Legal Aid DC welcomed two new directors to help lead the Systemic Advocacy & Law Reform team. Nadia Seeratan joined the Legal Aid staff on June 17 as Director of Reentry and Community Lawyering, and Jeremiah Lowery stepped into his role as Director of Policy Advocacy on July 23.  

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have Nadia and Jeremiah as part of the Legal Aid DC team,” Executive Director Vikram Swaruup said. “With their leadership and experience, we will be able to build on our work to center the experiences, voices, and needs of our client community in our advocacy. ”

Nadia has over 20 years of experience with litigation, policy advocacy, and direct services in the criminal and juvenile justice space. She was most recently Deputy Director of the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law and previously worked as a Senior Attorney and Policy Advocate with the National Juvenile Defender Center and as an attorney with the ACLU of New Jersey and the Legal Aid Society of New York.  

In her role with Legal Aid, Nadia leads the Community Lawyering and Engagement Program with the goal of deepening Legal Aid’s connections to the community and making our services and critical legal information more accessible across the District. She also oversees the Reentry Justice Project, which assists clients on matters including criminal record sealing and discrimination based on criminal records.  

“I am incredibly excited to join Legal Aid DC because of the opportunity it affords me to provide holistic representation at the intersection of criminal and civil legal services,” Nadia said. “I look forward to working with the team to achieve better outcomes for disproportionately impacted Black and brown D.C. residents.”

Jeremiah is a native Washingtonian who brings to Legal Aid over 10 years of experience in advocacy, public policy, and community mobilization. Most recently, he served as Advocacy Director for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association for nearly five years, and previously held roles at nonprofit and advocacy organizations including GreenPeace, Universal Childcare NOW DC Coalition, and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.  

As Director of Policy Advocacy, Jeremiah shapes Legal Aid’s legislative and policy agenda and advocacy efforts on key issues affecting Legal Aid’s client community.  

“I have long admired Legal Aid work and commitment to our D.C. community, and it’s very exciting to be joining such a great team,” Lowery said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to stand up for our client community and make the District a more equitable place to live.”