Call Us TODAY! 206.721.0243 Facebook YouTube Instagram Twitter LinkedIn DONATE LINK DONATE! ABOUT SERVICES IMPACT EVENTS GET INVOLVED CONTACT OUR TEAM ReWA is guided in fulfilling its mission by our accomplished and dedicated Board of Directors, comprised of individuals from a variety of professional and cultural backgrounds. ReWA has a team of over 150 staff members with the capability of speaking over 50 languages and dialects. Most of our staff are refugees or immigrants, who work with program participants to deliver bilingual and bicultural services. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Eileen M. Concannon Chair Attorney (retired) and Community Volunteer Eileen has been a community activist and attorney since 1980. A commercial litigator by training, her volunteer and community work have focused on serving marginalized populations. She has served on the Washington State Supreme Court Commission on Gender and Justice; the Initiative for Diversity Governing Council; the American Bar Association's Commission on Domestic Violence; as President of the King County Bar Association; Chair of KCBA's "Glass Ceiling Task Force", Vice-President of Washington Women Lawyers, Trustee of the King County Bar Foundation, and Chair of the University of Washington Women's Center. Her parents were Irish immigrants who taught their children that “success” comes with education, ambitious dreams, hard work and caring for others. Eileen passion for justice, the rule of law, and opportunities for all is what inspired her to join ReWA’s board. Catherine Danigelis Treasurer Senior Vice President, Key Bank Cathy is the Western Region Manager for KeyBank and is based in Seattle, WA. She is responsible for a team of lenders financing affordable housing projects in WA, OR, ID, UT, AK, TX, CA and CO. She has been a real estate lender for over 30 years specializing in affordable housing for the past 20 years with several institutions including US Bank and Bank of America. She also had a successful entrepreneurial venture in sales and consulting for over 5 years. She currently serves on several non-profit boards and is a lifelong volunteer. Cathy obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Michigan State University. Bindi Lassige Secretary Director, Human Resources, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bindi acts as Secretary on the ReWA board and currently chairs the HR committee. Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, she was a human resources manager at Microsoft. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Boston College and an MBA from Michigan State University. This is her first board experience. Bindi is a first generation Indian American, whose parents and large extended family all immigrated to the United States. Although Bindi grew up on the east coast, she and her husband have lived in Seattle for over fifteen years and have two elementary school-aged children. Tasleem Kachra Member Senior Program Officer, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Tasleem works in Gates Foundation’s Global Development program on strategic planning, management and implementation, to advance global immunization. She has over a decade of experience in pharmaceutical management and global public health. She has worked in public health in both Uganda and Kenya, with government rural clinics, and has conducted operational assessments for the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi. Tasleem is from Kenya, where she lived and worked for 21 years before earning an undergraduate degree in Biology from Brandeis University, and an MBA (Strategic Management) and MPH (International Health) at Yale. Shahzad Q. Qadri Member Partner, Wong Fleming Shahzad is a partner in the law firm Wong Fleming, where he is chair of the Corporate & Immigration Law practice group. He previously served as deputy prosecuting attorney for the King County Prosecutors’ Office after earning a law degree from Seattle University. Shahzad is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, International Practice Section Executive Committee, Washington State Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association, King County Bar Association, and serves on the boards of Minority Business Action Committee and World Education Foundation. Shevanthi Daniel-Rabkin Member Senior Director of Programs, Democracy at Work Institute Shevanthi (Shev) is the Senior Director of Programs at the Democracy at Work Institute, a national nonprofit dedicated to building the field of worker-owned cooperatives through research, education and field-building. Her work ensures that the expansion of worker cooperative development in economically and socially marginalized communities is adequately supported, effective, and strategically directed. Shev immigrated from Sri Lanka with her family. Prior to moving to the United States, she lived in the hill-country tea plantations where she witnessed the challenges of civil war and poverty among the plantation workers. Those early experiences shaped her passion and commitment to equity and sustainable economic development. Shevanthi has an MBA in Sustainable Business from Pinchot University and BA in History and Anthropology from University of Washington. Yeri Yun Member Communications Manager, Schultz Family Foundation With experience in both non-profit and philanthropic communications, Yeri has expertise in developing and executing large-scale campaigns, fostering strategic partnership opportunities, and managing media grants around educational policies. As the daughter of Korean immigrants, Yeri knows how important it is to support organizations like ReWA in their ongoing commitment to support our newest neighbors so they can thrive in their new home. Yeri currently serves as a communications manager for the Schultz Family Foundation. Yeri graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts. Teresa Cho Member Chartered Professional Accountant, Camber Consulting Teresa is a professional accountant and mother to two teens. She graduated from the University of British Columbia and holds a Chartered Professional Accountant designation. She has served a variety of finance and accounting positions over the past 20+ years both in public accounting and at various Fortune 100 companies and currently serves as a member of ReWA's Finance Committee. When she was young, her parents left their professional jobs in Hong Kong, as well as their family and friends to immigrate to Canada in the hope of offering their children opportunities not available in Hong Kong. Although her immigrant journey was somewhat eased by the support of family she understands the struggle faced by immigrants to adapt not only to a foreign language but also a new culture. What drew her to join the ReWA board was the opportunity to contribute in a direct way to ease the struggle of refugees and immigrants in the Seattle area. Kristin Bunce Member Education Policy Advisor (retired) For more than a decade, Kristin worked in education policy serving as a senior policy advisor in the US Department of Education for the Clinton administration as well as Education Advisor to Washington state's former Governor Gary Locke. Kristin received her BA from Wellesley College and completed an MA in government from the University of Texas at Austin and an MPP from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Seattle Art Museum Supporters. Having lived in five different countries, Kristin brings a strong interest in supporting immigrant and refugee communities locally. Carla Moreira Strickland Member Vice President, Market Manager in Corporate Responsibility, JPMorgan Chase. In this role, Carla directs the Community Engagement team in the Northwest Region, where she is responsible for building lasting relationships with community stakeholders who share the Firm’s commitment to driving inclusive economic growth. Prior to this, Carla was the Director of Development and Communications at Catalyst Miami, a social justice nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida. She was also involved in community organizing focused on immigrant and workers’ rights in Boston, Massachusetts. Carla is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Tomorrow and is a SVP Brainerd Fellow and serves the Steering Committee of the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy Seattle. Originally from Massachusetts, Carla lives with her husband, toddler, and Labradoodle in Seattle, Washington. Usama Naseem Member Sr. Product Manager, Amazon Usama works as a Senior Product Manager for Amazon. Prior to joining the ReWA board, he volunteered with The Citizens Foundation in Pakistan, a non-profit organization that operates schools in low income areas in the country. He joined ReWA’s board to support women’s empowerment and refugee integration in the United States. “As an immigrant, the difficulty I had in building a life here despite the privileges I enjoyed, drove me to join ReWA.” He has lived in Seattle for three years with his wife and daughter. 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