Meet our team
The IRIS team hovers around 80 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.
All Staff
Chris George
Executive Director
AKRAM YORK
Community Engagement Data Coordinator
ALEM NUGUSE
Custodian
ALEXINE CASSANOVA
Senior Director of Programs
AMY LYNN
Director of Operations
ANA CARDENAS
Operations Manager
ANDREA SANCHEZ
Employment Services Specialist
ANIKO SZABO
Employment Specialist Manager
ANN O’BRIEN
Director of Community Engagement and Co-sponsorship
ASHLEY MAKAR
Outreach Coordinator
BARBARA DAVIS
Community Sponsorship Developer
Bashir Watandost
Employment Services Specialist
BETHANY DELAHUNT
Housing & Donations Manager
BISMILLAH ENSAFI
Education & Enrollment Specialist
Brooke Conley
Supportive Therapy Clinician
CAMILLE KRITZMAN
SUN Co-Manager
CYNTHIA DUNN
Community Sponsorship Developer
DAAD SERWERI
Community Sponsor Coach (New England)
DANIELA CARRANZA
SUN Case Manager
DANIELLE COMBS
Staff Attorney
DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford)
Doris Cordova
SUN Intake Specialist
ELDINA MURATOVIC
Community Engagement Assistant (Hartford)
ELI CALHOUN
Paralegal
ELISABETH NEITERMAN
Volunteer Coordinator (Hartford)
FAIZ MANDOZAY
Community Sponsor Coach – Sponsor Circles
Fatima Hassan
Education Assistant
GLADYS (NDENGO) MWILELO
After School Coordinator
GUILLERMO SERRANO
Housing Acquisitions Coordinator
Jean-Fritz Guerrier
HR-DEI Director
JEF WILSON
After School Coordinator
JENNIFER HARTLEY
Education & Enrollment Specialist
JOANNA ARPIE
Early Childhood Education Teacher
LAUREN PETERSEN
Senior Staff Attorney
LINDA BRONSTEIN
Senior Case Manager
Lukas Champagne
PC Case Manager
Madeleine LeStrange
ESOL Instructor
MAMAN COOPER
Education & Enrollment Specialist (Hartford)
MARTHE ANNAN KINGSLEY
Co-Sponsorship Case Manager
Massita Fadiga
Resettlement Program Manager
MICHAEL DOYLE
Senior Staff Attorney
MIRKA DOMINGUEZ-SALINAS
SUN Co-Manager
PATRICIA TYNAN-KRAWCZYK
Employment Services Specialist
PEMA BHUTIA
Health and Wellness Manager
RACHEL DOFT
Director of Immigration Legal Services
RONA ROHBAR
Health Coordinator
SHARON WISE
PC Case Manager
SUE SOBOLEWSKI
Receptionist
SYED AHMED
Employment Specialist (Outreach)
TANYA KIMBALL
Hartford Office Director
Tava Auslan
Employment Services Specialist
ZAKER SULTANI
Post Arrival Case Manager
ZEENIE MALIK
Community Engagement & Events Specialist
Tabitha Sookdeo
Interim Director of Community EngagementSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- AITI RAI | Case Manager (Hartford)
- ANDERSON MERISE | Employment Services Specialist (Hartford)
- Britten Bolenbaugh | Community Sponsor Coach – Ukrainian Programs
- BIRTUKAN ALI | Bookkeeper
- BONNY AMADOR-LOPEZ | Bookkeeping Assistant
- CAROL THOMSON | Accountant
- CATHERINE MUKEMWEMA | Assistant Case Manager (Hartford)
- DEBRA RIDING | Director of Education Services
- IMANI JEAN-GILLES | Education & Advocacy Services
- JENNIFER FITZGERALD | Family Literacy Coordinator | Wellness Coordinator
- JENNIFER PEPE | Bookkeeper
- JOHN KOZAK | Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford)
- KARINA RIVERO | Grants Manager
- KATY LAWDER | Volunteer Program Specialist
- KELLY BEE | Events Manager
- KEVIN LANGSON | Post-arrival Case Manager
- LAL HABIB DELAWAR | IT Coordinator
- LESLIE KOONS | Africa Research Project Liaison
- NASEEB ADEL | Case Manager
- NIKA ZARAZVAND | Health Coordinator
- PAIMAN NASIRI | Case Manager
- RAHATGUL TAKOOR | Translator
- SPOGMAI AKBERZAI | PC Case Manager
- TARA MISHRA | Assistant Case Manager (Hartford)
- ZARA AHMADI | Assistant Case Manager
- ZULEIKHA ZADRAN | Health Coordinator (Hartford)
Case Management
ALEXINE CASSANOVA
Senior Director of Programs ANDREA SANCHEZ
Employment Services Specialist ANIKO SZABO
Employment Specialist Manager Bashir Watandost
Employment Services Specialist BETHANY DELAHUNT
Housing & Donations Manager Brooke Conley
Supportive Therapy Clinician CAMILLE KRITZMAN
SUN Co-Manager DANIELA CARRANZA
SUN Case Manager DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford) Doris Cordova
SUN Intake Specialist GUILLERMO SERRANO
Housing Acquisitions Coordinator LINDA BRONSTEIN
Senior Case Manager Lukas Champagne
PC Case Manager Massita Fadiga
Resettlement Program Manager MIRKA DOMINGUEZ-SALINAS
SUN Co-Manager PATRICIA TYNAN-KRAWCZYK
Employment Services Specialist PEMA BHUTIA
Health and Wellness Manager RONA ROHBAR
Health Coordinator SHARON WISE
PC Case Manager SYED AHMED
Employment Specialist (Outreach) Tava Auslan
Employment Services Specialist ZAKER SULTANI
Post Arrival Case ManagerSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- AITI RAI | Case Manager (Hartford)
- ANDERSON MERISE | Employment Services Specialist (Hartford)
- CATHERINE MUKEMWEMA | Assistant Case Manager (Hartford)
- JOHN KOZAK | Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford)
- KEVIN LANGSON | Post-arrival Case Manager
- LESLIE KOONS | Africa Research Project Liaison
- NASEEB ADEL | Case Manager
- NIKA ZARAZVAND | Health Coordinator
- PAIMAN NASIRI | Case Manager
- SPOGMAI AKBERZAI | PC Case Manager (Hartford)
- TARA MISHRA | Assistant Case Manager (Hartford)
- ZARA AHMADI | Assistant Case Manager
- ZULEIKHA ZADRAN | Health Coordinator (Hartford)
Community Engagement
AKRAM YORK
Community Engagement Data Coordinator ZEENIE MALIK
Community Engagement & Events Specialist Tabitha Sookdeo
Interim Director of Community EngagementSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- KARINA RIVERO | Grants Manager
- KATY LAWDER | Volunteer Program Specialist
- KELLY BEE | Events Manager
Education
BISMILLAH ENSAFI
Education & Enrollment Specialist Fatima Hassan
Education Assistant GLADYS (NDENGO) MWILELO
After School Coordinator JEF WILSON
After School Coordinator JENNIFER HARTLEY
Education & Enrollment Specialist JOANNA ARPIE
Early Childhood Education Teacher Madeleine LeStrange
ESOL Instructor MAMAN COOPER
Education & Enrollment Specialist (Hartford)STAFF NOT PICTURED
- DEBRA RIDING | Director of Education Services
- IMANI JEAN-GILLES | Education & Advocacy Services
- JENNIFER FITZGERALD | Family Literacy Coordinator
Hartford Office
TANYA KIMBALL
Hartford Office Director DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford) ELISABETH NEITERMAN
Volunteer Coordinator (Hartford) MAMAN COOPER
Education & Enrollment Specialist (Hartford)STAFF NOT PICTURED
- ANDERSON MERISE | Employment Services Specialist
- AITI RAI | Case Manager
- CATHERINE MUKEMWEMA | Assistant Case Manager
- JOHN KOZAK | Housing & Donations Coordinator
- SPOGMAI AKBERZAI | PC Case Manager
- TARA MISHRA | Assistant Case Manager
- ZULEIKHA ZADRAN | Health Coordinator
Immigration Legal Services
DANIELLE COMBS
Staff Attorney ELI CALHOUN
Paralegal LAUREN PETERSEN
Senior Staff Attorney MICHAEL DOYLE
Senior Staff Attorney RACHEL DOFT
Director of Immigration Legal ServicesSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- RAHATGUL TAKOOR | Translator
Operations, Budget & Human Resources
ALEM NUGUSE
Custodian AMY LYNN
Director of Operations ANA CARDENAS
Operations Manager Jean-Fritz Guerrier
HR-DEI Director SUE SOBOLEWSKI
ReceptionistSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- BIRTUKAN ALI | Bookkeeper
- BONNY AMADOR-LOPEZ | Bookkeeping Assistant
- CAROL THOMSON | Accountant
- JENNIFER PEPE | Bookkeeper
- LAL HABIB DELAWAR | IT Coordinator
Sponsorship
ANN O’BRIEN
Director of Community Engagement and Co-sponsorship
ASHLEY MAKAR
Outreach Coordinator
BARBARA DAVIS
Community Sponsorship Developer
CYNTHIA DUNN
Community Sponsorship Developer
DAAD SERWERI
Community Sponsor Coach (New England)
FAIZ MANDOZAY
Community Sponsor Coach – Sponsor Circles
MARTHE ANNAN KINGSLEY
Co-Sponsorship Case Manager
- Britten Bolenbaugh | Community Sponsor Coach – Ukrainian Programs