► Refugee Transitions Staff < top>

Laura Vaudreuil Executive Director laura@reftrans.org     Laura has been with Refugee Transitions for eight years and holds a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She has over twelve years of overseas and domestic classroom teaching experience and has taught English as a Second Language and academic writing at San Francisco State University and City College Of San Francisco. She has ten years of curriculum design experience and is the key staff member involved in designing and evaluating activities for all of the agency's programs.       Tenley Harrison Interim Executive Director tenley.reftrans@gmail.com   Lauren Markham Volunteer Coordinator lauren.reftrans@gmail.com         Zar Ni Maung Family Advocate zarni@reftrans.org Zar Ni Maung began at Refugee Transitions in March 2008 as the agency's Program Assistant. Zar Ni focuses primarily on supporting volunteers and newly arrived refugee families from Burma, linking them to services and providing tutoring for youth. Zar Ni grew up in Rangoon, the former capital of Burma. As a university student, he was active in the student democracy movement. When the military crackdown began, he and his family had to flee the country. They first fled to Accra, Ghana where they lived for 3.5 years before being resettled in Daly City, CA as political refugees. Zar Ni is active in many Burmese community organizations, and has helped organize numerous events to help raise money and awareness for the Burmese community. He is delighted to be a part of Refugee Transitions, where he will be able to fuel his passion for serving Burmese and other refugee communities. Zar Ni is the proud father of two sons, ages 5 and 2, and in their free time, he and his wife enjoy taking their sons to explore the Bay Area.       Grace Lau Program Associate grace.reftrans@gmail.com     Grace Lau, an immigrant from Hong Kong, is the newest member of our team at Refugee Transitions. As Program Associate, she contributes her intimate knowledge of China, its culture, and the challenges immigrants face resettling in the U.S. Grace will support families enrolled in Refugee Transitions’ home-based tutoring and mentoring programs and also will be the key staff person involved in coordinating services with the Chinatown Neighborhood Workforce Center and  helping clients access job opportunities and training programs in San Francisco. Grace received a B.A. degree in Accounting from University of Hawaii. Elsa Amboy Volunteer Coordinator - South Bay rtsouthbay@gmail.com Nandi Kwan Min Family Advocate - South Bay nandi.reftrans@yahoo.com

► Refugee Transitions Board of Directors < top>

Stephen N. Roberts  Chairperson Partner Nossaman Guthner Knox Elliott LLP SRoberts@Nossaman.com		Steve is a partner at Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliott LLP in San Francisco, where he has practiced law as a litigator throughout his career. He earned his law degree, a J.D., from the University of Chicago Law School, and before that an A.B. in political science from the University of the South. Previously Steve chaired a committee of the American Bar Association with the responsibility for providing legal aid to refugees. Also he has worked with Bay Area non-profit groups that deal with issues of the aging, and serves on the board of another non-profit addressing transportation problems.
Rahul Choraria Treasurer   Senior Analyst Cornerstone Research rchoraria@cornerstone.com		Rahul is a Senior Analyst at Cornerstone Research, an economic and finance consulting firm. He received a B.A. in Computer Science and Economics from the University of California at Berkeley in May 2005. Prior to Berkeley, he did his schooling in India and Singapore, and still continues to have strong ties to the region. He has been volunteering as a Refugee Transitions tutor since February, 2007.
Milad Yazdanpanah   Secretary Sr. Project Manager Kintera Inc milad.yazdanpanah@kintera.com		Milad works as a Sr. Project Manager for Kintera Inc for the past 3 years. He works directly with enterprise nonprofit clients to deliver online CRM and CMS solutions. He is responsible for identifying, analyzing, and managing risks within projects, systems, and resource changes to formulate plausible solutions. He spends a great deal of his time working with other non profit organizations catering to at risk youth in the East Bay . Milad received his B.A. in Business/Neuroscience and an M.A in Demography from the University of California , Berkeley.
Sarah Charukesnant  Director of Major Gifts  Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy sarahmeilynn@hotmail.com		Sarah serves as the Major Gifts Director for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.  She works with current and prospective major donors to help support Conservancy programs and the preservation of the Golden Gate National Parks.  Prior to joining the Parks Conservancy, Sarah was the Annual Fund Director at Sonoma State University .  Sarah received her M.A. and B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing at Cal Poly State University and has been serving as a Board Member since 2006.
Marissa Escalante   Senior Paralegal Park & Taylor mescalante@parkandtaylor.com		Marissa Escalante is a senior paralegal for Park & Taylor, Immigration Attorneys, and has extensive legal knowledge regarding family, asylum, & deportation cases; she is also a Spanish/English translator. Marissa has been an RT volunteer tutor/mentor since February 2006.
Chrysty Esperanza  Corporate Counsel Electronic Arts, Inc.  chrysty.esperanza@gmail.com		Christine Esperanza is Corporate Counsel for Electronic Arts (EA), Inc., a major video game manufacturer in Redwood City, where she provides employment advice and counseling in various areas of state and federal personnel policies and procedures, including compliance and investigation. Prior to working at EA, Christine was a Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice, where she represented government entities in various employment cases. She earned her law degree from U.C. Hastings College of Law, and prior to that received her B.A. in Mass Communication and Business Administration at UCLA. She has experience working with various non-profit organizations that support at-risk youth in low-income communities, and that deal with domestic violence issues. She currently also volunteers as a mentor and tutor for the Volunteers in Parole program.
Samira Rahmatullah  Masters in Business Administration Stanford Graduate School of Business samira.rahmatullah@gmail.com		Samira Rahmatullah is pursuing a Masters in Business Administration at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, with a focus on public management. Prior to attending Stanford, Samira was a financial analyst in JPMorgan Public Finance Group, where she helped government entities and non-profit organizations raise financing for public projects by issuing tax-exempt bonds. Prior to working in Public Finance, Samira worked at the JPMorgan Private Bank, where she advised high net worth individuals on investments and wealth management. Samira received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Barnard College, Columbia University.
Aaron Rashba, M.B.A Director of Major Gifts San Francisco Food Bank arashba@yahoo.com		Aaron serves as Major Gifts Officer for the San Francisco Food Bank. He works with current and prospective donors to help support the Food Bank's programs. Aaron received a B.A. in Government from the College of William and Mary and then an M.B.A. from the University of Toronto. He has volunteered as a Refugee Transitions tutor since November, 2003 and a Board Member since December, 2004.
Victor Smallberg victor@setrensmallberg.com
Kathy Winship  Masters in Social Welfare UC Berkeley kathwins1@yahoo.com		Kathy is an Administrative Support Coordinator in the Office of Biomedical Research at San Francisco State University, coordinating grant activities of the SFSU/UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center Partnership and the Research Infrastructure for Minority Institutions (RIMI). Prior to working at SF State, Kathy worked in the non-profit sector, most notably providing life skills and employment training to adults with disabilities for four years at WorkLink. Kathy received a bachelor degree in the College of Letters from Wesleyan University and in Fall of 2007 began the Masters in Social Welfare program at the University of California, Berkeley, concentrating in Management and Planning.