Aisha White is originally from Nigeria. She came to the US for college and graduated from Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, KY in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. She started as a volunteer with NICE in July 2009 and worked in several departments before settling in immigration. In 2012, she became an accredited representative with the Department of Justice and currently works as the Associate Director of Immigration Services. Throughout her time at NICE, she has enjoyed meeting and getting to know people from many different walks of life and hearing about their incredible journeys. Aisha is happy to call Nashville home where so many immigrants and refugees have settled and enriched the communities with their culture and cuisine. She enjoys exploring the city with her 2 children and sampling the various ethnic restaurants around town.

She may have been born in Kansas, but her heart is in Tennessee!  Silvia Castaneda is an Emmy award winning journalist who joined News 2 in 2002 and most recently has been the host and producer of Take 2 segments, News 2 Gives Back Hometown Hero profiles plus works behind the scenes on station projects like the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. She now enjoys her role as the Southern Trend Spotter for News 2’s hour long lifestyle show called Local on 2 which airs Monday through Friday starting at 2p.

Her professional career has taken her to newsrooms in Houston, Miami, Sacramento to Wichita covering everyone from presidents and first ladies, actors to activists, and everyday people who make communities a better place to live. From anchoring, reporting to hosting a Hispanic issues public affair show, Silvia loves telling stories and helping educate the public about what can make their lives better easier, and just more fun!

During her downtime you can find Silvia volunteering in the community, shopping her favorite antique or clothing stores as she’s always on the lookout for a great deal or spending time with her family checking out the local farmers markets or restaurants as who doesn’t love all the great food you can find locally!

Melinda Hudgins Noblitt is an award-winning leader known for her exceptional impact, innovation, and advocacy for equality. Most recently, Melinda led corporate social responsibility for a multi-billion dollar, global tech company, overseeing philanthropic initiatives across the U.S. and Philippines. She has also held key leadership roles in diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI) and talent attraction & outreach, driving programs that foster diversity and belonging through partnerships, employee resource groups (ERGs), and educational initiatives. As co-founder and co-host of the Lipstick Economy Podcast, Melinda explores all aspects of marketing to women and features leaders who are making a difference. She serves as secretary for Nashville PBS board of directors and is on the executive board of FUTURO. Melinda was also selected for 2025 Mosaic Fellowship Tennessee, and in 2024, Nashville Business Journal named Melinda to its list of 40 Under 40.

Vanessa Lazón works for the Office of English Learners (EL) at Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) as the EL Family & Community Specialist. In this role, she works directly with EL families and schools to solidify the pivotal partnership needed for students to be successful. She also partners with community agencies that serve EL students and their families.

Vanessa moved to Nashville from Lima, Perú in the late nineties and graduated from Glencliff High School. Her immigration experience along with her college years and the experiences at the beginning of her professional career in non-profit helped her understand that having the appropriate resources and supports is vital for New Americans and English Learners to successfully face challenges and start their journey towards a thriving and engaged life in their new home. Her vast experiences working with diverse populations allowed her to advocate for people’s rights and in turn fueled her passion to help immigrants and refugees by connecting them with appropriate resources. She is a firm believer that systems must be updated to better serve and include all newcomers in order to provide true access to opportunities and pathways that will allow them to make their communities better.

Vanessa is a graduate of Lipscomb University and a “MyCity Academy” program graduate. She is part of the inaugural cohort of the Mosaic Fellowship, served as co-chair for the Mayor’s New Americans Advisory Council, led the Mayor’s Office of New Americans for four years, served on the Board of The Nashville Food Project and currently serves on the Board of TCASN.

Melissa Thomas has a heart for helping the most vulnerable in our community. After the flood of 2010, she served as the Director of Southeast Nashville Recovery, which helped those in our community who had lost their homes due to the flood. When that work was completed in 2012, she and others recognized a need for a food pantry in the Antioch/Southeast Nashville area. In April 2013, The Branch of Nashville opened its doors with Melissa as the Executive Director.

Under Melissa’s leadership, The Branch has expanded from a small pantry open 2 hours per week to a thriving pantry serving more than 300 families per week, an English Language Learning facility with 17-20 teachers and over 250 students, and a place where people can get individualized help with resource navigation and support as they make changes for a brighter future. Melissa knows that our community is better if we all work together. In December of 2022, she started the Coalition for Better Futures in Southeast Nashville, bringing together people from other non-profits, government agencies, schools, universities, churches, businesses, and the community in order to address challenges and advocate for opportunities in Southeast Nashville.

Melissa is a pastor’s wife, mother of six, grandmother of nine, a part-time chicken farmer, and above all, a Jesus follower who loves all people.

Tessa Lemos Del Pino is the Executive Director of Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, a nonprofit law office that provides free or low cost legal representation to low-income immigrants seeking humanitarian relief, educates the public about immigration and advocates for immigrant rights. In her work with TNJFON, she is constantly impressed by the resilience, strength and humility of our clients who remind her of her migrant farmworker parents. Many of them have come here with so little seeking safety and security and have built a life for themselves and their families.

Before taking the helm of Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, Tessa held many roles in which she advanced the wellbeing of the marginalized. Amongst the positions she has held in the past are the Director of Finance and Administration at the Center for Global Health and Economic Development, Business Manager at the Mailman School of Public Health, and Site Coordinator and Research Associate at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University of the City of New York.

In addition to her work at Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, Tessa is a alumna of the 2024 Mosaic Changemakers Fellowship that is working together to weave a better south, a member of the Class of 2025 Leadership Nashville, a board member of the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and is an active member of her church where she learned that everyone is a child of God and we are called to love our neighbor.

Tessa graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management and Organizational Development. She also earned her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law. Tessa is admitted to practice in Washington.

She is a proud mother of two young adult children and hopes to build a better world for them and anyone who she encounters.

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