Meet our team

Fatima Saidi has extensive experience in fundraising, grantmaking, and development, having garnered five years of experience in these areas. As the National Campaign Director for We Are All America (WAAA), she assumes responsibility for spearheading collaborative efforts with similar organizations, honing organizers’ skills, managing communications and operations, and raising funds. Her primary aim is to uphold and augment the United States’ commitment to providing a secure haven for individuals seeking refuge, safety, and freedom by bringing together individuals from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds to promote the formation of inclusive communities.

Fatima Saidi was born in a small village located in Ghazni, Afghanistan. At the tender age of two, her family was forced to flee as refugees to Quetta, Pakistan, to escape the Taliban. In September 2013, Fatima arrived in Lewiston, Maine, as an international student at Bates College. Throughout her academic years, she acquired valuable experience through internships with reputable organizations such as the International Institute of St. Louis in Missouri, the United Nations, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the World Hazara Council in Vienna, Austria.

Fatima obtained her double major in Political Science and Religious Studies from Bates College in 2017. Subsequently, she served as a Development Coordinator and Grant Writer at the Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment in Boston for two years. In December 2020, she became the Development and Relations Manager at Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC).

Nejra Sumic is a former Refugee, who was forced to flee from her home country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After a long and dangerous journey, Nejra and her family were finally granted asylum as Refugees into the United States. They were able to overcome a great deal of adversity, including adapting to a new culture and building a new life.

Being a former Refugee, not only instilled her sense of purpose, but also fueled her determination and passion. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology at Arizona State University and a Master’s in Public Administration at Western International University. She is fluent in English, Spanish, Bosnian, and several other dialects.

Mrs. Sumic has been a refugee advocate for many years, working at various human rights organizations. In her current role, she is the National Field Manager with the We Are All America Campaign, where she helps organize refugee leaders across the country. She is most passionate in advocating for refugees because they are helping shape our nation’s history of inclusion, bringing rich cultural diversity, and contributing to our communities.

Isabel López joined the We Are All American campaign as our Digital Organizer. She is a Venezuelan immigrant with over five years of experience in organizing and communications. Isabel’s passion lies in cultivating relationships and building power among displaced communities to promote equity and inclusivity, and she is excited to continue this work as WAAA’s Digital Organizer.

Since relocating to the United States in 2017, Isabel has been deeply involved in human rights and immigration activism. She played a pivotal role in building a movement of human rights defenders as the president of her university’s Amnesty International chapter, worked with immigrant and asylum-seeking communities through Planned Parenthood’s Latinx- serving programs Raíz and Promotoras, and most recently, worked as the Policy & Communications intern for the International Refugee Assistance Project.

Isabel graduated from Rhodes College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and International Studies. Beyond her professional life, she enjoys spending time in nature, doing creative makeup, and dancing to live music.

Ruben Luna Torres joined the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition in October of 2022 as the Communication and Policy Advocate Lead. With a quick-on-the-feet and eager mindset, he works with government officials and community partners around Maine in advancing MIRC’s policy priorities in Augusta and city halls throughout the state his advocacy work also includes promoting the organization through both traditional media and social media.

Previously Torres worked in the finance sector after graduating from The University of Maine Orono with a Masters in Global Policy and a Bachelors in International Affairs minoring in Legal Studies. During this time, he traveled through Europe while studying International Fiance at Carlos III University in Madrid.

Originally from California, Torres has grown up with a strong passion for local and international community outreach. In his free time, he loves cooking with local products, finding new things to explore, and watching football!

Anahita Panahi is the Deputy Director of Refugee Affairs at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), where she manages campaigns advocating for the wellbeing of refugees and newcomers in California. Serving as a safeguard for human rights, Panahi has been inspired from her direct experience as an immigrant. Being the product of refugees from Iran, she is privy to the unique problems new Americans face, and important qualities they bring to their adopted countries.

After studying at San Diego State University, her advocacy work has led her to Turkey, Iran, and Spain. In 2019, she started her role as a Refugee Organizer with We Are All America, where she built grassroots support, convened various stakeholders,, and fostered welcoming practices for refugees’ rights and needs in California. An impassioned organizer and activist with lived experience, she is also the Vice Chair of the Refugee Forum of Los Angeles (RFLA). Panahi, who speaks English, Farsi, and Spanish, received her bachelor’s degree in International Security and Conflict Resolution at San Diego State University and an M.A. in Political Science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Jacky is a versatile professional with more than 15 years of experience. From Corporate to Not for profit organizations, Jacky has over 10 years of experience in managerial, and leadership positions.

She is a result driven professional where her past is marked with proven and remarkable achievements of building institutions and systems. She is a Certified Professional Banker (CPB) with a Bachelors’ Degree in Law. Jacky is an adept of women and girls financial empowerment drowned from her personal life experience. She is also a proud mother of 4, 2 girls and 2 boys.

Kawser Amine was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. She earned a bachelor’s degree in general management and specialization in international relations at the Indian School of Business Management in New Delhi, India. She has worked with different parts of society as a Young Women Leader and Peace Activist in leadership positions to improve the participation of women in the leadership, governance, politics, and peace process, sport, of Afghanistan. Her uses her position and experience as a former Athlete in Afghanistan national soccer team, for 9 years, women’s rights activist, and education gives her passion to bring light to specific issues concerning women’s rights.

Kawser funded the women leadership club/Women’s soccer club in American University of Afghanistan (AUAF). She has worked as a leadership program assistant office of the national security council in Afghanistan, as well as a political analyst for the secretary council of Afghanistan in the presidential office ARG gender program, and adviser in the ministry of women affairs.

Kosar was born and raised in Nashville, TN, to Somali refugees. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies.

Kosar serves as the Multicultural Organizer at the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), leading community education and outreach efforts on statewide campaigns and services to ensure that immigrant and refugee communities have accurate and timely information about TIRRC’s campaigns and services. He leads TIRRC’s Black Immigrant Caucus, a group dedicated to creating space for Black immigrant community members and leaders across the state to connect and ensure Black immigrants can shape TIRRC’s campaign priorities and goals.

Lastly, in conjunction with his work at TIRRC, Kosar is an organizer with We Are All America (WAAA) and a co-chair of WAAA’s Refugee Leadership Table.

Pierre was born and raised in Rwanda and went to college in Kenya, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and a Master’s in Finance. Upon completing his studies, Pierre played a significant role in rebuilding his Rwanda country after being torn apart by genocide, which happened in 1994. During his service in Rwanda, he started as a Program Expert in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning; he later moved to Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency as Deputy Managing Director in charge of Export Promotion.

After successful service, he was promoted to Kigali City Manager. As he kept on growing in his professional life, Pierre realized that his passion for seeing the most vulnerable lifted out of misery was not being recognized as he wanted to, so he decided to move to a service in a non-profit organization. He joined World Relief Rwanda, where he served to empower the local church to do the most vulnerable in the capacity of Program Director.

Ray Sookchain is the Marketing and Social Media Coordinator at Isuroon. Isuroon is a women-led, community-driven organization motivated by the belief that Somali women and girls deserve to be healthy and have a strong voice. 

Ray holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Marketing with a minor in German. He has 7.5+ years of work experience and is passionate about marketing.

Sara Louis-Ayo is the Policy/Advocacy Organizer and Legal Assistant with the Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants. She is a South Sudanese American pursuing her Master’s in Public Health. She specializes in community health among refugee and immigrant populations in Louisiana.