Funders’ Briefing: Supporting Afghan Resettlement in LA and Orange Counties

Lilian brings 20 years of human services experience and a commitment to working with diverse populations, social justice and cause-driven programs. The International Institute was founded in 1914 to help newly arrived immigrants integrate into their new lives in Los Angeles, the International Institute of Los Angeles provides assistance to refugees and immigrants securing their first job, getting legal help, or finding child care providers so they can work outside the home. Throughout the years, IILA has empowered hundreds of thousands of refugees and survivors of human trafficking with skills and resources to become self-sufficient and successfully start new lives in Southern California.

Ivy leads GCIR’s program and policy strategy and development, funder education and engagement, and funder mobilizing and organizing. Previously, she was a program officer at Open Society Foundations, where she focused on immigrant and refugee justice, managing a multimillion-dollar portfolio and developing a strategy challenging the systems rooted in the racialized treatment of immigrants throughout US history. Prior to joining OSF, she was an attorney and director of the Anti-Trafficking Initiative at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, working at the intersection of migrants,’ workers,’ and women’s rights, providing legal representation and advocating for policy changes informed by the lived experiences of her clients.

Kathy has served in the social services field for over 20 years cutting across multiple programs, including Medi-Cal, California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids, Refugee Cash Assistance, CalFresh, Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services, and In-Home Supportive Services, within state-and-county civil service as well as in the non-profit resettlement and workforce sector. Kathy was born in Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand and now holds the distinct honor in her most recent appointment as the State Refugee Coordinator (SRC) to support the state’s refugee resettlement programs. Through her work as the SRC, Kathy is honored to give back to the refugee and immigrant community. She also continues to lead the advancement of racial equity efforts within state government at the California Department of Social Services for the last four years. She is the first in her family to graduate from college and holds dual master’s degrees in Social Work and English.