Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

Vanessa G. Cedeño joined GCIR as a research and program associate in April 2009 and was our summer intern in 2008. She received a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Chicago. While an undergraduate, Vanessa worked at the University of Chicago Survey Lab on a study that examined the relationship between Latino, Hispanic and Asian parents and schools in immigrant neighborhoods around the United States. She also worked at the University of Chicago Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy. Her work at GCIR focuses on programs and information resources.

Rebecca Dames joined GCIR in 2008 as a research and program associate and became the project and communications coordinator in 2009. She graduated from UC San Diego with a B.A. in International Studies: Political Science and completed two minors in International Migration and Spanish Literature. She is fluent in Spanish and also studied at the University of Alcalá de Henares in Spain. As a result of the field research she conducted in rural Yucatán, Mexico, she co-authored a chapter titled "Impacts of U.S. Immigration Policies on Migration Behavior" in the book Mayan Journeys: The New Migration from Yucatán to the United States. Rebecca is also co-chair of the Los Angeles Chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP). At GCIR, Rebecca staffs the California Immigrant Integration Initiative and is the point person on the website and evaluation.

Alison De Lucca joined GCIR as program coordinator in 2003 and was promoted to program director in 2005. She has 13 years of experience providing organizational support to nonprofit organizations, both in the United States and Central America. She is a founding member of the Los Angeles Chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) and previously served on the national EPIP board of directors. Alison holds an MA in Urban Planning from UCLA, is bilingual in Spanish, and is author of Rising with the Tides: Capacity Building for Small, Emerging Immigrant Organizations. As program director, Alison organizes at least 15 programs that reach more than 1,000 funders each year.

Amanda Graves, membership and administration associate, earned her BA degree from Sonoma State University and attended the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Most recently, she was a project administrator with an architectural and inspection firm. From 1999 to 2004, Amanda worked in a variety of capacities for GCIR to support administration, membership, and information resources functions. In addition to being GCIR's point person on membership and administration, Amanda also plays a central role in the maintenance and development of the website.

Daranee Petsod, executive director of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), has worked on social and economic justice issues for the past 22 years. Prior to joining GCIR in December 1998, Daranee was a consultant working with foundations and nonprofits on program planning and communications. She previously served as interim executive director and development director for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and was a program officer for the Sophia Fund and the Field Foundation of Illinois, Inc. She has also worked as a policy analyst for the United Way, a social worker at a child-welfare agency, and an outreach worker for a refugee women's services program. Daranee's areas of expertise include immigrant integration, immigrant and refugee grantmaking, and building the capacity of immigrant-based organizations. Daranee has authored and co-authored a number of publications, most recently Investing in Our Communities: Strategies for Immigrant Integration in 2006. Other publications include: Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian Communities in the San Francisco Bay Area: An Introduction for Grantmakers (2004), Newcomers in the American Workplace: Improving Employment Outcomes for Low-Wage Immigrants and Refugees (2003), and Moving from Welfare to Work: The Experiences of Refugee Women in Illinois (1999). Daranee holds a master's degree in social policy from the University of Chicago.