For Immediate Release
January 12, 2017
Press Contact:
Miji Bell
mbell@lirs.org; 410-230-2841
Michelle Blundell
mblundell@mrss.com; 202-478-6176
BALTIMORE – Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is pleased to announce that President and CEO Linda Hartke has been selected as one of eight statewide leaders to receive a 2017 Maryland International Business Leadership Award by the World Trade Center Institute. The awards recognize leaders who have taken their organizations, as well as the state of Maryland, to new global heights.
As the leader of the nation’s second largest refugee resettlement agency, Hartke brings decades of experience in human rights work and a lifelong commitment to LIRS’ work of creating welcoming communities for refugees and migrants in the United States. This work includes coordinating through a national network of local service partners across the country, including Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area which operates programs in Bowie, Hyattsville and Silver Spring. Through these partnerships, Hartke and LIRS support refugees and the local communities that receive them in the state of Maryland and across the country.
“I am heartened to be honored alongside so many respected leaders. These awards remind us of all of the important work that the organizations that are being honored are doing to not only grow the vibrancy of Maryland, but also to take our growth beyond our borders. At LIRS, it has always been crucial to extend the American value of welcoming our neighbor and we strive to do this through all of our programs and services,” said Hartke.
The 2017 Maryland International Business Leadership Awards will be presented on March 8, 2017 at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. For tickets or sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.wtci.org.
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Founded in 1939, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is the second largest refugee resettlement agency in the United States. It is nationally recognized for its leadership advocating with refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, immigrants in detention, families fractured by migration and other vulnerable populations. Through more than 75 years of service and advocacy, LIRS has helped over 500,000 migrants and refugees rebuild their lives in America.