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Staff

Fellowships View Board of Directors

Leadership

Zachary Silverstein
Chief Operating Officer
Rob Berschinski
Senior Vice President, Policy
Sharon Kelly McBride
Vice President, Advocacy
Hardy Vieux
Legal Director

Experts

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
Managing Attorney (NY)
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
Legal Director
Raha Wala
Director, National Security Advocacy

Staff

Alyssa
Masiyiwa-Bernstein Fellow, Refugee Protection
Eleanor Acer
Senior Director, Refugee Protection
Eleni Bakst
Equal Justice Works Fellow
Maggie Barnard
Development Operations Manager/Refugee Protection Associate
Rob Berschinski
Senior Vice President, Policy
Heather Brandon
Advocacy Counsel, National Security (Joffe Fellow)
Scott Cooper
Director, National Security Outreach
Laura Gault
Harvard Public Service Venture Fund Redstone Fellow
Melissa Hooper
Director of Human Rights and Civil Society
Sharon Kelly McBride
Vice President, Advocacy
Susan Nahvi
National Security Assistant
Jennifer Quigley
Advocacy Strategist, Refugee Protection
Rita Siemion
International Legal Counsel
Patricia Stottlemyer
Chubb-Penn Rule of Law & Human Rights Fellow
Fiona Tomlin
Pennoyer Fellow/Researcher & Advocate
Raha Wala
Director, National Security Advocacy

Communications

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

Development

Maggie Barnard
Development Operations Manager/Refugee Protection Associate
Brittney Bartlett
Individual Giving Coordinator
Johnny Gonzales
Senior Manager, Special Events, Law Firm and Corporate Giving
Eric Helms
Senior Grants Manager
Paul LeGendre
Director, Foundations
Gina Taglieri
Director, Development

Operations

Giuseppe Mercuri
Office Coordinator/Receptionist (NY)
Diyerly “DJ” Duque
Receptionist/Office Assistant
Danielle Scullon-Baer
Special Projects Assistant
Cynthia Burns
Director of Operations
Peter Chan
Network Operations Engineer
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

Refugee Representation

Andrea Kiang Hinojosa
Legal Services Coordinator
Robyn Barnard
Staff Attorney
Josie Cardoso-Rojo
Staff Attorney
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
Managing Attorney (NY)
Anwen Hughes
Deputy Legal Director (NY)
Lesley Kirby
Operations Manager
Kennji Kizuka
Staff Attorney
Katie Langford
Legal Services Coordinator
Laura Nally
Managing Attorney (Houston)
Ana Ortega-Villegas
Legal Services Coordinator
Alexander Parcan
Senior Staff Attorney
Lamisse Abdel Rahman
Legal Services Coordinator
Jeanine Ratcliff
Social Worker
Jacqueline Rojas
Legal Services Coordinator
Selam Tesfai
Senior Legal Services Coordinator
Scott Ventrudo
Staff Attorney
Hardy Vieux
Legal Director

Our Impact

“

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

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