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.
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
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 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
Joseph Doran
Ukrainian Program Co-Manager
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
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)
- BRITTEN BOLENBAUGH | Community Sponsor Coach – Ukrainian Programs
- BIRTUKAN ALI | Bookkeeper
- BONNY AMADOR-LOPEZ | Bookkeeping Assistant
- CAROL THOMSON | Accountant
- CATHERINE MUKEMWEMA | Assistant Case Manager (Hartford)
- 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
- KELLY BEE | Events Manager
- LESLIE KOONS | Africa Research Project Liaison
- MOHAMMAD AL ZOUABI | Pre-Arrival Case Manager
- 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)
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)
- JOHN KOZAK | Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford)
- LESLIE KOONS | Africa Research Project Liaison
- 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)
- TARA MISHRA | Assistant Case Manager (Hartford)
- ZARA AHMADI | Assistant Case Manager
- ZULEIKHA ZADRAN | Health Coordinator (Hartford)
AKRAM YORK
Community Engagement Data Coordinator Diana 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
- KARINA RIVERO | Grants Manager
- KELLY BEE | Events Manager
- MOLLY DREW | Development Assistant
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
- IMANI JEAN-GILLES | Education & Advocacy Services
- JENNIFER FITZGERALD | Family Literacy Coordinator
Dahiana Fulgencio
Education & Enrollment Specialist DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Coordinator (Hartford) ELISABETH NEITERMAN
Volunteer Coordinator (Hartford) 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
- JOHN KOZAK | Housing & Donations Coordinator
- SPOGMAI AKBERZAI | PC Case Manager
- TARA MISHRA | Assistant Case Manager
- ZULEIKHA ZADRAN | Health Coordinator
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
- RAHATGUL TAKOOR | Translator
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
- JENNIFER PEPE | Bookkeeper
ANN O’BRIEN
Director of 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 Joseph Doran
Ukrainian Program Co-Manager KATHY SHEPPARD
Ukrainian Program Manager MARTHE ANNAN KINGSLEY
Co-Sponsorship Case Manager
- Britten Bolenbaugh | Community Sponsor Coach – Ukrainian Programs