Jama, Kayse

Kayse Jama

Kayse Jama is the first immigrant and refugee as well as the first Muslim, Somali-American to serve in Oregon Senate, he was appointed in January 2021. Currently, he is serving as the Chair of the Senate Housing and Development Committee and members of the Senate Labor and Business Committee and the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development. Before he came to the Oregon Senate, Kayse was the co-founder and Executive Director of Unite Oregon. From 2005 to 2007, he trained immigrant and refugee leaders in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho with Western States Center under a prestigious New Voices Fellowship. Kayse has numerous awards including the 2016 Rankin Award in recognition of "lifelong activism and extraordinary service" and the Northwest Workers’ Justice Project’s 2017 Tribune of Worker Justice Award, celebrating his dedication to uplifting the lives of Oregon immigrants and low-wage workers. 

Hernandez, Fatima

Fatima Hernandez

Fatima Hernandez is the Community Advancement Services Director for the UFW Foundation.  Fatima has been with the UFW Foundation for 10 years and serving the community in various capacities. She is a Department of Justice Full Accredited Representative which has allowed her to assist hundreds of individuals with their immigration legal cases. Through her role with the UFW Foundation, she has been able to lead her team to successfully reach and assist thousands of farm workers and immigrants with services such as legal immigration services, public benefit enrollment and direct emergency relief assistance.  

Gebremedhin, Katherine

Katherine Gebremedhin

Katherine Gebremedhin is the Director of State and Local Initiatives at World Education Services (WES) Global Talent Bridge. She has extensive experience developing and leading multi-sector networks and programming focused on the integration of internationally trained immigrants and refugees. Katherine currently leads WES’s Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP), a robust community of practice of 24 communities working to further state and local integration initiatives. Katherine also co-convenes (with partners, NAE) the Office of New Americans (ONA) Network, which provides a forum for state policy leaders to drive positive change that supports immigrant and refugee integration into the workforce and economy.

Ganzó, Sil

Sil Ganzó

Sil Ganzó is the founder and Executive Director of ourBRIDGE for KIDS. Sil moved to Charlotte, NC in 2003 from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sil became involved with refugee and immigrant families in 2010, when she recognized the lack of educational and socio-emotional support for newly- arrived children. She was inspired to create ourBRIDGE; a safe, nurturing, and respectful environment where refugee and immigrant children can learn English, be encouraged to achieve academic excellence and cultural pride, and where their families could feel welcome and embraced as they strive to start their lives anew in the United States. Sil has received several accolades for her work throughout the years including Charlotte Magazines 2014 and 2018 Charlottean of the Year and was recognized as a “Social Interruptor” by Community Building Initiative in 2018. She also received the 2019 Legacy Award for the work done at ourBRIDGE supporting the education of newly-arrived and 1st generation American children.

Francis, Ama

Ama Francis

Ama Francis is Climate Displacement Project Strategist at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), developing the organization’s strategy, in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council, on expanding legal protection for climate displaced people. Ama is also a non-resident fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School. Previously, Ama was the 2018-2021 Climate Law Fellow at the Sabin Center, where they developed legal solutions to climate displacement and served on the Advisory Board of the Platform on Disaster Displacement and the Steering Committee of the Climigration Network. Ama’s work at the Sabin Center also focused on developing countries, building on prior expertise as a legal consultant to Dominica’s Ministry of Health and Environment. Ama currently sits on the Executive Board of the New York Climate Action Alliance. Ama received their JD from Yale Law School, where they were a student director of Immigration Legal Services. A native Dominican, Ama received a BA (magna cum laude) from Harvard University, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Fink, Kara

Kara Fink

Kara Fink is the Outreach & Partnership Manager of the Idaho Office for Refugees, where she builds relationships with diverse organizations, facilitates outreach opportunities, and works to create more welcoming communities. She serves as board president for the Learning Lab and previously worked in Student Involvement and Leadership at Boise State University. Kara was a Fulbright Research Scholar at Brandenburg Technical University in Cottbus, Germany from 2006-2007 and studied inclusive heritage management in Cambodia while obtaining her MS in Development Anthropology from Durham University. She also holds a BBA in International Business and a certificate in Foundation of Refugee Services from Boise State University. 

Finau, Jason

Jason Finau

Jason Finau  is a Co-founder of Black Pacific Alliance, a nascent organization created to address anti-blackness in the Pacific Islander Community. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in San Francisco with a focus on mental health. He’s an advocate for providing easier access to, and increasing the availability of, mental health resources and support services for disadvantaged and under-served populations. He serves on the Board of Directors for Hyde Street Community Services, a non-profit organization that provides comprehensive psychiatric, medical, substance abuse, and case management services to San Francisco residents. Jason earned his MSW from NYU, his BA in Sociology from CSU San Marcos, and his AA in Behavioral Health Sciences from Miracosta Community College. 

Etienne, Santcha

Santcha Etienne

Santcha Etienne is BAJI’s Miami Organizer.  Santcha is a Haitian immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for more than twenty 20 years. Before becoming a fierce activist for social justice issues Santcha worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in Nursing homes throughout Florida.  As an LPN Santcha started organizing nurses at Nursing Homes for higher wages and better working conditions. She started volunteering for SEIU and mobilized and won to unionize nurses. In 2014, recognizing her passion and her excellent organizing skills SEIU hired her full time as community organizer.  At SEIU she has organized community members around social justice issues including increasing the minimum wage, police brutality, health care and fighting for the extension of Medicaid. 

Escutia Rodriguez, Julian

Julian Escutia Rodriguez

Julian Escutia Rodriguez, Consul of Mexico in Las Vegas, NV, is a career diplomat with over 15 years of experience. From 2016 to 2019, he served as Coordinator of Advisors to the Assistant Secretary for North America, after which he served as General Director of Protection of Mexicans Abroad. From 2010 to 2016, Julian was Head of the Consular Coordination and Hispanic Affairs Section of the Embassy of Mexico in Washington, D.C. He has also been assigned to the General Consulate of Mexico in Houston, where he was Consul of Communities and Economic Affairs, and to the Mexican Embassy in New Zealand.  He studied  International Relations at El Colegio de Mexico in Mexico City and a Master’s in Public  Policy at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. 

Escobar, George

George Escobar

George Escobar is Chief of Programs and Services George for CASA. He oversees CASA’s Departments of Education, Community Economic Development, Data and Evaluation, and Human Services, which includes legal assistance, naturalization support, financial literacy, case management, and health navigation and health education initiatives. George has over 15 years of experience working for both the public and nonprofit sectors designing and leading a variety of programs in economic development, health, and employment assistance targeting the Latino and immigrant community. He previously served as Deputy Director in the DC Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (OLA). He also served in high-level positions at the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and the Latino Economic Development Corporation and holds a Certificate in Public Management from George Washington University.

Dagher, Ghida

Ghida Dagher

Ghida Dagher is the President of New American Leaders .Having moved to the U.S. at the age of 9, Ghida’s family came seeking asylum from Lebanon and Sierra Leone. Her career and leadership are shaped by her multicultural background and her real-world understanding of struggle and opportunity. Ghida is a true believer that her immigrant background grounds her and her American experience propels her. She is deeply committed to the engagement and empowerment of all communities, particularly those underrepresented in our democracy. Having led multiple political campaigns, launched policy initiatives at nonprofits, and served in Michigan Governor Whitmer’s Executive Office as Director of Appointments, she has dedicated her career to creating opportunities for and building leadership in BIPOC and New Americans communities. Ghida’s leadership and work have been recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business, Arab American News, and others.

Chang, Jeff

Jeff Chang

Jeff Chang runs the Butterfly Lab for Immigrant Narrative Strategy and serves as a Senior Advisor at Race Forward. A national leader in narrative and cultural strategy, cultural organizing, and advocate for cultural justice, Jeff co-founded CultureStr/ke and ColorLines. Chang’s first book Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, has been hailed as one of the best nonfiction books of the last quarter century. He was named by The Utne Reader as one of "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World" and by KQED as an Asian Pacific American Local Hero. He has been a USA Ford Fellow in Literature, a winner of the Asian American Literary Award, and was named to the Frederick Douglass 200.

Bustamante, Irene

Irene Bustamante

Irene Bustamante is Deputy Director and Chief Strategy Officer, Nevada Workforce Connection. Prior to joining Workforce Connections in 2017, Bustamante Adams spent 18 years at MGM Resorts International, working her way up from clerk to a corporate position. From 2010 to 2018, she also represented District 42 in the Nevada Assembly, serving as Speaker Pro Tempore in her last leadership role.Bustamante Adams was raised in the farming community of Kerman, California and woke before dawn to work the agricultural fields alongside her siblings. She was the first in her family to attend and graduate college, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from California State University, Fresno. In 2007, Bustamante Adams became the first Latina in Nevada history to earn an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree from UNLV. Bustamante Adams currently serves on the boards and councils of the Nevada Commission on Service, United Way of Southern Nevada and Uplift Foundation of Nevada.

Bell, Denise

Denise Bell

Denise Bell is Director of Strategic Partnerships at Welcome USA. She was previously Senior Campaigner for Refugee and Migrant Rights, leading implementation of Amnesty’s I Welcome campaign on refugee rights. She came to AIUSA from the U.S. Department of Justice, where she was an Attorney Advisor on the New York Immigration Court. She was a Sudan Country Specialist for AIUSA and the campaigner for its Darfur campaign. She has worked in various capacities on forced displacement issues since the mid-1990s, when she worked with refugees and IDPs in Croatia following the Dayton Peace Accord. She is barred in the state of New York and sits on the City Bar’s Immigration and Nationality Law Committee.

Awawdeh, Murad

Murad Awawdeh

Murad Awawdeh is the Executive Director at the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC). The son of Palestinian immigrants, Murad has dedicated over two decades of his life fighting for low-income communities of color across the State of New York. He grew up organizing to stop dangerous and hazardous developments in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and engaging community residents to build power and bring transformational change to their neighborhoods. As the NYIC's Executive Vice President of Advocacy & Strategy he successfully led electoral, legislative, and policy campaigns at the federal, state and local levels, and mobilized hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers at demonstrations against anti-immigrant policies.  Murad has been featured in VICE and the Huffington Post, and was honored with a U.S Congressional Recognition, and Public Service Awards from the NYS Senate and Assembly. He serves as a Trustee of the New York University Family Health Centers Board, as a member of the Justice 2020 Committee, and as Commissioner of the New York City Civic Engagement Commission.

Arias, Sulma

Sulma Arias

Sulma Arias is the Director of Immigration and Power Building for Community Change and Community Change Action. Prior to joining CC, Sulma was the Executive Director for Sunflower Community Action in Kansas, a multi-racial grassroots organization that worked on issues of racial and economic inequality and immigrant justice. Under her leadership, a coalition of local and national organizations attempted to defeat Kris Kobach as he ran for Secretary of State in Kansas. In 2005 Sulma left her role at Sunflower to lead the immigration and worker justice program for National People’s Action (now People’s Action). Where she coordinated training and capacity building for 12 grassroots organizations in 10 states. Sulma’s leadership and compassion for immigrant communities is rooted in the story of her own migration from El Salvador at 12 years old with her niece and nephew (ages 3 and 5).

Andrews, Courtney-Savali

Courtney-Savali Andrews

Courtney-Savali Andrews is a co-founder of Black Pacific Alliance (BPA), an international organization that supports people of two-blooded Africana/Pasifika or Melanesian heritage concerned with anti-blackness, white supremacy, and cultural competencies within our respective communities. Established after the murder of George Floyd as a virtual meeting to share our critical responses to disingenuous #PacificIslandersforBlackLivesMatter, BPA offers programming to further discuss, inform, and affirm Black bodies in Pan-Pacific contexts while advocating for racial and social justice overall. Born in Duwamish Territory, Savali is of African American and Samoan heritage and serves as Visiting Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology at Oberlin College in Ohio.  

Amiri, Shamail

Shamail Amiri

Shamail Amiri is the Refugee Congress Delegate for California. She is a former asylum-seeker from Afghanistan and came to the U.S. in 2012. Amiri has worked with nonprofit organizations collaborating with USAID, providing programs for women and children such as literacy courses and training in weaving and sewing. Amiri volunteers with Survivors of Torture, Inc., to assist recent refugees and asylum-seekers when they arrive in the U.S. Amiri has a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from the University of California and an AAS paralegal degree. She has received the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs “Women’s Political, Economic, and Social Empowerment” award, as well as a Global Soroptimists International “Live Your Dream” award (first place) and the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services Honor’s Academic Achievement award.

Alemán, Carlos E.

Carlos E. Alemán

Carlos E. Alemán is ¡HICA!’s Chief Operation Officer and will become its CEO in January 2022. Carlos is a first-generation immigrant from Nicaragua who grew up in San Francisco’s Mission District. He and his family are deeply rooted in the Birmingham community, exemplified by his civic commitments. In August 2020, Carlos was elected to Homewood’s City Council, becoming the first Latino elected to public office in Alabama. Carlos is a board member of several organizations including the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), the Alabama Business Charitable Trust Fund, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Alabama Forward, Red Mountain Park and the Literacy Council of Central Alabama. Prior to joining ¡HICA!’s staff, Carlos was an assistant professor of history at Samford University. He earned a PhD in history, with fields in Latin America, immigration, and race, at Michigan State University. Carlos also has bachelor’s degrees in history and Latin American and Latino studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Abdi, Rahmo

Rahmo Abdi

Rahmo Abdi is a Community Organizer with the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Ms. Abdi came to the United States as a refugee, and personally understands the many difficulties of adjusting to life in a new country while preserving your cultural heritage. Wanting to help others overcome those challenges, Rahmo began working with young women from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa and founded the International Refugee Girls Association. Her work there focused on keeping first generation immigrants connected with their native cultures, as well as stressing the importance of education, financial literacy, self-esteem and sexual health issues in a new environment. Rahmo’s history of community service has led to numerous accolades and awards, including: “Young Woman of the Year” from the Refugee Women’s Network and “Unsung Hero” during Black History Month where she was featured on television by FOX 5 San Diego. She was most recently recognized by Bank of America with their “Local Hero” award.