Our Team

Sharif Aly is the President of IRAP. Prior to joining IRAP, he was the CEO of Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA), an international humanitarian relief and development organization that operates in 40 countries across the world, including the United States, and served there from August 2017. As CEO, Sharif oversaw a program portfolio of over $250 million in active programs dedicated to providing relief and sustainable development solutions to support marginalized and disenfranchised people out of poverty. Sharif has also led IRUSA in expanding its national partner network with over 200 community-based organizations across the country. Sharif has been a key leader in transforming the international federation’s strategy and business model and is one of the driving forces in pushing the organization to focus on tackling climate change, livelihoods, refugees, and displacement, particularly surrounding conflict and disaster. Sharif has been on multiple humanitarian and program missions over the past decade including most recently in Turkiye after the recent earthquakes and engaging in the Syrian refugee crisis in the South of Turkiye and in Lebanon among many other missions. An attorney by background, he worked in litigation prior to fully dedicating his career to the nonprofit sector. He is certified in Fundraising Management through the Lily School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and holds multiple certifications in leadership and management. Sharif currently serves on the American Red Cross National Diversity Advisory Committee, and the Board of Directors of Refugee Council USA and InterAction.

Rouba Anka is the Executive Vice President of Strategic Operations and Finance at IRAP. In this role, Rouba leads IRAP’s global finance, operations, human resources, technology and risk functions – driving organizational sustainability, operational excellence, and long-term strategic growth.

Prior to joining IRAP, Rouba was serving as Interim Co-CEO and CFO at Asylum Access. Rouba brings nearly two decades of international and local nonprofits in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Born and raised in Lebanon, Rouba started her professional career during the Syrian war, by working with ACTED and UNHCR in the finance and operations department in responding to the big funds that were sent to support refugees crossing the borders. Driven by her lived experience, Rouba has spent most of her career working in the forced displacement sector. Her career has been marked by mission-driven strategy, financial acumen, and a deep commitment to justice, equity and human rights..

Rouba holds an MBA, a Master’s degree in Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.  Rouba speaks Arabic (native), English (fluent), French (fluent), Spanish (Beginner).

Kelly Gramp is IRAP’s Executive Vice President of External Relations & Organizational Planning. In this role, Kelly oversees and strategizes with IRAP’s global fundraising and communications teams, and leads, in collaboration with her colleagues, IRAP’s global evaluation, learning, and planning division. As a member of IRAP’s Executive Leadership Team, Kelly provides strategic input on key organizational decisions and partners with leaders, including IRAP’s Senior Leadership Team, across the organization to ensure a continued path for IRAP’s evolution, growth, and impact. Prior to this role, Kelly was IRAP’s Chief Development Officer and led the development team for a decade.

Before joining IRAP, Kelly spent five years in the department of Donor Relations & National Programs at the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science, an organization that develops philanthropic support for a leading scientific research institution. Throughout her tenure, Kelly was responsible for executing national and international fundraising and leadership programs, which focused on advancing the organization in the areas of donor cultivation, education, and recognition. 

Kelly received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Wagner College, where her studies and internships focused on nonprofit community engagement.

Becca Heller is the co-founder of IRAP. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her work with IRAP, including a MacArthur Fellowship, the Charles Bronfman Prize, the American Constitutional Society David Carliner Public Interest Award, a Skadden Fellowship, a Draper Richards Kaplan Fellowship, an Echoing Green Fellowship, a Gruber Human Rights Fellowship, Dartmouth College Martin Luther King Jr. Emerging Leader in Social Justice Award and Foreign Policy’s Citizen Diplomat of the Year. She is currently a Senior Research Scholar at Yale Law School and a Non-Resident Scholar with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 

Becca’s interest in the legal challenges facing refugees began on a trip to Jordan during the summer after her first year in law school. During her stay, she visited with six different refugee families; each of them identified legal assistance as their most urgent need. Having just completed her first semester in Yale Law School’s Immigration Legal Services clinic doing asylum work, Becca believed that law students could assist refugees applying for resettlement. She returned to Yale and, together with Jon Finer, Mike Breen, Steve Poellot, and Kate Brubacher, founded IRAP in 2008. Becca received her J.D. from Yale Law School in May 2010.

Prior to law school, Becca lived and worked in Sub-Saharan Africa for two years, including one year as a U.S. Student Fulbright Scholar in Malawi. She graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in 2005. She received an honorary doctorate from Dartmouth College in 2019. 

Kate List is IRAP’s Senior VP, Global Legal Programs. In this role Kate oversees IRAP’s worldwide Legal Programs teams, which represent refugees and other displaced people who seek protection and safety, whether through resettlement, family reunification, or other humanitarian pathways.

Kate has been at IRAP since 2014, serving as Middle East Field Director based in Beirut, Lebanon prior to her current position.  Before joining IRAP, Kate worked in the Refugee Protection Department of Human Rights First in Washington, D.C., was a CASA (Center for Arabic Study Abroad) Fellow in Damascus, Syria, and a Fulbright Scholar in Rabat, Morocco.

Kate graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law where she co-founded and directed Penn’s IRAP chapter, directed the Immigrant Rights Project, was Associate Editor of the Journal of Law and Social Change, and received a Master’s Degree in Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations. Kate received her BA in Political Science, Comparative Literature, and Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations from the University of Chicago, where she was a Student Marshall and member of Phi Beta Kappa, President of the Foundation for International Relations Education, and Captain of the Women’s Rowing Team.

Kate is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and co-author of Witnesses of the Unseen: Seven Years in Guantanamo (Redwood Press 2017).  

Liliana Fajardo Cantero is the Assistant Legal Services Director for IRAP’s Global Legal Services. In this role, Liliana manages administrative and casework systems and procedures for IRAP’s global Legal Services team.

Before joining IRAP, Liliana worked for the Protection and Legal Affairs Department of the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia, where she managed immigration and criminal cases, assisting unaccompanied children and incarcerated Mexican nationals in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Southern New Jersey. Liliana’s previous experiences include being a Youth Delegate for the Mexican Delegation at the United Nations and a research assistant at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington D.C.

Liliana holds a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne in Australia, with a focus on International Law and Human Rights, and a Bachelor of Laws from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Zaid is the Program Director for Global Screenings and Casework at IRAP. In this role, he provides direct legal services and representation to clients around the world in different forms of international humanitarian protection and supervises other staff. 

Before joining IRAP, for many years, Zaid worked as an Immigration & Removal Defense Attorney at HIAS Pennsylvania, where he represented clients seeking different kinds of relief from deportation before Immigration Courts. He also represented torture survivors and refugees before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in various cases, such as asylum, green cards, citizenship, family-based and refugee/asylee petitions, consular processing, temporary protected status, and other humanitarian relief.  Zaid also led the Reception and Placement team, responsible for resettling refugees in the Philadelphia area. Previously, he worked at the International Organization for Migration in Damascus, Syria, preparing refugee cases for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. 

Zaid holds a Master of Laws from Temple University, Beasley School of Law. He received a Bachelor of Laws from Damascus University and studied international law for two years in a postgraduate program. In 2013, Zaid received the International Law Award for outstanding human rights achievement from the Philadelphia Bar Association. Zaid speaks Arabic, and he is learning French.

Zaid is a member of the New York bar.

Ghadah Als is a Caseworker with the Global Screenings and Casework team at IRAP. In this role, Ghadah screens and responds to requests for assistance from individuals seeking refugee resettlement, family reunification, and other immigration queries.

Prior to joining IRAP, Ghadah worked as a caseworker providing direct services for recently resettled refugees in the U.S. with Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley and Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area. Before coming to the U.S. in 2015, she worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, providing development services in her native Iraq.

Ghadah holds an M.A. in International Studies from the University of San Francisco, a Masters in Engineering Management, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering. She speaks Arabic. 

Tania El Khoury is the Global Screenings and Casework Coordinator at IRAP. In this role, Tania talks to refugees and displaced people from all over the world to screen requests for legal assistance, to interview potential clients, and to assist clients in their resettlement journey. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Tania was a caseworker at ICMC Resettlement Support Center Turkey and Middle East. She interviewed hundreds of refugees and prepared their files for resettlement to the U.S. She also managed the USRAP P3 program operations. Before switching to humanitarian work, Tania was a research intern at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, a think tank at the American University of Beirut.

Tania went to law school at the Saint Joseph University in Beirut and holds a Master 1 in Public Law. She has also completed MicroMasters in Project Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Tania is fluent in Arabic, French, and English.

Kristine Rembach is the Managing Director of IRAP Europe. In this role, she oversees all of IRAP’s work in Europe, including its legal services, litigation, and advocacy practices, as well as its operational functions. Prior to the founding of IRAP Europe, Kristine worked as IRAP’s Director of Complementary Pathways in IRAP’s offices in New York and Lebanon, developing new programming and pilot projects for the organization.

Prior to joining IRAP, Kristine was the Director of the Refugee Legal Aid Program (RLAP) at St. Andrew’s Refugee Services in Cairo, Egypt, where she oversaw the program’s legal representation of refugees in refugee status determination, resettlement, and protection matters. 

Kristine earned her law degree at the George Washington University Law School and her Bachelor’s degree at Boston College. She was previously a litigation partner at a private law firm in Washington, D.C., and is a member of the District of Columbia bar. 

Dave O’Kelly is the Operations Director at IRAP Europe. In this role, he oversees the operational and financial functions of IRAP Europe, ensuring strategic alignment and efficient execution of administrative, HR, and financial processes. 

With over 16 years of executive leadership experience, Dave has built, scaled, and led multinational organizations, overseeing all aspects of business administration. Prior to joining IRAP, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Impact One, where he developed and implemented strategic initiatives focused on urban sustainability and biodiversity. Before that, he was CEO of a large travel company, leading the organization from a startup to a global market leader with over 250 employees, and operations in 12 countries.

Dave holds an Executive MBA with distinction from Warwick Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in French and German from the University of Warwick. He is also a certified systemic coach and facilitator.

Peter Varga is the Legal Director at IRAP Europe. In this role, he oversees IRAP Europe’s legal team, including the France/UK, Germany, and Sweden country teams, as well as the international litigation practice, ensuring alignment with IRAP Europe’s litigation and advocacy goals. Prior to assuming this position, he was Supervising Attorney for the Swedish country team at IRAP Europe.

Prior to joining IRAP Europe, Peter held the position of Associate Legal Officer and Focal Point for Sweden at the UNHCR Representation for the Nordic and Baltic Countries. Before that, he worked as a lawyer at the Swedish Refugee Law Center, where he also served as representative to the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and Country Expert to the Asylum Information Database (AIDA). Peter has also worked for private law firms in Stockholm, Sweden.

Peter holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Stockholm University and has studied political science at the University of Lund, Sweden and Corvinus University in Budapest, Hungary. He has served on the board of the Swedish Section of the International Commission of Jurists. He speaks Swedish, English and Hungarian.

Lina Al-Samaraee is a Program Coordinator with IRAP Europe. In this role, Lina mainly focuses on coordinating the flow of the team’s casework through maintaining relevant databases, analyzing team caseloads, preparing manuals and workflow procedures, data analysis and reporting, and other support to the team’s staff members.

Prior to joining IRAP, Lina worked at a diplomatic mission where she mainly led research projects, created needs assessment reports, and contributed to the communications strategy. Prior to that, she worked as a freelance translator on specialized terminology handbooks in the field of social work, in administration at the German-Jordanian University, and interned as a social worker with the Caritas-Jordan Psychosocial Support Center.

Lina holds a B.A. degree in Translation and Interpretation in German, English, and Arabic from the German-Jordanian University, during which she also did an exchange semester at the University of Leipzig in Germany. She also holds a professional certificate in Social Work with a focus on refugees and migration, and hopes to continue to help vulnerable communities by pursuing a degree in Data Science.

Daniel Ayitey is the Senior Office and Accounts Manager with IRAP Europe. In this role, Daniel is in charge of all office purchases and bookkeeping. 

Prior to joining IRAP, he worked with CIEE, Berlin as a Global High school Coordinator responsible for running all high school programs in Berlin. He also has years of experience working with Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (German Red Cross) where he was instrumental in safeguarding the rights and welfare of migrant children. He has international experience working in diverse and multicultural settings.

Daniel holds a Masters degree in Development Studies from Friedensau Adventist University in Mockern, Germany and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Sociology from the University of Cape Coast in Cape Coast, Ghana. He has been residing in Germany for the last seven years with his family.

Elisa Costadura is a Staff Attorney with IRAP Europe based in the Berlin office. In her
position, Elisa is responsible for individual representation of refugees in their family
reunification processes to Germany, as well as for litigation and advocacy in family
reunification cases.

Prior to joining IRAP, Elisa worked in a research project on the various legal problems
refugees face when obliged to provide passports and identity papers. In her clerkship
she worked inter alia with a defense attorney and in the NS-documentation center
Cologne. In her position as research fellow at the International Institute on Peace and
Security Law Cologne she gained expertise in the field of international law, especially in
international criminal law and transitional justice.

Elisa holds a Second State Law Exam from the Higher Regional Court of Cologne and a
First State Law Exam from the University of Cologne. She built and led for many years
the legal assistance team of the Refugee Law Clinic Cologne e.V.. She is also co-founder
and co-host of the Podcast “Mal nach den Rechten schauen” on continuities of the NS-
era in the german legal system. She is fluent in German, Italian, English, French and
Spanish.

Mai Greitz is a Staff Attorney with IRAP Europe. In this role, Mai is responsible for individual representation of beneficiaries of international protection in the family reunification process to Sweden, as well as for litigation and advocacy to challenge difficulties in this process.

Prior to joining IRAP, Mai worked as a lawyer at an anti-discrimination office, where she offered legal counsel and assistance to individuals facing discrimination. Before that, Mai served as an immigration lawyer and as an attorney with a general practice.

She has served on the board of the Swedish Network of Refugee Support Groups (FARR) and has been providing pro-bono legal assistance to undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers in Sweden for many years.

Mai holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Stockholm University. She speaks Swedish, English, and Spanish, and has basic knowledge of Arabic and German.

Therese Herrmann is IRAP Europe’s Advocacy Manager for Germany. In this role, Therese coordinates the advocacy efforts of IRAP Europe’s German team.  

Prior to joining IRAP, Therese managed advocacy for Kabul Luftbrücke (Kabul Airlift), a German organization advocating for humanitarian admissions from Afghanistan through work in Germany, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Before that, she was a lecturer at the University of Duisburg-Essen in the fields of migration ethics and political theory, and coordinated an international research project on the role of values in European migration policy. Therese also has experience in counseling refugees in German asylum and visa processes through various roles in Frankfurt am Main and Berlin. 

Therese studied Politics, Philosophy and History in Frankfurt am Main (Germany), New York (US) and York (UK) and holds an M.A. in Political Theory from Goethe University Frankfurt.

Euphrasie Kalolwa is the Advocacy Manager at IRAP Europe. In this role, she leads IRAP Europe’s advocacy efforts on key issues related to family reunification and asylum visa procedures to France.

Working closely with both IRAP’s Europe team and global Policy team, Euphrasie contributes to securing and expanding safe, dignified pathways to protection for refugees and highly vulnerable individuals. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Euphrasie led a team of mobile social workers at the Communal Centre for Social Action (CCAS), a public agency in Marseille dedicated to providing social support to the most vulnerable populations. She implemented a new public policy designed to expand access to social services for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. 

Before that, Euphrasie worked in the French NGO sector with Médecins sans frontières, where she promoted the rights of asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors, particularly in relation to access to healthcare. She also worked with Action contre la Faim, focusing on issues of malnutrition and pastoralism in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. 

Euphrasie holds a Master’s degree in Corporate Communications from the University of Paris La Sorbonne and a Master’s in International Relations and African Studies from the Autonomous University of Madrid. 

Euphrasie is fluent in French, English, Spanish and Greek.

David is responsible for IRAP Europe’s strategic litigation before supra-national courts and tribunals. He joined IRAP Europe after practising first at the English Bar (2007-2013), then as an EU-advokat and lawyer in Sweden (since 2013).

As a litigator, David has had a broad practice encompassing constitutional law, human rights, public international law, conflict of laws, environmental law, labour law, and of course migration law. His notable cases as lead counsel in that field include F.G. v. Sweden before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, and extensive test litigation in Sweden for local interpreters, present in Afghanistan, seeking protection from risks to their life and safety resulting from their service with Swedish ISAF peacekeeping forces.

David holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from University College London, has taught law at Stockholm University and the University of Westminster, and has considerable experience of training other lawyers from across Europe in human rights, migration and refugee law on behalf of international bodies such as UNHCR, the International Commission of Jurists, and the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE). David is fluent in English and Swedish and has an excellent working knowledge of French.

Martin Nyman is a Supervising Attorney at IRAP Europe. In this role, he is responsible for coordinating the individual representation of beneficiaries of international protection in the family reunification process to Sweden, as well as for litigation and advocacy to challenge difficulties faced by protection holders in the process.

Prior to joining IRAP Europe, Martin served as Senior Legal Advisor at Civil Rights Defenders in Sweden, where he led the organization’s migration program. He has extensive experience in migration and refugee law, having held positions such as Legal Director at the Swedish Refugee Law Center and Associate Legal Officer at the UNHCR Representation for the Nordic and Baltic Countries. His previous roles also include Reporting Lawyer at both the Migration Court in Stockholm and the Migration Court of Appeal, as well as Case Officer at the Swedish Migration Agency.

Martin has contributed to several European legal networks and databases, including serving as a country expert for the Asylum Information Database (AIDA) and the European Network on Statelessness (ENS) Statelessness Index. He was also a national coordinator for the European Legal Network on Asylum (ELENA). His litigation work includes the landmark case MIG 2018:20, which significantly impacted access to family reunification for individuals granted subsidiary protection in Sweden.

Martin holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Stockholm University. He has also studied Immigration, Nationality, and Asylum Law at Middlesex University in London, and courses in political science, international relations, and business administration at Stockholm University. He speaks Swedish, English and basic German.

Nadia is a Supervising Attorney at IRAP Europe. In this role, she is responsible for coordinating the individual representation of beneficiaries of international protection in the family reunification and humanitarian visa processes to France, as well as for litigation and advocacy to challenge difficulties faced by refugees in the process.

Prior to joining IRAP, Nadia worked as an independent consultant conducting global research and evaluation on child migration and trafficking, protection needs of LGBTIQ+ migrants, and access to education for children affected by conflict for Save the Children, IOM and NRC Mali. Before that, she worked in the French and international NGO sectors with France terre d’asile, Médecins sans frontières, and Pacific links foundation, managing programs related to legal aid in immigration detention centres, protection of asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors, combating human trafficking and smuggling at the French-UK border, and capacity-building on Vietnamese migration and trafficking in Europe.

Nadia holds a Master of Law from the University of Grenoble Alpes and a Master of Political

Sciences from the Institute of Political Studies of Rennes. Nadia speaks French, English,

intermediate Spanish and has a basic knowledge in Arabic.

Mandy Taylor is a Staff Attorney at IRAP Europe. In this role, she is responsible for individual representation of beneficiaries of international protection in the family reunification and humanitarian visa processes to France and the UK, as well as for litigation and advocacy to challenge difficulties faced by refugees in the process.

Prior to joining IRAP, Mandy worked for the Brussels-based NGO, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), for five years, working her way up from Legal Assistant to acting Head of Legal Support and Litigation. Before ECRE, she was a Legal Assistance at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut and a legal trainee at Europol in the Netherlands.

Mandy holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (LPC) with distinction from BPP University, London, an LL.M. in Public International Law and International Humanitarian Law from Leiden University, and an LL.B. in Law and French from Cardiff University. 

She is currently registered at Level 1 with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) in the UK and partners with the charity Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex & London (RAMFEL) on family reunion cases to the UK. Mandy speaks English and French.

Dr. Corinna Ujkašević is a Supervising Attorney with IRAP Europe. In this role, Corinna is responsible for individual representation of refugees in the family reunification process to Germany, as well as for litigation and advocacy to challenge difficulties faced by refugees in this process.

Corinna previously worked as a migration lawyer in Germany. Prior to that, she worked in several different positions during her legal clerkship, e.g. as a legal trainee at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights e.V.

Corinna co-founded the Refugee Law Clinic Cologne e.V., a non-profit organization that offers free legal advice to refugees by law students of the University of Cologne. She has been chairwoman of this organization and helped build a nationwide network of law clinics that eventually emerged to be an umbrella organization called the Refugee Law Clinics Deutschland e.V.

Ra’ed Almasri is a Caseworker at IRAP Jordan. Ra’ed’s role focuses on interviewing, interpreting for and liaising with vulnerable refugee populations with the goal of providing them with resettlement-related legal services.

In addition to his role as Caseworker, Ra’ed leverages his background in IT and data management to support IRAP’s Jordan-based field office with continually adapting and improving its case management system, and measuring service delivery and impact. Before joining IRAP, Ra’ed worked briefly within a number of fields, including data retention and archiving assistant at a VPN and IT service provider, and as a fixer and interpreter for Swedish documentary project about the Middle East.

Ra’ed holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Jordan, trained in Psycho-Social Case Management at the Jesuit Refugee Services, and earned a Social Work Diploma with a focus on refugees and migration from the German Jordanian University. Ra’ed also serves as a translator and interpreter in both English and Arabic.

Foto Ammari is a Caseworker at IRAP Jordan. Foto’s role involves conducting intakes and screenings with vulnerable refugees, interpreting, and following up with these refugees with the purpose of providing them with legal services that can help them in the resettlement process.

Prior to joining IRAP, Foto worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers Jordan (PwC) as a legal translator associate, where she used to translate legal documents, financial statements and reports.

Foto has a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Jordan. Soon after she graduated in 2021, she volunteered with IRAP for almost a year and was rewarded with the “Excellent Volunteer of the Year” in the IRAP Pro Bono Appreciation Week 2022. Foto has also volunteered as a translator and researcher in Jordanian Legislation related to women rights as a part of an application-building process.

Waqas Atique is a Staff Attorney with IRAP Jordan. In this role, Waqas provides direct legal services to refugees seeking resettlement and other forms of protection through complementary pathways.  

Prior to joining IRAP, Waqas worked at the German Embassy in Amman where he was responsible for processing family reunification applications and humanitarian visas for Syrian and Iraqi refugees. In his clerkship he worked inter alia with a defense attorney in Berlin and the European Commission in Brussels.

Waqas holds a Second State Law Exam from the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main and a First State Law Exam from the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. He is fluent in German, English, and Urdu.

Sarah is currently serving as a Caseworker with the IRAP Jordan team. Before joining IRAP, Sarah worked for 12 years with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Throughout her tenure, she held various positions including Caseworker for MENA region cases, Interpreter, and Supervisor for global Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) processing. Her extensive experience has equipped her with in-depth knowledge of refugee case processing, pipeline and caseload management, stakeholder coordination, and end-to-end support for refugee applicants—from initial intake to departure.

Sarah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Jordan. She is fluent in both Arabic and English and is known for her strong cross-cultural communication skills. Over the course of her career, she has been recognized for her professionalism, leadership, and ability to manage high-volume caseloads in complex, high-pressure environments.

Amirah Hammad is the Operations Manager at IRAP Jordan. In this role, Amirah oversees administration, human resources, organizational culture & finance while representing the office in global operations management and country-level forums.

With over 12 years of experience in support functions, Amirah have held pivotal roles in HR, Finance, and Administration, including membership in Senior Management teams and occasionally covering for Country Director positions. She has managed to gain extensive experience in both emergency and developmental contexts across various INGOs, having worked directly in Syria, Erbil, and occasionally in Lebanon. Amirah has focused her career to fostering team resilience and prioritizing staff wellbeing. She has played a foundational role in providing strategic inputs in addition to leading key initiatives in organizational development for projects such as (compensation and benefits, resource management, talent acquisition, GEDI (Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion), conducting investigations, and drafting comprehensive manuals and policies). She has worked with INGOs including; Handicap International, Medecins du Monde, Intersos, Oxfam & Mercy Corps.

Amirah holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and is expected to graduate from the American University in Jordan with a Master’s degree in Business Administration & Business Analytics in the beginning of 2025. Amirah is specifically focusing on data analytics as she’s received trainings in different analytical tools & techniques such as Tableau, Power BI, Microsoft Access & RapidMiner. 

Nour Hammash is a Caseworker at IRAP Jordan. Nour’s role entails conducting interviews with vulnerable refugees, interpreting, following up, and providing them with resettlement-related legal services.

Prior to joining IRAP and as part of the Lazord fellowship program, Nour worked as a project assistant with Mercy Corps in Zaatari refugee camp where she oversaw the facilitation of transformational leadership training of youth, supported project implementation, and assisted the M&E and logistic team with various responsibilities.  

Nour has a bachelor’s degree in German and English as foreign languages, during which she also did an exchange semester at Philipps-University Marburg in Germany. She is currently in the thesis stage of finalizing her Social work/Migration and Refugees master’s at the German Jordanian University, her thesis focuses on “Syrian Refugees in Jordan: Conceptualizing Post Displacement Family Structure”. 

Rana Mdanat serves as the Volunteer Program Manager at IRAP, overseeing interns’ and interpreters’ work.

Before joining IRAP, Rana dedicated 11 years to RSC-MENA, managing CIS missions across the MENA region. She coordinated USCIS activities in this role and managed mission logistics, staff, and interpreter operations. Rana brings extensive expertise in conducting refugee interviews and preparing internal and external communications, statistical reports, and quality control materials.

Rana holds a BA in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Jordan. She has also completed various training certifications from NGOs, focusing on refugee support and project management.

Jillian Morgan is a Supervising Attorney at IRAP’s Jordan Office. In this role, Jillian provides direct legal services to refugees seeking resettlement and other forms of protection. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Jillian was a Refugee Officer with the International and Refugee Affairs Division at USCIS. She also worked as an Asylum Officer at the New Orleans Asylum Office. Prior to her work with USCIS, Jillian worked with two immigration law firms in the DC area. She also co-founded Fair Game Foundation, a DC area non-profit that combined soccer, legal resources, and access to social services in the support and empowerment of immigrant youth and families. While in law school, Jillian was a student attorney in her school’s Immigrant Justice Clinic and a legal intern at the Refugee Law Project in Kampala, Uganda. She also interned with TASSC International (Torture Abolition and Survivor Support Coalition) prior to law school.

Jillian received her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law. Jillian holds a B.A. in International Affairs, with a concentration in Conflict and Security, from the George Washington University, where she also spent a semester studying International Relations at Sciences Po in Paris.

Jillian is a member of the Maryland bar.

Elisa Vari is a Senior Staff Attorney at IRAP Jordan. In this role, Elisa provides direct legal services to refugees seeking resettlement and other forms of protection.

Prior to joining IRAP, Elisa worked in administrative investigations for UN agencies in Rome and, previously, she was a fellow with UNHCR’s Caribbean Protection Unit in Washington, DC. During law school, Elisa worked with NGOs promoting refugee and immigrants’ rights between DC and California and clerked at a San Francisco-based law firm focused on deportation defense. 

Elisa holds a JD from UC Law San Francisco (formerly known as UC Hastings) and an MSc in International Human Rights Law from Oxford University. She speaks Italian and Spanish and is studying Arabic. She has published articles on gang-related and gender-based asylum claims in the US and on border externalization efforts in Europe. 

Elisa is a member of the California Bar.

Firas Abi Ghanem is the Lebanon Programs and Operations Director at IRAP. In this role, Firas is responsible for ensuring smooth and effective operations in accordance with Lebanese laws, and maintaining and developing IRAP programs in Lebanon.

Prior to joining IRAP, Firas worked for six years with INTERSOS – an Italian humanitarian organization – managing the quality department, government relations, communications, complaint mechanism and investigations, in addition to contributing to donor relations and strategic programming. 

During the past 15 years, Firas has been active in Lebanese civil society, in the fields of environment, education, and human rights, with particular involvement in campaigning for the rights of female migrant domestic workers in Lebanon. 

In his spare time, Firas runs ‘Firas Yatbokh’, a cooking event that promotes cultural exchange through food and music. 

Firas holds an M.A. in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding from the University of Bradford, U.K., and a B.A. in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut. In 2008, he was awarded the Chevening Fellowship from the British Council in Beirut. 

Yara Chehwane is the Lebanon Casework Coordinator at IRAP. In this role, Yara manages the post-submission client case load and regularly checks in with clients after the formal submission of their application to an adjudicator. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Yara has filled several positions in the field of legal assistance to refugees in Lebanon. She was legal associate of the legal aid unit at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and previously Legal Officer at INTERSOS, managing the legal response, including awareness, counseling, assistance, and legal representation on issues such as residency, civil registration, and family law. Before focusing on the humanitarian field, Yara took part in different research projects on issues related to public policy and corruption. 

Yara holds a B.A in Law with an M1 in Public Law and a B.A in Political and Administrative Sciences from Saint Joseph University in Beirut. Her article was featured in the Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration Journal, for her field work on confronting the rise of trafficking of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. She is fluent in Arabic, French and English. 

Kareem Nasr is the Lebanon Caseworker at IRAP, where he manages screenings, post-submission client cases, ensuring a comprehensive and supportive process. 

Kareem’s diverse experience encompasses various impactful roles. Notably, as a Protection Officer at Helem, where he was part of the leading group in the services department. His proficiency as a Trainer, particularly in SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression, and Sex Characteristics), reflects a dedicated involvement in capacity building and demonstrating a strong commitment to the inclusion of service provision to the LGBTQIA+ community. Furthermore, Kareem has contributed significantly as a researcher in collaboration with Caritas Lebanon on a major project titled “An Exploration of the Mental Health Risks and Suicide Risks of Migrant Domestic Workers and a Call for Policy Reform. As a Field Assessment Officer at Oxfam Gb, he supported in editing the assessment to be more inclusive, trained and supervised other data collectors, and collected crucial data for the Temporary Cash Assistance Project.

Kareem’s commitment extends from his background in Psychology, holding a Bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame University, as well as his consistent pursuit of self-improvement and development. He is fluent in Arabic and English and excels in utilizing various software programs.

Alexandra Zetes is a Senior Staff Attorney at IRAP’s office in Lebanon. Prior to joining IRAP, Alexandra was the Global Advocacy & Policy Manager at the Refugee Solidarity Network, where she engaged in research, and developed and managed the organization’s advocacy strategy. Alexandra’s previous work includes fellowships at the Vance Center for International Justice and NYU School of Law’s Global Justice Clinic, and she has worked on refugee issues in South Africa, Turkey, Mexico and Bangladesh. Among other activities during law school, Alexandra led IRAP’s NYU student chapter.

Alexandra holds a J.D. for New York University School of Law, and a dual B.A. in Political Science and Psychology, magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Alexandra has published on the topics of transitional justice, extraordinary rendition, mental and emotional well-being among human rights professionals, and refugee protection. She speaks English, German, Spanish, and French. Outside of work, Alexandra is the co-founder of a social and professional development group for human rights professionals based in NYC. 

Alexandra is admitted to practice law in the state of New York. 

Laurie Ball Cooper is the Vice President for U.S. Legal Programs at IRAP. In this role, Laurie leads IRAP’s litigation, U.S. legal services, and global pro bono departments.

Prior to her current role, Laurie was the U.S. Legal Services director at IRAP. Before joining IRAP in 2022, Laurie was the legal director at Ayuda, a non-profit in the D.C. metro area providing immigration, family law, and consumer legal services to immigrant populations in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

Laurie holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, an M.P.A. from the School for Public and International Affairs at Princeton, and a B.A. from Duke University, where she studied public policy. Laurie is fluent in English, Spanish, and Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian and has a working knowledge of German. Laurie serves as a volunteer board member of the Washington Council of Lawyers, a voluntary public interest bar association in Washington, D.C.

Laurie is licensed to practice law in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. She is an inactive member of the California bar.

Stephanie Gee is the Senior Director of U.S. Legal Services at IRAP. In this role, Stephanie leads IRAP’s U.S.-based team providing direct legal services to refugees and displaced people around the world. She previously served as IRAP’s Deputy Director of U.S. Legal Services and Jordan Office Director.

Prior to joining IRAP, she was a Robert L. Bernstein Fellow in the Refugee Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. Her research and advocacy focused on refugees’ right to education, access to asylum, and the importance of global responsibility-sharing amidst unprecedented levels of displacement.

Stephanie holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was a student director of the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic and an editor of the Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal. She was also a member of Yale’s IRAP chapter and the Legal Services for Immigrant Communities Clinic. She received her B.A. in English from Williams College, where she also completed a Jewish Studies concentration and studied advanced Arabic.

Stephanie is a member of the Maryland bar.

Geroline Castillo is a Staff Attorney in the US Legal Services Department at IRAP. She previously served as the inaugural Nierenberg Fellow in IRAP’s Litigation Department, where she worked on several impact litigation cases in U.S. courts that advance and defend the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and other people in need of humanitarian relocation.  

Geroline graduated cum laude from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she received a Jacob Burns Medal for her work in the Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic and the Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic. She was also an editor of the Cardozo Law Review. During law school, Geroline interned at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where she provided litigation support for cases that focused on racial injustice and abusive immigration practices. She also interned at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative, where she provided direct legal services to individuals in removal proceedings detained in Folkston, Georgia.

Geroline earned a B.A. from Boston College in Sociology with a minor in International Studies, Ethics, and Social Justice. 

Geroline is a member of the New York bar.

Karla Davis is a Senior Staff Attorney with the U.S. Legal Services department at IRAP. She provides direct representation to people who are no longer safe in their home countries and who seek pathways into the United States. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Karla provided eviction defense support to tenants across Washington State at the King County Bar Association’s Housing Justice Project. Karla has also served as a BIA Accredited Representative with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (VAWA Unit) in Seattle, WA. Karla is a first generation immigrant, born in Tijuana, Mexico, and believes in a reimagining of the law and dismantling of harmful institutions for the goal of collective liberation of all oppressed peoples. 

Karla holds a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law, where she was William H. Gates Public Service Law Scholar. Karla is a member of the Washington State bar and Tulalip Tribal Court bar.

Taqwa Elhindi is a Supervising Attorney with the U.S. Legal Services Department at IRAP. In this role, Taqwa provides direct representation to refugees seeking protection and various forms of relief.  

Prior to joining IRAP, Taqwa served as an Immigrant Justice Corp Fellow at Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition in D.C., where she represented detained immigrants in removal proceedings before Immigration Judges. She also served as the Asylum Project Attorney for Justice for Our Neighbors in Houston. During law school, Taqwa interned at the Center for Constitutional Rights, East Bay Community Law Center, and Center for Justice and Accountability, while simultaneously volunteering for IRAP. Taqwa’s passion for refugee rights stems from her time as an undergrad, where she facilitated summer programs for children in refugee camps and conducted field research pertaining to the educational and social ramifications of incarceration on refugee youth. 

Taqwa holds a J.D. and B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. As an undergrad, she majored in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies. She is a native English and Arabic speaker. 

Taqwa is a member of the D.C. bar. 

Sara French is a Staff Attorney in the U.S. Legal Services Department at IRAP. In this role she provides direct legal services to refugees and humanitarian migrants through a range of immigration processes.

Prior to joining IRAP, Sara worked at the American Immigration Council’s Immigration Justice Campaign as a mentoring immigration attorney giving guidance and trainings to pro bono attorneys. Sara began her legal career working as an immigration attorney at a non-profit organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah providing legal representation to immigrant communities. While a law student, Sara interned at the Institute for Women in Migration in Mexico City and Hope Border Institute in El Paso, Texas.

Sara holds a J.D. with a concentration in Human and Civil Rights from the University of Dayton School of Law. She earned her B.A. in History and Hispanic Studies from Davidson College. Sara speaks Spanish.

Sara is admitted to practice law in the state of Ohio. 

Gehan Ghanem is a staff attorney in the U.S. Legal Services Department at IRAP. In this role, she provides direct legal services to clients through a range of immigration processes. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Gehan was a Staff Attorney at Womankind, a non-profit organization that provides social and legal services to survivors of gender-based violence. There Gehan assisted clients in applying for immigration benefits such as trafficking visas, U-visas, and VAWA self-petitions.

Gehan holds a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. She earned a B.A. in Psychology and a M.Ed. in Counseling from University of Houston. 

Gehan is admitted to practice law in the state of New York and Texas.

Solangel Gonzalez is a Senior Staff Attorney in IRAP’s U.S. Legal Services Department. In this role, Solangel provides direct legal representation to IRAP clients seeking resettlement and family reunification through a range of immigration processes.

Prior to joining IRAP, Solangel served as a Supervising Immigration Attorney and Immigration & Project END Staff Attorney at Ayuda, an organization providing immigration, family, and consumer legal services, as well as social and language access services, to low-income immigrants in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. At Ayuda, Solangel supervised staff attorneys, paralegals, and interns, while providing direct representation in affirmative and defensive humanitarian and family-based immigration cases. Previously, Solangel was a Staff Attorney in the Detained Children’s Program at CAIR Coalition in D.C.

Solangel holds a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School, where she participated in the Immigration Clinic for two semesters. She earned her B.A. in Political Science and Religious Studies from the University of Miami. Solangel is a native Spanish speaker.

Solangel is a member of the D.C. bar.

Valentina Hiegemann manages IRAP’s U.S.-Mexico Border Program, a part of the Legal Services Department. In this role, she coordinates programming and collaboration with local partners in Mexico to provide remote legal advice, community education, and direct legal representation to asylum-seekers and other displaced people seeking admission into the U.S. along the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Valentina was the Emergency Assistance Director at Manos por Venezuela, an organization that provides emergency shelter and assistance to in-transit Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers in Ecuador. Before that, she worked as a Program Officer with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants overseeing post-release services for unaccompanied immigrant children in the U.S.

Valentina holds a M.A. in Migration and Refugee Studies from the American University in Cairo and a B.A in International Relations from Florida International University. She is a native Spanish speaker and is fluent in English and Italian.

Michelle Ke is the Legal Assistant for the Legal Services Department. In this role, Michelle supports the casework and projects of the US Legal Team.

Prior to joining IRAP, Michelle worked on the Sri Lanka Conflict Mapping and Archive Project at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. In this capacity, she researched and analyzed alleged rights violations to promote truth and accountability for international crimes and human rights violations committed during the Sri Lankan civil war.

Michelle holds a B.A. in Law, Letters, & Society from the University of Chicago.

Alaa Majeed is a Client & Legal Services Specialist in the Legal Services Department. With extensive experience working with refugees and the displaced since 2004, she has volunteered and worked with various international non-profit and non-governmental organizations, as well as news outlets as a reporter, translator, cultural consultant and researcher. Among the non-profit and NGOs is the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Arab-American Family Support Center, International Rescue Committee, Global Exchange, People in Need, Voices in The Wilderness, and Nature Iraq. She reported on human rights, women and children, and refugee issues in war-torn Iraq for various international media outlets, such as The Christian Science Monitor, Al-Jazeera English, National Public Radio, The New Yorker, United Press International, The Independent, The Sunday Times,CBS 60 Minutes, The Nation, and Free Speech Radio News. She was featured in many American newspapers and magazines, as well as radio stations. 

Majeed is the winner of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage in Journalism Award, winner of grants from the Pulitzer Center for International Crisis Reporting, and CUNY’s International Journalist-in Residence Fellowship. 

Effie Mangllara is the U.S. Legal Services Coordinator at IRAP.  In this role, Effie supports casework as well as the post-submission client docket of the U.S. Legal Team. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Effie worked as a project assistant on the Courtroom Advocates Project at Sanctuary for Families, where she worked closely with attorneys, law students and law firms to coordinate legal aid to survivors of domestic and gender-based violence filing pro se for relief in NY Family Court. Previously, Effie interned with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and Freedom House, where she worked on projects pertaining to human rights, international law and democratic transitions. Effie has strong interests in refugee law, transitional justice and strengthening psychosocial support mechanisms for survivors of conflict-related gender-based violence.  

Effie holds a Master of Science in Global Affairs, with a focus on International Law and Human Rights, from New York University and a B.A. in International Studies from Central Connecticut State University. Effie is fluent in Greek and Albanian.

Jennifer Patota is the Deputy Director of U.S. Legal Services at IRAP. In this role, Jennifer helps lead IRAP’s U.S.-based team providing direct legal services to refugees and displaced people around the world. She previously served as a Senior Supervising Attorney in the U.S. Legal Services department.

Prior to joining IRAP, Jennifer was an associate at Latham & Watkins LLP and Pryor Cashman LLP.

Jennifer holds a B.A. in Linguistics from Brown University and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude, was selected to Order of the Coif and served as a Senior Notes & Articles Editor on the Fordham Urban Law Journal.

Jennifer is a member of the New York bar.

Briana Perez is a Supervising Attorney at IRAP. In this role, Briana provides legal representation for refugees and humanitarian migrants.

Prior to joining IRAP, Briana served as the Interim Assistant Director of the Pre-Removal team at RAICES in Texas. There, she led a team of advocates dedicated to representing detained asylum seekers in their expedited removal proceedings. Previously, she completed a legal fellowship at MALDEF, focused on immigration detention condition advocacy and litigation.

Briana holds a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Briana is a member of the Texas bar. 

Sasha Telyukov is a Staff Attorney in IRAP’s U.S. Legal Services Department. In this role, Sasha provides direct legal representation to IRAP clients seeking resettlement and family reunification through a range of immigration processes.

Prior to joining IRAP, Sasha was an immigration attorney with a law firm that specialized in serving medical systems in Health Professional Shortage Areas across the United States, helping them with the immigration processes of their foreign national healthcare professionals. While a law student, Sasha focused on both affirmative and defensive asylum work through his law school’s clinical program and through several internships. He interned with a number of immigration nonprofits as well as the USCIS New Orleans Asylum Office and the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section.  

Sasha graduated with a J.D., with honors, from the University of North Carolina School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with honors, from Vassar College. While in law school, he was awarded the Pro Bono Publico 1L of the Year award for his pro bono work with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. He is a native Russian speaker. 

Sasha is admitted to practice law in North Carolina.

Trinh Tran is a Supervising Attorney in IRAP’s Legal Services Department.

She was previously based in our Amman office where she represented refugees and asylum seekers in UNHCR resettlement referrals and US Refugee Admissions Program processing. Prior to joining IRAP, Trinh managed the legal services program at Sauti Yetu Center for African Women and Families, a New York non-profit providing holistic services to African immigrants. Her work included representing survivors of violence and sexual assault in family, matrimonial, and immigration matters. Trinh’s work is rooted in her own refugee and first-generation American experience and led by the stories of impacted community members. Trinh is an alumnus of the Coro New York Immigrant Civic Leadership Program and is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.

Trinh received her J.D. from Hofstra Law School where she was awarded the Distinguished Service to the School Award. She was a student attorney in the Political Asylum Clinic, president of the Asian American Law Students Association and managing editor of the Family Court Review law journal. Trinh received her B.A. in International Affairs and Anthropology from The George Washington University.

Trinh is a member of the New York bar.

Ghita Schwarz is the Senior Director of U.S. Litigation at IRAP. In this role, Ghita leads IRAP’s  impact litigation in U.S. Courts to advance and defend the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and other people in need of humanitarian relocation.  

Prior to joining IRAP, Ghita was the Litigation Director at LatinoJustice PRLDEF,  where she oversaw litigation in immigrant rights, criminal law reform, voting rights, and economic justice. Ghita spent a decade at the Center for Constitutional Rights, litigating a range of civil and human rights cases in federal courts. Ghita began her career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Queens Legal Services, working with families to fight for their rights in the public school system, and as a Chadbourne & Parke Fellow at the Door Legal Services Center, representing young people in immigration and family court proceedings.

Ghita is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School. She speaks Spanish.  She is a member of the New York bar and is admitted to practice in U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third and Sixth Circuits and in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Guadalupe (“Lupe”) Victoria Aguirre is the Deputy Director of U.S. Litigation at IRAP. In this role, Lupe helps lead and support IRAP’s impact litigation in U.S. courts to advance and defend the rights of refugees, asylum-seekers, and other people in need of humanitarian relief in the U.S.

Prior to joining IRAP, Lupe was a Senior Staff Attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union, the New York state affiliate of the ACLU. At NYCLU, Lupe litigated complex civil rights and civil liberties cases in federal and New York state courts covering a range of issue areas, including immigrant rights, police accountability, and government transparency. Lupe was a Bertha Justice Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights where she started her impact-litigation practice, focusing on cases challenging government abuse and misconduct. Prior to her work as a civil rights litigator, Lupe began her career as an Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow providing direct legal services to people facing detention, deportation, and individuals seeking humanitarian forms of immigration relief. Her commitment to advancing human and civil rights stems from her lived experiences witnessing the impact of unjust systems on her family and community. 

Lupe holds a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Lupe is bilingual in Spanish and English. She is a member of the New York State bar.

Mevlüde Akay Alp is a Senior Litigation Attorney in IRAP’s U.S. Litigation Department. In this role, she works on impact litigation in U.S. courts to advance and defend the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and other people in need of humanitarian relocation.

Prior to joining IRAP, she was a senior attorney at The Legal Project in Albany, NY where she represented hundreds of low-income immigrants and refugees in humanitarian cases before USCIS, EOIR and the BIA, including asylum and withholding of removal, family reunification, U and T visas, SIJS, VAWA, SIV, DACA and TPS. Prior to moving to the U.S., Mevlüde practiced civil litigation as a barrister in London.

Mevlüde received her LL.B. from Queen’s University Belfast and her LL.M. from Harvard Law School, where she was on the editorial board of the Harvard Human Rights Journal and participated in the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic. She speaks fluent Turkish, as well as some Arabic, French, Spanish and Kurdish.

Mevlüde is a member of the New York Bar.

Hussein Elbakri is a Senior Litigation Attorney in IRAP’s U.S. Litigation Department. In this role, he works on impact litigation in U.S. courts to advance and defend the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and other people in need of humanitarian relocation.

Prior to joining IRAP, Hussein was a senior associate at Freshfields, Cravath, and WilmerHale, where he litigated securities, commercial, and antitrust disputes, conducted internal investigations, and defended clients in international enforcement matters. He also maintained an active pro-bono practice, including civil rights impact litigation and counseling public interest organizations about potential legal challenges to government actions. 

Hussein is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Veterans Law & Disability Benefits Clinic, and Columbia University. Hussein is bilingual in Arabic and English. He is a member of the New York State bar.

Dalia Fuleihan is a Senior Litigation Attorney with the Litigation Department at IRAP. In this role, Dalia provides direct representation to forcibly displaced persons seeking protection and relief through a range of immigration processes.

Prior to joining IRAP, Dalia worked at a private immigration law firm where she specialized in asylum, removal defense, and other humanitarian visas. Dalia previously was an attorney with the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Asylum Project where she provided direct representation to asylum seekers and mentored pro bono attorneys. Previously, Dalia was an Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow at the New Haven Legal Assistance Association. During law school, Dalia participated in her school’s international human rights clinic, interned with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Washington, D.C. and the National Immigrant Justice Center, while also volunteering with IRAP.

Dalia holds a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and has a B.A. in History and International Studies from Northwestern University.

Dalia is admitted to practice law in Illinois.

Kimberly Grano is a Litigation Staff Attorney at IRAP. In this role, she works on impact litigation in U.S. courts to advance and defend the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and other people in need of humanitarian relocation.

Prior to joining IRAP, Kimberly served as a law clerk for the Honorable Susan L. Carney of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Honorable Gonzalo P. Curiel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Before her clerkships, she was a legal fellow at the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, where she primarily worked on litigation challenging the immigration detention system.

Kimberly holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she participated in the International Human Rights Clinic and the Crimmigration Clinic. She holds a B.A. in Global Studies and Asian Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Kimberly is a member of the New York and California bars.

Megan Hauptman is a Staff Attorney in IRAP’s Litigation Department. In this role, she works on impact litigation in U.S. courts to advance and defend the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and other people in need of humanitarian relocation.

Prior to joining IRAP, Megan worked with the Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración (IMUMI) in Mexico City, where she provided legal representation and engaged in policy advocacy on behalf of individuals seeking humanitarian protection and family reunification. Prior to her work with IMUMI, she was a legal fellow with the National Immigration Project (NIPNLG) and a law clerk for Judge Diana Saldaña in the Southern District of Texas. 

Megan holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. in History from Brown University. She speaks Spanish.

Megan is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia.

Paula Pacheco Soto is the U.S. Litigation and Policy Coordinator. In this role, Paula supports the casework and projects of the US Legal Team. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Paula worked with Proyecto Dilley, a legal services project that provides representation to detained immigrant mothers and children seeking asylum in the United States. Paula has also volunteered with TRLA in several programs to provide access to counsel to those affected by the Migrant Protection Protocols. She brings her administrative and research experience having worked as a project consultant for the Women’s Environment & Development Organization’s feminist response to COVID initiative, as well as as a research assistant at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Paula holds a B.A. in International Relations and Middle East Studies from Brown University. She speaks English, Spanish, and intermediate Arabic.

Pedro Sepulveda, Jr. is a Staff Attorney in IRAP’s Litigation Department. In this role, he works on impact litigation in U.S. courts to advance and defend the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and other people in need of humanitarian relocation.

During law school, Pedro was a member of the Family Defense Practicum and the CLEAR Clinic, where he addressed the unmet legal needs of Muslim, Arab, South Asian, and other communities across the United States targeted by post-9/11 national security and counter-terrorism policies and practices. Pedro has also worked with the Immigrant Defense Project, the ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality, and the Center for Constitutional Rights. Before law school, Pedro was a DOJ Accredited Representative at the New York Legal Assistance Group. He has volunteered with the New Sanctuary Coalition and Mayday Space. In a past life, he engaged in gene therapy research at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Pedro holds a J.D. from CUNY School of Law and a B.A. in Biochemistry and Jewish Studies from Vassar College. He speaks Spanish.

Pedro is a member of the New York bar and is admitted to practice in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the District Court for the District of Columbia, and the Courts of Appeals for the Seventh, Ninth, and D.C. Circuits.

Mary Ghandour is the Director of Global Pro Bono. She was previously the Senior Global Pro Bono Manager at IRAP, where she oversaw all of IRAP’s student work in the U.S. and Canada in addition to designing and supervising complex projects that leveraged both IRAP’s student and pro bono attorney networks to fill gaps and add capacity to IRAP’s work globally.

Before joining the Global Pro Bono team, Mary was a staff attorney in IRAP’s U.S. Legal Services Department for nearly five years. In this role, Mary provided direct legal representation to IRAP clients seeking resettlement and family reunification through a number of U.S.-based and international immigration processes.

Prior to joining IRAP, Mary received her Juris Doctor from the University of California – Berkeley School of Law, where she focused on international human rights and refugee law. During law school, Mary served as the chapter director for the Berkeley Law IRAP chapter, interned with the Berkeley Law International Human Rights Law Clinic, and was a contributing writer for IntLawGrrls, an online platform that gives voice to women scholars, lawyers, and leaders on issues related to international law. She also worked with the Middle East & North Africa Division of Human Rights Watch, the Center for Justice & Accountability, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.

In addition to her J.D., Mary holds a B.A. in journalism, English literature, and political philosophy from the University of Houston.

She is licensed to practice law in the state of New York.

Maimuna is a Global Pro Bono Coordinator at the International Refugee Assistance Project, where she provides legal, organizational, and project management support across key initiatives. Her work focuses on coordination, referrals, and relationship management support for IRAP’s Bay Area Family Reunification Initiative, funded by the Crankstart Foundation.

Before joining IRAP, Maimuna worked with the UndocuBlack Network as an External Engagement Consultant, supporting advocacy for formerly and currently undocumented Black people. She organized advocacy days and led the development of the organization’s flagship ambassador program. She also worked as a Capacity Building Officer with the Community Sponsorship Hub and Welcome Corps, where she was the primary liaison between 36 partner organizations, the Community Sponsorship Hub, and the U.S. Department of State. In this role, she helped expand the network of active Private Sponsorship Organizations from 27 to 36 through tailored onboarding, training, and relationship support.

Maimuna previously worked with the International Rescue Committee as an Afghan Evacuee Operations Manager focused on protection, where she developed trauma-informed care guidance and presented protocols for IRC staff, Army officials, legal teams, and volunteers. She has also worked with social impact and international development firms including Sankofa Consulting, FSG, Fractal Strategies, and Tetra Tech.

Maimuna holds an MA in Economics and Conflict Management from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA in Government and Politics with a minor in Social Justice from St. Johns University. Originally from The Gambia, she currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Laura Zhang is a Global Pro Bono Coordinator on the Global Pro Bono Team at IRAP. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Laura worked as a paralegal at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) providing legal support to detained unaccompanied minors in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody in New York City. She has also worked with Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, New Sanctuary Coalition, and the Queer Detainee Empowerment Project in providing socio-legal services to migrants and refugees. 

Laura holds an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford. She earned her B.A. in Human Rights from New York University. Laura speaks Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

Stephen Poellot is the Legal Knowledge & Training Director at IRAP. In this role, Stephen leads IRAP’s commitment to developing new and innovative areas of practice, expertise, and legal strategy in refugee law.

Stephen was a founding director of IRAP during his first year at Yale Law School. Prior to law school, Stephen was an investigator at the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board and worked at the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies at the American University of Cairo. During law school, he received the Charles G. Albom Prize for excellence in the area of judicial and administrative appellate advocacy in connection with a Law School clinical program. After law school, he was a Kirby Simon Summer Fellow at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva and a Robert L. Bernstein International Human Rights Fellow at the Refugee Legal Aid Project in Egypt. He is currently a visiting clinical lecturer in law at Yale Law School and has taught refugee law at Fordham University School of Law.

Stephen holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from Columbia College. He is a member of the New York bar.

Rricha deCant is the Senior Director of Policy and Climate.  In this role, she leads a team to develop and advocate for policies that help refugees, Afghans, asylees, and climate displaced populations at the state and local level, federally and coordinating IRAP’s global policy work. 

Most recently, Rricha was the Legislative Director at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) advocating for public benefit programs, child care, immigrants, labor, and education policies.  

Prior to CLASP, Rricha worked on both the House and Senate side of Capitol Hill. She served as Immigration Counsel for Senator Alex Padilla where she helped lead the work of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety.  Rricha also was Legislative Counsel to Congresswoman Judy Chu, on immigration, labor, and social welfare programs. She led the introduction and passage in the House of the NO BAN Act in the 119th Congress and worked on numerous other immigration bills related to the public charge rule, family reunification, closing child detention centers, and protecting immigrant workers. 

Rricha previously also worked at First Focus, where she engaged in legislative and administrative advocacy as well as state technical assistance, focusing on child welfare and children of immigrants policies. Rricha has a B.A. in International Relations from the University of California, Davis and a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Hannah Flamm is the Deputy Director of Policy at IRAP. She previously held senior policy counsel and senior staff attorney positions.

Prior to joining IRAP, Hannah was an immigration attorney at Legal Aid Justice Center and a clinical instructor at George Mason University’s law school. Before that, she was the managing attorney at The Door’s Legal Services Center, where she managed the Detained Minors Project to provide legal services to thousands of children and young adults in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody and in New York. She also led policy advocacy and impact litigation efforts on behalf of children subjected to the Migrant Protection Protocols, prolonged detention, and unlawful removal. Previously, she was the NYU School of Law Fellow at Human Rights Watch. 

Hannah holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and B.A. from Tufts University. She is fluent in Spanish and has spent extensive time in Latin America. 

Hannah is admitted to practice law in the state of New York.

Balqees Mihirig is a Senior Policy Counsel at IRAP. In this role, Balqees works on IRAP’s systemic advocacy to improve humanitarian immigration for refugees and other displaced persons, with a particular focus on issues relating to refugee resettlement and support at the state and local level. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Balqees was a Senior Legislative Counsel to the Committee on Civil and Human Rights and the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing at the New York City Council. Balqees worked on legislation strengthening the City’s anti-discrimination and consumer rights laws, including improving language access and worker protections for immigrant and underserved New Yorkers. Prior to that, she was Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice Canada, representing the Ministers of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

Balqees obtained her law degree in 2009 from the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, where she was an editor of the Alberta Law Review and the Review of Constitutional Studies. After law school, she clerked for the Hon. Justice Dolores Hansen at the Federal Court of Canada. She also obtained an LL.M. from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and received a Certificate of Achievement from the Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law. She is fluent in Arabic.

Balqees is a member of the New York bar. 

Elham Youssefian joined IRAP as director of Disability Inclusion and Accessibility in March 2024. Her role is to lead transferring IRAP to a more disability-inclusive and accessible organization both at internal and external levels. Her mission is to promote equal access to safety and protection, and meaningful participation for refugees and other displaced persons with disabilities. 

Elham is a blind human rights lawyer born and raised in Iran. Before joining IRAP, Elham was working with the International Disability Alliance, a global network of organizations of persons with disabilities, as the senior adviser on humanitarian, disaster risk reduction, and climate action. Prior to that, Elham has done extensive research and advocacy on human rights of persons with disabilities in Iran. Back in 2015, she also worked as protection officer with Danish Refugee Council office Iran serving Afghan refugees in the country. 

Elham holds a Master of Human Rights Law from the London School of Economics.

Bahati Kanyamanza is the Global Partnerships Director at IRAP. In this role, Bahati leads IRAP’s partnerships with RLOs and CSOs around the world. Prior to this role, Bahati worked for Asylum Access where he led engagement and advocacy with institutions of power influencing global displacement, namely: the World Bank, UNHCR and the US government as well as building partnerships with organizations in Africa.

Bahati has worked with refugees for over 20 years and was a refugee for 23 years. Born in the DR Congo, he became a refugee in Uganda where he lived for 17 years before he was resettled to the US in 2016. He is the co-founder of CIYOTA, a nonprofit organization that supports conflict-affected children and youth in Africa’s Great Lakes region to access quality education and supporting refugee families to start income generating initiatives to earn a living. His work has been recognized both nationally and internationally by Ashoka, American Express, UNHCR and Echoing Green.

Bahati is a published author and his articles have been published in the FMR, HPN, ODI, Reuters and others. He is also an advisor to the USRAB. He holds a Master’s of Arts degree from the School for International Training.

Henrike Dessaules is the Senior Director of Communications at IRAP. In this role, Henrike leads IRAP’s global efforts in developing and implementing IRAP’s communications strategy, in line with IRAP’s strategic plan and programmatic priorities, to increase our impact and drive narrative change.

Prior to joining IRAP, Henrike managed programs and communications at the Council for European Studies, a research institute at Columbia University promoting research on European policy and social affairs through international conferences, digital publications, and research grants. Before moving to New York, she also managed communications for the European Network for Women in Leadership in Paris, France.

Henrike holds an M.A. in North American Studies, History, and Literature from Freie Universität Berlin and has worked as a translator between English, German, and French. She has written numerous articles on the intersection of gender and migration and volunteered with New Women New Yorkers and Women’s Information Network. She is currently an Advisory Board member of Picture Motion, a social impact agency.

Boris Alvarado-Gonzalez is the Digital Communications Coordinator at IRAP. In this role, he is in charge of IRAP’s digital and social media operations.

Prior to joining IRAP, Boris was the Development and Communications Coordinator at Centro Legal de la Raza, a legal services nonprofit in Oakland, CA that provides access to legal representation to low-income, immigrant, and Latino communities in Northern California. After graduating from college, he completed a marketing internship with NPR’s sponsorship division, National Public Media. 

Boris received his B.A. in Political Science and Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and is fluent in English and Spanish.

Spencer Tilger is the Senior Media Relations Manager at IRAP. In this role, Spencer leads IRAP’s media strategy and press relations.

Prior to joining IRAP, Spencer led the communications program at Justice in Motion, a transnational migrant rights organization connecting advocates across the United States, Mexico, and Central America. Previously, Spencer worked at Immigration Equality, where he managed press and public relations focused on highlighting the voices of LGBTQ and HIV-positive asylum seekers.

Spencer holds a B.A. in Geography from Vassar College and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He speaks Spanish and French.

Larisa Friesen Hall is the SVP for Development at the International Refugee Assistance Project.  She has a nearly 20 year track record of leading nonprofit philanthropy teams through seasons of growth. In this role, Larisa leads the development team and also works in close collaboration with the executive leadership team and board of directors to provide strategic direction for the organization’s philanthropic support and donor relations.

Prior to IRAP, Larisa served at Bread for the World and Bread for the World Institute as the VP for Development and prior to that she served as the VP and Chief Advancement Officer at Sojourners.  Larisa is highly experienced at leading through CEO/Founder and other major leadership transitions. Her previous involvements span national and global levels in the corporate, philanthropic, journalism, and nonprofit sectors on issues including poverty and inequality, international development, environmental and climate justice, gender justice, global leadership development, racial equity, strengthening democracy, immigration and refugees, and civic engagement.

Larisa holds an executive MBA from Georgetown University and a B.S. in International Business and Economic Development from Eastern Mennonite University.

Ana Aranda Morales is the Development Assistant at IRAP, where she supports the Development Team with donor relations, fundraising efforts, and administrative coordination to improve team efficiency and impact.

Before joining IRAP, Ana was the Pro Bono Coordinator at the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s AIDS Legal Services Project. In this role, she coordinated legal clinics for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), strengthened community partnerships to raise awareness of available legal services, and worked to increase and engage volunteers. Ana also served as the Domestic Violence Program Coordinator at the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project, where she implemented remote legal aid clinics in response to COVID-19, collaborated with the Executive Director on annual Continuing Legal Education (CLE) events related to various domestic violence topics, and worked closely with domestic violence resource centers across Maine to expand legal aid services for survivors.

Ana holds a B.A. in Hispanic Studies from Colorado Mesa University and is fluent in Spanish. She is dedicated to removing language barriers and often volunteers as a translator and interpreter for Spanish-speaking communities.

Lisa O’Dell is the Individual Philanthropy Officer at IRAP. In this role, Lisa advances the organization’s fundraising efforts by building meaningful relationships with donors and aligning their interests with IRAP’s mission to support displaced people through legal advocacy.

Prior to joining IRAP, Lisa served as Director of Development at Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST), where she partnered closely with leadership and the board to shape long-term fundraising goals, strengthen donor relations, and expand resources for victims and survivors of sex trafficking. She has also worked as a consultant, helping small businesses launch Corporate Social Responsibility programs that improved employee engagement and community impact.

Lisa holds a B.A. in Communications from James Madison University and is passionate about elevating the voices of marginalized communities. She has volunteered extensively with organizations serving refugees, trafficking survivors, and those experiencing homelessness.

Sarah Troyer is the Director of Individual Philanthropy at IRAP. In this role, Sarah leads IRAP’s individual major, mid-level, and grassroots fundraising efforts in collaboration with IRAP’s development, executive, and board leadership.

Sarah has 16 years of development experience and was previously the Director of Institutional Giving at IRAP between 2016 – 2021 before taking a career break. During this previous tenure, Sarah led fundraising efforts with foundations, corporations, and other institutional supporters. Prior to joining IRAP, Sarah was the Major Gifts Officer at Girl Scouts of Greater New York, where she managed activities connected to a capital campaign and a recognition society for major annual fund supporters. In addition, she served as the Director of External Relations at the Global Justice Center, where she implemented a multi-year fundraising strategy to increase and diversify income and helped lead a communications rebrand. She began her career in development at the Association for Psychological Science and the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. 

Sarah holds an B.A. in Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies from New York University.

Kate Jellema is the Senior Director of Global Planning and Strategic Resourcing. In this role, Kate helps guide planning and learning processes, and match resources to organizational priorities.

Prior to joining IRAP, Kate was the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies at Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont, where she led academic programs in sustainable business, nonprofit management, teaching English as a second language and teaching for social justice, and stewarded the College’s “Changemaker Campus” partnership with the Ashoka Foundation. Kate was also the founder and director of the Center for New Leadership, Vermont’s hub for social sector education and training, and the co-creator of Benchmarks for a Better Vermont, a  statewide federally-funded initiative to strengthen social sector accountability. In these roles, Kate cultivated foundation support, led strategic fundraising initiatives, and managed a portfolio of private and federal donors. 

Kate received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and her M.A. from Johns Hopkins University, where her research, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, the Social Science Research Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and the National Science Foundation, examined the experience of Vietnamese asylum seekers in Hong Kong. Kate received her undergraduate degree with highest honors from the University of Michigan, where her thesis focused on the history of Mexican migrant farmworkers in Michigan.

Christine Coakley is the Manager of Monitoring and Evaluation at IRAP. In this role, Christine leads IRAP’s efforts to implement strategies to measure the impact of our work including developing systems to improve data tracking and monitoring, using findings to support internal strategy and decision making, and communicating impact. 

Prior to joining IRAP, Christine worked as the Impact Assessment Director for Start Small Think Big, a nonprofit supporting women- and immigrant-owned small businesses. In this role she built and led the organization’s impact measurement and strategy, focused on developing data systems and evaluation processes to build more effective and client-responsive programming. Christine spent time working and volunteering supporting research, data, and programming with a number of nonprofits in Latin America including Al Otro Lado in Tijuana, and the ‘Oficina de Las Mujeres’ in Las cruces, Guatemala. She also previously worked in market research in Ireland. 

Christine holds an MSc. in Social Entrepreneurship and a B.A. in Economics and Social Studies from Trinity College, Dublin. She is currently pursuing her M.S.W. at Temple University. Christine speaks Spanish and volunteers teaching trauma-informed yoga classes for survivors of gender-based violence.

Miriam Aced is IRAP’s Senior Director for Global Operations. In dual role, she works to ensure smooth operations and alignment of organizational strategies across country offices.

With experience in both the NGO sector and academia, Miriam has focused on advocating for systemic change. Her NGO work has included reframing how governments and civil society in Europe approach combatting discrimination and promoting an intersectional understanding of inequality. She has also led initiatives to improve access to education and employment for marginalized youth. Her academic work includes extensive research on organizational structures within the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as well as teaching graduate school students in subjects relating to international refugee law, Palestine and Israel and Diversity and Inclusion in organizations. She has published on topics related to Palestinian refugees, urban citizenship, statelessness, voting rights and the intersection of racism and sexism. 

Miriam holds an LL.M. in International Law with International Relations from the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies and an M.A. in International Business with French from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. She speaks German, French and English.

Heba Alrisheq is the Global Human Resources Manager at IRAP. In this role, Heba is responsible of a broad range of international human resources matters to support staffing across IRAP’s offices.

Prior to joining IRAP, Heba has been working towards major human focuses varying among education, humanitarian response, youth employment, and development for several years of compact HR experience -honorably-dedicated in the international non-governmental organizations field. She has successfully developed an HR profile that led major achievements in each mission; leading the massive recruitment of the biggest refugee camps in Jordan, achieving the highest employment rates for refugees and international youth in tech, leading the HR development goals and developing long-term training programs for international youth.

Heba holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration / Accounting from the University of Jordan. Heba is fluent in Arabic, English, and French.

Vinnette Clarke-Watson is the U.S. IT Specialist at IRAP, based in New York, USA. In this role, Vinnette is responsible for IT operations, onboarding, and providing technical support for staff across the organization.

Before joining IRAP, Vinnette gained extensive experience in IT across the Education Technology industry and at Apple Inc. She managed IT operations for organizations like IXL Learning and Teachers Pay Teachers, overseeing system migrations and implementing ticketing systems. During her eight years at Apple, she refined her skills in IT support, hardware diagnostics, asset management, and global training.

Vinnette holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the State University of New York College at Old Westbury. She is an Apple Certified Macintosh Technician (ACMT) and has earned the ACiT iOS Service Certification.

Victoria Lin is the IT Project Manager at IRAP. In this role, Victoria manages various technology projects working closely and collaborating with internationally distributed tech teams and business units.  

Prior to joining IRAP, Victoria held dynamic roles in academia, corporate, government and non-profit sectors, including Agile Scrum Master and Systems Analyst in a corporate setting where she spearheaded Agile transformations and managed software development teams and systems. In her most recent tenure, she served as US West Regional Supervisor at an international non-profit, leading and rolling out strategic initiatives, fostering harmonious team dynamics to pioneering foundational IT infrastructure solutions. 

Victoria holds an M.S. in Systems Engineering and an M.B.A. from San Jose State University, as well as a B.S in Information Systems Management from University of California, Santa Cruz. Her credentials include Agile Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Project Management Essentials, OKR coaching, systems administration and security certifications.

Phil List is IRAP’s Director of Analytics, Technology, & Automation. In this role, he directs IRAP’s data and technology strategy and leads the tech team.

Before joining IRAP, Phil worked at the Shodor Education Foundation in Durham, NC: teaching computational science, coordinating the Blue Waters Student Internship Program, and writing software. Upon moving to the Middle East, he worked as a software engineer until joining IRAP in 2016.

He earned a B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Math from NC State University. He then pursued studies in philosophy and theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia for three years.

Anas Tayfour is the IT Specialist at IRAP, Based in Berlin Germany. In this role, Anas is responsible for IT Operations, IT-Security, Networks and SaaS Applications management as well as supporting IRAP Staff and maintaining vendor relationships.

Before joining IRAP, Anas gained diverse experience across organizations of different sizes. He worked with small businesses such as Lexxion, a legal publisher specializing in European topics, including State Aid Law, Renewable Energy Law, European Procurement, and Public-Private Partnerships. His experience also includes mid-sized companies like CarTelSol,specializes in developing advanced telematics units and high-voltage systems for the automotive industry, including hardware and software solutions for car sharing, predictive maintenance, and electric vehicle systems, and global corporations like Cisco Systems, a leader in enterprise networking and telecommunications solutions.

Anas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and is fluent in Arabic, English, and German.