Staff

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Daranee Petsod 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.

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

Kevin Douglas joined GCIR in early 2019. He previously served as the Co-Director of Policy and Advocacy for United Neighborhood Houses of New York, where he lead the development of the network’s budget and policy priorities as well as the execution of its advocacy strategy. Kevin’s areas of focus included immigrant opportunity, youth education and skill building, nonprofit contracting, older adult programs, and community services at large.

Kevin earlier worked in a variety of programmatic and advocacy capacities in Pennsylvania and Connecticut on issues ranging from universal health care, to affordable housing, to behavioral health services. He was named one of New York Media’s 40 under 40, among other awards. Kevin earned a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Social Work from Eastern Connecticut State University. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Brisa, and their two cats, Roosevelt & Tango, and can often be found in the outdoors running or cycling. 

She has over 17 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining the GCIR team in April 2014, she worked at The San Francisco Foundation as coordinator for the Koshland Program where she collaborated closely with resident leaders in low-income neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area on community development projects.

Harmony holds an M.A. 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.

Michael joined GCIR in June 2013 but had worked intermittenly for GCIR as a consultant dating back to 2005, when he served as GCIR's first-ever intern. He has also worked as a newspaper reporter, a report writer for a liquidation company, and a communications intern at a foundation. Michael earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, but spent most of his time there in the offices of the university's independent student newspaper, The Daily Californian. When not hunkered over his laptop, Michael loves hosting dinner parties, traveling to distant places, and tramping through the woods.

Stephanie joined GCIR in January 2015. She previously held posts in the hospitality industry and at a university procurement office. She earlier 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 holds a B.A. in Global Studies from Sonoma State University. During her studies, she spent a year abroad at Universidad de Puerto Rico en Cayey, where she worked as an ESL instructor.

Stephanie was born and raised in Napa. During her childhood, she was involved with two educational nonprofits, Summer Search and Talent Search, which sparked her interest in working in the nonprofit sector. Stephanie enjoys practicing Bikram yoga, attending concerts with friends, and having weekend get-togethers with her very large family.

Huong has over 13 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining GCIR, she worked at Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) supporting the National Giving Circle Network. Her experiences also includes providing behavioral health and recovery services and working in the field of Positive Youth Development.

Huong earned her MSW from San Jose State University and her BA in Asian American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Outside of work she serves on the board of EBAYC in Oakland and is a core member of the Hella Heart Oakland Giving Circle. She also enjoys traveling, staying active, and spending time with her family and friends.

Melissa joined GCIR in October 2017. She previously served as an administrative and marketing assistant with a telemedicine company and earlier held a fellowship with her alma mater, Colby-Sawyer College. Melissa earned a B.S. degree in public health and minor in international studies from Colby-Sawyer College, which is in New London, New Hampshire. While in school, she served as a peer mentor and, in Thailand, as a visiting health scholar. As the daughter of a Cambodian refugee, 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.

Aryah has more than 12 years of experience with immigrant and refugee issues. She joined GCIR in February 2016. She earlier served as director of advocacy at KIND championing administrative and legislative protections for unaccompanied children. While a consultant, she co-authored UNHCR’s “Children on the Run” report on the root causes of migration of unaccompanied children from Central America and Mexico to the U.S. As a Fulbright Scholar in Guatemala, she researched safe repatriation and reintegration of children removed from the U.S. 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. Aryah loves spending time with her family, outdoor walks, and trying out all kinds of amazing cuisine.

Dianna joined GCIR in July 2016. She previously 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 earlier worked as an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, 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 International 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 and proud daughter of Vietnamese-Chinese immigrants. She enjoys reading, traveling, and learning about diverse cultures through the universal language of food.