Meet our team
The IRIS team hovers around 200 employees and is led by six directors who represent over 30 years of combined IRIS service and experience.
With this multilingual, culturally sensitive, and skilled staff, and with volunteers, IRIS is uniquely suited to meet the needs of refugees and immigrants and cultivate their potential.
Maggie Mitchell Salem
Executive Director
Addison Dickens
Staff Attorney
AKRAM YORK
Community Engagement Data Coordinator
ALEM NUGUSE
Custodian
Alexis Garcia
SUN Education Specialist & Youth Leadership Coordinator
AMY LYNN
Director of Operations
ANA CARDENAS
Operations Manager
Ana Lucia Gutierrez Gomez
SUN Healthcare Coordinator
ANDREA SANCHEZ
Senior Employment Specialist
Andrea Streets
Interpreter Quality Coordinator
ANIKO SZABO
Employment Specialist Manager
ANN O’BRIEN
Director of Sponsorship
Anna Kilty
Ukrainian Program Case Manager
Anthony Morgan
Pre-Arrival Coordinator
Anthony Tembera
Employment Services Specialist
Asha Delcogliano
Private Sponsorship Outreach Coordinator
ASHLEY MAKAR
Outreach Coordinator
Azad Mousou
Case Manager
BARBARA DAVIS
Community Sponsorship Developer
Bashir Watandost
Employment Services Specialist
Becca Harrison
Welcome Corps Application Coach
BISMILLAH ENSAFI
Education & Enrollment Specialist
BONNY AMADOR-LOPEZ
Bookkeeping and Finance Assistant
Brooke Conley
Supportive Therapy Clinician
Brooklyn Kline
Director of Operations
Chance Mbaye
Case Manager Assistant
Colin O’Brien
Housing and Donation Assistant
Cristal Arguello
SUN Case Manager
CYNTHIA DUNN
Community Sponsorship Developer
DAAD SERWERI
Community Sponsor Program Manager
Dahiana Fulgencio
Education & Enrollment Specialist
Daniel Pflueger
Post-Arrival Case Manager
DANIELA CARRANZA
SUN Case Manager
Danielle Faulkner
Case Manager Assistant
DEBRA RIDING
Director of Education
Delaila Grey
SUN Case Manager
DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Manager (Hartford)
Diana Church Empsall
Associate Director of Development
Doh Paw
Benefits Specialist
Doris Cordova
SUN Case Manager
ELISABETH NEITERMAN
Volunteer Coordinator (Hartford)
Erin Howe
Manager, Welcome Corps
Faqeerullah Darwish
Ukrainian Program Data Coordinator
Fatima Hassan
Education Assistant
Gisou Mercado-Vega
Office Manager
GLADYS (NDENGO) MWILELO
After School Coordinator
Hossna Samadi
Outreach Coordinator
Iryna Velbytska
Ukrainian Program Education Specialist
Isabella Daou
Education Programs Manager
Jane Renaud
Staff Attorney
JEF WILSON
Housing Acquisition Specialist
Jen Vickery
Press Officer
JENNIFER HARTLEY
Education Advocate & Family Engagement Specialist
Jessica Patti
Director of Resettlement Services
JOANNA ARPIE
Early Childhood Education Teacher
Johanna Snyder
Food Pantry & Bike Program Coordinator
Kate Merschman
Ukrainian Program Employment Specialist
KATY LAWDER
Interim Director of Community Engagement
KELLY BEE
Public Relations & Advocacy Manager
KEVIN LANGSON
Grant Writer
Kyle Gibbs
Operations Procurement Officer
LAL HABIB DELAWAR
IT Manager
LAUREN PETERSEN
Senior Staff Attorney
Lisa Kinney Bajwa
Higher Education Coordinator
Lisa McGowan
Senior Case Manager
Lori Clemens
ESOL Instructor
Lukas Champagne
PC Case Manager
Madeleine LeStrange
ESOL Coordinator
Madison Mackay
SUN Referral Specialist
Maggie Rodriguez
Legal Fellow
Mariana Morales
Humanitarian Sponsorship Program Case Manager (Cuban/Haitian)
Massita Fadiga
Resettlement Program Manager
Mbeki Yunana
Community Engagement Coordinator
Melissa Cisija
Outreach Program Assistant
MICHAEL DOYLE
Senior Staff Attorney
Michael Wolven
Systems Manager, Welcome Corps
MIRKA DOMINGUEZ-SALINAS
SUN Program Manager
MISAEL MERCADO
Housing and Donations Coordinator
Mohammad Salim
R&P Case Manager
Muhanad Alhamwi
Post R&P Case Manager
Muna Mustafa Alnabelsi
Education & Enrollment Specialist
Nagy Mishriky
Employment Services Specialist
Nathan Leach
Grant Writer
Nazanin Amiri
Family Literacy Program Assistant
Nick Fiorentino
Community Outreach Assistant
Omar Yacoub
After School Coordinator
PAIMAN NASIRI
Training & Compliance Officer
PATRICIA TYNAN-KRAWCZYK
Employment Services Specialist
PEMA BHUTIA
Health and Wellness Manager
RACHEL DOFT
Director of Immigration Legal Services
Rafiqullah Jan
Employment Service Specialist
RONA ROHBAR
Health Department Manager
Samantha Gudis
Housing Set Up Liaison
Sami Niazai
Ambassador Program Manager & SIV Specialist
Sayed Frogh Taha
Employment Services Specialist Assistant
Shafiullah Faizee
Health Coordinator
Shah Jahan
HR Coordinator
Sharon Hall-Smith
Deputy Director for Resettlement Services, Hartford
Sha’ron White
Family Literacy Coordinator
Shauntasia Hicks
Manager of Housing
SPOGMAI AKBERZAI
PC Case Manager
SUE SOBOLEWSKI
Receptionist
Susana Mejia
Paralegal
Svetlana Moskvitch
Ukrainian Program Interpreter/Outreach Specialist
SYED AHMED
Employment Specialist (Outreach)
Tamana Azizi
Family Literacy Program Assistant
TANYA KIMBALL
Hartford Office Director
Tava Auslan
Employment Services Specialist
Tetyana Pavelo
Ukrainian Program Community Integration Specialist
Venu Thirumala
Annual Fund Manager
Victoria Morales
R&P Case Manager
Yazan Al Doumani
Housing & Donation Assistance
Zahra Chaudhry
Paralegal
ZAKER SULTANI
Post Arrival Case Manager
ZEENIE MALIK
Senior Communications Manager
Zohra Moradi
Case Manager – Post R&P
Alexis Garcia
SUN Education Specialist & Youth Leadership Coordinator
Ana Lucia Gutierrez Gomez
SUN Healthcare Coordinator
ANDREA SANCHEZ
Senior Employment Specialist
ANIKO SZABO
Employment Specialist Manager
Anthony Morgan
Pre-Arrival Coordinator
Azad Mousou
Case Manager
Bashir Watandost
Employment Services Specialist
Brooke Conley
Supportive Therapy Clinician
Chance Mbaye
Case Manager Assistant
Colin O’Brien
Housing and Donation Assistant
Cristal Arguello
SUN Case Manager
Daniel Pflueger
Post-Arrival Case Manager
DANIELA CARRANZA
SUN Case Manager
Danielle Faulkner
Case Manager Assistant
Delaila Grey
SUN Case Manager
DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Manager (Hartford)
Doh Paw
Benefits Specialist
Doris Cordova
SUN Case Manager
JEF WILSON
Housing Acquisition Specialist
Jessica Patti
Director of Resettlement Services
Johanna Snyder
Food Pantry & Bike Program Coordinator
Kyle Gibbs
Operations Procurement Officer
Lisa McGowan
Senior Case Manager
Lukas Champagne
PC Case Manager
Madison Mackay
SUN Referral Specialist
Mariana Morales
Humanitarian Sponsorship Program Case Manager (Cuban/Haitian)
Massita Fadiga
Resettlement Program Manager
MIRKA DOMINGUEZ-SALINAS
SUN Program Manager
MISAEL MERCADO
Housing and Donations Coordinator
Muhanad Alhamwi
Post R&P Case Manager
PAIMAN NASIRI
Training & Compliance Officer
PATRICIA TYNAN-KRAWCZYK
Employment Services Specialist
PEMA BHUTIA
Health and Wellness Manager
Rafiqullah Jan
Employment Service Specialist
RONA ROHBAR
Health Department Manager
Samantha Gudis
Housing Set Up Liaison
Sayed Frogh Taha
Employment Services Specialist Assistant
Shafiullah Faizee
Health Coordinator
Shauntasia Hicks
Manager of Housing
SPOGMAI AKBERZAI
PC Case Manager
SYED AHMED
Employment Specialist (Outreach)
Tava Auslan
Employment Services Specialist
Victoria Morales
R&P Case Manager
ZAKER SULTANI
Post Arrival Case Manager
Zohra Moradi
Case Manager – Post R&P
AKRAM YORK
Community Engagement Data Coordinator
Diana Church Empsall
Associate Director of Development
Hossna Samadi
Outreach Coordinator
Jen Vickery
Press Officer
KATY LAWDER
Interim Director of Community Engagement
KELLY BEE
Public Relations & Advocacy Manager
KEVIN LANGSON
Grant Writer
Mbeki Yunana
Community Engagement Coordinator
Melissa Cisija
Outreach Program Assistant
Nathan Leach
Grant Writer
Nick Fiorentino
Community Outreach Assistant
Sami Niazai
Ambassador Program Manager & SIV Specialist
Venu Thirumala
Annual Fund Manager
ZEENIE MALIK
Senior Communications Manager
BISMILLAH ENSAFI
Education & Enrollment Specialist
DEBRA RIDING
Director of Education
Fatima Hassan
Education Assistant
GLADYS (NDENGO) MWILELO
After School Coordinator
Iryna Velbytska
Ukrainian Program Education Specialist
JENNIFER HARTLEY
Education Advocate & Family Engagement Specialist
JOANNA ARPIE
Early Childhood Education Teacher
Lisa Kinney Bajwa
Higher Education Coordinator
Lori Clemens
ESOL Instructor
Madeleine LeStrange
ESOL Coordinator
Muna Mustafa Alnabelsi
Education & Enrollment Specialist
Nazanin Amiri
Family Literacy Program Assistant
Omar Yacoub
After School Coordinator
Sha’ron White
Family Literacy Coordinator
Tamana Azizi
Family Literacy Program Assistant
Anthony Tembera
Employment Services Specialist
Chance Mbaye
Case Manager Assistant
Dahiana Fulgencio
Education & Enrollment Specialist
DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Manager (Hartford)
ELISABETH NEITERMAN
Volunteer Coordinator (Hartford)
Gisou Mercado-Vega
Office Manager
Isabella Daou
Education Programs Manager
Mohammad Salim
R&P Case Manager
Nagy Mishriky
Employment Services Specialist
Sha’ron White
Family Literacy Coordinator
Sharon Hall-Smith
Deputy Director for Resettlement Services, Hartford
SPOGMAI AKBERZAI
PC Case Manager
TANYA KIMBALL
Hartford Office Director
Yazan Al Doumani
Housing & Donation Assistance
Addison Dickens
Staff Attorney
Jane Renaud
Staff Attorney
LAUREN PETERSEN
Senior Staff Attorney
Maggie Rodriguez
Legal Fellow
MICHAEL DOYLE
Senior Staff Attorney
RACHEL DOFT
Director of Immigration Legal Services
Susana Mejia
Paralegal
Zahra Chaudhry
Paralegal
ALEM NUGUSE
Custodian
AMY LYNN
Director of Operations
ANA CARDENAS
Operations Manager
Andrea Streets
Interpreter Quality Coordinator
BONNY AMADOR-LOPEZ
Bookkeeping and Finance Assistant
Brooklyn Kline
Director of Operations
LAL HABIB DELAWAR
IT Manager
Shah Jahan
HR Coordinator
SUE SOBOLEWSKI
Receptionist
ANN O’BRIEN
Director of Sponsorship
Anna Kilty
Ukrainian Program Case Manager
Asha Delcogliano
Private Sponsorship Outreach Coordinator
ASHLEY MAKAR
Outreach Coordinator
BARBARA DAVIS
Community Sponsorship Developer
Becca Harrison
Welcome Corps Application Coach
CYNTHIA DUNN
Community Sponsorship Developer
DAAD SERWERI
Community Sponsor Program Manager
Erin Howe
Manager, Welcome Corps
Faqeerullah Darwish
Ukrainian Program Data Coordinator
Kate Merschman
Ukrainian Program Employment Specialist
Michael Wolven
Systems Manager, Welcome Corps
Svetlana Moskvitch
Ukrainian Program Interpreter/Outreach Specialist
Tetyana Pavelo
Ukrainian Program Community Integration Specialist