Director of Refugee Resettlement and Integration

Anam Gnaho is the Director of Refugee Resettlement and Integration and provides oversight to ECDC’s Reception and Placement, Matching Grant and Preferred Communities programs and serves as an executive-level liaison with the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Prior to joining ECDC, Anam worked for government, international non-government organizations and the non-profit sector. She has in-depth knowledge of refugee resettlement and integration and is highly skilled in federal grants management, program and staff administration, oversight and strategic planning. She holds an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University; an M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from the School of International Service, American University; and an LL. B from University of Pune, India.

R&P Program Officer

Azeb serves as a Quality Assurance and Compliance lead at ECDC Headquarters. She also serves as the primary ECDC liaison for four of ECDC’s Resettlement Program affiliates. Azeb has over 15 years of experience in the non-profit environment. She brings with her strong program management and monitoring and evaluation expertise. She has a master’s in sustainable development and a Ph.D. in Area Studies (Africa) with a focus on community livelihoods.

Senior R&P Program Officer

Benaiah oversees pre-arrival and post-arrival processing activities, including assurances, arrivals, case transfers, case inquiries, and processing reports. In the past, he worked in various capacities for the government of Sudan, the Office of African Studies at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, and the International Organization for Migrations (IOM). Benaiah has experience in governmental and non-governmental organizations and has specialized in cultural orientation.

Program Officer

Jessica Castro is a Program Officer for the Matching Grant program. She supports ECDC’s affiliates and branch offices achieve programmatic compliance and refugee employment and self-sufficiency outcomes through ongoing training, technical assistance, monitoring, and evaluation. She has a background working for non-profits; providing case management as well as supervising experience. During her time in graduate school, she had an internship in Hong Kong where she worked with refugees and asylum seekers. Jessica holds a Master’s degree in Social Work with a concentration in the management of social services and a bachelor’s in social welfare.

Afghan Placement & Assistance (APA) Program Officer

John is an Afghan Placement & Assistance (APA) Program Officer for the R&P Program.  He recently moved to the D.C. Metro area from Indianapolis, IN. Prior to joining ECDC, John worked for 8 years in the financial industry.  He has a demonstrated background of volunteering for refugee and immigration nonprofits in the Indianapolis area, and is looking forward to working professionally in this space.  John holds a Master of Public Affairs in Urban Affairs from IUPUI in Indianapolis, IN

R&P Program Specialist

Elise is the point person for SIV post-arrival walk-in requests, and she processes and tracks trends of R&P Period Reports, IOM Loan Collection Reports, I-94 record delay inquiries, and Social Security Card delays. Elise began working at ECDC as the R&P Processing intern in September 2017 before officially becoming a part of the processing team as a specialist in February 2018.  Her field of study was Anthropology, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio University.

IT Specialist

Haileyesus is in charge of setting up, managing and troubleshooting the technology systems that ECDC uses to maintain computer and software networks. His duties include responding to hardware problems, updating system software, and tracking the data and communications used on ECDC’s network. Haileyesus previously served as System and database administrator in the United Nations. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information System from Unity University.

R&P Program Officer

Jamila serves as the ECDC lead for Cultural Orientation and gender equity. She also serves as the primary ECDC liaison for three of ECDC’s affiliates. Jamila has seven years of experience working in the profit and non-profit environments. Before joining ECDC, Jamila worked as a Project Manager-Team Lead with IRC, as a Program Manager-Team Lead with DynCorp LLC, as an Admin- Finance Officer with ZALMA Co. and MFP Org. She holds MA in Philosophy, BA in Education and Culture.

Associate Director of Community Integration Programs

Kathryn Culhane is the Associate Director of ECDC’s Community Integration Programs and manages the day-to-day operations of the Matching Grant and Preferred Communities programs, including overseeing the provision of training and technical assistance to implementing sites, monitoring, staff supervision and serving as ECDC’s program-level liaison with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Global Studies from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Afghan Placement and Assistance (APA) Program Coordinator

Luisa is the Coordinator for the Afghan Placement and Assistance (APA) Program. Prior to joining ECDC, Luisa served as the Co-Coordinator & Program Manager for the Working Group to Address the Venezuelan Migrant and Refugee Crisis at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C. Before her previous tenure, Luisa worked as the Quality Control Coordinator for the Refugee Resettlement Department at Catholic Charities in Houston, TX.  Luisa holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from the Externado de Colombia University, Colombia.

Associate Director of Reception and Placement Program

Rebecca manages the day-to-day operations of the R&P program, including leading strategic planning activities; supervising program staff, reviewing monitoring tools, protocols, and reports; and serving as ECDC’s liaison with the PRM. She has over 20 years of experience working in international and local NGOs as a program officer, gender advisor, project coordinator, and trainer. She has specialized in an array of fields, including refugee resettlement, human trafficking, child protection, HIV/AIDS, gender mainstreaming, and women’s empowerment. Rebecca holds a Master’s degree in Gender Studies from Addis Ababa University and a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management and Leadership from The International Leadership Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Program Officer

Samira is a Program Officer for the R&P program, serving as the primary point of contact for the P-3 Family Reunification, Central American Minor, and Lautenberg programs. Samira earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Obama for volunteering more than 120 hours in the social services setting in Los Angeles. With more than seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Samira has worked as a case manager and children services coordinator with an affiliate office of USCCB. Samira holds a Master’s degree in International Development Studies from the George Washington University, where she specialized in migration and worked with IOM-Jordan for her capstone project. She has a B.A. in General Design from California State University Long Beach.

Program Officer

Tarana Mammadova is a Program Officer for the Preferred Communities Program. She supports ECDC’s affiliates and branch offices achieve programmatic compliance, and refugee long-term self-sufficiency and integration efforts through ongoing training, technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation. Tarana holds an MSW from Columbia University, and a BA in English Linguistics from Azerbaijan University of Languages.

IT Manager

Wossen is the IT Manager overseeing the information technology system for ECDC headquarters and branch offices. He manages database, messaging, network, security, server, VPN, and ECDC’s website. Wossen has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

R&P Program Specialist

Yeshareg monitors IOM flight information and ensures accurate details are disseminated to affiliates in a timely manner. She also processes R&P reimbursements and corresponds with the RPC to confirm that ECDC’s arrival numbers match with the RPC. Yeshareg previously served as an Engineering Assistant and Data Entry Supervisor at ABB, Inc. She lived and worked in London before relocating to the United States.