Robert J. Hildreth
Founder and Executive Director

Bob Hildreth supports immigration as essential to America’s growth and prosperity. Recently he has consolidated his activities in a new agency: Foundation for an Open America. The foundation champions immigrant education and legal protections as well as immigration research. Currently it is engaged in a campaign to combat the dangerously high dropout rate among Latino high school and college students.

An international banker, Mr. Hildreth is CEO and Founder of the Boston-based firm, International Bank Services which buys and sells international debt. Previously he had been an economist with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Central America and Bolivia where he served as IMF Representative. Subsequently he worked as an officer in the international sales departments of Citibank and Drexel Burnham Lambert.

He first engaged in philanthropy in 1987, to build an AIDS Hospice in Hollywood, CA, where he brought together the Catholic Church and the Milken Family Foundation. Two years later Mr. Hildreth began focusing on immigration issues, especially in education. He joined with Boston University to build the John Silber Early Learning Center in Chelsea, MA. He served as Treasurer for five years of Alianza Hispana, Boston’s largest Hispanic social service provider. This experience led him to co-found La Vida, an organization that offers after-school, literacy, citizenry, and ESL programs to the Latino community of Lynn, MA. Most recently La Vida has created a program to prepare Lynn’s honor roll Latino students for college as well as to provide each student with an educational savings fund to which their parents and La Vida contribute equally.

When an ICE raid resulted in the arrests of hundreds of immigrants in New Bedford, MA in 2007, Mr. Hildreth helped pay for bonds. He went on to co-found the National Immigrant Bond Fund which offers bond assistance to immigrants caught in ICE workplace raids. At present Mr. Hildreth serves on the boards of several immigrant rights and advocacy organizations including Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) in Boston and the National Immigrant Forum where he serves as Treasurer of the Executive Committee.

Mr. Hildreth is a dedicated supporter of educational institutions. He is a graduate of Harvard University (class of ‘72) and Johns Hopkins University (class of ‘75), as well as George Washington University (class of ‘80). He serves on the governance and advisory boards of several universities including Boston University, Harvard University, and The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. At present he is Chairman of the Board of Overseers at Boston University. He has sponsored research, funded professorships, and developed student internship programs.

Mr. Hildreth has won numerous awards including 2009 Give Liberty a Hand Award from Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugees Advocacy Coalition, Citizen of the Year 2009 from Rockport Rotary Club, selection as one of the 2008 Bostonians of the Year by The Boston Globe, and recipient of the 2008 Partner in Pursuit of justice Award from the Bronx Defenders, the 2008 Keepers of the American Dream Award from the National Immigrant Forum, and the 2007 Champion of Justice Award from the Greater Boston Legal Services. In 2009, he was the emcee for the Irish Immigration Center Solas Award Dinner that honored Irish President Mary McAleese and the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation gala.

Bob is a frequent commentator on the subject of immigration with op-eds in The Boston Globe and Houston Chronicle and a blog on Santuary. He also has been featured in articles in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, and Die Wiet, and in appearances on NPR, Sabado Gigante, CNN, Telemundo, and Univision.

Denise Lau
Director of Development
Denise Lau has worked in health and human services and advocacy for over 17 years with non-profit and government programs. Her work experience includes employment at South Cove Community Health Center, MA Department of Public Health – Refugee & Immigrant Health Program, Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, and Health Care For All. Work as a fundraising consultant included several other nonprofits such as La Vida, Inc. and the Vietnamese American Initiative for Development. She has served on non-profit boards of directors or advisory boards. Her fundraising experience is mostly with small shop operations, specifically grant writing, special events/gala, individual donors, annual appeal, marketing/communications and website. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Women in Development of Greater Boston and Sisters in Development.

Valeria Chuba
Director of Communications 

Valeria Chuba has worked in the non-profit field for the past six years.
Most recently she worked as the Awards Manager at the Boston History and Innovation Collaborative. She holds a Masters in Communications degree from Northeastern University.