Mary Jane Regalado
Bilingual Tenant Services Coordinator, DC
Mary Jane Regalado joined the Latino Economic Development Center in 2020 as a STAY DC Connector. They supported tenants applying for emergency rental and utility assistance to avoid displacement. Before working with LEDC, Mary was a full-time musician and a co-founder of the Union of Musicians & Allied Workers. With UMAW, they organized musicians and advocated to create a fairer and more just music industry. Mary is a first-generation Mexican-American, born and raised in Los Angeles, California. They volunteered at Neighborhood Legal Services in LA, assisting low-income residents with filing criminal record expungements and wage claims for the workers' rights clinics.
They graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a Bachelors in Gender & Women's Studies with a concentration in Law & Public Policy. As tenant services coordinator, Mary helps DC tenants overcome technological, literacy, and language barriers, so the resources available to DC residents are more accessible to all, regardless of race, class, age, immigration status, and education. Mary wants to ensure that DC residents have the resources and support to thrive. She assists DC residents with SNAP, Medicaid, rental, and utility assistance applications and connects folks to resources such as food support, legal aid, mental health services, and mutual aid groups. Mary loves to garden and play chess. As a musician, she has toured internationally, from New Zealand to Mexico, and has volunteered as a band coach for Girls Rock DC youth summer camp.