Our Staff

Christopher Garcia (he/him/his) is a skilled IT professional with a passion for technology and innovation. He has completed the Npower Tech Fundamentals program, gaining valuable knowledge and expertise in the field. Along with his technical abilities, Christopher is also a talented chess player who has competed at a master level across the United States. With his dedication, attention to detail, and strategic thinking skills, Christopher brings a unique perspective to both his professional and personal pursuits.

Erik Laby (he/him/his) holds a Master’s in Educational Psychology from Hunter College. Prior to joining The Bronx Defenders, he spent over nine years at New Visions for Public Schools where he started the Quality Assurance unit and incubated the data platform for the CT Rise Network. His work focuses on building data pipelines for information rich processes and analytics.

Jairo (he/his/his) graduated from Devry College with a Bachelor’s in Information Systems. Prior to joining The Bronx Defenders, he held consultant roles in web development, overseeing the production of numerous successful websites. He has previous experience working in non-profits and helping organizations achieve their stated goals. In addition to his degree, Jairo holds various technical certifications and has a background in graphic design and media.

As the Director of Data Science, Katie (she/her/hers) maintains The Bronx Defender’s data infrastructure and manages reporting and analytics projects to meet the needs of BxD’s advocacy efforts, strategic planning, and contractual funding obligations. Katie also assists in the administration of BxD’s holistic case management system to ensure and improve the quality and integrity of BxD’s data. Katie seeks to foster data curiosity and learning at BxD, and to produce data science products that make BxD’s work more efficient and tell important stories to Defenders and the wider community. Prior to joining BxD, Katie earned her Master’s Degree in Urban Science and Informatics from NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress. During her graduate studies, Katie served as a Data Analytics Fellow at the NYC Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity where she used data science techniques to find and present insights from large data sets integrating data across NYC social service sectors. Previously Katie worked as a Performance Analyst at a child and family services agency driving and executing data reporting and evaluation planning for a large portfolio of contracts and grants. Katie holds a B.A. in Political Science from Western Connecticut State University.