Our Staff
Antonia K. Fasanelli, Executive Director
Antonia came to HPRP as its Executive Director in December 2007. She is responsible for providing strategic leadership for Maryland's only legal services and advocacy organization dedicated to eliminating homelessness; communicating the mission, programs, and need of its clients to the public; developing and maintaining sound relationships with collaborators, supporters, funders and other stakeholders; providing efficient management and direction to staff and volunteers; ensuring fiscal responsibility and leading fundraising efforts; and reporting to and supporting the work of HPRP's board of directors.
Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director, Antonia was a staff attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless in the Affordable Housing Initiative, an expansion project of her 2002 Equal Justice Works Fellowship. As part of her work with the Initiative, Antonia advised, represented, or consulted on the representation of tenants or tenant associations at risk of displacement from over 3000 units of affordable housing. Antonia was an advisor to the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development on affordable housing preservation, and was an advocate for improved operations within the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and the D.C. Housing Authority.
Antonia received her J.D. magna cum laude from the Washington College of Law, American University in 2001 and her B.A. cum laude from Barnard College, Columbia University in 1996. From 2001 to 2002, Antonia was a law clerk to The Honorable Barefoot Sanders of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Antonia is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, New York and Maryland. In 2009, Antonia was appointed a member of the American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness and Poverty and served as its Chair from 2011 – 2014. She has been Chair and Vice-Chair of the Economic Justice Committee of the ABA’s Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice (formerly Individual Rights and Responsibilities) since 2014 and continues as a liaison to the Commission on Homelessness and Poverty.
Since 2013, she has been a member of Baltimore City’s Journey Home Board, which oversees Baltimore City’s Plan to End Homelessness, and the Public Interest Alumni Advisory Board of American University’s Washington College of Law. She was a 2011 recipient of the Daily Record's Leadership in Law Award and was one of the Daily Record’s Leading Women in 2013.
Carolyn Johnson, Managing Attorney
Carolyn came to HPRP as the Managing Attorney in February 2007. She is responsible for the in-house legal work of the staff attorneys and monitors case trends for potential impact litigation and policy advocacy. Carolyn previously worked as a staff attorney at the Public Justice Center for two years, focusing on housing law and medical assistance.
Carolyn began her legal career as a staff attorney at the Homeless Persons Representation Project practicing in the areas of family law, public benefits and subsidized housing. Carolyn received her J.D. with honors from University of Baltimore School of Law in 1998, and a B.A. in Political Science from St. Mary's College of Maryland in 1994.
Ingrid Lofgren, Director of Homeless Youth Initiative
Ingrid joined HPRP as a Skadden Fellow in 2012 to launch the Homeless Youth Initiative, which serves youth ages 13 to 25 who are homeless or at-risk, with a particular emphasis on youth who are unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. Ingrid conducts outreach and facilitates educational workshops in the community; provides legal representation in housing, public benefits, and expungement matters; and leads HPRP’s systemic advocacy efforts to prevent and end youth homelessness.
Prior to joining HPRP, Ingrid served as a law clerk to the Honorable Susan Gauvey of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and the Honorable Andre Davis of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Ingrid received her J.D. magna cum laude in 2010 from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where she was editor in chief of the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender, and Class. She also holds a Masters of Social Work and a B.S. in Family Science from the University of Maryland. In 2014, the Daily Record named Ingrid a "Very Important Professional Under 40."
Michael Stone, Kent Morrison Director, Montgomery/Prince George's County Office
Michael joined HPRP as a Legal Apprentice Fellow in September 2013 and transitioned to Temporary Pro Bono Counsel at HPRP in March 2014. He then operated HPRP’s Veterans Legal Assistance Project legal clinic at the Baltimore VA Medical Center Annex. From September 2014 to September 2016, Michael was an Equal Justice Works Fellow at HPRP, where he developed and operated HPRP’s Rural Veterans Legal Assistance Project (RVLAP). Michael continued operating RVLAP’s regular legal clinics at the Perry Point VA Medical Center in Cecil Co. and Three Oaks Center in St. Mary’s Co. as a Staff Attorney, from September 2016 to December 2017.
In January 2018, Michael became the Kent Morrison Director, operating HPRP’s Montgomery and Prince George’s County office. He runs HPRP’s legal clinics at Shephard’s Table shelter in Silver Spring and the new clinic at the Home Builders Case Assessment Center in Rockville. Michael received his J.D. with honors from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2013, and a B.A. with honors in Political Science from Sonoma State University in 2009.
Swapna Yeluri, Director of Pro Bono Programs
Swapna joined HPRP in March 2016 as the Director of Pro Bono Programs. Swapna is also the current treasurer of the Veterans’ Affairs and Military Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association. Prior to joining HPRP, Swapna developed and ran a pro bono Veterans’ project and spent seven years of her legal career representing youth in the foster care system.
Swapna’s entire professional and legal career has been focused on working with non-profits and low-income clients. Swapna received her J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2007 and a B.A. in General Business Management from Michigan State University in 2003.
Tamara Zavislan, Director of Development
Tami came to HPRP in February 2016, bringing considerable non-profit management and fundraising experience to her position as Director of Development. Prior to her work at HPRP, Tami served as the first Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Harford County in Bel Air, Maryland, growing the organization to more than 40 funds and $1,000,000 in assets under management. She has directed and managed community-based and national programs in Ohio (Cleveland Music School Settlement), Michigan (Center for Creative Studies – Institute of Music and Dance), Pennsylvania (Kardon Institute), and Maryland (American Music Therapy Association, Ignatian Volunteer Corps, Community Foundation of Harford County).
Tami is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and is the immediate past-president of the AFP Maryland Chapter. She is parishioner at St. Francis de Sales Church, where she directs the Children’s Choir and is active in the Music Ministry. Tami graduated from Elizabethtown College (B.S., Music Therapy) and later earned a Masters in Management in Business Administration from Penn State University.
Karen Wabeke, Senior Staff Attorney
Karen joined HPRP in September 2011 as a housing attorney. Karen comes to HPRP from Toledo, Ohio, where she spent two years as an AmeriCorps attorney with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. litigating housing and foreclosure cases.
Previously, Karen was in private practice in Toledo representing charter school clients on a variety of matters. Karen received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2007 and a B.A. in History from Wellesley College in 2004.
Michelle Salomon Madaio, Staff Attorney
Michelle joined HPRP in 2013 to provide representation, advocacy and education to clients on public benefit matters. Michelle is co-chair of Maryland Legal Aid’s statewide Public Benefits Task Force. Prior to joining HPRP, Michelle worked as a Clinical Law Fellow with the University of Maryland Carey School of Law’s Clinical Law Program, where she taught in the Health Care Delivery and HIV/AIDS Clinic, as well as the International Human Rights Clinic in Namibia, Sub-Saharan Africa.
Michelle received her B.A. from American University and her J.D. from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. From 2005-2006, Michelle was a Fulbright Scholar in Spain where she researched the country’s experience with citizen juries over the past ten years with the co-author of Spain’s 1995 Jury Law.
Christina Askins Curtis, Paralegal
Christina re-joined HPRP’s staff in the Fall of 2017 as the Pro Bono Program Paralegal. Christina previously worked in the Pro Bono Program as the Legal Clinic Coordinator from 2010 - 2015. She holds a graduate certificate in Paralegal Studies from Anne Arundel County Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Marymount University in Arlington, VA.
Dikshant Malla, Paralegal
Dikshant came to HPRP in 2017 to work on the Homeless Youth Initiative and help launch the Homeless Youth Legal Network. As a graduate of Baltimore City public schools, Dikshant passionately believes in the latent potential of Baltimore's youth. Dikshant received his B.A. in Sociology and Social Policy from Johns Hopkins University. At Hopkins, Dikshant was a Baltimore Scholar and part of the Community Impact Internships Program, where he worked with various non-profits and grassroots advocacy organizations in Baltimore.
Selena Santos, Paralegal
Selena joined the staff of HPRP in September 2006 and is the point of first contact at HPRP for the One Baltimore for Jobs (1B4J) clients.
Katherine Guzman, Program Assistant, Montgomery/Prince George's County Office
Katherine came to HPRP in May 2018. Beginning in 2012, she worked as a Civil Attorney in Peru. Katherine has brought her professional knowledge to United States where she enjoys working with a diverse population and being sensitive to different backgrounds. She is also a full-time student at Montgomery College.
Julia Hartenstein, Office Administrator
Julia came to HPRP in January 2013. She holds a Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Imani Walton, Administrative Assistant
Imani joined HPRP in May 2018. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in Communication from Morgan State University in 2011. She is the main person of contact for the headquarters in Baltimore City.