Meet the US Refugee Advisory Board!
The US Refugee Advisory Board begins its work with an exceptional inaugural cohort of eight advisors from a variety of backgrounds. Their combined lived experience and technical expertise will provide invaluable perspective to USRAB’s governmental, NGO, and multilateral partners. Let’s get to know them!
Basma Alawee is the National Campaign Director for @weareallusa, and the founder and executive director of WeaveTales. Her lived experience as a former refugee from Iraq fuels her passion and dedication in advocating for refugee and immigrant rights in the U.S. and abroad.
According to the latest report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are more than 100 million displaced people in the world. As a refugee who fled Iraq with my husband 12 years ago, I feel strongly that meaningful refugee participation enhances global responses to displacement, especially in the governance of the global refugee regime. USRAB will play a critical role in this meaning participation and I am excited and prepared to play an important role as part of this change.
Alejandra Brown is the founder of Resiliados Project and Embraved LLC - social enterprises focused on improving the quality of life of refugees in the United States. Alejandra advises refugee-led organizations and host countries on matters related to root causes of mass displacement, durable solutions, and meaningful refugee participation.
I want to continue my work with refugees by highlighting the impact of refugee-led organizations and businesses in their communities and how crucial it is for governments and companies to make humanitarian support more efficient by investing in them.
Vinh Nguyen was smuggled out of Việt Nam in 1981 on a tiny boat, along with another 134 Vietnamese. Their boat was fortunate enough to finally be saved by an oil tanker, and he eventually was resettled in the US. He currently works at Lutheran Services in Iowa, as its Refugee Education Program Coordinator.
As a former refugee Boat Person from Viet Nam,I want to inspire and empower my fellow refugees and immigrants so they can live up their dreams, be productive and self-sufficient as they adjust and adapt to their new environment. With that, USRAB will be a great mechanism to voice and advocate the needs of the refugee population globally and in the US.
Hourie Tafesh is a program manager for the University Alliance for Refugee and at-Risk Migrant's initiative and its students’ division, "Student Voices for Refugees Network,” and a postdoctoral fellow at Guilford College, North Carolina. and a postdoctoral fellow at Guilford College, North Carolina.
I have been eagerly waiting for an initiative such as USRAB that places refugee voices at the heart of policy making. I think it is clear now that refugee leaders could bring incomparable knowledge and expertise to the policy table. By having refugees in policy spaces, we will make sure to develop policies that are efficient, effective and refugee centered, which would save us time and resources.
Assumptah Turyasiimwa relocated from Uganda to the United States as an asylum seeker in 2012. She serves as the CEO of Global Women Education and Empowerment LLC and a Support Professional with Right Choice LLC in California.
I believe that action based on refugee stories is one of the most powerful ways we can change the world. I will listen, learn and act to advance policy, and help all those who have been impacted by forced displacement to smile again.
Olga Morkova is an Advocacy Manager for Ukraine/Europe at HIAS, currently focusing on international advocacy on behalf of refugees and internally displaced persons affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She is originally from Ukraine and was forcibly displaced from Crimea in 2014.
As a Ukrainian displaced from Crimea, I am honored to work together with other USRAB advisors, who are subject matter experts that were forcibly displaced from their homes to engage with policy makers in the US and globally to advance policies that positively affect refugees
Dauda Sesay is the National Network Director for African Communities Together (ACT). A former refugee from Sierra Leone, Dauda fled his homeland at 16 due to a terrible war and resettled in the U.S. in 2009. He is also Vice-Chairman of the Refugee Congress Board of Directors.
The global refugee crisis has yet again set another painful record of 100 million people forced to flee their homes. In the midst of this unfortunate and depressing crisis, we have seen global refugee admission has significantly decreased. As a member of USRAB, I intend to lend my expertise to both our national and global leaders to engage meaningfully and strategically to address the root cause of migration, expand and strengthen the global refugee admissions and work towards durable solutions.
Mohammed Naeem is the Senior Manager for Strategy and Partnerships at the Center for Inclusion and Belonging — guiding the design, facilitation and management of its programmatic portfolios. Over the last year, Mohammed has also spearheaded administrative and congressional advocacy efforts related to the evacuation, resettlement, and status of Afghan refugees, and continues to serve as an advisor to leading civil society groups, think-tanks, and philanthropy on related programs and public policy.
Historically, there has never been a core mechanism to harness the wisdom of all those who’ve been forcibly displaced — and channel it towards measurable and durable policy changes across the global policymaking arena. With the launch of USRAB, we now have the chance to challenge convention, find lasting solutions, and elevate to positions of leadership those who have long deserved to be at the table. With the stakes as high as they’ve ever been, I’m incredibly grateful to have been given this appointment and to continue advocating for direct inclusion of our refugee communities.
