Yvette LaGonterie retired from a lengthy federal career in the United States government, where she held senior positions in immigration, international affairs, and homeland security, including
Director of International Operations and Senior Policy Advisor for the Department of Homeland Security; Immigration Regional Attache for Latin America and the Caribbean assigned to the American Embassy in Mexico City; Deputy Director for International Affairs for the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service; and the Executive Secretary and Chief of Outreach for United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.  Yvette has represented the United States as an immigration expert in many multilateral bodies, including the G-8, AIPAC, OECD, and the Regional Conference on Immigration. Yvette is an adjunct lecturer and Faculty Director of the Washington Semester at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Baruch College. Yvette holds a B.A. in Mass Communications and a Masters in Public Administration.  She currently serves as a Trustee for the Pan American Development Foundation.  She is also Vice Chair of the Advisory Board of Reading Partners DC.