Join Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service on December 3, 2020 at 1 p.m. EST to learn more about the future of American immigration policy.
About the panel
Over the last four years, we have seen families separated, children kept in cages and expelled from the border without due process, the dismantling of the refugee resettlement program, and increased fees and backlogs to immigration processes that have discouraged many from navigating the U.S. immigration system. As one of the largest faith-based organizations with over 80 years of experience serving the refugee and immigrant community, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service knows the following four years are critical to restoring the American tradition of welcome and refuge.
We invite you to join our virtual Congressional briefing, What’s Next? The Future of Immigration Policy – 2021 and Beyond, where we will chart the top priorities for the next four years with a panel of migration policy experts and thought leaders.
Krish O'Mara Vignarajah
Krish O’Mara Vignarajah is the President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service – Krish previously served in the Obama White House and at the State Department as Senior Advisor under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry. At the White House, Krish served as Policy Director for Michelle Obama and led the First Lady’s signature Let Girls Learn initiative. At the State Department, she coordinated development and implementation of multiple programs including those concerning refugees and migration, engagement with religious communities, the legal dimensions of U.S. foreign policy, and regional issues relating to Africa and the Middle East. She worked closely with PRM, Consular Affairs, Health & Human Services and the Department of Defense.
Lee Williams
Lee Williams joined LIRS as the Vice President for Programs in August 2020. Before coming to LIRS, Lee was Senior Vice President at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. During his tenure at USCRI, Lee was responsible for its refugee, unaccompanied children, and human trafficking victim assistance programs, MIS, and field office operations. Lee also served as Chief Financial Officer for seven years. Before USCRI, Lee was the Executive Director of the International Institute of Akron, Ohio, a nonprofit that serves the refugee and immigrant communities of northeast Ohio. Lee’s earlier career was in financial services in the U.S. and Europe. He holds a Graduate Certificate of Non-Profit Management from Case Western Reserve University, a Master’s degree in International Management from The Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a Bs.L. in Arabic from Georgetown University.
Jose Antonio Tijerino
Jose Antonio Tijerino is president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, a national nonprofit focused on education, workforce, leadership and culture through innovative programs including in the tech and all STEM fields, entrepreneurship, finance, media and entertainment, social justice, among others. HHF under Tijerino’s leaderhip is recognized as a creative, agile, impact-focused organization recognized by The White House, US Congress, Fortune 500 companies, other nonprofits and the Government of Mexico. Tijerino also serves as executive producer of the Hispanic Heritage Awards at the Kennedy Center, which are broadcast on PBS. Tijerino also founded the LOFT (Latinos On Fast Track) Institute. Prior to HHF, Tijerino was an executive at Fannie Mae Foundation, Nike, Burson Marsteller, and Cohn & Wolfe. Tijerino has been honored with the Ohtli Award, Lifetime Achievement Award by National PTA, Vision Award by Silicon Valley Latino Leadership, MALDEF Award for Human Rights, Community Service Award from Telemundo, Civilian Impact Award by US Army, Brillante Award by National Society of Hispanic MBAs, Digital Hero Award by MMTC, among others.
John Baselice
Jon Baselice currently serves as the Executive Director of Immigration Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in June 2014. He works with Chamber member companies to form Chamber policy positions on various issues and he advocates for sensible immigration policies before Congress and the executive branch agencies. Prior to joining the Chamber, Jon served as an advisor to Senator Rubio for 3.5 years. In that capacity, he held a very important position as one of the Senator’s lead immigration advisors during the Senator’s involvement with the Gang of 8 and his push for comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the 113th Congress. Jon is an attorney and he is licensed to practice in the states of New York and Florida. He obtained his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law and he completed his undergraduate education at Syracuse University where he majored in Economics and Political Science and was a member of the Syracuse Orange football team.