sales, watching Steelers football, spending time with her family, and keeping Florence Project staff in the good graces with the town of Florence. Michele has been with the Florence Project since June 2002.
Cindy Schlosser
Social Services Coordinator
Cindy Schlosser grew up on a farm in North Dakota and attended Valley City State College. A former high school Spanish teacher, Cindy has also worked at the Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas. In her spare time, she can be found mountain climbing in the Southwest, sleeping under the stars, and attending potluck dinners. Cindy has been with the Florence Project since June 2009, transitioning from the Florence Legal Assistant position to Social Services Coordinator in July 2010.
Children
Linnha Gonzalez-Suarez was born in New York, raised in California, and spent most of her adult life living in Florida. She is a passionate Seminole, having attended Florida State University for undergraduate and law school. Her passion in immigration issues arose while interning after her first year in law school at the ACLU in Harrisburg, PA, working on a federal suit challenging the City of Hazleton’s Anti-Immigrant Ordinance. Linnha has also interned for the Southern Poverty Law Center working on farmworker rights and the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights researching human trafficking issues, and spent 3 months after law school advising refugees in Ecuador. Before joining the Florence Project, Linnha spent over 2 years working as an assistant public defender in Florida. She speaks Spanish and loves to swim, attempt vegan cooking, learn salsa dancing, and travel the world. Linnha has been with the Florence Project since January 2012.
Sara Lofland, Esq.
Pro Bono Mentor
Sara Lofland lived in New Mexico, Texas, and Connecticut before finally settling down in Arizona. She has a B.A. in Spanish Literature from Yale University, and a J.D. from Arizona State University. In a past life, she worked as a teacher at a boarding school. Sara enjoys swimming, running, yoga, and chasing her infant/toddler around the house. Sara has been with the Florence Project since September 2008, transitioning from Children’s Staff Attorney to Children’s Pro Bono Mentor in October 2010.
Gladis Molina, Esq.
Managing Attorney
Gladis Molina was born in Morazan, El Salvador and lived there until she was ten. Her American hometown is Long Beach, California, where she grew up with her parents and three brothers. She obtained her B.A. from the California State University and her J.D. from the University of California in Los Angeles. Before attending law school, she traveled through Italy and worked at the U.S. Capitol. Her prior work experience includes working with Unaccompanied Children in custody in the Rio Grande Valley and released Unaccompanied Children in Los Angeles. Gladis speaks Spanish and Italian and enjoys reading, which she does in her hammock at the park on the weekends, playing soccer, and volunteering for various causes. She has been with the Florence Project since September 2011
Lindsey De Pew
Legal Assistant
Lindsey DePew grew up in Illinois and graduated from Kent State University. Her prior work experience includes serving as a long-term volunteer with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Guatemala and leading border education trips for BorderLinks. Lindsey speaks Spanish and enjoys playing poker with friends, playing tag with her cat, and knitting gifts. She has been with the Florence Project since November 2008.
Dorien Ediger-Seto
Legal Assistant/Social Services Advocate
Dorien Ediger-Seto grew up in India and New Mexico and holds her B.A. from Vassar College. A former intern with the Florence Project, Dorien received the Compton Foundation Mentor Fellowship to provide targeted social service and advocacy support to unaccompanied children in Phoenix. Dorien is fluent in Spanish and enjoys taco trucks, gardening, and creating social change. She has been with the Florence Project since July 2010.
Eloy
Charles Vernon, J.D.
Legal Representative
Charles Vernon grew up in New York and Colorado and holds his B.A. from Boston College and J.D. from the University of Arizona. Before attending law school, Charles worked with the Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas and was a bus driver in Boulder, Colorado. Charles speaks Spanish, is an avid rock climber, and also enjoys reading mystery novels, poetry, and making complex legal arguments. He has been with the Florence Project since January 2012.
Eileen Sterlock, Esq.
Staff Attorney
Eileen Sterlock grew up in Maryland and Pennsylvania and earned her B.A. from the University of Arizona and J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School. Eileen’s prior work and volunteer experience includes time with the Executive Office of Immigration Review, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and Immigration Counseling Service in Portland, Oregon. Eileen speaks Spanish and enjoys making vegetarian soups, her cat Norman, and trivia night. She has been with the Florence Project since June 2011.
Argentina Iñiguez
Legal Assistant
Argentina Iñiguez was born and raised in Arizona on the U.S.- Mexico Border, attended Villanova University, and has lived on three continents. Argentina enjoys fine wine, chihuahuas, and Italian Medieval to Renaissance Art History. She is fluent in Spanish and Italian and can order a drink in Arabic and Latin. She has been with the Florence Project since June 2009.
Florence
Laura St. John, Esq.
Staff Attorney
Laura St. John grew up in California and holds her B.A. from the University of California, Berkley and her J.D. from New York University. Laura has volunteered for human rights organizations in Mexico and Guatemala and her work experience includes clerking at the Alaska Superior Court, interning at the ACLU of Southern California and Nevada and participating in the NYU Immigrant Rights Clinic. Laura speaks Spanish and enjoys playing competitive soccer and cooking Indian food. She has been with the Florence Project since March 2011.
Jessica Zweng, J.D.
Legal Representative
Jessica Zweng grew up in California and holds her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her J.D. from the University of California, Davis. Jessica’s work experience includes volunteering with the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (where she received the 2008 Outstanding Young Advocate Award), consulting for the Santa Barbara Immigration Community Center, and participating in U.C. Davis’s Immigration Law Clinic. Jessica speaks Spanish, has lived in Cuba and Tanzania, and enjoys riding horses, practicing the accordian, and studying the most efficient methods for fighting off rattlesnake attacks. She has been with the Florence Project since September 2010.
Christina Villegas
Legal Assistant
Christina Villegas grew up in Queens and attended Williams College. She has lived in Ecuador, South Africa, and New Mexico. Before joining the Florence Project, Christina was a civil practice legal advocate at the Bronx Defenders. She enjoys shenanigans, picking up new bad habits, and living in the moment. She is fluent in Spanish. She has been with the Florence Project since July 2010.
Fellows
Laura Belous, Esq.
EJW Mental Health Fellow
Laura Belous is a native Arizonan, earning her B.A. from Oberlin College, and an M.S. in Mexican-American Studies and J.D. from the University of Arizona. She has worked in freelance public radio and speaks Spanish. Laura enjoys carnivorous plants, seaweed salad, playing the cello, and dabbling in recreational epidemiology. She has been with the Florence Project since September 2010 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow assisting detainees with serious mental health issues.
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