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Staff

Fellowships View Board of Directors

Leadership

Michael Breen
President and CEO
Zachary Silverstein
Chief Operating Officer
Rob Berschinski
Senior Vice President, Policy
Sharon Kelly McBride
Senior Vice President, Advocacy
Hardy Vieux
Vice President, Legal

Experts

Ira Forman
Senior Advisor for Combating Antisemitism
Eleanor Acer
Senior Director, Refugee Protection
Rob Berschinski
Senior Vice President, Policy
Scott Cooper
Director, National Security Outreach
Brian Dooley
Senior Advisor
Jenna Gilbert
Managing Attorney (LA)
Ana Guzina
Senior Advisor
Melissa Hooper
Director of Human Rights and Civil Society
Laura Nally
Managing Attorney (Houston)
Jennifer Quigley
Advocacy Strategist, Refugee Protection
Rita Siemion
International Legal Counsel
Hardy Vieux
Vice President, Legal
Raha Wala
Director, National Security Advocacy
Alysha Welsh
Managing Attorney (DC)

Staff

Eleanor Acer
Senior Director, Refugee Protection
Eleni Bakst
Equal Justice Works Fellow
Rob Berschinski
Senior Vice President, Policy
Scott Cooper
Director, National Security Outreach
Melissa Hooper
Director of Human Rights and Civil Society
Alyssa Isidoridy
Masiyiwa-Bernstein Fellow, Refugee Protection
Sharon Kelly McBride
Senior Vice President, Advocacy
Kennji Kizuka
Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst, Refugee Protection
Susan Nahvi
National Security Assistant
Jennifer Quigley
Advocacy Strategist, Refugee Protection
Rita Siemion
International Legal Counsel
Patricia Stottlemyer
Rule of Law and Human Rights Fellow
Fiona Tomlin
Pennoyer Fellow/Researcher & Advocate
Raha Wala
Director, National Security Advocacy

Communications

Corinne Duffy
Director, Communications
David Mizner
Senior Writer/Editor
Ashley Panzera
Senior Video Producer
Christopher Plummer
Senior Media Relations Associate
Emma Stein
Communications Assistant

Development

Brittney Bartlett
Individual Giving Coordinator
Emily Finkelstein
Development Coordinator
Eric Helms
Senior Grants Manager
Katie Langford
Grants Associate
Paul LeGendre
Director, Foundations
Gina Taglieri
Director, Development

Operations

Giuseppe Mercuri
Office Coordinator/Receptionist (NY)
Diyerly “DJ” Duque
Receptionist/Office Assistant
Cynthia Burns
Director of Operations
Peter Chan
Director of Information Technology
Vlad Davydovych
Finance Coordinator
Vinincia Dorsey
Director, Human Resources and Office Operations
Sara Hoffmann
Human Resources Manager
Kurt Pacquette
Director, Finance
Dennis Rosensteel
Technical Support Associate
Meghan Valle
Special Assistant to the President and CEO

Refugee Representation

Andrea Kiang Hinojosa
Legal Services Coordinator
Robyn Barnard
Staff Attorney
Amy Benford
Equal Justice Works Disaster Recovery Legal Corps Fellow
Maya El Cheikh
Legal Services Coordinator
Cassandra Estassi
Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow
Sugeily Fernandez
Legal Services Coordinator
Jenna Gilbert
Managing Attorney (LA)
Jessica Gorelick
Social Worker
Ana Guzina
Senior Advisor
Anwen Hughes
Deputy Legal Director (NY)
Lesley Kirby
Operations Manager
Kaitlin Locascio
Staff Attorney
Laura Nally
Managing Attorney (Houston)
Ana Ortega-Villegas
Legal Services Coordinator
Alexander Parcan
Senior Staff Attorney
Lamisse Abdel Rahman
Legal Services Coordinator
Jacqueline Rojas
Legal Services Coordinator
Rebecca Soroka
Staff Attorney
Selam Tesfai
Senior Legal Services Coordinator
Scott Ventrudo
Staff Attorney
Hardy Vieux
Vice President, Legal
Alysha Welsh
Managing Attorney (DC)

Our Impact

“

Human Rights First is a premier institution devoted to the noblest of all causes.

” — Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
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Keeping the Door Closed on Torture