September 21, 2024
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Woodmont Hills Church
3710 Franklin Pike, Nashville, TN 37204
Light breakfast, coffee, snacks, lunch, and access to all exhibits are included in the $25 cost of the conference.
1. Introduction to Refugee Work: Resettlement Agencies
2. Getting Around Town: Transportation in Nashville
3. FAQ on Snap, TANF, WiC, EBT, TennCare + more
4. Legal Talk from TNJFON
5. After the first 90 days - What comes next for refugees?
Katie Finn is the Executive Director of Tennessee Resettlement Aid, a non-profit that serves refugees and immigrants with emergency aid items in Nashville. TRA utilizes a data-driven response to critical needs that encourages self-sufficiency. Katie's humanitarian background includes rural socioeconomic initiatives in Southern Africa and relief work on the front lines of the European Refugee Crisis. Katie's work in Nashville centers on collaboration and relationships and she is the current Chair of the Coalition for Better Futures in Southeast Nashville.
Jeff is the Lead Minister, providing visionary leadership. He is the church’s primary preaching and teaching voice, listening for the Word of God for the people of God. Jeff helps people find their place in God’s story. Jeff’s passion is to bring good news to the poor, free the oppressed, and proclaim the Lord’s favor.
Freddie O'Connell is the tenth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.
He served on the Metro Council from 2015 to 2023 representing District 19, which includes the downtown core, Germantown, and parts of North Nashville.
In his time on the Metro Council, Freddie worked to limit the impact of poverty, to strengthen neighborhoods, and to make sure everyone participates as our economy grows. He oversaw an overhaul of the Metro Homelessness Commission as well as an increase in the number of Nashvillians who benefit from property tax freezes and rebates, and passed green energy bills that reduce costs for Metro, ensure cleaner air and water, and increase climate resiliency.
Freddie has served as a member of the Charter Revision Committee, the Planning, Zoning, and Historical Committee, Public Works Committee (Chair), and the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Committee (Chair). He has also served as a member on various special committees that serve Nashville residents including the Nashville Downtown Partnership Board of Directors (Ex Officio), the Central Business Improvement District Board of Directors (Ex Officio), the Gulch Business Improvement District Board of Directors (Ex Officio), the District Energy System Advisory Board, and the South Central Neighborhood Development Corporation Board of Directors.
Freddie has experience in Nashville's software and start-up industry, most recently as Integration Architect for HealthStream. He's served on several non-profit, civic, and committee boards including as Board Chair of Nashville MTA (now WeGo Public Transit), as Board President of Walk/Bike Nashville, the Board of Belcourt Theatre, and the Board of Cumberland Region Tomorrow. As a member of the Citizen Advisory Committee for Metro Water Services, he helped to fulfill a consent decree from the EPA intended to help clean up the Cumberland River.
Freddie served for many years as President of the Salemtown Neighbors Neighborhood Association, where he helped establish partnerships with the Metro Action Commission, Nashville Rescue Mission's women's campus, Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary (since merged with Jones Paideia), and MDHA's Cheatham Place. They also secured historic status for the Fehr School building and completed a neighborhood conservation overlay district around Nashville's largest remaining turn-of-the-century workforce housing. As a member of the North Nashville Leadership Council, he advocated for the Sulphur Dell location for the new Sounds Ballpark.
The son of Beatie, a retired MNPS and MBA school teacher, and Tim, a federal civil servant and part-time songwriter, Freddie attended Eakin Elementary, Montgomery Bell Academy, and earned degrees in Music and Computer Science from Brown University.
Since 2007, Freddie and his family have lived in the Salemtown neighborhood. He and Dr. Whitney Boon, a physician educated at Meharry Medical College and now an attending child neurologist at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, have two young daughters, Halley, age 12, and Violet, age 6, who attend Metro Nashville Public Schools. The family shares their home with their adopted chorkie Cocoa Bean, age 3.
Vicki Howell, serves as the Community and Mercy Missions Minister at Brentwood Baptist Church and is currently leading a local conversation around connecting ministry and needs together called “Unite the Light”. Vicki serves on the boards of The Tennessee Christian Chamber of Commerce as the non-profit liaison and What if the Church, also helping to bring Community Ministers together for community and resourcing.
She received her BBA at Belmont University in Hospitality Entertainment and later received her MDIV at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with a desire to make sure that all she would help to create, lead or organize would be grounded in God’s truth and promises. Over the years Vicki has worked in various regions and with a number of organizations to develop student camps, urban programs, leadership development programs and lead volunteer groups and programs around the world. Vicki is passionate about team coaching and connecting the dots recognizing that no one could or should feel alone in the work.
She is blessed with a wonderful husband, Tony and three amazing children that keep her on her toes Brayden, Callen and Pyper. Vicki has a heart for the nations and will always be quick to say that wherever we are in the world we are in someone’s community so we are always seeking to love our “communities” well everywhere God takes us.
Lindsay Smith is the ESL Student Specialist at Nashville State Community College. She gives the English Language Placement Test and helps new students in the English as a Second Language program register for their first semester of classes. She has taught English in Russia and the United States to students from 4 years old to 60+. She has a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language and a Master's in Russian Translation. She would love to help you get started on your college journey!
For more information, you can email: or call: (615) 246-6692 text: (615) 882-1422. Or come to the Welcome Center at any Nashville State campus.
Elizabeth Stein is an Associate Professor at Nashville State Community College Southeast campus where she teaches English as a Second Language. Dr. Stein received her PhD in English from the University of Memphis and has worked at Nashville State since 2006.
In retirement Jackie serves many people enrolling them in healthcare insurance through TennCare and Marketplace. Prior to this period she had five careers across many sectors, including starting two successful businesses, serving as project leader to connect all TN schools to the internet in 1996 and teaching, as well as jobs in Local, State & Federal government.
Anna Notestine is the Associate Director of the New Americans Program at Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville. Anna has her Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Tennessee where she also obtained a Graduate Certificate in Trauma Treatment. Anna has 8 years of experience working with refugee and immigrant populations and specializes in the creation, implementation, and oversight of trauma-informed, resilience-focused programs. In her free time, Anna enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, reading, and being outside.
615-760-2787
Luis Pedraza is the Civic Engagement Coordinator for TIRRC Votes. Luis is a dedicated community organizer based in Middle Tennessee with substantial experience in civic engagement across the state. As the Civic Engagement Coordinator for TIRRC Votes, Luis champions the rights and voices of Latinx immigrants, advocating for more inclusive education policies and greater access to community resources. In his spare time, Luis immerses himself in Nashville's vibrant hip-hop scene, attending concerts both big and small.
Luis Pedraza, Civic Engagement Coordinator, 615-200-8650, - general questions, how to volunteer or donate, organizing
Jamil Sameen is Program Supervisor for the Adult Literacy Program @ Nashville Public Library. Jamil works in collaborations with Local Non-Profit organizations and Community Partners to advance common goals and objectives for adult learners. Ask Jamil about Adult Literacy Services at NPL.
To contact Jamil, email or call 615-880-2264
LaToniza has been a member of the WeGo Public Transit team for 4 years. LaToniza is a graduate of Grand Canyon University with a M.B.A in Data Analytics and B.S. in Political Science from Jackson State University. LaToniza believes public transit is the gateway to independence and access to all walks of life.
Tel: 615-880-3597
Melania Callahan has a degree in Human Development and Family Studies and is in the process of obtaining her Certified Family Life Educator credential. She is part of a multicultural family as a mother of 8 children, 5 of whom are refugees from Burma (Myanmar.) She has a passion for working with refugees and immigrants. Melaina recently taught an 8-week classroom driving class at The Branch of Nashville, geared at helping English as a Second Language (ESL) students pass the driving permit test.
Jonathan’s entire career has focused on education. He has over 30 years of experience in schools, serving as a classroom teacher, gifted educator, academic coach, Director of Education and elementary school principal. Most recently, he and his wife founded UrbanPromise Nashville (UPN) in 2020. Together they lead UPN to help refugee students heal, learn, and direct their own future for good.
Ms. Leafa Vagatai brings nine years of experience in early childhood education to The Academy for G.O.D. elementary program, with musical expertise that makes her classroom come alive. As a singer/songwriter she has recorded her own EP with all original works. Ms. Vagatai first began leading worship as a youth at her family’s church in Hawaii. Now with 8 years of collegiate biblical education, she loves to incorporate biblical values and scripture verses into song so that young students can begin absorbing God’s word in a memorable way.
Ms. Vagatai has also been involved in working with immigrants and refugees here in Tennessee She has worked with the Language In Action (LIA) program for the past 7 years as both a certified ESL teacher and currently as the Program Manager. She has also been involved in mission work in Southeast Asia for ten years. She has led several international teams, and spent time tutoring in elementary schools and leading Bible studies in Filipino churches. This work has led her to also acquire a second language (Tagalog). She loves to incorporate biblical values and scripture verses into song so that young students can begin absorbing God’s word in a memorable way.
Ashley Smith, LMSW is Director of Comprehensive Care at The Branch of Nashville, a nonprofit in Antioch that provides holistic care to people in poverty. She is responsible for managing a team of volunteers and interns to provide resource navigation and individualized support to address the underlying issues of food insecurity for over 200 clients and is passionate about collaborating among business, educational institutions and other non-profits to build a thriving community. Prior to joining The Branch in 2023, Ashley was a school-based therapist at Centerstone in East Nashville elementary, middle and high schools and is trained in a variety of therapeutic modalities.
Prior to becoming a social worker, Ashley worked at Burson-Marsteller, a global communications agency, for 12 years, advising Fortune 500 clients on environmental, social and governance strategies and communications. She has bachelor's degrees in Economics and Public Relations and a master of social work. She lives in East Nashville with her husband, daughter and cats.
Julie Obregon is the Caring Minister at the Woodmont Hills Church. She has a Social Work degree from Lipscomb University and a background in medical mission work. Julie has overseen the Woodmont Hills Refugee and Immigrant Ministry for the past five years and participates on the Only+Together Nashville Refugee Conference planning committee.
Bethany Jackson is a graduate of Rhodes College and Tulane University School of Law. Before moving to Nashville, Bethany was a partner in a Baltimore-based litigation firm, focused on the defense of pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers in mass tort litigation. Bethany joined TN Justice for Our Neighbors (TNJFON), a non-profit immigration law firm, in 2014 as a Staff Attorney and became Legal Director in January 2019. Bethany’s practice at TNJFON focuses on representing immigrants who are eligible for humanitarian forms of relief.
Her volunteer experience includes work with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, the Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Court Appointed Special Advocates, the Nashville Bar Association Pro Bono Program, the Nashville Public Library, the Nashville Urban Debate League, and Needlink. Bethany and her husband are the proud parents of two adult sons.
615.592.6142
Kara Sievers was born and raised in the Chicago-land area but has called Nashville, Tennessee home since 2018. She graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2010. Since that time, Kara has gained a variety of experience in the field of social work; including work in domestic violence, mental health, and child & family services. In addition to her domestic work, she spent two years as a case manager in Bangkok, Thailand where she served survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Kara is passionate about equipping others to connect with an international community and participate in welcoming refugees.
It is this passion that led her to join NICE in 2023. As the Community Engagement Manager at NICE, Kara coordinates the Refugee Family Mentoring Program as well as the Refugee Co-Sponsorship program. In addition to her work with volunteers, Kara also partners with the Employer Engagement Manager to increase partnership with local businesses and help refugees secure their first jobs in the U.S
Melissa Thomas has a heart for helping the most vulnerable in our community. After the flood of 2010, she served as the Director of Southeast Nashville Recovery, which helped those in our community who had lost their homes due to the flood. When that work was completed in 2012, she and others recognized a need for a food pantry in the Antioch/Southeast Nashville area. In April 2013, The Branch of Nashville opened its doors with Melissa as the Executive Director.
Under Melissa’s leadership, The Branch has expanded from a small pantry open 2 hours per week to a thriving pantry serving more than 300 families per week, an English Language Learning facility with 16 teachers and 250 students, and a place where people can get individualized help with resource navigation and support as they make changes for a brighter future. Melissa knows that our community is better if we all work together. In December of 2022, she started the Coalition for Better Futures in Southeast Nashville, bringing together people from other non-profits, government agencies, schools, universities, churches, businesses, and the community in order to address challenges and advocate for opportunities in Southeast Nashville.
Melissa is a pastor’s wife, mother of six, grandmother of eight, a part-time chicken farmer, and above all, a Jesus follower who loves all people.
Fozia is originally from Hargeisa, Somalia. She moved to Pakistan, at the age of 13 where she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies. While pursuing her education, she worked as a full time Somali interpreter and translator with a local non-governmental organization and then with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. She and her husband moved to USA in 2015.
Before joining NICE Fozia worked with Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition as a Multicultural Organizer were she helped serve the community by engaging them in civic participation, identifying and recruiting coalition members, and maintaining open communication between all immigrant & refugee groups. As NICE’s Adult Education Student Coordinator, Fozia connects Nashville’s adult English learners to NICE’s Adult Education course offerings while simultaneously connecting NICE students to larger services offered in the Nashville community.
Esther Mwandiko Kitenge is a Founder/CEO of Elimu Empowerment (EE) a nonprofit that she established in 2010, EE addresses the quality-of-life challenges faced by refugee individuals who are new to the country www.elimuempowerment.org. (Elimu is the Swahili word for education) this organization exists to help refugees, asylees, immigrants and parolees achieve an economically stable, community driven life in the United States. EE uses education, leadership training, career counseling, mentorship, social integration and empowerment services to create an environment where participants can evolve into successful contributing members of society. As a first-generation immigrant herself, Esther holds dear issues that affect the immigrant community. She has collaborated with Guilford County Schools to provide Advocacy, Interpretation and Translation for Swahili, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, French and Arabic speaking parents and students.
Esther served as a committee member of the Welcoming Greensboro Initiative that worked with Greensboro City Council to unanimously pass a resolution declaring Greensboro to be a "Welcoming City", part of a national movement to create more welcoming and supportive communities for immigrants and refugees. Esther Kitenge served as a commissioner where she was a Vice Chair of Human Relations Commission and Chair of the International Advisory Committee for the City of High Point. She is a member of the Advisory Board of North Carolina Institute Of Political Leadership. Served as Steering Committee member, selected by Greensboro City Council to establish Participatory Budgeting Programs.
Esther has received numerous other certificates of recognition including but not limited to Change Agent from Impact Greensboro Leadership Program; Leadership from Education Alliance of Guilford County; United Way Board Development Project, Leadership High Point Chamber of Commerce Program and a Certificate of Accomplishment in Women On Board, Women in Office Program, and Fellow Program from Institute Of Political Leadership. Also, she was nominated twice by Greensboro News and Records as Woman of The Year.
Esther holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Accounting from the University of Phoenix Nashville Campus and a diploma in Automated Accounting from Knoxville State Tech School. She also holds a Certificate of Bookkeeping from Dar-es-Salaam School of Accountancy. Esther Mwandiko Kitenge is a mother of three adult children Ombeni 31, Jacob 26, Lydia 22, and a grandmother of two loves of her life grandsons babus Kittia 4 and Keyon 2.
www.elimuempowerment.org
Maria Robles Morales is a dedicated Community Engagement Specialist at Inspiritus, where she plays a pivotal role in fostering community connections and support for refugees navigating resettlement. With a robust background in social justice, community organizing, and navigating the immigration system, Maria brings over 5 years of hands-on experience in creating impactful programs and volunteer opportunities that empower refugee populations and promote self-sufficiency.
At this conference, Maria, along with others, will share valuable insights into the refugee community and the transformative power of collective support in refugee resettlement.
Dr. Andrew Phay has six adult children, has been happily married to Ann Mantus Phay for 9+ years, and is a member of Woodmont Hills Church where he leads the Refugee Mentoring Program. Andrew has worked with refugees for about 12 years and is employed as a psychologist (since 1975) conducting interviews with male prisoners. After 30+ years as an agnostic/atheist and two+ years of guidance by Rubel Shelly, Andrew became a follower of Jesus. Daily he strives to emulate the teachings and life of Jesus. Daily he fails. Three of his favorite sayings are: the term ‘passive Christian’ is an oxymoron; if you feel overwhelmed when you first mentor refugee families you are normal; if Jesus loves all others, I should attempt to do likewise. Andrew attends this conference to learn and share.
Born and raised bilingual and bicultural in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Diana empowers bilingual individuals to monetize the value of their language skills. Her business, Sanchez-Vega Communications, provides comprehensive interpreter training, specialized career coaching for bilinguals, and translations in multiple languages. Additionally, her business consults on developing compliance-friendly language equity programs that are intentionally inclusive and financially sustainable. A twice nationally certified healthcare interpreter with more than 35 years of experience, Diana also holds a Master of Arts in Psychological Studies, and is always thrilled to share that eclectic Nashville is her “home away from home”.
Diana Sanchez-Vega, Founder & CEO
Sanchez-Vega Communications
Talk/Text: 615-585-9884
www.sanchez-vega.net
www.monetizebilingualism.com
