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.

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)



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)



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



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



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



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



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
ANN O’BRIEN
Director of SponsorshipAnna Kilty
Ukrainian Program Case ManagerASHLEY MAKAR
Outreach CoordinatorBARBARA DAVIS
Community Sponsorship DeveloperCYNTHIA DUNN
Community Sponsorship DeveloperDAAD SERWERI
Community Sponsor Coach (New England)FAIZ MANDOZAY
Community Sponsor Coach – Sponsor CirclesKate Merschman
Ukrainian Program Employment SpecialistKATHY SHEPPARD
Ukrainian Program ManagerMARTHE ANNAN KINGSLEY
Co-Sponsorship Case Manager
STAFF NOT PICTURED
- Britten Bolenbaugh | Community Sponsor Coach – Ukrainian Programs
- SERHII SKRYPNIUK | Ukrainian Program Case Manager