Creating lasting solutions for refugees

Sasha Chanoff is the founder and CEO of RefugePoint, a humanitarian organization that finds lasting solutions for at-risk refugees and supports the humanitarian community to do the same. He is the co-author of From Crisis to Calling: Finding Your Moral Center in the Toughest Decisions, a leadership book about moral decision points that shape our lives.

He is a White House Champion of Change, and a recipient of the Schwab Foundation / World Economic Forum Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Harvard Center for Public Leadership Gleitsman International Activist Award, the Charles Bronfman Humanitarian Prize, and is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. He has received social entrepreneur fellowships from the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, Ashoka, and Echoing Green. He is a board member of the Network of Engaged International Donors (NEID) Global, and was a founder and an advisor to The Good Lie Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Warner Bros. film The Good Lie about the resettlement of the South Sudanese Lost Boys and Girls.

He has a MA in Humanitarian Assistance from the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy, and a BA from Wesleyan University.

RefugePoint started because refugees in life-threatening situations were falling through the cracks of humanitarian aid. What motivates me daily is seeing the direct impact we have on individual lives and also working to influence humanitarian response to more effectively enable refugees to fund safety and solutions to their plight.

Serving as RefugePoint’s Chief Operating Officer, Roger oversees all programmatic, functional, and operational level activities of the organization. In doing so, he supports the development of common priorities and ensures agency-wide coordination. Roger brings significant leadership and management experience from his career in public health policy and practice.

Roger joined RefugePoint as Managing Director in October 2014, and became Chief Operating Officer in 2022. He came to RefugePoint from the Positive Deviance Initiative (PDI) where he was responsible for managing and implementing projects to reduce social isolation among older adult residents of public housing in East Harlem, improve school performance among young boys of color in the Bronx and support polio eradication efforts in Karachi, Pakistan. While at the Boston Public Health Commission, Roger served as Director of the Community Initiatives Bureau. In this role, Roger was responsible for managing more than sixty staff and numerous programs in the Divisions of Chronic Disease Prevention & Control, Environmental Health, Healthy Homes & Community Supports, and Civic Engagement & Advocacy. Roger also worked for the National Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health where he acted as Deputy Director for the start-up of the Massachusetts Tobacco Prevention & Control Program.

Roger has gained significant experience managing international public health programs in Africa and the Middle East. He has worked with John Snow, Inc., World Vision International, and the Peace Corps. Roger moved to Boston to work with refugee populations.

Roger holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Connecticut.

I am motivated by opportunities to advance equity and social change. My heart still skips a beat when I think about the vast number of refugees who, through no fault of their own, live in dangerous, unstable situations and have no safety net of support.

Jacob Bonyo is the Chief Administrative Officer and Country Director for RefugePoint’s Kenya office. In this capacity, he serves as RefugePoint’s primary representative to partners and collaborators in Kenya and bears overall responsibility for the management and implementation of all functions of the Kenya office.

Jacob joined RefugePoint in 2016. Prior to this, he worked in the field of refugee resettlement serving in various capacities at the Church World Service operated Resettlement Support Center (RSC Africa).

Jacob has more than 14 years of experience in the refugee field in Sub-Saharan Africa. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

In 2013, Jacob participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program on NGO management funded by the United States Government.

I discovered a long time ago that I had a passion for working in the refugee field and I am committed to remaining involved one way or another for life. At RefugePoint, I’ve found tremendous fulfillment in being a part of the solution to the refugee crisis. The team in Nairobi is great to work with, and despite the crushing stories that they encounter daily, they still maintain their smiles and share laughs. It is an honor and a privilege to serve clients through my work at RefugePoint and to be a member of such a great family.

As Chief of Policy and Practice, Marty plays two complementary roles for RefugePoint. Based in Geneva, he is the agency’s primary representative to UNHCR and other partner organizations in Geneva, where he works to build relationships, strengthen collaboration, and identify opportunities related to RefugePoint’s activities and interests.

Before joining RefugePoint, Marty worked as a Field Team Leader and Supervisor of Operations for the United States government’s Resettlement Support Center in Nairobi. During that time, he was responsible for supervising field operations in more than 40 countries in Africa and personally worked in 5 countries.

Marty’s career in refugee resettlement began at Kentucky Refugee Ministries, where he helped to create an immigration services program and also taught citizenship classes to refugees preparing for the United States citizenship exam. Marty graduated from Northwestern University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, including a geographic focus on Africa and the Middle East.

It might be me or my family that needs help one day, so I appreciate having a small part to play helping those who need it today.

As RefugePoint’s Chief Program Officer, Simar oversees all of the agency’s programming efforts. She has fifteen years of experience in creating partnerships and developing policy and standards of practice to improve the lives of people affected by war and other crises.

Simar joined RefugePoint in May 2018 and previously served as the agency’s lead for the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative. Prior to joining RefugePoint, she worked at Conflict Dynamics International and the Watchlist on Children in Armed Conflict. Simar is a skilled facilitator and has designed and delivered training on child protection, humanitarian access and humanitarian negotiation for UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs. She has undertaken work in several humanitarian and emergency settings including Afghanistan, Colombia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Yemen. Her work has been published in Forced Migration Review, Humanitarian Exchange, and the UN Chronicle. She has presented at the United Nations, inter-agency technical meetings and conferences and has also been a guest lecturer at the Boston College School of Social Work, Columbia University, Harvard University and New York University.

Simar holds a graduate degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and an undergraduate degree in international relations from Mount Holyoke College.

As humanitarian crises continue to deepen around the world, I’m strongly motivated to support efforts to bring tangible and transformative change to the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

David Weaver is RefugePoint’s Chief Financial Officer. David joined RefugePoint in January of 2014 after spending much of the previous decade living and working in Kenya.

He began his career in Kenya as a Public Health volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps, serving in the towns of Kitui and Rongo between 2004-2006. In 2007, David began working for CWS at the Resettlement Support Center (then known as JVA) in Nairobi, Kenya. During his seven years with CWS, he held several roles, including Caseworker, Pre-CIS Operations Supervisor, Deputy Director for Operations, and most recently Deputy Director for Administration.

David holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Goshen College and a master’s in nonprofit administration from the University of Notre Dame.

Working for RefugePoint provides a deep sense of fulfillment, both in knowing that our work helps people, but also seeing the organization itself grow and develop.

As the Chief Development Officer, Sarah leads RefugePoint’s development team, where she creates and executes strategies to ensure sustainable revenue, engages individual and institutional funders, and develops new partnerships. Sarah joined RefugePoint in March 2020. Previously, Sarah was the Managing Director/Director of Resource Development at Joining Vision and Action, a social change consulting company in Colorado. There, she co-led a team that helped nonprofits, social enterprises and municipalities increase their capacity to have an expanded impact through improved strategy and increased funding (more than $40 million in the last few years alone).

Sarah began her career as a Program Officer at World Relief—supporting critical programs for refugees, IDPs and other vulnerable populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Sierra Leona, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, and Indonesia. After that, she oversaw all foundation and government grant procurement and relationships for a homeless service agency in Denver before transitioning into social impact consulting. As a consultant, she specialized in social enterprise, strategy development, and fundraising in the U.S. and globally. Sarah was recognized for her work in social enterprise as one of Denver Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” winners in 2014. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of South Carolina and an M.B.A with a specialization in International Economic Development from Eastern University.

I believe that everyone deserves a “home,” the ability to live free from violence and fear, and the opportunity to be self-reliant. Nothing brings me more joy than helping raise funds to make this a reality.

As the Deputy Country Director, Janet oversees all of RefugePoint’s program activities in the Kenya office. More recently, Janet was the Program Coordinator for Third-Country Solutions, where she led RefugePoint’s Resettlement, Labor Mobility and Family Reunification programs in Kenya. Janet joined RefugePoint in May 2014 as the Program Coordinator for Resettlement, where she managed the Resettlement program in Kenya and coordinated RefugePoint’s deployment program with UNHCR.

Janet has close to 20 years’ experience in refugee protection, essentially spent advancing third-country solutions to thousands of refugees in sub-Saharan Africa through direct casework, program management and oversight and by innovating and piloting new programs, and by growing and strengthening existing programs. Before joining RefugePoint, Janet worked with the UNHCR in Kenya and the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) on deployment to Ethiopia, where she assessed and referred refugees for resettlement.

Janet holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and a Master’s in International Studies from the University of Nairobi in Kenya.

I appreciate the learning culture at RefugePoint. We are open to learning from others and to sharing our lessons and best practices with other agencies doing similar work. I also enjoy the organization’s flexibility, allowing me to intervene quickly when I encounter a compelling case.

As RefugePoint’s Program Coordinator of Urban Refugee Protection, Paul ensures coordinated delivery of interventions that boost protection for urban refugees. Our process for supporting urban refugees entails the identification of the most at-risk refugees and stabilization and empowerment towards self-reliance.

Before joining RefugePoint, Paul worked at UNHCR Nairobi in promoting access to basic education for urban refugees. He also worked as a Program Coordinator at German International Cooperation (GIZ) and Life Skills Promoters. In his development work, Paul has participated in design as well as in the monitoring and evaluation of programs in other countries including Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Nigeria, and Mexico.

Paul is a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in Nairobi. Paul holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the United States International University (USIU) Africa.

I am a firm believer that when a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall do him no wrong but rather treat him as a native.

Armine serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. Before joining Aurora, Armine spent over a decade in consumer tech, most recently at Wayfair, where she led business units in London and Boston. She is joining RefugePoint’s Board of Directors with over a decade’s experience across a wide array of organizations, including start-ups and multinationals, for- and non-profits. Armine builds and leads winning teams and drive growth through strategic planning and consistent execution. Armine joined the board in January 2024. She brings both for- and non-profit management experience to bear in this role, as well as a diverse international network.

Armine holds B.A. from Yale University, where she studied Political Science and was a four-year varsity crew athlete. She earned her M.B.A. from INSEAD. She resides in Washington, DC with her husband.

My generation is the first in a century in my family to relocate willingly rather than forcibly. As a result, I’ve long admired the work that RefugePoint does to empower people who have experienced displacement in their pursuit of lasting solutions, including long-term homes. To play even a small role in that work is deeply meaningful to me – I’m very grateful to be serving RefugePoint.

Board Director since 2014, Treasurer since 2008

Mr. Draper has over twenty-eight years of tax, accounting and fixed asset experience; the last thirteen-plus years as President of Draper Tax Consulting, and more than fifteen years with a big four public accounting firm, most recently as a Director with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP performing fixed asset tax consulting.

The stories of our clients are simultaneously heartbreaking and inspirational. I am grateful to serve with such dedicated staff at RefugePoint and to assist with the organization’s important mission.

Board Director since 2021

Edith Tye is a Registered Nurse. She currently works as the Director Of Infection Control and Prevention at NexCare WellBridge Senior Living. Edith joined RefugePoint as a Board Member in 2021. Edith is a former Rwandan refugee who resettled in the United States with the help of RefugePoint in 2009.

While living in Kenya as a refugee, Edith attended graduated from high school in 2009. After resettling in the U.S., she attended Western Michigan University and graduated in 2014 with a degree in Health Sciences. She also attended Grand Valley State University and graduated with a Bachelor in Nursing Sciences in 2016.

I am very passionate about working for RefugePoint because I am the result of some of the hard work they do. Before being resettled to the United States, RefugePoint helped me as an undocumented Rwandan refugee living in Kenya. They helped me apply for refugee status, and also helped me with school fees and medical care. RefugePoint helped through the process of resettlement with UNHCR in 2009. I look forward to helping other refugees like me through working with RefugePoint.

Board Director since 2019 – Emeritus

Edward Shapiro is a trustee for The Shapiro Foundation and president of Shapiro Investment Company, LLC. From 1997-2016, Edward Shapiro was a Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager at PAR Capital Management, Inc., a $5 billion Boston-based investment management firm. Mr. Shapiro has served on the boards of Global Eagle Entertainment (provider of inflight entertainment and connectivity) since its formation in January 2013 and United Continental Holdings since April 2016. He previously served on the boards of US Airways (2005-2008), Web.com (formerly Interland, 2001-2005), Suddenlink Communications (2003-2012) and LodgeNet Interactive (2009-2013).

At the end of 2016, Mr. Shapiro retired from PAR Capital Management in order to devote his attention to his charitable foundation, and philanthropic activities with an emphasis on refugee relief and resettlement. Prior to joining PAR Capital, Mr. Shapiro was a Vice President at Wellington Management Company (1990-1997), an analyst at Morgan Stanley in New York and Los Angeles (1986-1988) and Kayne Anderson Investment Management in Los Angeles (1989-1990).

He also serves on the nonprofit boards of The Wharton School, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, The Rashi School, and Social Finance. He is actively involved with nonprofits including: Boston Children’s Hospital, UNICEF, The International Rescue Committee, Partners-in-Health, Southern New Hampshire University, The Refugee Hub at University of Toronto, HIAS, The Home Project (Greece), UNITAF (Israel), Jewish Family Service of Metrowest, Jewish Vocational Services, Temple Beth Elohim, YearUp, IsraAID, Brothers for Life and MOAS. Mr. Shapiro earned his Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1986 and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management in 1990. He lives in Needham, MA with his wife Barbara, son Joshua, and daughter Samantha.

I am dedicating my next chapter to serving refugees in creative and additive ways. Refugepoint’s dedication and knowledge have become invaluable for our work, so joining the board is a way to deepen our collective impact, learn directly from the source, and hopefully add something to the conversation.

Board Director Since 2016

Elizabeth Ferris is Research Professor with the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. From January-September 2016, she served as Senior Advisor to the UN General Assembly’s Summit for Refugees and Migrants in New York. From 2006-2015, she was a Senior Fellow and co-director of the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement where she worked to support understanding and protection of internally displaced persons.

Prior to joining Brookings, she spent 20 years working in the field of humanitarian assistance, most recently in Geneva, Switzerland at the World Council of Churches. She has also served as the director of the Church World Service’s Immigration and Refugee Program, as research director for the Life & Peace Institute in Uppsala, Sweden and as a Fulbright professor at the Universidad Autónoma de México.

Her teaching experience has included positions at Lafayette College, Miami University, and Pembroke State University. She has written extensively on refugee, migration and humanitarian issues, including The Politics of Protection: The Limits of Humanitarian Action (Brookings Institution Press, 2011) and Consequences of Chaos: Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis and the Failure to Protect, with Kemal Kirsici (Brookings Institution Press, 2016). Her newest book, Refugees, Migration and Global Governance: Negotiating the Global Compacts, co-authored with Katharine Donato, will be published by Routledge Press in 2019. She received her BA degree from Duke University and her MA and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Florida.

I’ve worked on refugee issues with many NGOs over the years, but RefugePoint is special. Working within a system that often seems over-burdened with bureaucracy and jargon, RefugePoint brings creativity and innovation to its work and always holds refugees at the center of its work. RefugePoint has had an impact on the field that is way out of proportion to its size. I’m proud to be a board member of this amazing organization.

Board Director since 2021

In all her roles, Farah Mohamed has had a singular mission: to put practical solutions to inequity in front of decision-makers and galvanize them to action. Whether championing young people, newcomers, or women, Farah espouses her values of thinking big, being authentic and giving it your absolute all.

A refugee from Uganda, Farah came to Canada as a child and has always felt deeply indebted to the country. Her journey is what inspired her to spend the last thirty years working alongside politicians, entrepreneurs, business leaders and philanthropists, forging partnerships and disrupting the status quo to build a more equitable and sustainable Canada.

Farah began her career spending a decade serving Canadian politicians as a senior advisor. But over time, as she saw the lack of women at decision-making tables across all sectors, she thought she better do something about it. That’s when Farah, later named an “impatient activist” by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, founded G(irls)20 (now FORA Network for Change). The organization was the first to talk about the economic advancement of educating girls and employing women and the impact on a country’s GDP.

In 2017, Farah became CEO of the Malala Fund, where she worked alongside Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai to champion girls’ education and human rights on an international scale; work which earned her recognition as one of BBC’s Top 100 Women.

In 2022, Farah was appointed CEO of The King’s Trust Canada (formerly Prince’s Trust Canada). Founded by His Majesty King Charles III, The King’s Trust Canada is a national charity that creates pathways to employment for young people facing barriers by providing free skills training, work experience, and networking opportunities.

Farah is also a devoted volunteer and serves on the Board of Directors of RefugePoint, Apolitical and The Harbourfront Centre. She has previously served on the Board of Directors of Music Canada, The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, Fora: Network for Change, The Canadian Club of Toronto, Ontario Science Centre, Ontario Trillium Foundation, as well as serving as an Advisor at G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council.

She holds an M.A. in Political Science from Western University, a B.A. in Political Science from Queen’s University, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Western University, and has been honored with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and The Order of Merit of Canada.

If I had one wish it would be that the world would not produce refugees, but since this is unlikely, my hope is that one day, we are living in a world where refugees everywhere have access to a life that is underpinned by dignity and opportunity. I’m proud to be a small part of an organization that will help make this wish a reality.

Chair, Board Director since 2015

George Lehner has been the Chair of RefugePoint’s Board of Directors since 2015. An experienced trial lawyer and mediator, George is a former partner and Vice-Chairman at Pepper Hamilton, now Troutman Pepper Locke. Mr. Lehner served as General Counsel to the White House Correspondents’ Association from 2007 to 2024. He helped to found the  International Women’s Media Foundation and served as its General Counsel. He is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Fund for Peace. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the University of Michigan School of Law.

RefugePoint gives me the opportunity to learn from and work together with people committed to finding new and better ways to address the global refugee crisis. Serving RefugePoint means that I am part of the solution, helping the RefugePoint team implement and create long term solutions for the most at-risk refugees, often women and children.

Jay Tuli is President of Leader Bank. Mr. Tuli joined the Bank in 2006, in its 4th year of operations. In the last decade, Leader Bank has become one of the largest residential lenders in Massachusetts, originating approximately $3 billion in annual loan volume with more than $4.5 billion in assets.

Mr. Tuli focuses on new product development, growth strategy, recruiting, and overall operations of Leader Bank. Through his leadership, he has introduced several successful programs that have helped fuel the Bank’s growth in Residential Lending and Retail Banking including the spin-out of ZSuite Technologies as an independent fintech company catering to banks and credit unions.

Previously, he worked at Revolution Partners, a Boston-based boutique M&A advisory firm, and also at JP Morgan in New York as a member of the Private Bank Structured Investments group. Jay Tuli graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University with a double major in Finance and Technology Management and a minor in Economics. Mr. Tuli earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2011.

I’ve been serendipitously involved with refugees for many years, and the journey started with a broken foot. After breaking my foot on vacation, I couldn’t drive for a month and decided to try Uber for the first time in 2014. My driver was a young man who had recently received asylum in America as a refugee, after several attempts to escape his dictator-led home country. His story deeply moved me, and we became close friends. Over time, I became a mentor to him, helping guide him toward a college education and eventually a full-time job in real estate. I’ve always felt a deep sympathy for the refugee journey and the courage it takes to leave one’s homeland in search of a nation with greater political and economic stability, where people can strive to reach their true potential.

As RefugePoint’s Director of Third Country Solutions (3CS), Jenn leads the organization’s 3CS strategy and programs. Her portfolio includes the UN Collaboration Program, the Economic Mobility Pilot Program, the NGO Referrals Project, and other programs and initiatives that aim to increase access to resettlement, family reunification, and complementary pathways as durable solutions for refugees who are unable to return home or integrate in their host country.

In January 2023, Jenn joined RefugePoint, bringing more than 20 years of experience in 3CS programs and nonprofit leadership. Most recently, she served as the founding Executive Director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Denver, Colorado, for nearly 7 years, building the office from the ground up to become a comprehensive resettlement and integration services provider. In 1999, Jenn began working with refugees as a caseworker at a local resettlement agency. She went on to work for Church World Service (CWS), where she was Associate Director for Resettlement and Processing overseeing USRAP operations and a network of 42 affiliates, and later headed up CWS’s global Durable Solutions for Displaced Persons Program. Jenn co-chaired the Department of State/Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) Joint Regional Working Group on Europe and Central Asia and was seconded to PRM to lead a targeted response team tasked with resolving technical issues in refugee processing in the Russian Federation. She has worked with UNHCR, governments, civil society, and NGOs to design and implement host and third country solutions programs in Afghanistan, Argentina, Burma (Myanmar), Chile, Ghana, Lebanon, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Thailand, and Uruguay.

Jenn graduated summa cum laude with an MS in Nonprofit Management and Global Leadership from Regis University, and earned a BA in Anthropology with a minor in Latin American Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She serves on the Colorado Advisory Council for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. Jenn has also been active in the torture abolition and treatment movement, serving on the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Policy Committee of the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs, and contributing as an advisor to the Center for Victims of Torture’s National Capacity Building Project.

I joined RefugePoint because I believe that no one’s life should be defined by their darkest moments. I am humbled to be part of our work for and with refugees to ensure they are able to realize their full rights and potential, be reunited with their loved ones, and regain their sense of agency and identity.

As RefugePoint’s Coordinator of Finance & Administration, Mwanga oversees all the administrative and financial functions in the Nairobi office. This involves coordinating audits, reviewing financial reports, overseeing the budget process, and working with unit heads to generate and manage effective budgets. Mwanga also ensures that financial operations comply with applicable laws and procedures and supervises the implementation and maintenance of information technology and computer systems.

Mwanga has devoted most of his career to working with vulnerable populations. Prior to joining RefugePoint, he worked with Tumaini Kwa Watoto, an organization that provides supportive services to youth living on the streets of Nairobi, as an Accountant and as an IT supervisor.

Mwanga is a Certified Public Accountant and a graduate of the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor of Education with a major in accounting.

There’s nothing more gratifying than being involved in a process where lives are positively impacted. I enjoy extending a listening ear and expanding transformative opportunities to at-risk populations. RefugePoint is all about improving the lives of at-risk refugees, coinciding with my passion in life.

Julia Dhar joined Boston Consulting Group in 2009 and is a core member of the People and Organization Practice, Industrial Goods Practice, Public Sector Practice and Social Impact Practice. She founded and leads BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab and the firm’s behavioral science network BeSmart and is a member of BCG’s global Change Management leadership team. Trained as a behavioral economist, Julia champions the use of behavioral insights to improve product and service design and delivery to make countries and organizations more inclusive, sustainable, and productive. She is deeply involved in the firm’s IP development on the Future of Work and co-leads BCG’s Deskless Worker topic. Julia is a Fellow at the BCG Henderson Institute, where her research focuses on more effective strategies to defeat polarization.

Julia is the co-author of “The Decision-Maker’s Playbook” published by the Financial Times in 2019. Her TED talks on productive disagreement and constructive conversations have been viewed more than 8.5M times.

Previously, Julia worked as the Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in New Zealand. Julia holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

I am so inspired by the work that RefugePoint does to ensure the safety, uplift the dignity and secure the self-reliance of the world’s most vulnerable people. I am especially invigorated to join the Board at this moment of growth and to champion the RefugePoint leadership team as the organization’s impact multiplies.

As Executive Director for the Refugee Self Reliance Initiative, Kari provides overall leadership for the initiative, a multi-stakeholder collaboration that promotes opportunities for refugees around the world to become self-reliant via the promotion of effective policies, research and practice.

Prior to joining RSRI, Kari was Country Director (2019-2022) and Director of Programs (2017-2019) for Mercy Corps in Jordan overseeing a $90 million portfolio of development and humanitarian assistance. She previously was Mercy Corps’ Deputy Director for Policy and Advocacy in Washington, DC, focusing on humanitarian emergencies, post-conflict assistance and aid reform. Prior to joining Mercy Corps, Kari worked with CHF International (now Global Communities), where she held a number of positions including senior field management roles in the Palestinian Territories and in Southern Sudan.

Previously, Kari was a researcher focusing on migration and refugee policy at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University and a Fulbright Research Fellow in Turkey. Kari received a BA in Political Science from Bates College in Lewiston Maine, and an MA in Arab Studies with a Certificate in Refugee and Humanitarian Emergencies from Georgetown University.

Kari has published articles in Refugee Survey Quarterly, The Christian Science Monitor and The Hill, among other publications. She is a contributing author to The Uprooted, Improving Responses to Forced Migration. She has advanced language proficiency in Arabic (modern standard and colloquial Levantine) and Turkish.

Lina Tori Jan is a social entrepreneur, public speaker, and advocate for equality and human rights, with a focus on the rights of women, girls, and refugees. She currently leads the implementation of Georgetown University’s new Afghanistan initiative, Onward for Afghan Women, elevating and supporting Afghan women leaders with opportunities to continue their advocacy on behalf of Afghan women and girls. Lina is also the Founder and Executive Director of Chai wa Dastan, an award-winning initiative aimed at sharing stories and lessons of empowerment, resilience, and leadership, through the revitalization of the oral tradition of storytelling.

Shaped by her experiences as an Afghan woman raised in Afghanistan, Lina has worked around the globe with companies, NGOs, and governments, assisting in their efforts to create a more just society. Lina is a UNICEF Champion and, in this capacity, has addressed audiences across North America, Europe, and Oceania. She also serves on the Board of RefugePoint, an international NGO that supports refugees in more than 30 countries, and as an Advisor to the Oxford Character Project, lending expertise in values-based leadership.

Lina has previously held roles with the Oxford Centre for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict (ELAC), the International Rescue Committee, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Women for Women International. Lina holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Oxford, and a B.A. in Leadership Studies and Political Science from the University of Richmond.

As RefugePoint’s Deployment Program Coordinator for the UNCP Program. Mediatrix supports the implementation of the UN Collaboration Program (UNCP). Medi joined RefugePoint in February 2023.

She is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from Kenya School of Law. Mediatrix previously worked with Church World Service (CWS/RSC Africa), where she held various positions: Caseworker, Resettlement Expert, and Supervisor for the Africa Regional Deployment Unit overseeing various deployments within Sub-Saharan Africa. She also worked at Ouma Onyango & Associates as an Associate Advocate and at the International Criminal Court as a Field Assistant.

I enjoy working with refugees and championing for their rights through third-country resettlement processing. I am happy to play a part, however little, in transforming a refugee’s life. “It’s not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts. Life isn’t worth living unless lived for other people.” Mother Teresa.

Mohy Omer has more than 10 years of work experience in the field of human rights, international development, peacebuilding, and policy in Africa and the Middle East.

Mohy currently serves as a Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for International Development with particular focus on Localization and the Presidential initiative, U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. Prior to USAID, Mohy served as a Policy Analyst for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Prior to USCIRF, he worked at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) as a Program Officer for the Middle East and North Africa team. He led institutional capacity-building programs to help with Tunisia’s transition to democracy. Previously, Mohy worked for the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) where he first focused on the Middle East and then later transitioned to working on the Sudan and South Sudan programming, coordinating the Youth Leaders Program. Before joining USIP, Mr. Omer worked for U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp in Fargo, ND as well as in the Washington DC office. While working for the Senator he concentrated on researching and writing on foreign affairs, national security, and defense issues. He also served as the Board Chair of USAHello, a non-profit that uses technology to empower newcomers to build successful lives in the United States.

Mohy holds a B.S. in Political Science from North Dakota State University and an M.A. in International Relations from Syracuse University.

Board Member since 2022

Nasra A. Ismail brings over 15 years of international development experience with specialized support to grassroots movements, proximate leaders, and equitable partnerships. Nasra is the recipient of the 2022 Global Leadership ICAP Aspen Fellowship and is currently advising global organizations to create transformational and systems-level impact through shifting power and practices. She previously served as Senior Director of Global Strategy at GivingTuesday and Associate Director, working across Programs and Operations at Co-Impact, focusing on organizational structure and team engagement efforts, as well as curating meaningful engagement with feminist leaders and global south advisors.
Nasra was also Director of the Somalia NGO Consortium, a network of 80 national and international NGOs working in Somalia engaged in humanitarian relief. Prior to that, she was the Somalia Country Director for Oxfam International and worked with the US government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation in managing public sector programs. Through both her personal and professional engagements, Nasra puts a premium on gender-inclusive program design and advancing women’s representation and leadership. She continues her pursuit to find core meaning in her work across development, humanitarian, and philanthropic sectors, utilizing her inclusive leadership style and bridge-building skills to arrive at a sustainable and long-lasting change in some of the world’s toughest places.

Nasra holds a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and has engaged in multiple professional programs at Harvard, Oxford, and the University of California, Berkeley. Nasra is fluent in Somali and English.

Patrick is the Associate Director of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for RefugePoint, leading the tracking and evaluation of the organization’s work and gathering insights and evidence to help us deliver greater positive impact with and for refugees. Earlier, Patrick served as the Impact Measurement and Insights Lead for Bopinc, as an Impact Measurement Specialist with Oxfam Novib and as Chief Statistician for Measure of America. He has also held consulting roles with UN agencies and in the private sector. 

Patrick earned an MA in international affairs from the New School University in New York and a BA in political science from McGill University in Montréal. He also completed a MBA certificate from the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

Author of numerous journal articles and book chapters, Patrick is aso a podcast host and speaker on development and humanitarian topics.

I’m passionate about getting to the root of how change happens, digging into how we can contribute to bringing about positive change for the people we serve and sharing what we’re learning about all this with others in our sector who can amplify that impact further.

As RefugePoint’s Human Resources and Regional Coordinator, Rita oversees all human resource activities for the Nairobi office and provides logistical support for the UNHCR Collaboration Project. Rita has a wealth of experience in human resources, logistics, and refugee operations. Rita joined RefugePoint in January 2016. Before joining RefugePoint, Rita worked with the US Refugee Admissions Program in various roles, all geared towards the resettlement of refugees to the U.S.

Rita’s last role with her previous employer was that of an Adjudications Manager, which entailed working closely with officers of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service in Washington DC, Accra, Ghana, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Nairobi, Kenya. Rita graduated with a first class honors from her bachelor’s degree in business studies from Greenwich University. Rita also holds a higher diploma certificate in human resource development from the Institute of Commercial Management.

I am passionate about making a difference. I am privileged and honored to do this through empowering the human resource that in turn provides the day-to-day support to our refugee clients. I ensure that there are sufficient support systems in place to promote the well-being and efficiency of our operations.

Board Director since 2021

Dr. Samora Otieno is a humanitarian and public health specialist with more than 10 years of experience in relief work and refugee operations. He currently works as a Humanitarian Adviser for the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) in Kenya. He has previously served as the Country Director at RefugePoint and the Director of Programs at International Rescue Committee (IRC) Kenya. Dr. Samora holds an MBChB from the University of Nairobi and an MBA (Strategic Management) from Daystar University.

I have had a connection to RefugePoint for 13 years. I love the way RefugePoint is able to engage and positively influence the lives of individual refugees while at the same time influencing system-wide change in refugee protection and solutions.

Board Director since 2019

Sandra Uwiringiyimana is a former refugee turned activist from DRC. Her family fled the country in 2004 and sought refuge in a Burundian refugee camp, only to be met with a massacre that left 166 people dead, including her sister, Deborah. In 2007, Sandra and her family were granted asylum in the United States where she currently resides.

Since resettlement, Sandra has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the plight of refugees worldwide by sharing her own story to many audiences, including the United Nations Security Council. In 2017, Sandra published How Dare The Sun Rise: Memoirs Of A War Child, an autobiography detailing her journey from Congo to America. She is a co-founder at Jimbere Fund, an organization that aims to revitalize distressed communities in Congo by empowering women economically. Sandra is honored to serve as a board member at Refuge Point; an organization whose work is dear and near to her heart.

In a career with the International Organization for Migration spanning over 20 years, Sheikha Ali’s passion for refugees has remained at the core of her extensive work across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Sheikha has been involved in a range of complex emergency, disaster, conflict and post-conflict settings, establishing responses for people affected by crisis, from inception to longer-term stability in response. Sheikha was sent in to address emergency scenarios on countless occasions, and her work has been key in those settings. In 2002, Sheikha received the IOM Director General’s award for outstanding staff, an honor that can only be received once in a lifetime and has been given to a handful of people in the organization. Sheikha has been stationed in a number of postings around the world, including in Kenya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Uganda, South Africa, Nepal, and Uganda. Sheikha worked with RefugePoint’s Executive Director, Sasha Chanoff, during the Congo rescue mission.

Board Director since 2013 – Emeritus

Stephanie Dodson Cornell is a Managing Director at Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK). DRK believes that with early funding and rigorous support, exceptional social entrepreneurs, tackling some of the world’s most complex problems, can make the world a better place. In her role at DRK, she has served on the boards for and worked closely with DRK portfolio organizations in the U.S., Africa, India, and Colombia. These organizations address a range of issues from mental health to homelessness to economic empowerment to education and more.

She also serves on the boards of RefugePoint, Year Up-Boston, and Share Our Strength’s leadership council. Prior to DRK, Stephanie co-founded three social ventures. Strategic Grant Partners, a venture capital model of consulting and philanthropic investing, works to create positive futures for children and families in Massachusetts and nationally. Project Healthy Children partners with developing countries to save lives through sustainable and measurable methods of food fortification and supplementation. The Maranyundo Initiative is a boarding school for girls achieving the highest academic performance in the country and a teacher enrichment program in Rwanda. Stephanie also worked in the computer industry at Tandem Computers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and environmental studies from Oberlin College and an MBA from Stanford University, attended the Harvard Advanced Fellowship Initiative, and lives in Boston.

I remain passionate about the work of RefugePoint because of the organization’s unwavering commitment to the most vulnerable refugees. They hold fast to the true north of this commitment, using the very best collaborative problem-solving.

As Coordinator, Resettlement and Complementary Pathways at RefugePoint, Sylvia leads the Resettlement, Labour Mobility and Family Reunification Program activities. Sylvia has vast experience in conducting casework interviews with refugees from sub-Saharan Africa.

Before joining RefugePoint in 2019, Sylvia worked in different capacities with the Resettlement Support Center (RSC) Africa, where she worked with refugees under the US Refugee Admissions Program, leading missions to Chad, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, The Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi. Sylvia also previously served as an intern and volunteer at the National Management Environment Authority (NEMA).

Sylvia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environment and Community Development from Kenyatta University, Kenya and a Master’s Degree in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies from the University of London, UK.

I derive my satisfaction from interacting with refugees and being part of an organization that offers direct services to refugees thereby impacting their lives.