Stephen was named the second Executive Director of TIRRC in June of 2008, and previously served as Policy Director after joining the organization in 2004. Stephen holds a Master’s in public administration from the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs, having completed his thesis work studying the impact of US public policy on English acquisition among immigrants. After graduate school, he served for five years as a logistics officer in the United States Navy, living and working in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf. Stephen sits on several boards and advisory councils dealing with immigration, including the Mayor's New Americans Advisory Committee in Nashville, the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (co-chair of the Task Force on Immigrants and Refugees), and Tennessee Supreme Court's Access to Justice Commission (Disabilities & Language Minorities Committee).

For media inquiries please contact Elias Feghali, Communications Coordinator at 615-833-0384 ext.104
For policy inquiries please contact Remziya Suleyman, Policy Coordinator at 615-833-0384 ext.105

Email: Stephen@tnimmigrant.org

Kasar was born in Kurdistan of Iraq. When former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein waged war on the region in 1988, Kasar lost several family members and she was forced to become a refugee. Initially, Kasar and her family lived in the Refugee Camp in Meriden, Turkey until September 1992, where her family was brought to America. Kasar graduated from Tennessee State University with Bachelor's degree in Sociology in 2005. While at TSU, Kasar worked with the TSU Health Research Center, served as a President of Muslim Student Association, and was on various panels. Kasar joined TIRRC in January of 2006. She has served in many interfaith dialogues, on her experience as a refugee, Kurdistan and its people, the role of a Muslim Women, life after September 11 as a Muslim in the United States, and the Next Door Neighbors Documentary Little Kurdistan: USA with Nashville Public Television. In her capacity as an activist, Kasar servers on many boards and is currently the Director of Advocacy & Education. She works in the areas of policy research and advocacy, strategic communications and movement-building, education and training in the area of immigrant integration, leadership development, and advance the issues and campaigns prioritized by the membership. She is fluent in Kurdish and English.

Email: Kasar@tnimmigrant.org
Phone: 615-833-0384 ext.107

Leticia is a Community Organizer/Membership Coordinator working to strengthen the base of the immigrants and refugees within the state and strengthen ties with allies. Leticia has been with TIRRC since February 2006. Her tasks include working with immigrant and refugee groups in the community to solve problems, providing trainings to assist immigrants in civic participation, maintaining open communication between all groups, and identifying and recruiting members. Leticia is fluent in Spanish and has strong English skills. She has a strong background in community organizing and has spent many years working for a variety of progressive social justice organizations.

Email: Leticia@tnimmigrant.org
Phone: 615-833-0384 ext.106

Marie was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She immigrated to the United States in 1990 after the departure of exiled president Duvalier. In 1998 she received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management at Middle Tennessee State University. She worked as a Creole and French interpreter for Catholic Charities in 1994, as new Haitian refugees arrived in Nashville. She worked as a liaison for the ESL program of Nashville Metro Schools for two years. After completing her Bachelors degree she moved to Boston, Massachusetts where she worked for a risk management firm. She returned to Haiti to work with under privileged youth and young adults through various organizations, one of which Marie started  to help young adults attend college. She returned to the United States attend the University of Phoenix where she obtained a master’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing. Marie joined Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition on March 2009. As an Office Manager, Marie supports the infrastructure team and organization as a whole by ensuring the smooth and efficient running of the office, maintaining the general ledger and financial records, and performing key human resources functions.

Email: Marie@tnimmigrant.org
Phone: 615-833-0384 ext. 100

Elias recently joined TIRRC in the spring of 2009. Though he was born in Lebanon, Elias (or Eli as he is known to many) has lived in the United States for the vast majority of his life. While his family currently lives is New Hampshire, Eli has decided to stay in Nashville following his undergraduate career at Vanderbilt University, where he majored in Conflict- Resolution. As Communications Coordinator, Elias interacts with the media, builds alliances with key constituencies, and coordinates efforts to educate the public through general communications strategies and the Welcoming Tennessee Initiative. Elias is currently learning Arabic and is eager to practice with you, so don't be shy!  

Email: Elias@tnimmigrant.org
Phone: 615-833-0384 ext 104

Lindsey is a Nashville native. She was a Generation Change intern in the summer of 2008, and then came on staff as the Project Manager in August of 2008. Lindsey coordinates TIRRC's major events, as well as membership, the website and data management. She has her bachelor’s degree in Spanish Teaching from Lipscomb University. She is fluent in English and Spanish, has studied and travelled extensively in Central and South America. She is currently pursuing her Masters Degree at Belmont University in Nonprofit Leadership.

Email: Lindsey@tnimmigrant.org
Phone: 615-833-0384 ext. 102

Amelia is a native of the Bay Area in California who first made her way to TIRRC as a Generation Change Intern in 2007. In 2008 she returned to TIRRC as the Civic Engagement Coordinator. She is a graduate of School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, with her Bachelor’s in Culture and Politics. She has worked with community organizations in the Bay Area, Washington, D.C., Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Tennessee. She is fluent in Spanish.

Email: Amelia@tnimmigrant.org
Phone: 615-833-0384 ext. 108

Sara Jane is the organizational development and financial management leader at TIRRC, and has been with the organization since 2003. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Development Studies and a Master’s in Social Work with a Concentration in Management and Community Practice. She has considerable experience in nonprofit management with organizations that serve immigrants and refugees, including previously serving as the programs manager for the Somali Community Center. Sara Jane speaks French and Maghrebi Arabic.

Email: Sara@tnimmigrant.org
Phone: 615-833-0384 ext.101

Remziya is a native of Kurdistan and came to the US in 1991. She obtained her Bachelor's in Political Science with minor in International Affairs from Tennessee State University in 2008. She is currently working on a Master's in Public Administration. Her prior experiences include working as an intern with the Tennessee State General Assembly and working in the Kurdish community to raise awareness on Kurdish genocide, youth involvement, and other issues. Her current position is Policy Coordinator which includes coordinating research and draft talking points on public policy issues, communicating with TIRRC’s legislative consultant to further legislative advocacy goals and monitoring the legislative process for potential impact on the immigrant/refugee community.

Email: Remziya@tnimmigrant.org
Phone: 615-833-0384 ext.105

Katie Vasquez was born in San Diego, CA. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish as well as Sociology. As a student at Central Michigan University, she collaborated on social justice campaigns about issues ranging from the promotion of racial justice on campus to economic equity within the larger agricultural food system. Her interest in sustainability as well as fair wages brought her in touch with immigrant workers who primarily labored in the U.S. agricultural sector. From that starting point, her projects have touched on topics from health disparities, grassroots capacity-building, and access to education for immigrant families.

Her work with TIRRC began in the Spring of 2009. Her role as Administrative Assistant allows her to provide infrastructural support to staff as well as to act as the point of contact for community members seeking support, advocacy, and information. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Email: Katie@tnimmigrant.org
Phone: 615-833-0384 ext. 100