Huy Nguyen, Executive Director (he/him/his) Huy joined BLC in July 2022. He received a law degree from the University of Washington School of Law and he brings over two decades of experience serving as an advocate for social justice. Huy has 17+ years of experience working with clients in the public benefits space at Northwest Justice Project, and spent five years at the University of Washington School of Law, where he was the Director of the W.H. Gates Public Service Law Program. He has taught Public Benefits and Poverty Law at Seattle University and UW School of Law.
Maya Manus, Staff Attorney (she/they/them) Maya Manus joined BLC in the beginning of 2024. She graduated from Washington State University with bachelor’s degrees in Comparative Ethnic Studies and Political Science in 2017, and received her law degree from Seattle University in 2022. Prior to joining BLC, Maya co-created the Advocacy and Community Engagement department at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle where she advocated for systemic changes towards voting rights and state benefits. Maya aspires to use her legal education to support folks experiencing poverty, homelessness, and who are Black, Brown, and/or Indigenous to access the legal system, while acknowledging the historic and present harms the legal system inflicts on those communities.
Angie Lafave, Development Director (she/her/hers) Angie joined BLC in December 2021. She leads BLC’s work to engage and steward donors and funders to partner in our work to provide free legal advocacy to the most vulnerable people with physical and mental disabilities. She is passionate about supporting agencies that provide impartial advocacy, legal, economic, and supportive services to marginalized and underrepresented BIPOC communities. Angie has supported King County nonprofits for 15 years, raising millions of dollars to build a more inclusive community through several community based non-profit organizations with missions that support the abilities of people to stay staff and meet their basic needs. Angie holds a B.A. in English and Political Science from Dickinson College, and is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE).
Peter Grieser, Director of Legal Services (he/him/his) 
Peter joined BLC in January 2019 as a staff attorney. In January of 2020 he became the directing attorney of our Social Security Advocacy Project. He graduated from Seattle University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and received his law degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2018. His mission is to use his legal education and skills to empower and passionately advocate for those in the Washington State community who face legal and economic barriers.
Alex Strout, Paralegal 
Alex began working at Benefits Law Center in June of 2020 as a paralegal. He has a Political Science degree from the University of Oklahoma before moving to Seattle to pursue Masters of Social Work at the University of Washington. Alex has experience working for various social service organizations all focused on supporting the basic needs of people living in poverty. The best part of working for BLC is connecting with clients and the community to support their abilities to overcome barriers to economic justice.
Travis Luna, Paralegal (he/him/his) Travis began working at Benefits Law Center in May of 2024 as a paralegal and received his certificate in 2022 from Highline College. He has a background working in shelters and supportive housing and is passionate about the human dignity which our organization promotes. Travis enjoys supporting clients on their journey towards economic stability.
Kate Means, Staff Attorney (she/they/them) 
Kate joined BLC in September 2019 as a temporary paralegal. After passing the bar exam. Kate re-joined the team for the remainder of 2020 as an attorney focused on serving those clients at BLC that have cases born out of the COVID-19 Pandemic to ensure client economic stability and preventing eviction due to a lapse or lack of benefits. In January of 2021, Kate joined our staff on a permanent basis as a staff attorney serving people with all kinds of Social Security problems.
Hillary Lovell MacNealy, DHAP Directing Attorney (she/her/hers) Hillary joined BLC in February 2022 as the directing attorney of our Disabled Homeless Advocacy Project. She graduated from Kent State University in 2007 with a BA in Political Science and received her JD from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2011. Hillary was also a visiting law student at the University of South Carolina, where she was a South Carolina Bar Foundation Fellow with Disability Rights South Carolina. Hillary has represented clients in a variety on contexts while in private practice in both South Carolina and Washington, over time narrowing her practice to focus on elder law, guardianship practice, vulnerable adult protection actions, and related litigation. Hillary’s mission is to navigate complex legal systems alongside her clients so that they can feel informed, supported, and empowered.
Hannah R. Fitzmorris, Staff Attorney (she/her/hers) Hannah joined BLC in March of 2024. She graduated from Seattle University with a degree in Political Science and received her law degree from University of Washington School of Law. Hannah is passionate about expanding access to justice and working to remove barriers to legal assistance for Washington’s most vulnerable residents. She hopes that through her work with BLC she can make a positive impact on the lives of her clients by prioritizing empathy, passionate advocacy, and accessible advice.
Charla Boley (she/her/hers) is an Equal Justice Works Fellow for the class of 2023 hosted by the Benefits Law Center and sponsored by DLA Piper and the Microsoft Corporation. Charla is a recent graduate of Seattle University Law where she was exposed to public interest law through classes like Poverty Law, Disability Law, and the Civil Rights Clinic as well as participation in the Public Interest Law Foundation and membership on the Seattle Journal for Social Justice. Prior to law school she worked in the areas of early childhood education and housing with families navigating the intersections of low income and disability. Many of those experiences inspired her to pursue a career where she could be a part of addressing the systemic legal problems she observed. Charla also credits her degrees from Central European University, M.A. human rights (2016), and Lewis & Clark College, B.A. history (2013) for helping shape her public interest path. Charla’s Equal Justice Works project with Benefits Law Center focuses on providing culturally and linguistically competent legal services and education on Social Security matters to immigrants, people of color, and people with disabilities in South King County, Washington.
