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
BETHANY DELAHUNT
Housing & Donations Manager
BISMILLAH ENSAFI
Education & Enrollment Specialist
BONNY AMADOR-LOPEZ
Bookkeeping and Finance Assistant
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
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
Farid Samadi
Finance Specialist, Grants
Fatima Hassan
Education Assistant
GLADYS (NDENGO) MWILELO
After School Coordinator
Hayley Wilhelm
Housing and Donations Assistant, Hartford
Jean-Fritz Guerrier
HR-DEI Director
JEF WILSON
After School Coordinator
JENNIFER HARTLEY
Education & Enrollment Specialist
JOANNA ARPIE
Early Childhood Education Teacher
Johanna Snyder
Food Pantry & Bike Program Coordinator
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
Lisa Kinney Bajwa
Higher Education Coordinator
Lori Clemens
ESOL Instructor
Lukas Champagne
PC Case Manager
Madeleine LeStrange
ESOL Coordinator
Madison Mackay
SUN Referral Specialist
Maggie Rodriguez
Legal Fellow
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
Molly Drew
CE Development Assistant
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
Svetlana Moskvitch
Ukrainian Program Interpreter/Outreach Specialist
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 Manager
Gisou Mercado-Vega
Office Manager ANDREA SANCHEZ
Employment Services Specialist ANIKO SZABO
Employment Specialist Manager 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 Johanna Snyder
Food Pantry & Bike Program Coordinator KEVIN LANGSON
Post-arrival Case Manager LINDA BRONSTEIN
Senior Case Manager Lukas Champagne
PC Case Manager Madison Mackay
SUN Referral Specialist 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
- 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 Molly Drew
CE Development Assistant Nick Fiorentino
Community Outreach Assistant Tabitha Sookdeo
Director of Community Engagement ZEENIE MALIK
Senior Communications ManagerSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- AMINA MAJEED | Program Data Evaluation Specialist
- JENNIFER VICKERY | Annual Campaigns Manager
- KARINA RIVERO | Grants Manager
- KELLY BEE | Events Manager
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 Lisa Kinney Bajwa
Higher Education Coordinator Lori Clemens
ESOL Instructor Madeleine LeStrange
ESOL CoordinatorSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- AZIZA AMIRI | Family Literacy Program Preschool Readiness Assistant
- FATIMA FNU | Youth Leadership Student Leader
- IMANI JEAN-GILLES | Education & Advocacy Services
- JENNIFER FITZGERALD | Family Literacy 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) Gisou Mercado-Vega
Office Manager Hayley Wilhelm
Housing and Donations Assistant, 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 | Post Arrival Case Manager
- SPOGMAI AKBERZAI | PC Case Manager
- ZULEIKHA ZADRAN | Health Coordinator
- GISOU MERCADO-VEGA | Office Manager
- ISABELLA DAOU | Education Programs Manager
- JAKE TROTMAN | Case Manager
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
- JENNIFER WOLFSON | Staff Attorney
- JESSICA DEVOS | Family Reunification Specialist
- MOHAMMAD NAIM ASHNA | Translator
- SAMI NIAZAI | SIV Specialist
- ZOHRA MORADI | Translator
ALEM NUGUSE
Custodian AMY LYNN
Director of Operations ANA CARDENAS
Operations Manager BONNY AMADOR-LOPEZ
Bookkeeping and Finance Assistant Farid Samadi
Finance Specialist, Grants Jean-Fritz Guerrier
HR-DEI Director LAL HABIB DELAWAR
IT Coordinator Shah Jahan
HR Coordinator SUE SOBOLEWSKI
ReceptionistSTAFF NOT PICTURED
- BIRTUKAN ALI | Bookkeeper
- CAROL THOMSON | Accountant
- GISOU MERCADO-VEGA | Office Manager
- JENNIFER PEPE | Bookkeeper
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 Svetlana Moskvitch
Ukrainian Program Interpreter/Outreach Specialist
STAFF NOT PICTURED
- BRITTEN BOLENBAUGH | Community Sponsor Coach – Ukrainian Programs
- SERHII SKRYPNIUK | Ukrainian Program Case Manager