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
Abdul Wakil Zamani
Information Technology Coordinator
AKRAM YORK
Community Engagement Data Coordinator
ALEM NUGUSE
Custodian
Alexis Garcia
SUN Education Specialist & Youth Leadership Coordinator
AMY LYNN
Director of Operations
ANA CARDENAS
Operations Manager
Ana Lucia Gutierrez Gomez
SUN Healthcare Coordinator
ANDREA SANCHEZ
Senior Employment Specialist
ANIKO SZABO
Employment Specialist Manager
ANN O’BRIEN
Director of Sponsorship
Anna Kilty
Ukrainian Program Case Manager
Anthony Tembera
Employment Services Specialist
Asha Delcogliano
Private Sponsorship Outreach Coordinator
ASHLEY MAKAR
Outreach Coordinator
Azad Mousou
Case Manager
BARBARA DAVIS
Community Sponsorship Developer
Bashir Watandost
Employment Services Specialist
BETHANY DELAHUNT
Housing & Donations Manager
BISMILLAH ENSAFI
Education & Enrollment Specialist
BONNY AMADOR-LOPEZ
Bookkeeping and Finance Assistant
Brooke Conley
Supportive Therapy Clinician
Chance Mbaye
Case Manager Assistant
Cristal Arguello
SUN Case Manager
CYNTHIA DUNN
Community Sponsorship Developer
DAAD SERWERI
Community Sponsor Program Manager
Dahiana Fulgencio
Education & Enrollment Specialist
Daniel Pflueger
Post-Arrival Case Manager
DANIELA CARRANZA
SUN Case Manager
DEBRA RIDING
Director of Education
Delaila Grey
SUN Case Manager
DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Manager (Hartford)
Diana Church Empsall
Associate Director of Development
Doh Paw
Benefits Specialist
Doris Cordova
SUN Case Manager
ELISABETH NEITERMAN
Volunteer Coordinator (Hartford)
Erin Howe
Manager, Welcome Corps
Faqeerullah Darwish
Ukrainian Program Data Coordinator
Farid Samadi
Finance Specialist, Grants
Fatima Hassan
Education Assistant
Gisou Mercado-Vega
Office Manager
GLADYS (NDENGO) MWILELO
After School Coordinator
Hossna Samadi
Outreach Coordinator
Isabella Daou
Education Programs Manager
Jean-Fritz Guerrier
HR-DEI Director
JEF WILSON
Ukrainian Educational Specialist
Jen Vickery
Press Officer
JENNIFER HARTLEY
Education Advocate & Family Engagement Specialist
Jessica Devos
Family Reunification Specialist
Jessica Patti
Director of Resettlement Services
JOANNA ARPIE
Early Childhood Education Teacher
Johanna Snyder
Food Pantry & Bike Program Coordinator
Kate Merschman
Ukrainian Program Employment Specialist
KATY LAWDER
Volunteer and Outreach Programs Manager
KELLY BEE
Public Relations & Advocacy Manager
KEVIN LANGSON
Post-arrival Case Manager
LAL HABIB DELAWAR
IT Manager
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
Community Engagement Coordinator
Melissa Cisija
Outreach Program Assistant
MICHAEL DOYLE
Senior Staff Attorney
Michael Wolven
Systems Manager, Welcome Corps
Miles Singer
Development Assistant
MIRKA DOMINGUEZ-SALINAS
SUN Program Manager
MISAEL MERCADO
Housing and Donations Coordinator
Muna Mustafa Alnabelsi
Education & Enrollment Specialist
Nagy Mishriky
Employment Services Specialist
Nathan Leach
Grant Writer
Nazanin Amiri
Family Literacy Program Assistant
Nick Fiorentino
Community Outreach Assistant
PAIMAN NASIRI
Training & Compliance Officer
PATRICIA TYNAN-KRAWCZYK
Employment Services Specialist
PEMA BHUTIA
Health and Wellness Manager
RACHEL DOFT
Director of Immigration Legal Services
RONA ROHBAR
Health Coordinator
Shafiullah Faizee
Health Coordinator
Shah Jahan
HR Coordinator
Sharon Hall-Smith
Deputy Director for Resettlement Services, Hartford
Sha’ron White
Family Literacy Coordinator
SPOGMAI AKBERZAI
PC Case Manager
SUE SOBOLEWSKI
Receptionist
Susana Mejia
Paralegal
Svetlana Moskvitch
Ukrainian Program Interpreter/Outreach Specialist
SYED AHMED
Employment Specialist (Outreach)
Tabitha Sookdeo
Director of Community Engagement
Tamana Azizi
Family Literacy Program Assistant
TANYA KIMBALL
Hartford Office Director
Tava Auslan
Employment Services Specialist
Tetyana Pavelo
Ukrainian Program Community Integration Specialist
Venu Thirumala
Annual Fund Manager
Yazan Al Doumani
Housing & Donation Assistance
Zahra Chaudhry
Paralegal
ZAKER SULTANI
Post Arrival Case Manager
ZEENIE MALIK
Senior Communications Manager
Zohra Moradi
Grant Coordinator & Translator
Alexis Garcia
SUN Education Specialist & Youth Leadership Coordinator
Ana Lucia Gutierrez Gomez
SUN Healthcare Coordinator
ANDREA SANCHEZ
Senior Employment Specialist
ANIKO SZABO
Employment Specialist Manager
Azad Mousou
Case Manager
Bashir Watandost
Employment Services Specialist
BETHANY DELAHUNT
Housing & Donations Manager
Brooke Conley
Supportive Therapy Clinician
Chance Mbaye
Case Manager Assistant
Cristal Arguello
SUN Case Manager
Daniel Pflueger
Post-Arrival Case Manager
DANIELA CARRANZA
SUN Case Manager
Delaila Grey
SUN Case Manager
DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Manager (Hartford)
Doh Paw
Benefits Specialist
Doris Cordova
SUN Case Manager
Jessica Patti
Director of Resettlement Services
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 Program Manager
MISAEL MERCADO
Housing and Donations Coordinator
PAIMAN NASIRI
Training & Compliance Officer
PATRICIA TYNAN-KRAWCZYK
Employment Services Specialist
PEMA BHUTIA
Health and Wellness Manager
RONA ROHBAR
Health Coordinator
Shafiullah Faizee
Health Coordinator
SPOGMAI AKBERZAI
PC Case Manager
SYED AHMED
Employment Specialist (Outreach)
Tava Auslan
Employment Services Specialist
ZAKER SULTANI
Post Arrival Case Manager
AKRAM YORK
Community Engagement Data Coordinator
Diana Church Empsall
Associate Director of Development
Hossna Samadi
Outreach Coordinator
Jen Vickery
Press Officer
KATY LAWDER
Volunteer and Outreach Programs Manager
KELLY BEE
Public Relations & Advocacy Manager
Mbeki Yunana
Community Engagement Coordinator
Melissa Cisija
Outreach Program Assistant
Miles Singer
Development Assistant
Nathan Leach
Grant Writer
Nick Fiorentino
Community Outreach Assistant
Tabitha Sookdeo
Director of Community Engagement
Venu Thirumala
Annual Fund Manager
ZEENIE MALIK
Senior Communications Manager
Zohra Moradi
Grant Coordinator & Translator
BISMILLAH ENSAFI
Education & Enrollment Specialist
DEBRA RIDING
Director of Education
Fatima Hassan
Education Assistant
GLADYS (NDENGO) MWILELO
After School Coordinator
JEF WILSON
Ukrainian Educational Specialist
JENNIFER HARTLEY
Education Advocate & Family Engagement Specialist
JOANNA ARPIE
Early Childhood Education Teacher
Lisa Kinney Bajwa
Higher Education Coordinator
Lori Clemens
ESOL Instructor
Madeleine LeStrange
ESOL Coordinator
Muna Mustafa Alnabelsi
Education & Enrollment Specialist
Nazanin Amiri
Family Literacy Program Assistant
Sha’ron White
Family Literacy Coordinator
Tamana Azizi
Family Literacy Program Assistant
Anthony Tembera
Employment Services Specialist
Chance Mbaye
Case Manager Assistant
Dahiana Fulgencio
Education & Enrollment Specialist
DENNY FERNANDEZ
Housing & Donations Manager (Hartford)
ELISABETH NEITERMAN
Volunteer Coordinator (Hartford)
Gisou Mercado-Vega
Office Manager
Isabella Daou
Education Programs Manager
Nagy Mishriky
Employment Services Specialist
Sha’ron White
Family Literacy Coordinator
Sharon Hall-Smith
Deputy Director for Resettlement Services, Hartford
SPOGMAI AKBERZAI
PC Case Manager
TANYA KIMBALL
Hartford Office Director
Yazan Al Doumani
Housing & Donation Assistance
Jessica Devos
Family Reunification Specialist
LAUREN PETERSEN
Senior Staff Attorney
Maggie Rodriguez
Legal Fellow
MICHAEL DOYLE
Senior Staff Attorney
RACHEL DOFT
Director of Immigration Legal Services
Susana Mejia
Paralegal
Zahra Chaudhry
Paralegal
Abdul Wakil Zamani
Information Technology Coordinator
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 Manager
Shah Jahan
HR Coordinator
SUE SOBOLEWSKI
Receptionist
ANN O’BRIEN
Director of Sponsorship
Anna Kilty
Ukrainian Program Case Manager
Asha Delcogliano
Private Sponsorship Outreach Coordinator
ASHLEY MAKAR
Outreach Coordinator
BARBARA DAVIS
Community Sponsorship Developer
CYNTHIA DUNN
Community Sponsorship Developer
DAAD SERWERI
Community Sponsor Program Manager
Erin Howe
Manager, Welcome Corps
Faqeerullah Darwish
Ukrainian Program Data Coordinator
Kate Merschman
Ukrainian Program Employment Specialist
Michael Wolven
Systems Manager, Welcome Corps
Svetlana Moskvitch
Ukrainian Program Interpreter/Outreach Specialist
Tetyana Pavelo
Ukrainian Program Community Integration Specialist