Abimael is a Democracy Associate at the Local Policy Lab. Throughout their career their work has focused on empowering communities of color through research, policy development, and advocacy. Their experience spans the public, private, and non-profit sectors in Minnesota and California, with a focus on housing, transportation, and environmental justice issues.

Previously, they served as the Equitable Development Analyst for the West Modesto Community Collaborative. In that role they led research initiatives to understand the needs of the West Modesto community and develop tools to empower residents to advocate for themselves. Prior to the Collaborative, they worked at SPUR, a San Francisco urban planning think tank, where they focused on racial equity in economic policy in the San Francisco Bay Area region. They have also held positions with the Minnesota Budget Project, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Minneapolis City Council focused on budget advocacy, partnership development, and policy research  assistance. In addition to their employment, he also volunteers through serving on municipal and state government commissions in California as well as volunteering with national pro-democracy organizations in the United States.