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. Outside of her work with GCIR, Felecia enjoys spending time with her family and exploring California’s natural environment—preferably at the same time.

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. Kaying enjoys biking and running and exploring her new home in Northern California. Whenever possible, she returns to Minnesota to spend time with her niece and nephews.

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. She enjoys spending time with the family, loves training hearing dogs in her spare time (as a certified trainer), volunteering in the community and gardening.

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. She enjoys the great outdoors, savoring gourmet meals, and traveling the world with her family.

Camellia Rodriguez-SackByrne joined GCIR as research and communications manager in May 2012.  Prior to that, she worked on a state demographics project with the Stanford Center on Longevity, served as a development and communications manager at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, and was a research analyst with the Sandler Foundation.  She also has worked for the special counsel to the president at the Open Society Institute and served as a program officer with Parliamentarians for Global Action. Camellia has conducted research for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (now UN Women), the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, the Foundation for International Dignity based in Sierra Leone, and the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. She holds an MLA in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University and a BA in History and Feminist Studies with honors from Stanford University.  She enjoys playing the flute and performs regularly at hospitals and church services in the Bay Area.