FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2020
Contact: Hamp Price | Hamp@tnimmigrant.org
Immigrant Rights Organization Announces Leadership Transition
After six years, Co-Executive Directors of TIRRC, TIRRC Votes announce departures, new Executive Director named
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and their affiliated political organization TIRRC Votes announced today that after more than six years as Co-Executive Directors, Lindsey Harris and Stephanie Teatro will be leaving the organizations later this summer. They announced that the boards of directors have selected Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus, who has served as policy director for nearly five years, to be the next Executive Director of TIRRC and TIRRC Votes.
“During her time at TIRRC, Lisa has established herself as a trusted leader and a fierce advocate,” said Sky Gallegos, Board President of TIRRC Votes. “During this critical moment, her track record of success and the trust and respect she has built gives us the full confidence she’ll be able to provide TIRRC and TIRRC Votes with both steady leadership and a bold vision for the fights ahead.”
As a Guatemalan-American whose family made the difficult decision to leave Guatemala and relocate to Nashville, Sherman-Nikolaus has a deep commitment to fighting for an immigration system where all people can access safety, opportunity, and belonging. She has invested her life in fighting for justice and equality. Prior to joining the TIRRC team, she worked in the international human rights field in New York, London, and Senegal.
“We know this announcement comes at a moment of both tremendous uncertainty and transformative possibility for our state and country,” said Lindsey Harris, Co-Executive Director of TIRRC. “Fighting for immigrant rights in Tennessee has never been easy. We’ve always had to find ways to respond to the short-term crises of the moment while never losing sight of our long-term vision. This transition is no different; today’s announcement comes after nearly two years of careful planning and preparation.”
Harris first joined TIRRC in 2008 and Teatro in 2012. The two became co-directors in 2014 and have since led the organization through a period of immense challenges and transformative growth. Over the six years that they have served as co-executive directors, the organization has grown from a team of 9 to a team of 24 and counting.
“Lindsey and Stephanie led our organization through some of the most challenging moments the immigrant rights movement has faced,” said Claudio Mosse, Board President of TIRRC. “Our organizations have been on the front lines of non-stop crises, but Lindsey and Stephanie have always ensured TIRRC could meet the demands of the current moment while never ceasing to dream and build towards a better future.”
Over the past six years, Harris and Teatro have overseen the organization through repeated attacks on immigrant families from state legislators and through the first term of the Trump administration, including the country’s first massive ICE worksite raid in nearly a decade that took place in East Tennessee in 2018.
In 2018, they led the creation of TIRRC Votes, an affiliated 501(c)(4) organization to build political power for immigrants and refugees. In just two years, TIRRC Votes has emerged as a leading organization in Tennessee electoral politics, expanding the electorate, electing pro-immigrant champions, and winning key victories for immigrant families.
The capstone project for Harris and Teatro’s tenure is the Tennessee is Home capital campaign to build a permanent home for the organization on a vacant piece of land in Antioch, the heart of Nashville’s immigrant community. The organization purchased 1.4 acres of land where they are building a new office and community hub, which will include a multi-use event center, soccer fields, and community gardens. They have already raised more than 90% of the $2.6 million project budget and expect to complete construction by the end of the summer.
“2020 is a big year for TIRRC and TIRRC Votes. In addition to moving into a beautiful new home later this year, we know that our country is moving into a new political moment,” said Stephanie Teatro, Co-Executive Director of TIRRC and TIRRC Votes. “No matter what happens in November, we know that our movement will be facing a new reality of both deep challenges and transformative opportunities. The organization is strong and vibrant and ready for a new leader to help guide TIRRC through the critical next chapter for our movement.”
“I am so grateful for the work that Lindsey and Stephanie have done to build a powerful organization that has only grown stronger during some of the most challenging years we’ve faced. Our country is at a critical juncture, and I am honored that the board has selected me to lead this organization into the next chapter for our movement,” said Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus, incoming Executive Director of TIRRC and TIRRC Votes. “Over the next few months, we will work to ensure a seamless transition while continuing to fight on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic, to defend DACA, to make sure that immigrant voters go to the polls in record numbers this year, and to support Black movement leaders in the fight against police brutality and white supremacy. ”
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TIRRC is a statewide, immigrant and refugee-led collaboration whose mission is to empower immigrants and refugees throughout Tennessee to develop a unified voice, defend their rights, and create an atmosphere in which they are recognized as positive contributors to the state. Since its founding in 2001, TIRRC has worked to develop immigrant leadership, build the capacity of its immigrant-led member organizations, help immigrant community members understand and engage in the civic process, and educate the public about policies that would better promote integration of new immigrants and facilitate their full participation in US society. In just a few years TIRRC has grown from a grassroots network of community leaders into one of the most diverse and effective coalitions of its kind, a model for emerging immigrant rights organizations in the Southeast and throughout the United States.