Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

Vanessa G. Cedeño, research and program associate, joined GCIR in April 2009 and was our summer intern in 2008. She received a BA in International Studies from the University of Chicago. While an undergraduate, Vanessa worked at the University of Chicago Survey Lab on a study that examined the relationship between Latino, Hispanic and Asian parents and schools in immigrant neighborhoods around the United States. She also worked at the University of Chicago Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy. Her work at GCIR focuses on programs and information resources.

Felecia Bartow, director of special projects,  has over 18 years of experience in the immigrant rights field. Prior to joining the organization as a staff member, Felecia served as a longtime consultant to GCIR. During her career, she has held leadership positions with groups including the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago, the American Friends Service Committee in Philadelphia, and the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies in San Francisco.

Felecia holds a Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a B.A. from Macalester College. In 2000, Felecia served as consultant to COMAL, an alternative community marketing network in Honduras. She was an associate producer of “Rights on the Line” (2005), a video project documenting the rise of vigilantism along the U.S.-Mexico border, and she co-authored Catalysts for Change: How California Nonprofits Can Deliver Direct Services and Transform Communities (2010), a study conducted for The California Endowment.
 

Amanda Graves, membership and operations manager, earned her BA degree from Sonoma State University from the Hutchins School for Liberal Studies. From 1999 to 2004, Amanda worked in a variety of capacities for GCIR to support administration, membership, and information resources functions. In 2004, Amanda attended the Academy of Art in San Francisco and subsequently worked at a small architectural and inspection firm from 2005-2007. In 2008, Amanda rejoined the GCIR team to be point person on membership and operations.

Kaying Hang, associate director, brings 15 years of professional experience in institutional philanthropy and public health. Prior to joining GCIR in March 2011, she was senior program officer with the Otto Bremer Foundation and a program officer with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation. She also directed the Refugee and Immigrant Health Program at the Minnesota Department of Health and served as the assistant regional coordinator for the Refugee and Immigrant Health Program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Kaying has served on the board of Regions Hospital, Organizing Apprenticeship Project (OAP), and Asian American in Philanthropy (AAPIP).  She received the Forty Under 40 Award from the Twin Cities Business Journal in 2005. A Hmong refugee, Kaying resettled to the United States at the age of three with her parents and a younger sister after the Secret War in Southeast Asia. Kaying has an MPH from Boston University and a BA from Brandeis University.

Diana Ip, program director, has engaged social justice issues for over fifteen years. Most recently she held leadership positions at Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, Changemakers, and the SPIN Project. Her interests and expertise cluster around communications, organizational development and movement building. During her career, she has worked extensively with immigrant communities on issues ranging from economic justice to reproductive health. She served as a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs and holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University. Diana earned an MFA in Writing from Mills College where she focused on stories inspired by growing up as a 1.5 generation immigrant in her family’s Chinese take-out in Baltimore.

Joellen Luttrell joined GCIR as administrative assistant in October 2011. She has worked for non-profits in various capacities for more than 25 years. While at Canine Companions for Independence, Jo served as an instructor/teacher and program manager. At The Children's Village of Sonoma County, she served as executive assistant to the director and was the special events coordinator supporting all fundraising efforts. Jo volunteers with various community groups that provide outreach, social, and health services to children and women. She attended Santa Rosa Junior College, where she has taken numerous professional development courses. 

Daranee Petsod, executive director of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), has worked on social and economic justice issues for the past 22 years. Prior to joining GCIR in December 1998, Daranee was a consultant working with foundations and nonprofits on program planning and communications. She previously served as interim executive director and development director for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and was a program officer for the Sophia Fund and the Field Foundation of Illinois, Inc. She has also worked as a policy analyst for the United Way, a social worker at a child-welfare agency, and an outreach worker for a refugee women's services program.

Daranee's areas of expertise include immigrant integration, immigrant and refugee grantmaking, and building the capacity of immigrant-based organizations. Daranee has authored and co-authored a number of publications, most recently Investing in Our Communities: Strategies for Immigrant Integration in 2006. Other publications include: Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian Communities in the San Francisco Bay Area: An Introduction for Grantmakers (2004), Newcomers in the American Workplace: Improving Employment Outcomes for Low-Wage Immigrants and Refugees (2003), and Moving from Welfare to Work: The Experiences of Refugee Women in Illinois (1999). Daranee holds a MA in Social Policy from the University of Chicago.