Chief of Mayor’s Office Of Immigrant Affairs Appointed

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Eric Garcetti  announced the appointment of Linda Lopez, Aug. 27, as chief of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.  

Lopez will oversee coordination of city services to help immigrants access resources available to them and, once enacted, will help Los Angeles immigrants navigate the new federal pathway to citizenship. The office will also establish partnerships and coordinate among other agencies and organizations assisting immigrants and will analyze and develop state and federal policies that impact immigrants.

Lopez most recently served as associate dean for Diversity and Strategic Initiatives for the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California.  Her work there focused on developing innovative programs for first-generation college students. She is trained as a political scientist and has expertise in public policy as it relates to diverse populations in the United States.  She has served as program director for Cross Directorate Activities in the Directorate for Social, Behavior and Economic Sciences at the National Science Foundation, a federal government agency focused on the funding of research, education programs and STEM workforce development.

She received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Southern California.