Labor On The Move: C.H.O.I.C.E.’s Coles Appointed to DC NAACP Executive Committee; DCNA’s Walakewon Blegay Recognized; Sheena Wadhawan Joins EJC

C.H.O.I.C.E.’s Coles Appointed to DC NAACP Executive Committee: The NAACP Washington, DC Chapter on January 22 announced the appointment to its Executive Committee of Mark Coles (above left), the Executive Director of the Community Hub for Opportunities in Construction Employment (C.H.O.I.C.E.). "I am honored and humbled," said Coles, "to be a part of an organization that has such an important historical legacy, both in the District of Columbia and all across the United States.  The missions of both the NACCP and C.H.O.I.C.E. run on parallel tracks - to achieve social justice and to provide increased economic opportunities ." A member of Ironworkers Union Local 5 in the District of Columbia, Coles is a Washington DC native, a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, and a Marine Corps veteran.

DCNA’s Walakewon Blegay Recognized: The Prince George's County Social Innovation Fund on January 28 recognized DCNA Staff Attorney Walakewon Blegay, Esq., (center) as of one of the 40 individuals under 40 who are committed to public service in Prince George's county. The Social Innovation Fund works as a catalyst for social impact in Prince George’s County, Maryland and its mission is to build social capital and invest in new approaches to solving a broad range of challenges in Prince George’s County.

Sheena Wadhawan Joins EJC: Sheena Wadhawan (right) is the Employment Justice Center’s new advocacy director. Wadhawan has eight years of experience working alongside low-income communities struggling to build power and fight for systematic reform and greater access to justice, most recently as the Legal Program Manager at CASA de Maryland (CASA), the largest immigrants’ rights organization in the area. She joined CASA in 2011 as a staff attorney specializing in employment law and workers’ rights, and was promoted to lead the program in 2013. She delivered the keynote address at the 2014 Baltimore Immigration Summit, served as Vice President of the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California in 2010 and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights District of Columbia State Advisory Committee.