The PathwayToStay™ Team

Pathwaytostay.com™ was developed by attorneys and businessmen who see a need in the self-help, U.S. immigration market place:

  • David Kaplan

    David Kaplan (Co-Founder) is a 1994 graduate of Temple University School of Law and also earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Drexel University in 1987. After law school Mr. Kaplan worked as a commercial litigation associate for two years and then opened his own practice concentrating in Immigration Law. Thereafter, in 2001 Mr. Kaplan joined one of the preeminent immigration firms in Philadelphia where he became a partner. Mr. Kaplan is a native of Colombia and a naturalized citizen of the United States.

  • David Garcia-Villarreal

    David Garcia-Villarreal (Co-Founder) is a graduate of Texas Christian University (B.A. 1984) and Syracuse University (J.D. 1988), where he was a member of the Syracuse Journal of International Law & Commerce. Mr. Garcia is a former Chief Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia and worked at several commercial oriented firms before embarking on a solo practice. Mr. Garcia’s practice areas focused on all aspects of the business practice of law, with an emphasis on construction/commercial litigation and transactions.

  • Richard J. Weitzman

    Richard J. Weitzman (Co-Founder) is a graduate of the University of Maryland (B.A. 1992) and Widener University School of Law (J.D. 1995). Mr. Weitzman worked as an associate at a small firm where he concentrated on business transactions, and commercial and residential real estate. In 2000 he found his own law firm and continues to focus on real estate and commercial litigation.

  • Ernst Valery

    Ernst Valery is a native of Haiti and a naturalized citizen of the United States. He is a graduate of Columbia University’s Master of Science program in Real Estate. He also obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning, both from Cornell University. Ernst is the founder and president of Ernst Valery Investments Corp. (EVI). EVI invests in select underserved and undervalued key emerging domestic real estate markets, defined as urban transitional areas with high residential and retail demand. He is responsible for the securing and structuring of financing, including expertise in securing Historic and New Markets tax credits. Mr. Valery collaborates with MIT’s Community Innovators Laboratory (Co-Lab) to formulate strategies for equitable and inclusive economic development. He is currently developing prototypes to assess real estate developer community engagement practices, to tighten local economies through innovative procurement and financing, and to attract investors committed to socially responsible development. Ernst is dedicated to working with communities and implementing development strategies that prevent displacement, protect community legacy and generate community wealth.

  • Angela Fernandez, Esq.

    Angela Fernandez, Esq. is the Executive Director and supervising attorney of Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights. Angela is a proud, first generation Dominican, whose mother migrated to the United States from Baitoa of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Angela is a graduate of Columbia University School of Law who has 20 years professional experience in law, media, non-profit management, government, policy development and advocacy. Her public interest law experience includes working with the Center of Human Rights Legal Aid in Cairo, Egypt and providing pro bono legal services through the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Angela has also successfully founded and managed elementary schools in the South Bronx and in Washington DC, taught Women’s Studies in Spanish to female detainees at Riker’s Island Corrections Facility and was a staffer for United States Bill Bradley and District Chief of Staff for US Representative Jose Serrano. Angela’s media experience includes working as an off-air reporter for ABC News, World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Good Morning America and Nightline.