Alexandra (Alex) Gonçalves Peña is the Legal Services Director of the American Friends Service Committee’s Immigrant Rights Program in Newark, New Jersey. Specializing in removal defense and asylum law, Alex brings over sixteen years of direct legal service experience to AFSC and a proven track record of leadership and innovation in nonprofit organizations. During her career, Alex has represented hundreds of individuals facing removal from the United States before the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and Federal Courts of Appeals. Her advocacy extends beyond legal work to actively pursuing the elimination of unjust systems, aiming to create a more equitable society for all.

The daughter of immigrants who grew up partly in Colombia, Alex’s work is deeply personal and is driven by her unwavering commitment to working hand in hand with immigrant communities and her belief that all persons, regardless of their immigration status, should be afforded equal and humane treatment and due process under the law and beyond it. Alex's journey to becoming a first-generation graduate, from grade school to high school, college, and law school, is a testament to her mother's unwavering strength, tenacity, and sacrifices. She holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and master’s degree from Vermont Law School and is a member of the New York Bar.