Immigration Equality Welcomes Five Board Members
New York, NY (February 21, 2024) — Immigration Equality, the nations’s leading LGBTQ immigrant rights organization, recently welcomed five additions to its board of directors.
“I am delighted to officially welcome these talented individuals to Immigration Equality’s Board of Directors,” said Jessica Klein, Chair of Immigration Equality’s Board of Directors and Special Counsel & Head of Pro Bono Practice at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. “They not only bring a wealth of expertise in their respective fields, but also a demonstrated commitment to public service. Their talent and commitment will bolster Immigration Equality’s efforts to secure safety and freedom for LGBTQ and/or HIV-positive asylum seekers fleeing persecution across the globe.”
Jordan Backman is Senior Vice President, People and Culture & Total Rewards, at AMC Networks (“AMCN”), where he oversees the HR function for the organization. Prior to AMCN, he served as Vice President and Senior Counsel at Sony Corporation of America and as in-house employee benefits counsel for PepsiCo. He began his career as an associate at the New York office of Proskauer. He received both his undergraduate degree, with distinction, and his law degree from the University of Virginia. Jordan is currently an officer and member of the Executive Board of the American Benefits Council (the “Council”). Previously, he served on the Executive Committee of the New York City Bar Association (the “Association”) and chaired the Association’s Committee on LGBTQ Rights. He lives with his husband in New York City and Rhinebeck.
David Flechner is a partner at Allen & Overy LLP (New York and São Paulo offices), where his practice focuses on Latin American capital markets, infrastructure/energy financing and corporate governance matters. At A&O, David Co-Chairs the U.S. Pro Bono Program, and he has consistently advised on pro bono representations for Immigration Equality clients. David is passionate about contributing to equitable, sustainable economic and social development both in the U.S. and abroad – focusing on access to justice. David holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he worked at the Immigration and Refugee Law Clinic through Greater Boston Legal Services. He was a Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Pro Bono Committee, and he is a member of the Vance Center Committee at the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice. David lives in New York City with his husband, a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Henry Harding is the Head of Global Search Marketing Strategy & Operations at Google. Prior to his current role, he worked as the Chief of Staff for the Ads Privacy and Safety team, and before that as the Head of Strategy & Operations for the Global Agency sales organization. Before Google, Henry was a consultant at Bain & Company in New York, working on cases with private equity, finance, and media clients. Henry was a member of the Empire State Pride Agenda’s youth board before the passage of marriage equality in New York. Henry received his B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A from Columbia University.
Susanne (Susi) Kandel is General Counsel at Radius Global Infrastructure, a leading global aggregator of real property interests underlying wireless telecommunications cell sites and other digital infrastructure assets. She was previously General Counsel of American Tower Corporation’s Latin America and Europe regions. From 2004-2013, Ms. Kandel was an associate in both the real estate and litigation departments at Paul, Weiss in New York City. She holds a law degree from NYU School of Law and received an A.B. in Religion and Middle Eastern Languages and Literature with a certificate in Women’s Studies from Dartmouth College. Before attending law school, she was a community organizer for Mass NARAL in Boston and an outreach volunteer at the Jerusalem Open House, Jerusalem’s LGBTQ+ community center. She currently resides in the Netherlands with her wife.
Philip McCarthy is a real estate broker at Sotheby’s International Realty in Manhattan. Prior to his work in real estate sales, Philip was a public interest attorney at an NGO based in Washington, DC. He has served on a number of boards of LGBT and art focused organizations, and he is active in political fundraising. Philip earned his JD at Georgetown Law School, and his BBA in Finance from The College of William and Mary. He lives in Tribeca with his husband and their pup; they spend many of their weekends in bucolic Bucks County, PA.
These five individuals join the full Immigration Equality Board of Directors, which includes: Chair Jessica Klein, Secretary Dorian Needham, Treasurer Alan Flippen, and members Albert Chen, Brian King, David Mooney, Leone Kraus, Navin Manglani, Oliver Anene, Randy Feuerstein, Tanisha L. Massie, Simba Machona, Shanti Sadtler Conway, and Ilon Rincon Portas.