Susannah Lepley is the CWS Virginia director, based in Harrisonburg. She manages all the daily operations of our Harrisonburg office. Susannah grew up in Brazil and speaks Portuguese and Spanish.
slepley@cwsglobal.org
Lucia Canizares is the Immigration Counselor, accredited by the Department of Justice to practice immigration law. She speaks Spanish, English, and French and works to assist clients with applications for legal services such as citizenship, green card applications, and family reunifications.
lcanizares@cwsglobal.org
Rebecca Sprague is the Youth and Employment Program Coordinator (YEPC) for CWS Harrisonburg. She leads the staff working on intensive case management, employment, career pathways, adult education, integration support, youth programming, and small community grants providing oversight of all operations and services. She represents the mission of the projects coordinated and serves on several local coalitions working collaboratively with other community agencies with the same goal.
rsprague@cwsglobal.org
Anitha Nyirandatwa is the Refugee Health and Outreach (RHEO)/Medical Liaison Caseworker. She provides health education to refugee-eligible populations, helps newcomers navigate the United States healthcare system, and helps with access to health and mental health services. She enjoys reading and listening to music in her free time.
anyirandatwa@cwsglobal.org
Sarah Alice Coleman is the Associate Director of Programs. She provides oversight of programs that provide direct services to clients and coordinates resettlement activities. She has an MSW from Virginia Commonwealth University. .
sacoleman@cwsglobal.org
Ameera Haydar is the Preferred Community Coordinator. She helps vulnerable refugees achieve self-sufficiency. She speaks Arabic, Kurdish Kurmanjee, and English, and she is practicing Turkish and Spanish. She loves to garden and keeps chicken and sheep.
ahaydar@cwsglobal.org
Hubert Doughty is the Accounting Assistant. He is in charge of processing all financial transactions, managing supplies, and monitoring activities. He enjoys spending time with his grandson and is active in UMC.
hdoughty@cwsglobal.org
Madison Reese is the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA: Coordinator of Financial Literacy and Job Readiness. She organizes newcomers’ cultural orientation, co-organizes volunteers, and builds capacity for our office. Madison is a local to Harrisonburg and a recent graduate of Bridgewater College. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews and her rescue Pitbull, Valentine. In the upcoming years, Madison hopes to pursue her Master’s Degree in Social Work so she can continue to welcome refugees to our community. mreese@cwsglobal.org
Emily Bender is the Development and Communications Coordinator. She coordinates fundraising, events, and community outreach and engagement to promote refugee resettlement services. She has an MA in International Migration from the University of Kent Brussels School of International Studies and enjoys hiking and biking with her family in the Shenandoah Valley. ebender@cwsglobal.org
Aemal Yusufzai is the Employment Specialist. He helps new arrivals and long term clients find jobs and reach their career goals. His aim is to find the talents and guide them to the right path. He believes that every individual who comes to the U.S. has valuable talents and new ideas which can strengthen the community. He is fluent in English, Farsi, Russian, Urdu (Indian dialect) and basic Arabic and Spanish languages. He loves to learn more about cultures and languages.
ayusufzai@cwsglobal.org
Thierry Barihinyuza is the Refugee Social Services Employment Program (RSSEP) ESL and Adult Education Specialist. He speaks Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, French, English, and a bit of Lingala.
tbarihinyuza@cwsglobal.org
Monique Tshibola is the School Liaison working with youth education from kindergarten to 12th grade. She has a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Eastern Mennonite University. Monique is fluent in 4 languages: English, French, Lingala, and Tshiluba. Plus, she understands some Swahili. She loves cooking and sharing with people. She also enjoys meeting people from different background and learning new cultures. mtshibola@cwsglobal.org
Alex Michieka Maina is the R&P Caseworker. He helps new arrivals to integrate and settle into the community. He speaks Kiswahili, English and Ekegusii. He holds a Master of Public Policy from Liberty University. amaina@cwsglobal.org