Virtual TPC Philanthropy Dialogue:
The Power of an Advocate
Thursday November 5, 2026
6:30-7:30 pm
Featuring:
What does it mean to be an advocate for people whose voices can be overlooked? Hear directly from three current TPC grantees working in areas where having a knowledgeable and committed advocate can make a critical difference.
Boston CASA trains volunteers to advocate for children involved in the foster care system. Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice provides legal representation to asylum seekers and immigrant families. Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice trains college students to become advocates while expanding access to immigration legal services. Through their experiences, explore the many ways advocates can show up, serve as trusted partners, guide options, and amplify voices. Discover how the presence of an advocate can shift not only a person’s experience within a system, but what becomes possible for them within it.
Boston CASA
Founded in 1982, Boston CASA advocates for and protects the best interests of children and youth who have experienced abuse and neglect. The organization recruits, trains and supports community-based volunteers to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) for children removed from their home due to abuse and neglect, many of whom end up in foster care. The CASAs provide a voice to children in the court system so they may thrive in a stable environment.
Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice
Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice provides expert pro bono legal services to asylum-seeking families that have been separated, detained in family detention centers, and/ or subjected to expedited removal through the dedicated docket. The organization focuses on serving asylum seekers who are at risk of imminent deportation and who are filing their asylum application in Immigration Court.
Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice (SCIJ)
Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice (SCIJ) brings together college students and immigrant communities to expand access to legal support and advocate for immigrant justice. SCIJ trains students in immigration law and community organizing, then pairs them with experienced immigration attorneys and organizations to help provide legal services to asylum seekers. SCIJ equips a new generation of advocates to provide immediate legal support, work alongside immigrant communities, and advance longer-term change.
Nicole Stewart is Executive Director of Boston CASA. A lifelong champion of quality education opportunities for all children, she served as an educational leader in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and Boston Public School systems for almost two decades before transitioning to the non-profit sector. She has served as Executive Director of the Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club of Boston; Program Director for Bridge Home Starr Program; and Turnaround CEO for Homes for Families. She is also the founder and Board Chair of Possibilities Here, Inc., whose mission is to break the cycles of poverty and abuse experienced by young women in and from the foster care system.
Jill Seeber, Esq. is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice. She has been practicing immigration law since 2015 with a focus on removal defense work, particularly for mothers and children who have spent time in family detention. Since co-founding Mabel Center in 2020, Jill has grown it into a $1mil organization serving 700 immigrants annually. Jill was named a Top Woman in Law by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in 2022 and was a member of a team of attorneys that received The President’s Award from the Boston Bar Association for providing quick legal representation to the migrants stranded on Martha’s Vineyard.
Jonathan Goldman is the Executive Director of the Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice (SCIJ). Born in Denmark and raised in the US, Jonathan Goldman's outlook on immigration has been shaped by this foundational part of his identity. Through his work with the Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice (SCIJ), Jonathan has trained over 150 students, 80% of whom are immigrants or first-generation Americans themselves, at UMass Boston, Worcester State University, and Brown University. SCIJ's students have provided legal support to over 350 asylum seekers and engaged in multiple successful organizing campaigns.