Faculty

John Ayala (dl), EOIR Liaison Committee, Burbank, CA

John Ayala is a partner in the firm of Cobos & Ayala in Burbank. He received his B.A. from the University of Southern California in 1992 and his J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1995. Mr. Ayala has practiced immigration law for over 13 years, representing clients before USCIS, the immigration courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Ayala has served as a mentor to AILA members in areas of removal and family immigration and is a past chair of the AILA Southern California chapter.

Rebecca Sharpless, North Bay Village, FL

Rebecca Sharpless is a member of the faculty at the University of Miami School of Law, where she directs the Immigration Clinic. She previously taught in the clinical program of Florida International University College of Law and, prior to that, was a supervising attorney at Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center.

Kara Hartzler, Florence, AZ

Kara Hartzler is the legal director and criminal immigration consultant at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Florence, Arizona. She is the author of What Will Happen to Me? A Guide for Immigrants in the Arizona Criminal Justice System and co-author of the Quick Reference Chart on immigration consequences of Arizona criminal convictions. In February 2008, Ms. Hartzler testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on the detention and deportation of U.S. citizens in ICE custody.