Staff

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Daranee Petsod (she/her/hers) has played a variety of leadership roles to advance justice and equity for marginalized communities. As president of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), she leads an influential national organization that has catalyzed and leveraged hundreds of millions in philanthropic funding to protect the rights of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers—and cultivate their inclusion and contributions to our society. In recognition of GCIR as an indispensable resource to philanthropy, Inside Philanthropy in 2017 named the organization Funders’ Affinity Group of the Year.
 
Prior to joining GCIR, Daranee served as interim executive director at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and was a program officer at the Field Foundation of Illinois, Inc. and the Sophia Fund, one of the first women’s funds in the United States. She was also a consultant to foundations and nonprofits, helping them strengthen their grantmaking, programming, and communications. Earlier in her career, she worked with Southeast Asian refugee women, counseled abused and neglected children and their families, and mentored inner-city youth.

Daranee currently serves on the boards of directors of United Philanthropy Forum and Northern California Grantmakers. She has authored and co-authored numerous research reports on a range of immigration issues, as well as opinion pieces on the role of philanthropy in advancing the rights and inclusion of immigrants. She earned an M.A. in social policy from the University of Chicago and is a recipient of the 2014 Professional Development Fellowship from the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation. When not immersed in immigration and philanthropy, she enjoys the great outdoors and traveling the world with her family.

Processes membership applications and renewals, and oversees the digital systems that support our work

Caleb Beaudoin (he/him/his) has been with GCIR for more than five years. He is a certified Salesforce Administrator and, in January 2019, joined the United Philanthropy Forum’s Advisory Group, which provides guidance and support for the database-website platform used by GCIR and others in the Forum’s network.

Caleb is also a full-time student at Santa Rosa Junior College and will soon transfer to Sonoma State University to study sociology. Prior to joining GCIR in September 2014, he worked for an online retailer, performing order fulfillment and data management. A native of Sonoma County, Caleb enjoys cooking, hiking, and attending events in his community.

Leads our national programs, including overseeing our Delivering on the Dream initiative

Kevin Douglas (he/him/his) joined GCIR in February 2019 and has more than 13 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. He most recently worked as the Co-Director of Policy and Advocacy for United Neighborhood Houses of New York, a network of New York City’s settlement houses and community centers. While there, he led advocacy campaigns that resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in community services by city and state governments. His areas of focus included immigrant opportunity, youth education and skill building, nonprofit contracting, older adult programs, and community services at large. As a consultant, he developed and led what is believed to be the first training in Saudi Arabia for the philanthropic and nonprofit community on effective advocacy techniques.

Kevin was named one of New York Nonprofit Media’s 40 under 40 and a Next Generation Leader by the Human Services Council. He co-founded the giving circle 100 New Yorkers Who Care, and has served on several boards, including the New York Immigration Coalition. Kevin earned an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania and a BSW from Eastern Connecticut State University. He enjoys spending time with his wife and two cats, and can often be found in the outdoors running or cycling. 

Manages our internal operations, financial systems, and human resources

Harmony Hayes (she/her/hers) has over 17 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining the GCIR team more than five years ago, she worked at The San Francisco Foundation as coordinator for the Koshland Program where she collaborated with resident leaders in low-income neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area on community development projects.

Harmony earned an M.A. in Economic Development from The University of San Francisco. During that time, she managed a research project with support from USAID to examine the impact of social networks on access to micro-credit in the western highlands of Guatemala. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, antique shopping, and spending time with her family, especially with her two young sons.

Provides program and operational support for our California work, including registration and promotion

Stephanie Martinez (she/her/hers) joined GCIR nearly five years ago. She is on the planning committee for United Philanthropy Forum’s 2020 annual conference and was selected as a Líderes Fellow by Hispanics in Philanthropy in June 2019. She previously served as a summer intern with the Spark Program, an apprenticeship service for disadvantaged youth, and Legal Services for Children, a San Francisco-based legal services provider. Stephanie has also served on the alumni board for Summer Search, a national youth development organization, and as a mentor through several local organizations.

Stephanie earned a B.A. in Global Studies from Sonoma State University, and spent a year abroad at Universidad de Puerto Rico en Cayey. A daughter of immigrant parents, Stephanie's interest in the nonprofit sector was sparked by her childhood experience with two education nonprofits that helped her and her family overcome barriers and reach their full potential. She wants to empower future generations to do the same. Stephanie believes in the power of mentorship, has a passion for yoga, and thrives as her authentic self around her very large Mexican family

Leads our California programs, including overseeing our California Immigrant Integration Initiative and California Census 2020 Statewide Funders’ Initiative

Huong Nguyen-Yap (she/her/hers) has more than 13 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining GCIR in October 2018, she served as Membership Program Manager at Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, including supporting the National Giving Circle Network. Her experience also includes providing behavioral health and recovery services and working in the field of Positive Youth Development.

Huong has served on the board of East Bay Asian Youth Center in Oakland for five years and joined the board of Southeast Asia Resource Action Center in 2019. She has been a member of the Hella Heart Oakland Giving Circle for four years. Huong earned an MSW from San Jose State University and a B.A. in Asian American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is also a certified yoga instructor. Huong enjoys traveling, staying active, and spending time with her family and friends.

Provides operational assistance for our national programs, including registration and promotion

Melissa Nop (she/her/hers) joined GCIR more than two years ago. She previously served as an administrative and marketing assistant for WorldClinic, a telemedicine company, and held positions at two award-winning Sonoma wineries. She has served on the board of Summer Search, a national youth development organization, for nearly two years, and formerly served as a fundraising co-chair.

Melissa earned a B.S. in Public Health, with a minor in International Studies, from Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire. As an undergraduate, she was chosen as a Benjamin E. Gilman Scholar to do health advocacy in Thailand. As a daughter of Cambodian refugees, she has always been passionate about addressing the challenges that immigrants and refugees face. While not working, she enjoys traveling, sampling the newest restaurants, wine tasting, and spending time with her loved ones.

Coordinates our development operations and provides support on our mailings, social media, and other communications

Veera Sethuraman (she/her/hers) joined GCIR in May 2019. She previously worked at Dasra, India's leading strategic philanthropy foundation, where she supported the donor community to invest meaningfully in social change with advisory research in key development areas and pre-investment due diligence to identify high-impact nonprofits. She has experience facilitating multi-stakeholder workshops and donor education programs, and has worked in areas as diverse as adolescent reproductive and sexual health, technology for sanitation, and gender.

Veera earned a Master’s degree in Development Economics from Dalhousie University and a B.A. in Economics from York University. She has lived across Canada and India and is excited to be back in the Bay Area. She has represented India internationally as an ultimate frisbee player, and continues to play and coach in her free time. She is also an enthusiastic runner and baker.

Oversees our program work and shapes our programmatic strategy

Aryah Somers Landsberger (she/her/hers) has more than 18 years of experience with immigrant and refugee issues. She has been with GCIR for nearly four years. She previously served as director of advocacy at KIND, championing administrative and legislative protections for unaccompanied children. She was a co-author of UNHCR’s Children on the Run report on the root causes of migration of unaccompanied children from Central America and Mexico to the United States. As a Fulbright Scholar in Guatemala, she researched safe repatriation and reintegration of children removed from the United States to Guatemala. Aryah has also represented hundreds of children in immigration removal proceedings as a children’s attorney in New York at The Door and in Arizona at the Florence Project. Internationally, she worked in Egypt and Ecuador, advocating for refugee children. She has published law journal articles, practice advisories, white papers, statements, and talking points.

Aryah earned a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, an M.A. in Arab Studies from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University. She has served on the board of Houses on the Moon Theater Company for four years. Aryah loves spending time with her family, outdoor walks, and trying out all kinds of amazing cuisine.

Leads our development operations and guides our institutional messaging

Dianna Truong (she/her/hers) has been with GCIR for more than three years. Prior to joining GCIR, she served as a business development communications strategist at Palantir Technologies, where she wrote proposals concerning a wide range of public interest issues, from global health to humanitarian crisis response. She previously worked as an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, one of the top law firms in the country, where she was actively involved in pro bono work. Most notably, she obtained legal permanent resident status for a domestic violence victim under the Violence Against Women Act, and advanced constitutional challenges in defense of clients facing deportation. Dianna also served on the board of directors of the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area and the OneJustice Advisory Board.

Dianna earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Political Science and English from the University of Southern California. In law school, she represented low-income clients as a student attorney with the Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center and the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. As an undergraduate, she interned with the American Civil Liberties Union and co-founded the organization’s USC chapter. Dianna is a Bay Area native, a proud daughter of Vietnamese-Chinese immigrants, a book lover, and an avid foodie.