Meet our team
The IRIS team hovers around 100 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
AMY LYNN
Director of Operations
ANA CARDENAS
Operations Manager
ANDREA SANCHEZ
Employment Services Specialist
ANIKO SZABO
Employment Specialist Manager
ANN O’BRIEN
Director of Sponsorship
Anna Kilty
Ukrainian Program Case Manager
Anthony Tembera
Employment Services Specialist
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
CYNTHIA DUNN
Community Sponsorship Developer
DAAD SERWERI
Community Sponsor Coach (New England)
Dahiana Fulgencio
Education & Enrollment Specialist
DANIELA CARRANZA
SUN Case Manager
DANIELLE COMBS
Staff Attorney
DEBRA RIDING
Director of Education
DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford)
Diana Church Empsall
Associate Director of Development
Doris Cordova
SUN Intake Specialist
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
Kate Merschman
Ukrainian Program Employment Specialist
KATHY SHEPPARD
Ukrainian Program Manager
KATY LAWDER
Volunteer and Outreach Programs Manager
KEVIN LANGSON
Post-arrival Case Manager
LAL HABIB DELAWAR
IT Coordinator
LAUREN PETERSEN
Senior Staff Attorney
LINDA BRONSTEIN
Senior Case Manager
Lukas Champagne
PC Case Manager
Madeleine LeStrange
ESOL Instructor
Maggie Rodriguez
Legal Fellow
MARTHE ANNAN KINGSLEY
Co-Sponsorship Case Manager
Massita Fadiga
Resettlement Program Manager
Mbeki Yunana
Cultural Companions Coordinator
MICHAEL DOYLE
Senior Staff Attorney
MIRKA DOMINGUEZ-SALINAS
SUN Co-Manager
MISAEL MERCADO
Housing and Donations Coordinator
Nagy Mishriky
Employment Services Specialist
Nick Fiorentino
Community Outreach Assistant
PATRICIA TYNAN-KRAWCZYK
Employment Services Specialist
PEMA BHUTIA
Health and Wellness Manager
RACHEL DOFT
Director of Immigration Legal Services
RONA ROHBAR
Health Coordinator
Shah Jahan
HR Coordinator
Sharon Hall-Smith
Deputy Director for Resettlement Services, Hartford
SHARON WISE
PC Case Manager
SUE SOBOLEWSKI
Receptionist
SYED AHMED
Employment Specialist (Outreach)
Tabitha Sookdeo
Director of Community Engagement
TANYA KIMBALL
Hartford Office Director
Tava Auslan
Employment Services Specialist
ZAKER SULTANI
Post Arrival Case Manager
ZEENIE MALIK
Senior Communications SpecialistSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- AITI RAI | Case Manager (Hartford)
- AMINA MAJEED | Program Data Evaluation Specialist
- ANDREA CUARTAS | Legal Administration Assistant
- AZIZA AMIRI | Family Literacy Program Preschool Readiness Assistant
- AZZA HUSSEIN | Youth Leadership Coordinator
- BRITTEN BOLENBAUGH | Community Sponsor Coach – Ukrainian Programs
- BIRTUKAN ALI | Bookkeeper
- BONNY AMADOR-LOPEZ | Bookkeeping Assistant
- CAROL THOMSON | Accountant
- CATHERINE MUKEMWEMA | Assistant Case Manager (Hartford)
- CHRISTION GILBERT | Housing and Donations Coordinator
- DANIEL DEPALMA | Paralegal
- FATIMA FNU | Youth Leadership Student Leader
- GISOU MERCADO-VEGA | Office Manager
- IMANI JEAN-GILLES | Education & Advocacy Services
- JAKE TROTMAN | Case Manager
- JENNIFER FITZGERALD | Family Literacy Coordinator | Wellness Coordinator
- JENNIFER PEPE | Bookkeeper
- JENNIFER VICKERY | Annual Campaigns Manager
- JENNIFER WOLFSON | Staff Attorney
- JESSICA DEVOS | Family Reunification Specialist
- JOHANNA RAMOS | Hartford Office Cleaner
- JOHANNA SNYDER | Food Pantry & Bike Program Coordinator
- JOHN KOZAK | Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford)
- KARINA RIVERO | Grants Manager
- KELLY BEE | Events Manager
- LESLIE KOONS | Africa Research Project Liaison
- LISA KINNEY-BAJWA | Higher Education Coordinator
- MASOODA HASHMI | Case Manager Assistant
- MOHAMMAD AL ZOUABI | Pre-Arrival Case Manager
- MOLLY DREW | Development Assistant
- NASEEB ADEL | Case Manager
- NIKA ZARAZVAND | Health Coordinator
- PAIMAN NASIRI | Case Manager
- RAHATGUL TAKOOR | Translator
- SAMI NIAZAI | SIV Specialist
- SERHII SKRYPNIUK | Ukrainian Program Case Manager
- SHAH JAHAN SHAH-JAHAN | HR Coordinator
- SPOGMAI AKBERZAI | PC Case Manager
- SUYANE OLIVEIRA | Wellness Coordinator
- TARA MISHRA | Assistant Case Manager (Hartford)
- TENZIN KUNGSAN | Project Coordinator
- ZAHIDULLAH HALIMI | Youth Leadership Student Leader
- ZARA AHMADI | Assistant Case Manager
- ZOHRA MORADI | Translator
- ZULEIKHA ZADRAN | Health Coordinator (Hartford)
Case Management
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 DANIELA CARRANZA
SUN Case Manager DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford) Doris Cordova
SUN Intake Specialist GUILLERMO SERRANO
Housing Acquisitions Coordinator KEVIN LANGSON
Post-arrival Case Manager LINDA BRONSTEIN
Senior Case Manager Lukas Champagne
PC Case Manager Massita Fadiga
Resettlement Program Manager MIRKA DOMINGUEZ-SALINAS
SUN Co-Manager MISAEL MERCADO
Housing and Donations Coordinator 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)
- CATHERINE MUKEMWEMA | Assistant Case Manager (Hartford)
- CHRISTION GILBERT | Housing and Donations Coordinator
- JAKE TROTMAN | Case Manager
- JOHANNA SNYDER | Food Pantry & Bike Program Coordinator
- JOHN KOZAK | Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford)
- LESLIE KOONS | Africa Research Project Liaison
- MASOODA HASHMI | Case Manager Assistant
- MOHAMMAD AL ZOUABI | Pre-Arrival Case Manager
- NASEEB ADEL | Case Manager
- NIKA ZARAZVAND | Health Coordinator
- PAIMAN NASIRI | Case Manager
- SPOGMAI AKBERZAI | PC Case Manager (Hartford)
- SUYANE OLIVEIRA | Wellness Coordinator
- TARA MISHRA | Assistant Case Manager (Hartford)
- TENZIN KUNGSAN | Project Coordinator
- ZARA AHMADI | Assistant Case Manager
- ZULEIKHA ZADRAN | Health Coordinator (Hartford)
Community Engagement
AKRAM YORK
Community Engagement Data Coordinator Diana Church Empsall
Associate Director of Development KATY LAWDER
Volunteer and Outreach Programs Manager Mbeki Yunana
Cultural Companions Coordinator Nick Fiorentino
Community Outreach Assistant Tabitha Sookdeo
Director of Community Engagement ZEENIE MALIK
Senior Communications SpecialistSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- AMINA MAJEED | Program Data Evaluation Specialist
- JENNIFER VICKERY | Annual Campaigns Manager
- KARINA RIVERO | Grants Manager
- KELLY BEE | Events Manager
- MOLLY DREW | Development Assistant
Education
BISMILLAH ENSAFI
Education & Enrollment Specialist DEBRA RIDING
Director of Education 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 InstructorSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- AZIZA AMIRI | Family Literacy Program Preschool Readiness Assistant
- AZZA HUSSEIN | Youth Leadership Coordinator
- FATIMA FNU | Youth Leadership Student Leader
- IMANI JEAN-GILLES | Education & Advocacy Services
- JENNIFER FITZGERALD | Family Literacy Coordinator
- LISA KINNEY-BAJWA | Higher Education Coordinator
- ZAHIDULLAH HALIMI | Youth Leadership Student Leader
Hartford Office
Anthony Tembera
Employment Services Specialist Dahiana Fulgencio
Education & Enrollment Specialist DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford) ELISABETH NEITERMAN
Volunteer Coordinator (Hartford) Nagy Mishriky
Employment Services Specialist Sharon Hall-Smith
Deputy Director for Resettlement Services, Hartford TANYA KIMBALL
Hartford Office DirectorSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- AITI RAI | Case Manager
- CATHERINE MUKEMWEMA | Assistant Case Manager
- JOHANNA RAMOS | Hartford Office Cleaner
- 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 Maggie Rodriguez
Legal Fellow MICHAEL DOYLE
Senior Staff Attorney RACHEL DOFT
Director of Immigration Legal ServicesSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- ANDREA CUARTAS | Legal Administration Assistant
- DANIEL DEPALMA | Paralegal
- JENNIFER WOLFSON | Staff Attorney
- JESSICA DEVOS | Family Reunification Specialist
- RAHATGUL TAKOOR | Translator
- SAMI NIAZAI | SIV Specialist
- ZOHRA MORADI | Translator
Operations, Budget & Human Resources
ALEM NUGUSE
Custodian AMY LYNN
Director of Operations ANA CARDENAS
Operations Manager Jean-Fritz Guerrier
HR-DEI Director LAL HABIB DELAWAR
IT Coordinator Shah Jahan
HR Coordinator SUE SOBOLEWSKI
ReceptionistSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- BIRTUKAN ALI | Bookkeeper
- BONNY AMADOR-LOPEZ | Bookkeeping Assistant
- CAROL THOMSON | Accountant
- GISOU MERCADO-VEGA | Office Manager
- JENNIFER PEPE | Bookkeeper
- SHAH JAHAN SHAH-JAHAN | HR Coordinator
Sponsorship
ANN O’BRIEN
Director of Sponsorship
Anna Kilty
Ukrainian Program Case Manager
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
Kate Merschman
Ukrainian Program Employment Specialist
KATHY SHEPPARD
Ukrainian Program Manager
MARTHE ANNAN KINGSLEY
Co-Sponsorship Case Manager
STAFF NOT PICTURED
- Britten Bolenbaugh | Community Sponsor Coach – Ukrainian Programs
- SERHII SKRYPNIUK | Ukrainian Program Case Manager