Our Team

Elena is Xiomara’s mom and the Executive Director and Co-founder of Little Lobbyists.

Elena believes in the power of stories to change hearts and minds. She loves connecting with families with medically complex and disabled kids.

Prior to Little Lobbyists, she had been an immigration lawyer since 2006: helping families to reunite, U.S. employers to sponsor workers, and asylum seekers to flee persecution.

Elena likes tater tots, dresses with pockets, and happy houseplants. She had lots of hobbies before becoming a mom, like painting, pottery, hoop dancing, travelling, and yoga. Now, she is usually just sleepy and hungry.

s.e. is the Communications Director at Little Lobbyists.

s.e. smith is a Northern California-based journalist, essayist, and editor with a disability-informed social justice focus and lived experience on Medicaid and other social safety net programs. smith's cultural criticism and reported features have appeared in publications such as the Washington Post, Time, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Vice, in addition to anthologies, most recently Disability Intimacy (Vintage, 2024). smith received a National Magazine Award in 2020 for work in Catapult Magazine. smith is also a cofounder and worker-owner of The Flytrap, a journalism collective of feminist cultural critics.

Victoria is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Little Lobbyists.

Victoria Schiano is a passionate advocate for community, connection, and support. With a career dedicated to assisting individuals with disabilities and their families, she has worked extensively across Pennsylvania to connect people with vital resources, navigate assistance programs, and foster environments where individuals can thrive at home and in their communities.

A lifelong lover of music, the arts, the outdoors, and animals, Victoria draws inspiration from the world around her and brings that same energy to her professional life. Above all, she is a devoted mom to her son, Cole—her pride and joy—who fuels her passion for helping families find strength and joy in their unique journeys.

Victoria is committed to building meaningful relationships with the families she serves and looks forward to supporting them as they create lasting connections and community.

Matthew is a senior adviser at Little Lobbyists.

Matthew Cortland is a disability rights attorney, public health advocate, and communications strategist. They serve as a Senior Fellow at Data for Progress, leading research efforts to protect and expand programs like Medicaid, home care, and SNAP. Drawing on both legal expertise and public health training, Matthew works to translate complex policy into clear, compelling narratives that help shape public opinion and drive change.

Matthew has personally relied on SSI, SNAP, and Medicaid, and is alive today because of those programs. A medically complex kid who grew up to become a medically complex adult in spite of an insurance system built to deny care, they are committed to building a more just society that leaves no one behind, and to equipping communities with the tools and strategies they need to advance the right to live, thrive, and be included.

They were previously director of policy and legislative affairs at Be A Hero. Matthew's graduate training in public health is from the Boston University School of Public Health and their legal training is from the George Mason University School of Law.