Who
We Are

Lindsey is a humanitarian leader with more than 10 years of experience leading and designing programs in housing, disaster response, food stability, refugee resettlement, and immigration. She is passionate about creating a culture of innovation and compassion, bridging the gap between technology, government and nonprofits, and enabling people to utilize their strengths for community well-being. Lindsey has established and built strong partnerships with federal, state, and local governments, charitable foundations, businesses, and technology companies. Lindsey has extensive experience leading large temporary and permanent innovative housing solutions, emergency response programs; including responses to California wildfires, floods, COVID-19 relief, housing rental assistance, house sharing, and homelessness alleviation. She speaks Spanish and has experience living and working internationally, mainly India and Guatemala. She holds a BS in Psychology; Minor in Women's Studies and earned her MBA with concentrations in Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Consulting from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

Lynette is a United States Marine Corps veteran with 17 years of experience in affordable housing and property management. As a single mother who lived in public housing, she understands that finances should not determine the quality of one’s housing. Her passion for safe and clean accommodations – regardless of financial situation – guided her into a career path in housing. Lynette's creation of the first wrap-around services for the Dallas Habitat for Humanity affiliate helped the agency secure $20 million of housing revitalization funding, and she led and developed a poverty simulation program and pre- and post-purchase educational training for Habitat's central affiliates. Lynette joins RHS under Church World Service following her previous experience as a housing consultant at Molina Healthcare and as the Director of Programs with Community LINC, where she oversaw the Emergency Rental Assistance Programs (ERAP), family self-sufficiency programs, transitional housing, and the homeless shelter program. Lynette holds a BS in Criminal Justice and a MA in Human Services from Bradley University.

Grace is a Florida-based multimedia communications professional and international law specialist with experience in both the public and private sectors. She discovered her interest in international relations and law while completing her BA in Journalism and Media at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. This led her to pursue an MA in Diplomacy and International Law at the American University of Paris, focusing on human rights, humanitarian, and refugee law. During this program, she also completed a human rights law intensive at the University of Oxford where she further developed an expertise in refugee law. Grace joined RHS under Church World Service following more than three years living in France, during which time she spent a year working in communications at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

Nathalie is a strategy professional with 10 years of experience managing the planning of real estate projects and helping management teams make data-driven decisions to drive sustainable growth. Nathalie joins RHS under Church World Service following her previous experience as a Development Manager at Marriott International in Dubai, where she was involved in growing the company’s property portfolio in the MENA region and providing project development guidance to private and institutional investors in the hospitality sector. Nathalie holds a BA in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut and earned an MS in Global Affairs from New York University. She speaks English, Arabic, and French and is based in New York, NY.

Jesse is an innovative servant leader with 13 years of experience working in human services and housing, specifically for homeless, developmental disability, and refugee populations. He has initiated, executed, and launched housing and mental health programs in partnership with local, statewide, and federal partners. Jesse has extensive change management experience and is a regarded lecturer with a methodical focus surrounding personal and spiritual development. Based in Atlanta, GA, Jesse holds a BA in Marketing, an MS in Theology, and a Ph.D. in Psychology.

Joshua has more than 15 years of experience in implementing humanitarian-focused housing programs for communities displaced by conflict and affected by natural disasters. Throughout his career, Joshua has worked with governments, NGOs, and community-level stakeholders to respond, rebuild, and increase access to safe and affordable housing. He has extensive project-level experience as a housing expert in the U.S., Sri Lanka, Haiti, Nepal, the Philippines, Ukraine, and Lebanon. He has worked with Habitat for Humanity, the Danish Refugee Council, and other shelter and housing-focused humanitarian organizations. Joshua received a BA in Anthropology from the University of Arizona, and has a Master’s Certificate from Cornell University in Systems Design. Most recently, Joshua has been leading graduate level courses as a professor at Fordham University’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs. He is based in the Hudson Valley region of New York.

Yasmine has supported work on a variety of housing-focused issues. She previously worked with IRUSA and other nonprofits to support capacity building initiatives, and most recently worked closely with local governments in Seminole County Florida on affordable housing policies. From food insecurity to housing projects, Yasmine has applied her skills and expertise to create programs that promote successful project implementation. Through her background in Urban Planning, she understands the role that safe and affordable housing plays in creating a strong and unified society. Yasmine holds a BS in Public Administration and an MS in Urban and Regional Planning.

Leslie joined the RHS team in early 2022 as the CWS liaison to Team Rubicon, whose volunteers and staff helped Afghans move into permanent housing across the U.S. This project was part of Operation Allies Welcome, and Leslie took up the liaison role not least because she lived in Afghanistan for six years. While wrapping up the active phase of the Team Rubicon partnership, Leslie is supporting RHS communications and partner outreach efforts.

Prior to joining RHS, Leslie acted as CWS Asia Regional Director for seven years and led a team of country representatives and national staff in six countries. Programs included grassroots community development initiatives to improve water, sanitation, hygiene, and agricultural livelihoods.

Leslie also previously worked with Save the Children for 15 years in leadership roles across South and Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand and worked for the Minneapolis-based American Refugee Committee (now ALIGHT). She was also Peace Corps staff in Moldova and, because of her time there, Leslie is supporting CWS and member denominations’ efforts to shelter, feed, and protect Ukrainian refugees.

Wilson grew up near Pittsburgh in Beaver, Pennsylvania and is a 1976 cum laude graduate of Saint Mary’s College, for which she served on the President’s Alumnae Advisory Council and from which she received the 2006 Humanitas Award for her work for women and girls throughout the world. Leslie holds a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Notre Dame and another in liberal studies from Northwestern.

Sophia is based in Washington, DC and joined RHS following her role as a Research Analyst at RegenAll, during which she spearheaded data collection and analysis efforts for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report. Sophia holds a BA in History with a concentration in Social Science Research and Environmental Studies from Goshen College.

Salena is a passionate social justice advocate with experience in the public sector, including the nonprofit sector, local government, and education. She has worked in a variety of nonprofits serving as an advocate for children who struggle with mental health, survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and with low- to moderate-income families to help find housing resources in their communities. Most recently, she served as a vital connection between the Metro Detroit community and Habitat for Humanity as Partners and Community Program Intake Specialist to provide affordable housing solutions and home repairs to families in need. Furthermore, Salena established her own nonprofit in 2020 that works to further sexual assault prevention education in the state of Michigan and distribute bed sheets to survivors of sexual assault. Salena holds a BS in Psychology from Michigan State University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Oakland University.

Zoe is a California-based housing specialist with five years of experience in the affordable housing sector. She has designed educational content, stewarded community partnerships, and preserved existing housing stock through programs under her management. Zoe joined RHS from Habitat for Humanity, where she expanded the volunteer program by 300 volunteers while executing more than a dozen home repair projects targeting critical health and safety needs of low-income homeowners. She is passionate about accessible education and spent years working with folks living in affordable housing to provide free access to after-school programming for school-aged youth. Zoe speaks Spanish and has spent time living abroad in Argentina. She holds a BA in Global Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Selena is part of the CWS Policy and Advocacy Team with a focus on housing that partners her with the Refugee Housing Team. She has 7 years of experience working in the humanitarian field which began in refugee camps in Greece, Lebanon, and Turkey. As she transitioned back to the United States, she joined the International Rescue Committee working in Fort Dix to assist with the Afghan evacuations from Kabul in 2021. Shortly after, she was hired as the Housing Coordinator at CWS Harrisonburg. Selena spent 1.5 years in this role before stepping into the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator (Housing) position. She is also a master's degree candidate with a focus on Conflict Analysis, Transformation, and Peacebuilding with the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA.

Hilina was born in Mekelle, Ethiopia and grew up in Seattle, WA. Being a first-generation immigrant, school has always been at the cornerstone of her life. She completed her Bachelor's in Biology at Franklin and Marshall College (Lancaster, PA), then spent a year working at CWS at a local resettlement office. Shortly after, she pursued her Master's in Public Health at Columbia University where she studied Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Hilina enjoys working with data to help find real-life solutions. When she's not working, she enjoys reading and hiking.

Isabel is based in Washington, D.C. and has professional experience working in nonprofit communications. Isabel graduated from Messiah University and holds bachelor's degrees in International Relations and Spanish.