Today, the Young Center’s Board of Directors announced that it has selected Gladis Molina Alt as the organization’s next Executive Director. Our Founder and Executive Director Maria Woltjen is retiring at the end of June after 18 years at the helm of the organization. 

“Gladis is the ideal new leader of the Young Center, given her tremendous expertise and reputation in the field, her commitment and passion for the mission of the Young Center, and her lived experience as a child immigrant from El Salvador,” Teresa Sullivan, Young Center Board Chair, and Simone Tseng, Young Center Board Transition Committee said. “After a national search and recruitment process, we are elated to welcome Gladis as the new Executive Director of the Young Center.”

Born in El Salvador during its civil war in the 1980s, Gladis was brought to the United States at the age of 10 as her family sought refuge in Los Angeles. From a young age, her experience as an undocumented immigrant child and young adult inspired Gladis to become an immigration attorney and advocate on behalf of immigrant children.

“It is an honor to be able to continue the work of integrating child welfare principles into immigration proceedings for children launched 18 years ago by Maria Woltjen,” Gladis Molina Alt said about her new position. “As an immigrant, as someone who sought refuge in the United States as a child, this work speaks to my soul; it is the work of my life. I feel privileged to be able to give back to other kids as they find their way to safety and provide the support they deserve in order to thrive in their full potential.”

Gladis began working with immigrant children in 2005 as a law clerk for Catholic Charities in Los Angeles. After law school, she continued working with immigrant children as a staff attorney for the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) in the Rio Grande Valley. In 2008, she joined Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) in Los Angeles as a pro bono coordinator. In 2011, Gladis moved to Phoenix to serve as a managing attorney for the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project (FIRRP), again focusing on children’s cases. As an attorney, she has represented children in Immigration Court and Juvenile Court, as well as before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). In 2016, Gladis joined the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. At the Young Center, Gladis led the Child Advocate Program and its work to advance a “best interests of the child” standard for immigrant children facing deportation proceedings in the United States.

Gladis has also served on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration and as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Public Policy Fellow at the U.S. Capitol in the office of then-Representative Xavier Becerra. In 2019, Gladis was honored with The Randy Tunac Courage in Immigration Award by the American Immigration Lawyers Association in Arizona.

“I’ve known Gladis as a colleague and friend for the last 15 years. She is highly respected by immigration advocates across the country. I am excited that Gladis will take the helm of the Young Center, which has been my passion for 18 years, and I’m confident that she will continue to advance our goal of ensuring children’s best interests are considered in every decision while persuading Congress and federal agencies to reimagine how children’s claims for protection are adjudicated.” Maria Woltjen said about the future of the organization under Gladis’s leadership.

In her role as Child Advocate Program Director, Gladis worked with staff across the country and was admired across the board for her thoughtful approach to advocacy, ability to build meaningful relationships with stakeholders, and always remembering to center children’s voices in the work.

“Gladis is an inspiration for many of us, as a first-generation K’iche and daughter of immigrants, I see myself represented in her leadership, authenticity, and story,” Young Center Social Worker for the organization’s Safe Repatriation Project Estrellita Alvarado said. “We are so proud of you, Gladis. Thank you for trailblazing and leading our community with love, passion, and intention. Gracias for being you.