Core Values
Inclusion, Dignity, Welcoming, Relationships, Client-Centered
Mission
We train ordinary people to help the most vulnerable refugees in South Florida with the vital support services needed to survive and thrive in their new communities.
Newcomers given human connections emerge from crisis and achieve self-sufficiency faster. RAA's volunteers, employees, and donors assist forcibly displaced families with language, education, employment, and community navigation to help refugees start to feel at home here, among us. RAA empowers refugees and unites neighbors, strengthening communities in South Florida.
Vision
Refugees have shown extraordinary strength and resilience to join our community. RAA's vision is for our communities to join together to help refugees understand our language and our ways, feel at home here among us, and access opportunities for betterment.
Our Story
““Miami is a hard place to move to in general, so being able to help these families, and befriend them, and support them is important. It’s very eye opening to work with our systems here in the U.S. - especially in regards to health care and insurance.” ”
2017-2019
Refugee Assistance Alliance formed in 2017 as a grassroots network in response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Local Miami residents recognized that Syrian families living amongst them were struggling to adapt and integrate. RAA partnered with local refugee agencies to offer extended support to the most vulnerable refugees after the 90-day federal resettlement period ended.
2020-2022
During the pandemic, RAA adapted to meet the needs of refugees who lost jobs by pivoting to online economic, English, emotional and educational support. With increased volunteer engagement, we secured our first major two-year grant, allowing us to expand services and hire our first staff members from the refugee community.
2022-2024
RAA’s work gained national and federal funding, expanding to include employment advocacy and workplace professional development training to empower refugees in South Florida
Our Staff
Kristen Bloom, President & Founder
Kamar Aboulreesh is a wife and mom to two kids. She came to the United States from Syria four years ago through the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. Kamar has been with RAA since its beginning and is now happy to assist and give advice to RAA staff on how to help new refugees. Kamar has obtained her GED and is now studying at Broward College, in pursuit of her career goals.
Kamar Aboulreesh, Client Coordinator
It was Heather’s extensive administrative experience combined with her passion for advocacy that brought her to RAA in 2022. A lifelong learner, Heather has an M.A. in English Literature from the University of New Hampshire and a Paralegal Certificate from Boston University. Heather has worked in the nonprofit sector in both education and performing arts, in the corporate world at a mid-sized law firm, and more recently supporting government contracts that assist immigrants and refugees. She greatly valued her time as a volunteer for Ascentria Care Alliance in New England welcoming and aiding New Americans, and she is honored to now be a part of the RAA team.
Heather Carter, Administrative Operations Specialist
Sarah first joined RAA as a volunteer on a community sponsorship team in 2022. She has since taken on the role of ESL Coordinator and is motivated to empower refugees through learning English to accomplish their goals. She received her BA from the University of Florida in Anthropology and Linguistics as well as a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language. She is passionate about language learning and education, building community, and social justice. She is honored and grateful to play a part in welcoming and assisting refugee families in South Florida.
Sarah Hinkes, ESL Coordinator
Salma comes from a dynamic multicultural background where the Middle East meets the West. At the age of 15, she left her hometown in California and took an opportunity to live and study in Egypt where she found great interest in community development projects for underserved populations. Her experiences living in a developing country triggered her pursuit to be a compassionate educator. Salma has spent the last 18 years serving children and adults from all over the world in various fields of education, including English language learning, behavioral therapy, educational consulting, and development. She started working with refugees in South Florida in 2016 and joined RAA in 2021. She’s helped many immigrants from South America and the Middle East with English language acquisition, skills training, and finding a career path. She holds a Master of Science in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from Florida International University. As a life-long learner herself, she believes that working with underserved communities is a two-way road, you will learn just as much, if not more than what you aim to teach.
Salma Spahi, Director of Adult Learning & Development
Jo Tooke is a senior executive with extensive experience in nonprofit marketing and strategic development in the USA and UK. AS RAA's Director of Strategic Partnerships Jo's brief includes grant management, communications and key stakeholder engagement. She co-leads RAA's Workplace Training program, working to engage local employers in providing federally funded workplace training for refugee workers.
Before joining RAA, Jo worked for Arts Council England, where she worked on grant programs for the arts sector and advised arts and education nonprofits in financial sustainability and scaling, at the Museums, Libraries & Archives Council, where she developed policy around financial sustainability and innovation, and authored UK government commissioned reports on governance, and as Head of Marketing for London's National Army Museum. Jo's career has been dedicated to advancing social impact organizations, and she loves her role at RAA, empowering refugees with the skills and opportunities they need to thrive in America.
Jo Tooke, Director of Strategic Partnerships
Jamie Scotti Everett, Executive Director
Romona joined RAA in 2019 as a tutor in Homestead, Fl. She migrated to the United States at 12 years old. Her experience in her native Jamaica lead to a passion for public service and helping the community. Romona recently graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelors's Degree in International Relations with an Undergraduate Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. There she studied Arabic as well as Spanish. She grew passionate for Refugees displaced by war.
Romona Allen, Client Services Lead
Kristen is a Licensed Clinical Social worker. She provides clinical supervision to social work interns and mental health referrals. She is also assisting RAA with implementing a trauma informed care approach to our programming. In her professional career, Kristen has over 15 years of experience working with refugees, including unaccompanied minors and torture survivors, in the United States and around the world. She's worked with Humanitarian agencies and Peacekeeping Operations in Northern and Western Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.
Kristen holds an M.S. in Global Affairs with a concentration in Humanitarian Assistance from New York University and an M.S.W. from Florida International University. Beyond her professional experience, she is an active member of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Association of South Florida, the National Association of Social Workers and the New York University Alumni Association of South Florida.
Kristen Guskovict, L.C.S.W
Noelle’s passion for working within her community led her to join RAA. Growing up in Florida, Noelle developed an interest in understanding the impact of the climate crisis on people’s lives and livelihoods. She got her BA in Environmental Studies from the University of San Francisco. Over the past four years, Noelle has dedicated her time as a community organizer in South Florida, working to address issues related to housing, voting rights, and the climate crisis. In particular, Noelle enjoys working with volunteers to help them find and carry out their passion. She is excited to use her passion for community organizing to assist refugees in South Florida.
Noelle Murry, Volunteer Specialist
Sher, a scholar of religion, mariner, and digital content producer, is dedicated to utilizing cloud AI services to support marginalized communities in forging trustworthy and lasting relationships with non-profits, schools, and corporations. As a newcomer to South Florida, Sher has fallen in love with the region's ecology and wants to synthesize nature and technology to drive Miami's rich tapestry as a city of dreams for incoming refugees. In his free time, Sher likes to visit Miami's museums, art decos, and restaurants all the while playing around with new software technologies.
Sher Tareen, Digital Systems Administrator
Rajaa Zewanah is a wife and mom of three boys. She came to the United States from Syria through the U.S. Refugee Resettlement program in 2016. Rajaa has been with RAA since its beginning, as one of the first families in the organization. As a Volunteer Program Adviser, she will now be advising RAA staff on how to create good programs to help refugees. Rajaa completed High School in Syria, completed her Child Care Training Certificate in the U.S., and is now earning her degree at Miami Dade College.
Rajaa Zewanah, Client Coordinator
Our Board of Directors
Lyn Nguyen is the daughter of a Vietnamese refugee, Tung, who fled during the Vietnam War in 1975. Lyn was born in Miami, FL, where she was raised by her mother, and Kathy, an American who resettled Tung when she came to the US. Lyn is passionate about RAA’s mission and work because she knows first-hand how much impact a sponsor can make on a refugee’s life. Her opportunities and success would not have been possible without the help of a program like RAA. And that is why, Lyn believes it is so important that RAA continue to grow and expand to help the influx of terrified, shell-shocked, lonely immigrants who are looking to make a home and better life for their families.
Lyn Nguyen, Board Chair
Emily is, first and foremost, a wife and proud mother of three children. She is also an immigrant from Hong Kong who moved to the U.S. over two decades ago after getting married. Over the years, she has come to see this country as home. Emily spent several years teaching kindergarten and getting involved in various school and charity events. She started volunteering with RAA in 2018 and has done everything from fundraising and hosting events to helping organize school supply drives, and welcome and holiday baskets for our new families. Emily says she still recalls the struggles she faced while settling, despite the fact that her circumstances were far more fortunate than others. She says it was the people and connections she made that allowed her to adjust and feel at home, and she hopes to do the same for the families in RAA
Emily Lau, Board Secretary
Originally from St.Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Kieran studied Economics and International Studies at Yale University and later received his MSc in Economics & Finance at the University of Bath (UK). He has lived in South Florida since 2010 and has been working as an investment advisor for high-net worth families at the JPMorgan Private Bank since 2016. Kieran first heard about RAA in the Miami Herald immediately following the U.S pullout from Afghanistan in 2021, and learned about how RAA was stepping in to meet the surging demand for services in the refugee community in South Florida. The more he learned about RAA, the more he was inspired by the important work the organization does for the community (and the country) and wanted to become more involved. He is excited to play a part in helping the organization meet its expanding goals. Kieran resides with his wife and three young boys in the Coral Gables area.
Kieran Locke, Board Treasurer
Kristen Calzadilla is a third-year law student at the University of Miami School of Law. She is currently a Certified Legal Intern with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a Co-Lead Policy Fellow with Miami-Dade County Public Schools Board Member Luisa Santos, a Clinic Fellow for the Children & Youth Law Clinic at Miami Law, and a research assistant to Professor Kele Stewart analyzing the racial inequities within the foster care system in Miami-Dade county. Kristen holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami in History with Minors in English Literature, Psychology, and Motion Pictures. Prior to law school, she was a teacher at Miami Palmetto Senior High, where she taught World History, Philosophy, World Religions, and Holocaust Studies. The granddaughter of Cuban immigrants, she cares deeply about the plight of immigrants and refugees and the difficulties they face when arriving in a new country; she is passionate about the work RAA does because she knows how powerful community support can make in a refugee’s journey in this country and because, as her grandparents taught their children and grandchild, education is the key to becoming empowered and living the American Dream.
Kristen Calzadilla, Board Member
Amelia joined RAA in 2018 as a tutor in Coral Springs with five students before joining the board in 2019. She works with the Miami-Dade County bond program for first-time homebuyers where she handles human resources plus she supports community outreach and education. Amelia is retired from the U.S. Navy reserves where she served as an administrative line officer with units in support of merchant shipping, draft board recruitment, and USSouthcom. She holds a MA in Telecommunications from Ohio University, a BA from Howard University, and an AA from Miami-Dade College. She serves as Assistant Troop Leader for Girl Scout troop 359, she is on the board for Oasis Housing of Broward, Miami-Dade County’s Military Affairs Committee, and she’s a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Amelia Gowdy, Board Member
Samira started with RAA as a community sponsorship Volunteer and shortly thereafter joined the RAA Board. Samira is originally from Bangladesh and came to the US as an International student in 2001. She moved to Miami in 2017 from Washington. D.C. where she resided for 17 years. Samira’s professional experience includes various roles in Accounting and Finance in both the private and public sectors. She held various roles at Ernst & Young (EY), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank, and currently works at Fannie Mae as an Advisor. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Samira has a double major in International Affairs (Conflict Resolution) and Economics (Finance concentration) and a minor in Government from Sweet Briar College. She also completed a year abroad in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews.
Samira Hossain, Board Member
Mark Dines has over 30 years of experience working in the area of strategic planning- encompassing both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, He has extensive experience in managing manufacturing service companies with locations in North America and Europe. Mark also brings many years of experience as a board member having served on the Board of Directors for many nonprofits in Buffalo, NY and Florida. As board member, equity partner, and C-level manager, his focus has been on value-added products and services. Mark's broad experience includes extensive workings with private equity firms, lending institutions, legal offices, consultants, accounting firms, vendors, government agencies, manufacturers’ representatives, distributors, and end-users. Mark is a dual USA/UK citizen and views the world through an international and local lens. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, and currently resides in Florida. He is married to his wife Maria for over 35 years, has three daughters and is recently a grandfather.
Mark Dines, Board Member
I have been involved in the world of food and nutrition both in the private sector and academia for over thirty years. Following completion of my Ph.D. in organic chemistry at The Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, I spent the next two years as a postdoctoral fellow at MIT and Harvard University where I conducted research in applied enzymology.
Akiva Gross, Board Member
Ashley Price is the Director of Development at Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida. In her role, Ashley focuses on donor development, fundraising events, and legislative initiatives. Ashley holds a Bachelors's degree from Southern Methodist University in Political Science with a focus on american government and international relations, as well as a minor in Sociology focused on class and minority struggles. After living in Miami for five years, Ashley and her family moved to Southwest Florida but are still close to Miami's thriving community. Ashley's passion for RAA has come from being the granddaughter of immigrants who came to the United States for a better life. Her belief is that every human and their family should have the opportunity to feel welcome and empowered.
Ashley Price, Board Member