U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants' mission is to address the needs and rights of persons in forced or voluntary migration worldwide by advancing fair and humane public policy, facilitating and providing direct professional services, and promoting the full participation of migrants in community life.

Family

USCRI

Senada Alihodzic arrived as a refugee from Bosnia during the civil war and genocide of the mid-1990s and began volunteering and working as an interpreter with the International Institute of Erie in 1994, prior to the merger with USCRI in 2009. With a wide background in resettlement programs, Ms. Alihodzic recently served as the in-house licensed Notary and the Program Coordinator for Inclusion and Compliance with responsibilities for overseeing USCRI Erie’s staff of on-call interpreters/document translators. Prior to this, she supervised the Erie field office’s programs for R & P, Match Grant, Refugee Family Strengthening, and Individual Development Accounts to promote financial literacy and savings. Ms. Alihodzic represents the agency in the larger community, serving as a liaison to the New American Council for the City of Erie, a representative to the advisory board of the Northern Pennsylvania Regional College, and local task forces addressing mental health issues and domestic violence in Erie.

Senada Alihodzic

Omer is a community development specialist with over 20 years in the international and humanitarian development sector. He graduated with a PhD. from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and Msc. in International Development from the University of London. Omer has led senior leadership, advisory, and consulting positions with various international organizations across four continents in challenging and complex contexts. Omer joins USCRI North Carolina with knowledge and wide skills to address institutional, organizational, and programmatic priorities and needs.

In North Carolina, Omer previously worked for the Center for New North Carolinians and Lutheran Services in the Carolinas, before leading the North Carolina African Services Coalition for Refugee Resettlement in Greensboro as Executive Director for 12 years. He is happy to return to the refugee services in North Carolina, and to have opportunity to engage the broader community in our mission.

Since 2013, he has worked internationally for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and Mercy Corps on operations and M&E for emergency food security, sanitation, and health programs, as well as on Syrian refugee programming in Turkey. Most recently, he has served as Chief of Party for German Portfolio Health Programs for ADRA in Yemen.

Omer Omer

For more than fifteen years, Darren Hamm has worked as a volunteer, intern, staff, manager and director in the non-profit sector, helping to improve operations, build nationally-recognized programs, secure highly-competitive awards, and maintain quality during periods of significant organizational growth. Much of Darren’s work has involved developing collaborative partnerships and seeking innovative ways to address systematic issues.

Darren earned a Bachelor of Arts in Painting and Drawing from Kent State University and a Master’s of Nonprofit Management from Case Western Reserve University. He has been serving as a part-time instructor of Nonprofit Management and Leadership at the Oberlin College & Conservatory. Darren served as Executive Director of the Refugee Response in Cleveland, an organization focused on supporting refugee community integration through youth mentoring and support, employment support, multilingual resources, and agricultural programming. Through his service on the leadership committee of the Refugee Services Collaborative, he has experience working in partnership with Cleveland’s refugee resettlement and social services organizations. Darren was selected as the first executive director of Oberlin Center for the Arts in 2017, providing leadership for establishing the organization’s vision and programming and support for advancing arts and culture throughout the region.

Darren T. Hamm

Sam Udani has been involved with the immigration community in the USA for most of his career spanning three decades, involving immigration politics and immigration policy and covering all manner of immigration into the USA, including refugees. He has been a tireless advocate for enlightened immigration laws for the USA since ACWIA, AC21/ACTA and continuing from then on.

Mr. Udani currently serves as the Law Publisher and CEO of ILW.COM and Immigration Daily, a position he has held for over twenty years. As Publisher, he directs all activities of the website and newspaper with over 50,000+ pages of free information on immigration law that receives 250,000 visitors per month. Under Mr. Udani’s direction ILW has conducted 600+ CLE seminars, published over two dozen immigration law books and conducted hundreds of immigration events in over a dozen countries. Earlier in his career, Mr. Udani founded an advertising agency and a small company in international trade.

A hallowed name for refugees, and generally for the entire immigration field, is Edith Lowenstein who served as Editor of Interpreter Releases, the first (and for half a century the only) periodical reporting on developments in immigration/refugees – Interpreter Releases was housed within [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s predecessor entity for its formative decades. Today’s Immigration Daily is in direct descent of Interpreter Releases, Mr. Udani is always reminded of this when before Edith Lowenstein’s image in [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s board room.

Sam Udani

USCRI’s Board member Scott Wu is a corporate leader with a unique background in finance and investments as well as global poverty and education.

Mr. Wu currently serves as the Executive Director of the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank), a public finance institution committed to promoting a robust employment environment, contributing to a strong economy and improving the quality of life for the people of California. He was a partner and head of investments for the [Omidyar Network](/org/omidyar-network), a global pioneer in impact investing, where he also spearheaded the firm’s work in providing low-cost energy to off-grid communities. Mr. Wu was a member of the founding team at Upstart, an online lending marketplace, and a co-founder of several innovative investment firms, including [FTV Capital](/org/ftv-capital). His commitment to economic and social justice led to his appointment by the White House as a Presidential Innovation Fellow, advising the [U.S. Agency for International Development](/org/u-s-agency-for-international-development)’s innovation investing activities.

Mr. Wu balances his extensive experience in corporate finance and technology with grassroots activities for community impact. He has worked on development projects in Tanzania and with a center combatting child prostitution in Bangkok. He has visited numerous refugee camps and orphanages around the world to better inform his advocacy at home.

Mr. Wu earned his degrees from [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school) and [Dartmouth College](/org/dartmouth).

Scott Wu

Jeff Kelley has spent his career both in public service and in the private sector, focusing on communications, public affairs and government relations. He has worked for both the U. S. government and the private sector in the U.S. and Europe.

Most recently, Mr. Kelley served in the Obama Administration as Director of Public Affairs for the Administration for Children and Families. ACF houses programs such as refugee resettlement (ORR), Head Start, child welfare and foster care, and the nation’s family assistance program (TANF).

Mr. Kelley owned Peer Communications LLC, where he organized conferences on communications strategy for the senior public affairs executives of more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. He worked for more than 20 years for the DuPont Company, first as executive speechwriter for the Chairman, then in several senior management roles, including more than a decade in Geneva, Switzerland, leading the company’s communications and government affairs teams in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Earlier he was press secretary to U. S. Senator Thomas J. McIntyre (D-NH) and in the Carter Administration he was special assistant and speechwriter for Health and Human Services Secretary Patricia Roberts Harris.

Mr. Kelley’s volunteer experience includes six years on the Board of Visitors of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at [Dartmouth College](/org/dartmouth), a nationally acclaimed institutional home for social science research, teaching and experiential learning. In that role he has sponsored and mentored undergraduate interns working for the [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants). He currently teaches English as a second language at a center for immigrants in Washington, D.C. and volunteers as a National Parks Service guide at Ford’s Theater.

Mr. Kelley earned an undergraduate degree from [Dartmouth College](/org/dartmouth) and a master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at [Northwestern University](/org/northwestern-university).

Jeffrey Kelley

Chelsey Butchereit leads the USCRI Missouri field office and serves as the Refugee Health Coordinator for Missouri. She brings with her 10 years of experience coordinating community-based programs and most recently was employed as a Health Program Coordinator in the Refugee Health Program at the Utah Department of Health where efforts focused on offering culturally and linguistically appropriate health screenings, health education, and referrals to all newly arriving refugees to the state of Utah. She also previously taught an undergraduate course on refugee and migrant health at [Brigham Young University](/org/brigham-young-university). Chelsey has a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from [Utah State University](/org/utah-state-university), a master’s degree in Public Health from [Brigham Young University](/org/brigham-young-university), and a certificate in Forced Migration from the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University. For more than a decade she’s volunteered with new Americans in different capacities including as a family mentor, English tutor, and Citizenship tutor.

Chelsey Butchereit

Jessica Montour leads the [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)-Texas field office and serves as the Refugee Health Coordinator (RHC) for Texas. Prior to joining [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants), Ms. Montour served as the RHC for 8 years under the state-administered refugee health program. Jessica works closely with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and is a member of the executive board of the Association of Refugee Health Coordinators. She has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in International Relations and East Asian Studies from the [University of Minnesota](/org/university-of-minnesota) and a Master’s in Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics from [Texas A&M University](/org/texas-a-m-university). Jessica has published several articles and presented at international refugee health conferences. She tutored refugees learning English and has in-country experience in China, Malaysia and the Dominican Republic.

Jessica Montour

AnnaMarie Bena is responsible for overall management, growth, and quality service delivery of [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s programs for unaccompanied immigrant children, including residential care program, unaccompanied minors post-release and home study services; legal services program; and trafficking survivors support programs. Her portfolio includes [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s policy and advocacy unit. AnnaMarie brings over 20 years of experience working on refugee and immigrant issues. Most recently, she served as the Director of Policy in the Office of Refugee Resettlement. She also has worked for [UNHCR](/org/unhcr), the HHS Office of the General Counsel and CLINIC. AnnaMarie holds a J.D. from the [University of Notre Dame](/org/university-of-notre-dame) and a B.S. in journalism from the [University of Maryland](/org/university-of-maryland). AnnaMarie served for two years as a [Peace Corps](/org/peace-corps) volunteer in Cameroon.

Annamarie Bena

Earl Johnson serves as a Member of USCRI’s Board of Directors following a decades long career in public service at the federal and state level. Mr. Johnson has been a leader nationwide in promoting responsible fatherhood and economic security issues related to men and boys of color.

He was appointed by the White House to serve as the Director of the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (HHS/ACF). In this position Mr. Johnson oversaw an annual budget of $17.8 billion. In this role, he was the principle policy and administrative manager for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

Before accepting his current position, he was the Senior Policy Advisor and Interim Workforce Investment Board Director for the City of Oakland and Mayor Ron Dellums. Prior to that he was the Senior Program Officer for the California Endowment and the Associate Director for the Rockefeller Foundation’s Working Communities Division. He also served as the Associate Secretary for Planning and Evaluation for the California Health and Human Services Agency.

Mr. Johnson has worked serving families and children for his entire career. He brings this passion to USCRI’s programs for refugee and migrant families and children.

Earl Johnson has a Ph.D. from UCLA’s School of Social Work and Public Policy. He holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy and a B.A. in Political Science from the American University in Washington, D.C. He has also completed Harvard University’s Executive Management Program on Negotiation.

Earl S. Johnson

Diann Dawson’s more than 38 years of distinguished public service as a senior executive combined with her leadership in the private sector adds immeasurable value to the work of USCRI’s Board of Directors.

Ms. Dawson is currently President and CEO of DDA & Associates, a human services consulting firm. She is a national and global advocate for children and family strengthening initiatives and serves as a director on several non-profit boards.

Prior to her retirement as a senior executive, she served as the Director of the Office of Regional Operations within the Administration for Children (ACF) and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary on field operations, she provided executive leadership and directions to ACF’s ten regional offices on the integration and coordination of more than 65 human services programs to promote the well-being of children, families and communities.

Ms. Dawson’s extensive experience working at the senior leadership level for ACF led her to become a passionate advocate for children and family issues worldwide. She brings hands-on experience in operations and directions to USCRI’s work, helping the organization run model programs to serve refugee and migrant children and families.

Ms. Dawson earned a B.A. from Bennett College, an M.S.W. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and is admitted to the D.C. and Maryland bars.

Diann Dawson

Matt is responsible for the oversight of USCRI’s Children’s Services including Post Release and Home Study Services for Unaccompanied Children. These programs connect children, who have arrived in the United States without their parents or guardians, to vital services that facilitate the successful integration into their new communities across the country. Matt is a clinical social worker who has been working with refugee and immigrant youth for more than 13 years in the areas of behavioral health, youth development, and child welfare. Having worked as a PRS case manager himself, Matt is dedicated to supporting the national network of case managers serving vulnerable unaccompanied children. His professional career has been driven by the belief that serving children and youth can have the greatest impact on the well-being of communities. Matt served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic and received his Masters of Social Work from Columbia University. He has been working at USCRI since 2016.

Matt Haygood

Hila Moss joined USCRI in November 2015 as a Staff Attorney with the Nuevo Comienzo, unaccompanied minor program, in the North Carolina field office. In March of 2019, she was promoted to Managing Attorney and currently oversees USCRI’s legal department. Before joining USCRI, Hila worked at a small non-profit providing legal representation to unaccompanied minors and asylum seekers in North Carolina. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Appalachian State University and a Juris Doctorate from Campbell Law School.

Hila Moss

Xavier Graham joined USCRI in 2019 as the Director of Finance and Compliance. Prior to joining USCRI, Mr. Graham served as the Executive Director of Finance with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children leading the finance operations. He also served in several leadership positions in New York City and London. He has over 15 years of accounting and finance experience working with private, non-profits and public practice. Mr. Graham is a Certified Accountant and holds a Master’s degree in Accounting & Finance studies.

Xavier Graham

Bart Bachman is the Associate Director of Trafficking Services at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), where he oversees the administration of the Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (TVAP). He started with USCRI’s TVAP program in 2017, and previously served as the regional Program Officer monitoring project implementation in ACF Regions 1, 2, 3, and 10. Prior to joining USCRI, Bart worked at the Migration Policy Institute in its International Program, where he published an article in the Migration Information Source entitled “Diminishing Solidarity: Polish Attitudes toward the European Migration and Refugee Crisis.” He holds an M.A. in German and European Studies and a B.S. in International Politics from Georgetown University.

Bart Bachman

Katharine Laud is [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s Board Chair. Her career path has combined finance and non-profit management to provide opportunities to under-served communities, including women, minorities, immigrants and people of color for wealth creation.

Ms. Laud is currently the President of Opportunities Credit Union, the 11th largest credit union in Vermont, which offers innovative and affordable financial services to Vermonters. Before assuming her current position, Ms. Laud was the Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration at the University of Vermont Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to serving the university community. She was the Chief Financial Officer of a non-profit that focused on affordable housing for low-income people. Ms. Laud has served on a number of corporate boards, including the Board of Directors for Provident Financial Services, a NYSE-trading bank holding company, a member of the Audit and Governance Committees and as Chair of the Wealth Management Committee. While serving on the Board of Directors of the First Morris Bank and Trust. She was instrumental in the founding of the Wealth Management Division.

Ms. Laud has used her extensive background in finance to build avenues to wealth creation and management for diverse and under-served communities in Vermont. She has brought corporate efficiencies to non-profit management to promote economic self-sufficiency among low-income people.

Katharine Laud earned a B.A. and an M.B.A. at [Dartmouth College](/org/dartmouth).

Katharine Laud

Amila came to Vermont in 1995 as a refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina and is the first former refugee leading the [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants) Vermont field office. She brings over 10 years of experience working in refugee resettlement providing direct services, program management, and advocacy on behalf of refugees and asylees in Vermont. Most recently, she graduated from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at [Tufts University](/org/tufts-university) with a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy. She holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations from [Mount Holyoke College](/org/mount-holyoke-college). Her interests span across disciplines including forced migration, human rights, and conflict resolution. Amila is fluent in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian and has basic knowledge of Russian.

Amila Merdzanovic

Regis G. McDonald is an accomplished social service executive with decades of experience in managing and developing cutting edge programs and services for youth and families involved with the child welfare, juvenile justice, child mental health and immigration systems.

Mr. McDonald at the time of his retirement was Senior Vice President for Programs at The Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry, New York. The Children’s Village was founded in 1851 in Lower Manhattan as the New York Juvenile Asylum. Today, the Children’s Village is a nationally and internationally respected multi-service human service organization with a staff of over 1,500 and an annual budget exceeding $91M. Mr. McDonald’s work at CV positively impacted and enriched every aspect of the organization, including its work on Undoing Institutional Racism and providing shelter and staff secure care to unaccompanied immigrant children.

At the invitation of the First Lady of Guatemala Mr. McDonald participated in two Central America Regional Child Migration Forums. One in 2013 in Antigua, Guatemala and the second in 2016 in Washington, DC. He served as a member of the United States Department of Justice Interagency Working Group on Separated & Unaccompanied Children in 2014.

Mr. McDonald earned an Associate in Arts degree from Wentworth Military Academy & College. He is the recipient of the Ted Messmore Honor Graduate Award, Wentworth’s highest award.  Mr. McDonald was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree from Central Missouri State College and a Master of Social Work degree from Adelphi University School of Social Work.

Regis G. McDonald

Katharine I. Crost serves as the Secretary of [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s Board of Directors. She brings to the organization wide-ranging experience in the field of securities and corporate finance as well as non-profit leadership.

Ms. Crost is currently Senior Counsel in the Structured Finance Group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP. Ms. Crost has been rated as a top capital markets and structured finance lawyer by numerous organizations. She has advised the firm’s clients on many innovative transactions in response to the 2008 financial crisis, including housing and financial regulatory reforms. Her extensive portfolio at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP includes serving on the Firm’s Executive Committee, establishing and chairing the firm’s Women’s Initiative and acting as a Practice Group Leader.

Ms. Crost has been a passionate advocate on behalf of immigrants, refugees and global citizens worldwide. She has served as a Board Member of the Women’s Refugee Commission and currently serves as a Member of the Emeritus Board of Indego Africa, a non-profit that works to provide artisan women and young people in Africa training for sustainable livelihoods and access to markets. Her commitment to empowerment and social justice has taken her to refugee camps in Ethiopia and Myanmar. She has represented pro bono clients in researching and preparing a report on shelters for unaccompanied minors and a training protocol for border patrol agents to screen for human trafficking victims. She currently volunteers at [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s field office in Albany, New York.

Katharine Crost earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a Bachelor of Music degree from [Michigan State University](/org/michigan-state-university).

Katharine I. Crost

Helen R. Kanovsky’s distinguished career in housing began with her interest in social justice. Ms. Kanovsky has served in the U.S. government, private sector and labor movement, bringing to [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s Board of Directors a wealth of expertise and experience in housing across sectors.

She currently is General Counsel at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), where she oversees the association’s internal legal affairs, compliance and human resources operations.

Prior to joining MBA, Ms. Kanovsky was the General Counsel of the [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development](/org/department-of-housing-and-urban-development) (HUD) and had served as HUD’s acting Deputy Secretary. Previously, she was General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer at the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust. She was the General Counsel at both GE Capital Asset Management and Skyline Financial Services. Additionally, Ms. Kanovsky worked in private practice and on Capitol Hill, where she served as Chief of Staff to Senator John Kerry.

Ms. Kanovsky is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the [American Bar Association](/org/american-bar-association) and the Federal Bar Association. She served for three years as the Chair of the National Housing Conference. She has spent her entire career working and advocating for stable affordable housing as a human right.

Helen holds an A.B. degree in government from [Cornell University](/org/cornell-university) and graduated Cum Laude from Harvard Law School.

Helen R. Kanovsky

Kevin Bearden brings to [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s Board of Directors wide-ranging expertise and immense experience in information technology for Fortune 500 companies and mission critical professional services that enhance the operations of U.S. government federal civilian agencies.

Mr. Bearden currently serves as Senior Vice President of the Federal Civilian Group within [SOS International](/org/sos-international-as) (SOSI). In this role, Mr. Bearden oversees a business portfolio focused on a wide range of enterprise IT solutions and services. Prior to joining SOSI, Mr. Bearden was Vice President of Foreign Affairs and Transportation Programs within General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), Principal Consultant with [Booz Allen Hamilton](/org/booz-allen-hamilton)’s Cyber Security Center of Excellence and Director of Cyber Security Operations for SRA International. During his time at [GDIT](/org/gdit), Mr. Bearden oversaw several programs supporting both the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), HHS Office of Trafficking in Persons as well as the Department of State’s Bureau of Populations, Refugees and Migration (PRM).

He has become a champion of [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s mission, getting a first-hand look at conditions in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya as well as emergency influx and in-network shelters providing direct care services to unaccompanied minors.

Mr. Bearden earned his undergraduate degree in Electronics Engineering Technology from [North Carolina A&T State University](/org/north-carolina-at-state-university), has graduate certificates in Law Enforcement Intelligence, Counterintelligence and Advanced Intelligence Analysis, as well as served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Army Signal Corps.

Kevin Bearden

An expert in the field of refugee resettlement, Dylanna has spent more than 17 years working to help refugees and immigrants throughout the Midwest. Prior to joining the International Institute of Erie in April 2012, Dylanna served as the Director of Community Assistance and Refugee Resettlement for the Northern Area Multi-Service Center (NAMS) and as Director of Refugee Resettlement and Educational Programs at the International Institute of Akron (IIA). Experienced in a variety of direct service and administrative functions, including grant-writing, curriculum design, teaching, program evaluation, fiscal management, volunteer management, and program development, Dylanna combines her commitment to refugees and immigrants with her superpower of simplifying complexity to create strong client-centered programming that works. Dylanna earned her B.A. in English from [Kent State University](/org/kent-state-university), where she also received certification in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), as well as her Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from [Creighton University](/org/creighton-university).

Dylanna Grasinger

Jeffrey Metzger, an attorney who has worked in corporate, government, and private practice, brings to [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s Board of Directors extensive legal expertise in ethics and compliance as well as a personal drive to serve the refugee and immigrant community.

Most recently, Mr. Metzger was Staff Vice President and Associate General Counsel of [Unisys](/org/unisys) Corporation, where he was responsible for the company’s litigation, counseling the company’s government businesses, and directing the company’s federal government contracts organization. He also designed the company’s first ethics compliance program and then served as Corporate Ethics Officer.

Before coming to [Unisys](/org/unisys), Mr. Metzger served on the professional staff of the President’s Blue-Ribbon Commission on Defense Management, where he was principally responsible for making recommendations on defense industry compliance issues. He also served in the Civil Division of the [Department of Justice](/org/u-s-department-of-justice) for a number of years, representing the United States in procurement fraud and government contract litigation. Before joining Justice, he worked in private law practice in Washington, D.C., chiefly in the international trade area. Before attending law school, Mr. Metzger worked as issues coordinator in the first Senate campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware.

Mr. Metzger’s interest in refugee issues led him to represent, on a pro bono basis, two children who sought Special Immigration Juvenile Status in the D.C. trial courts.

He earned a B.A., magna cum laude, from [Amherst College](/org/amherst-college), and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law School.

Jeffrey Metzger

Gene DeFelice serves as [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s Treasurer of the Board of Directors. He is an accomplished attorney as well as a seasoned corporate executive. His areas of expertise include business management, compliance and corporate governance.

Mr. DeFelice is currently the Managing Director of Novo Strategic Partners, a company specializing in legal and corporate management solutions including compliance; governance; human capital; licensing, mergers and acquisitions; regulatory issues; legislative affairs; and forensic services. Previously Mr. DeFelice served as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for [Rackspace](/org/rackspace), a global leader in cloud computing and IT infrastructure with approximately 6,200 employees and $2 billion in revenue. He was Executive Vice President, Corporate Counsel and Corporate Secretary for HMS, a $450 million public healthcare technology, healthcare data analytics and medical services company. He has extensive experience in management, compliance and governance in Fortune 500 companies across a number of industries, including medical technology, healthcare analytics, pharmaceuticals, cloud computing and IT infrastructure.

Mr. DeFelice has sat on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations, donating his time and expertise to improving non-profit management and operations. He served for many years as [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s Board Chairman.

Mr. DeFelice graduated from [Rutgers University](/org/rutgers-university), earned an M.B.A. with distinction from [Webster University](/org/webster-university) in Switzerland, and was awarded a Doctor of Law from [Seton Hall University](/org/seton-hall-university).

Gene Defelice

Tanisha oversees [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants)’s Refugee Health Services Program and serves as the HIPAA Privacy Officer. She brings more than 15 years of experience managing an array of health and mental health programs, including HIV medical screening and education; psychological preparedness training for military personnel; counseling programs to Unaccompanied Children and victims of human trafficking; and coordinating the multi-state Refugee Medical Assistance program. Prior to taking the position at [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants), Tanisha was the Assistant Director for a child welfare agency where she led a multidisciplinary team of group home managers, behavioral health specialists, HIV medical screening specialists and frontline team members, who were responsible for overseeing the health and mental health of youth in care.

Tanisha Elizaire

Eskinder Negash is President and CEO of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and  Immigrants (USCRI), an organization founded in 1911 to protect the rights and address the needs of persons in forced or voluntary migration worldwide and support their transition to a dignified life. Mr. Negash is a recognized senior executive leader and brings nearly 40 years of proven non-profit management experience on behalf of refugees and immigrants.

Prior to joining [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants), he served from 2009-2015 as Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the largest government-funded refugee resettlement organization in the world. With a budget of over $1.5 billion, the ORR plays a critical role in providing essential services to a wide range of vulnerable people through the Resettlement Program, Rescue & Restore anti-trafficking campaign, and the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. Under his leadership, ORR served more than 850,000 people in six years.

Under Negash’s leadership, ORR served more than 400,000 refugees, 150,000 asylees, 125,000 Cuban and Haitian Entrants, nearly 21,000 Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders, 3,200 Victims of Trafficking, over 32,000 U.S. repatriates, and almost 116,000 unaccompanied children, totaling more than 850,000 people during his six years of service.

Prior to his appointment by the Obama Administration, Mr. Negash served as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of [USCRI](/org/u-s-committee-for-refugees-and-immigrants) for seven years. He also was the Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the International Institute of Los Angeles for 15 years. Mr. Negash served as a board member with several non-profit organizations, including two years as Chair of the Joint Voluntary Agencies Committee of California, Chair of the California State Refugee Advisory Council, and Board Member of the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).

In 2016, Mr. Negash served in the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee for Public-Private Partnership considering the formulation of U.S. polices, proposals, and strategies for developing public-private partnership that promote shares value with the private sector worldwide. In 2009, Mr. Negash received an “Outstanding American By Choice” award from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security, which recognizes naturalized U.S. citizens who have made significant contributions to both their community and their adopted country. In 2010, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) honored Mr. Negash as one of ten distinguished men and women whose stories of hope and transformation epitomize the refugee journey.

Leadership Team

About

Team members

Other teams at USCRI

Board of Directors

CEO and Executive Team

Discover similar companies