Organizers & Ambassadors

Action Corps ambassadors and organizers are leaders across the country who volunteer with Action Corps campaigns. They represent Action Corps in meetings with members of Congress, in the media, and in their communities.

Have some extra time? We have flexible volunteer roles to accommodate a range of different schedules.  Apply to join our Volunteer Program!

​CALIFORNIA

Aseel Fara - Organizer
Aseel Fara is a Yemeni-American human rights activist. He works as a community development assistant in his local San Francisco Tenderloin community. Previously, he served his community as a youth voice outreach coordinator. Aseel is the founder of Urgent Care For Yemen, a Yemen-based charity that raised tens of thousands of dollars for large tanks of fresh drinking water.
Blen Alemu - Ambassador
​Blen Alemu, based in San Diego, is an international student from Ethiopia. She volunteers as a coordinator, marketer, and financial advisor at Jarweng Educational Development. Jarweng is a non-profit whose mission is to build schools in South Sudan and to improve life through better education, healthcare, and commerce.
Cristian Izquierdo - Organizer
​Cristian Izquierdo is a Mexican and Japanese-American international solidarity activist. He works as a special education teacher in San Francisco. Cristian is involved in the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, the Nikkei Decolonization Tour, and the Campaign for Justice: REDRESS NOW! for Japanese Latin Americans.
Jeremy Neill - Ambassador
​Jeremy Neil has spent the last two years in the nonprofit sector advocating for ocean plastic mitigation efforts and coastal protection while working on his MS in Public and Urban Policy. His interests center around the intersections of policy and technology, leveraging modern computer technologies to help decision makers and grassroots organizations increase their influence and democratization over public resources.

COLORADO

Stephen Lauer - Ambassador
Stephen Lauer, based in Pueblo, Colorado, is a scholar, educator, and organizer driven to understand and overcome barriers to sustained civic engagement for inclusive and equitable community development. He is currently working on food access and agricultural initiatives in rural southern Colorado.

CONNECTICUT

Layan Jahaf - Ambassador
Layan Jahaf is a Yemeni-American high school student passionate about political science and foreign relations. She is a founding member of Pathways for Yemen, a nonprofit initiative working to end Yemen's civil war and alleviate the country's devastating conditions.

​FLORIDA

Stephanie Odom - Organizer
Stephanie Odom, a recent Cum Laude graduate with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Communication Studies from the University of Florida, is pursuing an M.S. in Nonprofit Management at Columbia University. She works to amplify underrepresented voices, leveraging skills in strategic planning to ensure impactful and inclusive initiatives.
​Zehra Baqri - Ambassador
Zehra Baqri, based in Orlando, is a college student passionate about science, technology, engineering and math. She is involved in her Shi’a Muslim community and campaigns for first generation immigrants from Pakistan and Iraq to register to vote. It is important to her to speak out for her community to her central Florida representatives.

GEORGIA

Alexandra Nelson – Ambassador
​Alexandra Nelson is a second year student studying art history and minoring in Spanish and curatorial studies at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She is involved in Spelman College Student Ambassadors, The Social Justice Program, The Blue Record Podcast, and the AUC Art Collective. She is passionate about social justice and increasing Black visibility within the art world.
Brittany Wilson – Ambassador
Brittany Wilson has over a decade of experience planning outreach events to excite, engage, and interact with the community. She is a founding member of Action Corps. Brittany is the design director at a large home textile company that sells to major retailers throughout the U.S.

​IDAHO

Brendan Bell-Taylor - Ambassador
​Brendan Bell-Taylor graduated from Boise State University’s Political Science Program, specializing in international relations.  He recently worked with the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights and is involved with Idaho politics to further human rights. His research has focused on far-right radicalization in the United States.
Hannah Margaret Schwarz - Ambassador
​Hannah Margaret Schwarz is an international development practitioner committed to gender equality, climate justice, and human rights.  Hannah graduated from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and worked in sexual reproductive health and food security while serving in the Peace Corps in Nepal.

​INDIANA

Kimberly Kiser - Ambassador
Kimberly Kiser is a data specialist and prospect researcher for Second Helpings, in Indianapolis, providing job training, and hunger relief to 4,000 people a day. She is a founding member of Action Corps and holds a master’s degree from Indiana University, where she studied non-profit law, management and finance.
Monica Tuimuk - Ambassador
Monica Tuimuk is from the Matu-Chin ethnic group and is involved in this community as well as the Burmese community in Indianapolis. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering and serving the community. Most of her leadership experience comes from student and community organizations such as Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority Inc., and Myanmar Student Organization. Her goal is to continue developing skills in order to effectively participate in advocating for marginalized communities.

​IOWA

Rev. Joan Fumetti - Ambassador
Rev. Joan Fumetti is an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ, and a climate activist. She is a retired staff member of Growing Hope Globally. The organization works with U.S. farmers who agree to donate the profits from specified crops to support sustainable agriculture in low-income countries. Rev. Fumetti played a key role in Action Corps’ 2020 Global COVID Response Campaign, bringing together Iowa farmers, humanitarians, and people of faith, to lobby Sen. Grassley.

KENTUCKY

David Lian - Ambassador
David Lian is an ethnic Chin from Burma, he studied political science and is currently studying MBA Entrepreneurship at University of Louisville, He has experience speaking to state and DC legislators for Burma. He has a passion for traveling and learning from different parts of the world.

​MAINE

Louise Kazek - Ambassador
Louise Kazek is an international affairs and law student at the University of Maine. Originally from France, and president of Model UN in Maine, she has a diverse network from around the world.

​MARYLAND 

Kanisha Harrell - Organizer
Kanisha Harrell is a first generation, limited-income student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, where she is double majoring in Political Science and Sociology with a minor in Civic Life. She tutors with the Goucher Prison Education Program, mentors other first generation, limited-income students, and serves on the Hopkins Board of Student Conduct. She is active in racial justice organizing and has interned with the Innocence Project, an organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people. Kanisha plans to become a criminal defense attorney to aid communities of color impacted by mass incarceration.​
Bret Lawson - Ambassador 
​Bret Lawson, based out of Washington, D.C., is an international relations student. She is passionate about humanitarian advocacy and moved to the capital to be able to better influence policy, particularly in regards to mobilizing resources to low-income communities globally.
Mark Harrison - Ambassador ​
Mark Harrison is the retired director of peace with justice from the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society where he advocated for public policy issues before Congress and the administration. In that capacity he served on the boards of Churches for Middle East Peace, International Labor Rights Fund and Interfaith Peace Builders, among others.​

​MASSACHUSETTS

Kate Mallory - Ambassador
​Kate Mallory, based in Boston, is an undergraduate student studying international relations and political science. Kate currently serves on the board of 100 Million USA, a worldwide campaign to end child exploitation. She previously worked with the Northeastern University School of Law's Immigrant Justice Clinic.

​MICHIGAN

Odile Hugonot Haber - Ambassador
​Odile Hugonot Haber has been an RN in the US for over 30 years, has worked with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom since 1983, and is on the board of World Beyond War. She was a delegate for the California Nurses Association, part of the Campaign Against Apartheid at UC Berkeley in the mid 1980s, part of the Women in Black movement, and part of the Long Haul’s project, the Slingshot newspaper.

​MINNESOTA

Holly Young - Organizer
Holly Young is a graduate of Penn State. She first visited the West Bank at age 13 and has been advocating for Palestinian rights ever since. Currently a homeschool mom, she is dedicated to raising her children with a strong sense of social justice.
​Kim Kokett - Organizer
​Kim Kokett, based in Minneapolis, is a early childhood educator and family advocate. She has had the opportunity to travel to a number of countries including Rwanda, India, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Columbia, South Africa and Sierra Leone to share her experiences around education and learn about development on a local level. She is also connected to MN 350 and the ONE Campaign.
Yasmine Tesema - Ambassador
​Yasmine Tesema grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is currently
attending Carleton College. She is involved with religious-based groups and cultural organizations.

​NEBRASKA 

Sharon Conlon - Ambassador
A retired pedorthist (specialist in treating conditions of the ankle and foot), Sharon Conlon enjoys her life with her husband and grown children. Sharon works with the Nebraskans for Peace Palestinian Rights Task Force, Friends Committee for National Legislation, and Planned Parenthood. She traveled to the West Bank in 2017 and 2019, where she observed the humanitarian crisis up close.​

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Abigail Henry - Ambassador 
Abigail Henry of Newmarket is an undergraduate political science student at Northeastern University and a member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). She is interested in international relations, conflict resolution, and the role of the military in establishing diplomatic relations and peacebuilding.

​NEW JERSEY

Sharlina Wang - Organizer
Sharlina Wang is a high school student interested in making an impact
in her community. She is the Color Guard Captain, Chess Club President, Esports Club President, and a tutor for math and English. Sharlina is also a teacher’s assistant at her Chinese school and loves doing community service.
Kathleen O’Neill - Ambassador
Kathleen O'Neill, based in Linden, NJ, is a retired UNICEF staff member. She currently works as a caregiver and has volunteered with ESL programs, LGBT youth groups and the marriage equality movement.
Romir Patel - Ambassador
Romir Patel is a high school sophomore at the Delbarton School in New Jersey. He has a strong interest in advocacy work and for years has researched international relations and domestic policy making as a competitor in middle school and high school debate. As a debater, he has consistently ranked amongst the best nationally and has a wide range of debate experience in global issues.

​NEW MEXICO

Don Wiviott - Ambassador
Don Wiviott is a social entrepreneur currently working in organic agriculture and reforestation. In 2008 he was a congressional candidate in his home state of New Mexico and currently serves on the board of the Iowa Farmers Union. He holds a degree in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth and an MBA from Harvard.
Kathy Chavez - Ambassador
​Kathy Chavez, a native New Mexican, is a Navy veteran and practicing nurse. She grew up with a strong sense of social justice and was raised to respect the earth and all living creatures. With Action Corps she has lobbied for food aid reform and climate change policies. Her passions include health care and the COVID global response.

​NEW YORK

Iris Hsiang - Organizer
Iris Hsiang is from Vermont and attends Columbia University in New York City, pursuing a degree in Climate System Science and Human Rights. She is involved in advocacy work for equitable resource distribution and is a member of the Columbia Housing Equity Project, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, and a project mapping the bottom of the Long Island Sound.
Khadija Hayat - Organizer
Khadija Hayat is from North West Pakistan, where she witnessed the impacts of conflict and systemic barriers to progress. She has worked with communities in poverty, including supporting socio-economic initiatives at the governor’s secretariat and aiding displaced families after the 2009 floods in Peshawar. As an international diplomat, she has tackled issues like United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, immigration policy, and bilateral cooperation. Khadija is fluent in French, Urdu/Hindi, and Pashto. She also has a basic knowledge of Arabic, Persian, and Punjabi.​​
Sami Esquivel - Organizer
​Sami Esquivel has worked with local NGOs to spread awareness on the importance of oceanic health and forests by leading bay restoration projects and educational hikes for volunteers and the public. She has also coordinated with working communities to advocate for land management and organic farming at community farms for over three years. Sami is focused on amplifying diverse voices to build a healthier community through her involvement in projects involving community outreach as well as arts and cultural partnerships.​​
Julia Meltzer - Ambassador
Julia Meltzer is a graduate student in the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management program at the Milano School of Policy, Management, and the Environment and will be completing her Master of Science in Fall 2021. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, and is interested in climate justice, environmental justice, and political ecology at all scales. She has advocated for environmental policy at the state level and looks forward to expanding her scope to address intersecting global challenges.

North Carolina

Andy Silver - Organizer
Andy Silver is a retired epidemiologist and a dual citizen of the US and Israel, living in Durham, NC. In 1966, he refused military service in the US and fled to Israel. In 1979, he left Israel as a matter of conscience. Andy has spent 16 years in Thailand, the last eight volunteering with mobile health clinics of the Karen Dept. of Health and Welfare in the occupied Karen state of Burma. He has lobbied Congress many times over the years with various human rights organizations.

OHIO

Djeynaba Ba - Ambassador
Djeynaba Ba is originally from Mauritania. Her dissertation research at Ohio State University focuses on mining policies in Africa. She has volunteered with Oxfam America, World Food Programme USA, and CARE.
Kenny Ruffin - Ambassador
Kenny Ruffin is a former member of Oxfam America’s Action Corps and a founding organizer of Action Corps. He has been interested and active in pursuing justice and equality locally, nationally and internationally.​

​OKLAHOMA

Sister Diane Koorie - Ambassador
Sr. Diane Koorie, a Sister of Mercy at Mercy Health Center convent in Oklahoma City, is a former teacher continuing to serve on ministry boards, offering adult faith formation, and in advocacy work. Sisters of Mercy serve God’s people through education, health care and other ministries that further social, political, economic and spiritual well-being.

PENNSYLVANIA

Julian Wharton - Ambassador
Julian Wharton was an advocate in the early AIDS movement with ACT-UP, is chair of the Nominating Committee for the NAACP-Monroe County, PA, and is an active member of his church. Leading up to the 2020 election, he volunteered with Reclaim Our Vote to fight voter suppression.
Robin Garrett - Ambassador
Robin Garrett, based in Chester County, Pennsylvania, is a nurse/nurse educator with 40+ off-and-on years of activity related to peace-making, non-violence, women's health, and reproductive justice, now mostly focused on making change in Pennsylvania's racially discriminatory criminal legal system with a current focus on ending life without parole and abusive solitary confinement practices.​

RHODE ISLAND

David Oppenheimer - Ambassador
David Oppenheimer is a peace activist and retired chef from Providence, Rhode Island. He has brought students, immigrants, and peace activists together for meetings with elected officials. Significantly, he played a key role in securing commitments from Senator Reed, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, towards the goals of ending U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and U.S. participation in the war in Yemen, restoring humanitarian aid to Yemen, and a global COVID response with international funds called Special Drawing Rights.​

​SOUTH CAROLINA

​Kyle Anderson - Ambassador​
​Kyle Anderson helps support global education and discovery technologies with Academic Programs International. He is a former Chinese professor and university administrator, and works closely with Parami University (Yangon, Myanmar) and its students to sustain learning in crisis contexts.

TEXAS

Salai Nilian - Organizer
Salai Nilian is a member of the Chin ethnic group from Myanmar, currently living in Austin, Texas. He was a student activist during the nationwide people's uprising for political change in Myanmar in 1988 and fled the country after the Myanmar military seized power. Following the 2021 military coup of Myanmar, Salai has been involved with Chin and Myanmar community groups in supporting those affected by the conflict in his country.
Rachel Powelson - Ambassador
Rachel Powelson, based in Dallas, has lived in Thailand and Myanmar and researched Kachin languages in grad school. Her wish is for Myanmar to become a peaceful and prosperous country where its people can live in safety and happiness.

UTAH

Farhan Iqbal - Organizer
Farhan Iqbal, based in Salt Lake City, is an entrepreneur and businessman committed to international charitable causes. He is focused on humanitarian efforts in Yemen, Burma, Syria, and Palestine. With Action Corps he has met with the office of Senator Mike Lee, and initiated a Utah petition to the senator, in support of the people of Yemen.

​VERMONT

Karen Blanchard - Organizer
Karen Blanchard has taught change agents for over 30 years at the School for International Training in Vermont, including programs for NGO professionals in Southeast Asia and newly arrived refugees. She is a member of Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) for formerly incarcerated individuals, serves on her local school board, and is part of the Inclusion Committee in Westminster, VT.
Mary Diane “MD” Baker - Organizer
Mary Diane “MD” Baker​ is an activist in Brattleboro, Vermont, where she organizes with a number of groups. She was a key organizer of the January 25, 2021 Vermont car caravan as part of the global day of action called World Says No to War on Yemen. She has participated in multiple constituent meetings with the staff of Vermont's U.S. senators, advocating for global justice, and she has led press outreach for the group's local Yemen solidarity campaign.
Ellen Schwartz - Ambassador
Ellen Schwartz is past president of the Vermont Workers’ Center, where she currently serves as co-coordinator of the Campaign Team. She is a retired Vermont educator and editor.

VIRGINIA

Seng Hkawn Myitung - Organizer
Seng Hkawn Myitung is a first-generation Kachin immigrant from Burma, driven by a desire to make a difference and advocate for her people and others. She has served as a member of the Burma Action Committee for STAND, the student-led movement to end mass atrocities.
Tahir Mahmood - Ambassador
Tahir Mahmood holds a Master in Microbiology from Karachi, Pakistan. Now retired, Tahir worked as a Blood Bank Manager at various hospitals in the USA and the Middle East. He currently volunteers for freedom and civil rights and teaches Arabic language as a hobby.

WASHINGTON D.C.

Sarah Atique - Organizer
​Sarah Atique is a young professional of South Asian descent with a background in global health and clinical neuroscience. As a Bangladeshi Muslim American, she brings a diverse perspective and is committed to supporting minorities and advocating for the silenced through various international initiatives.
Lauren Selig - Ambassador
Lauren Selig is based in Washington, D.C. and has spent her career in the nonprofit and political sectors. She completed the Rising Organizers fellowship for emerging and established organizers in the DC-Maryland-Virginia area. Lauren is currently active in labor and Palestinian solidarity groups, using community and union organizing to build coalitions that address society’s inequities.

​WASHINGTON STATE

Kokou T. Tighankpa - Organizer
Kokou T. Tighankpa is a Medical Doctor from Togo, currently pursuing an MPH degree at the University of Washington, Seattle. Passionate about ensuring healthcare access and respect for all, Kokou is dedicated to raising awareness about the conflicts in Congo and Sudan and advocating for change.
Ann Simons - Ambassador
Ann Simons has worked as a state and regional lobbyist for 35 years. She recently played a pivotal role in the passage of legislation creating the Washington State Women's Commission. She holds a Master of International Relations from American University.
Birch MacLeod - Ambassador
Birch MacLeod is a college graduate who was born and raised in Seattle. On her days off you can find her crocheting, gardening, or playing banjo on the porch. Now that Birch is out of school, they have more time and energy to give back to the communities around them.

​WISCONSIN 

Moselle Singh - Ambassador
​Moselle Singh is a Punjabi-American artist and grassroots collaborator based in the Great Plains (Iowa-Wisconsin) with a background in agroecology and biodiversity regeneration. They have worked on small farms around the world with growers and seed keepers advocating for food/seed sovereignty and the dismantling of colonial-capitalist agriculture from the Great Plains to undivided Punjab. They currently collaborate with the Indigenous-led resistance, Great Plains Action Society.

Founding Organizers

  • Brennan Frazier, New York
  • Brian Rawson, California
  • Clara Herrero, California
  • Dawn Deransburg, Wisconsin
  • Desiree Thayer, California
  • Djeynaba Ba, Ohio
  • Elizabeth Norman, New York
  • Elizabeth Tillman, Texas
  • Ellie Baron, New York
  • Fatmazohra Feknous Ouaaz, New York
  • Hope Berndt, Indiana
  • Isaac Evans-Frantz, New York
  • ​Jasmine McBeath, California​
  • Jessica Shao, California
  • Kathy Chavez, New Mexico
  • Kenny Ruffin, Ohio
  • Kimberly Kiser, Indiana
  • Margaret Tran, New York
  • Megan Nakra, Illinois
  • Nancy Carpenter, Illinois
  • Nancy Romer, New York
  • Richenda Kramer, New York
  • Sapana Thomas, Massachusetts
  • Somia Elrowmeim, New York
  • Taryn Fusco, New York
  • Yolande Cadore, New York
  • Yolibeth Rangel, Wisconsin
  • Brittany Wilson, Georgia

Special Thanks

Action Corps would never have taken root without the tireless efforts of our founding board members --
Megan Nakra, Sapana Thomas, Elizabeth Tillman, Brittany Wilson, and Kimberly Kiser.
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