SPP Inaugural Gala

Lenni Benson

Lifetime Achievement Honoree

Distinguished Chair of Immigration and Human Rights Law at New York Law School and Founder of Safe Passage Project

Lenni Benson is a chair professor at New York Law School. She helped to found the Safe Passage Project by recruiting students and attorneys to cover a juvenile docket at the NY Immigration Court. She is the author of dozens of articles and several books. Most relevant are a book edited with Dr. Mary Crock for Elgar Press, "Protecting Migration Children: In Search of Best Practice" (2018) and for Carolina Academic Press, "Immigration Law and Procedure: Problems and Strategies" (2d Edition 2019)(new edition expected 2026) (with Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia and Stephen Yale-Loehr). She has taught and/or practiced immigration law since 1984. She has served on the board of Safe Passage Project since its inception and is now emeritus. She is also an emeritus board member of the American Immigration Council, The Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, and The ASU Sandra Day O'Conner Law School Alumni Association Board. She is also a past chair of several national or local bar committees for the City Bar of New York and The American Immigration Lawyers Association. For ten years she has hosted a large asylum law conference and training at NYLS with multiple tracks and panels. For her work with Safe Passage Project and as a professor she has won both national and local awards for leadership in teaching and or pro bono.

Jojo Annobil

Community Trailblazer Honoree

CEO of Immigrant Justice Corps

Jojo Annobil is the Chief Executive Officer of Immigrant Justice Corps the first and only national immigration fellowship program exclusively dedicated to meeting immigrants' need for high-quality legal assistance. His work for nearly two decades has focused on protecting immigrant rights and ensuring that families are kept together. He has lectured extensively and participated on panels on various immigration topics. In 2014, Annobil provided leadership in establishing the Immigrant Children Advocates Relief Effort (ICARE) in New York City, the first universal representation program for unaccompanied children facing deportation. Since 2016, Annobil has focused his work on building a pipeline of talented young lawyers and advocates, the next generation of immigration lawyers and policy makers, to address the unprecedented representation needs of immigrants nationwide.

Monica Morales

Emcee

Pix 11 Reporter & Host "Monica Makes It Happen" Show

Monica Morales is a six-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and the face of Monica Makes It Happen on PIX11 News. Her reporting fights for underserved communities, tackling housing issues, food insecurity, and healthcare inequities. Her investigations have pushed government agencies to take action, improving thousands of lives. She also hosts a monthly Monica Makes It Happen TV show and a biweekly Facebook series on PIX11's page featuring experts and community leaders.

Recognized for her advocacy journalism, Morales has received a National Emmy, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and multiple community service honors. Since 2016, she has visited over 250 housing developments, helping restore heat, hot water, and repairs to hundreds of homes. Her work has been featured in the Columbia Journalism Review, and she delivered a TED Talk on community advocacy.

She has hosted political debates, town halls, and panels for organizations like Harvard Business School. Previously, she worked at WNBC in New York, FOX25 in Boston, NBC6 in Miami, and CBS in Milwaukee. She holds a Master's in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Florida and has taught at CUNY.