The New Portlanders Policy Commission consists of up to 25 individuals from Portland's newcomer and ethnic minority communities; the members are of all races, ethnicities, faiths, generations, genders, gender identities, sexual orientation, abilities and disabilities, and economic statuses. Each member provides knowledge in resettlement and integration, community organizing and advocacy, civic engagement, education, public safety, and health. Below is a list of all current members.
Leadership Team
Maritza Kritz (Co-chair) is passionate about enhancing the quality of life for patients and communities. She has extensive experience in social services, working to support and advocate for vulnerable populations. Throughout her career, Maritza has developed and executed community support initiatives to assist individuals and families facing various challenges. In addition to her professional responsibilities, Maritza is deeply committed to community empowerment and environmental education. As an Environmental Conservation Educator and Ambassador for the Latino Outdoors Portland chapter, she works to empower at-risk youth and individuals from diverse backgrounds. Through these roles, Maritza leverages environmental education and conservation initiatives to highlight the transformative power of nature on well-being and resilience. Her work with the US Refugee Resettlement Program in Oregon has allowed her to help migrant youth experience the outdoors in the Pacific Northwest, fostering a sense of belonging and resilience.
Sahar Wilson (Co-chair) is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Pacific Refugee Support Group, a community based organization focused on re-empowering refugees, asylum seekers, and newcomers to the community through a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and human-centered approach. Sahar moved to Portland in 2013 to pursue higher education and is an alumna of both Portland Community College and Portland State University, where she studied and worked. As an Arabic speaker from Syria, Sahar has also served as a medical interpreter, assisting Arabic-speaking communities in the Portland Metro area. Her mission is to foster a culture of respect and understanding to cultivate inclusion and belonging.
Jorge Sanchez Bautista (Secretary) is a community organizer and a high school student at McDaniel (formerly known as James Madison). His family is Mayan and comes from the Mexican states of Jalisco and Yucatan. He currently works for Portland Parks and Recreation, working with youths ages 3-15, and at Portland State University under the Department of Community and Civic Impact. For the past two years, Jorge has been doing work related to youth involvement, equity, and social justice issues. He currently sits on the OPAL Environmental Justice Board of Directors, hoping to make transportation more equitable for its users. Jorge’s interests include volunteering, exploring, and thrifting. He brings to the commission the youth voice, expertise as a BIPOC community organizer, and advocate.
Rachel Swisher (Social Media Coordinator) works in administrative healthcare in the Portland area, dedicating time to her workplace's diversity, equity, and inclusion committee. Rachel is studying Social Work at Portland State University with plans to go into clinical social work. Rachel's passions include volunteering, and she has worked with Meals on Wheels, Crisis Text Line as a crisis counselor, and SOLVE.
Kerri Babin has been working with Portland newcomers for nearly twenty years, including as an instructor of English to Speakers of Other Languages at Portland Community College and collaborating with Catholic Charities, St. Ignatius Catholic Parish, and The Jesuit's West to establish the Tibbetts House transitional housing program for refugees. She currently works as a researcher evaluating affordable housing solutions for newcomers adjusting to life in the United States. Kerri is active in her community, serving as a Precinct Committee Person for the Multnomah County Democrats, and volunteer in her children's schools.
Massarra Eiwaz-Ransom is an experienced public health professional with a history of working in the nonprofit, academia, coordinated care organization, and social services fields. She has extensive experience in community outreach, education and research, providing culturally specific services, working with racially diverse and ethnic communities, and developing program curriculum. She has been involved in efforts to promote Traditional Health Workers, refugee health, and social justice. Massarra Came to the United States as a refugee from Iraq, she was able to build her professional and personal experience by working with her own community and other refugee communities. As a student and then a professional, Massarra has faced the struggle of language barriers, cultural differences, not being heard, being the only minority in the room, and fear when expecting racism and discrimination. Massarra is eager to always jump in and support when it comes to providing just and equitable services to the refugee and immigrant communities. Currently, Massarra is a Policy Analyst II - Developmental Disability/Mental Health and Traditional Health work programs coordinator at the Oregon Home Care Commission.
Kolini Fusitu'a has been a member the Tongan American Resource Committee for over 18 years. In this role, he has linked members to resources and has coached community members to participate in local public budget hearings. He also currently works for IRCO as a Program Coordinator. Kolini brings to the commission a strong network of community partners, experience navigating community policing, civic engagement, and community integration efforts.
Mahad Mohammed Hassan was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, and spent his early years in Northern Kenya before calling Portland home for the past 23 years. With a decade of experience in community behavioral health, Mahad focuses on behavioral health equity and community-led solutions, particularly with Refugees, Immigrants, and BIPOC populations. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oregon and is currently pursuing a master’s in social work at Portland State University. In his free time, Mahad enjoys spending time with family and friends, along with the occasional travel.
Hussein Idow is a young African refugee who understands the struggles and challenges of African refugees and immigrants. He has experience working on Community Advocacy, Civic Engagement, Resettlement, and community integration. Hussein has worked as youth and family advocate with IRCO, and now he is the Executive Director of African Refugee Immigrant Organization (ARIO) in Portland. He also has experience working as community health worker, substance abuse counselor, family navigator, online family tracing officer, and as a youth empowerment and rehabilitation officer.
Guluzar Kara was born in Turkiye and moved to U.S. as an expat employee. She is a successful professional in IT sector. She is volunteer leader of a non-profit which aims to enrich the lives of Turkish -Americans in Oregon, main efforts are put into the introduction of Turkish culture and enlarge the community engagement. She enjoys organizing public events, bringing people together for a cause and seeing positive impacts of them. She supports DE&I efforts and a proud Portlander. Nature photography, outdoor sport activities are some others things she like to spend time with her friends.
Marry Karam is a first generation Syrian immigrant and long-time Portland resident. She practices family law at Lissa Kaufman Law where she is one of Oregon's only Arabic-speaking domestic relations attorneys. Marry is an active member of the Multnomah Bar Association and serves as the chair of the Young Lawyer's Section Membership Committee. She is also on the board of the Oregon Arab and Iranian Bar Association. Marry strives to encourage diversity and inclusion in the Oregon legal field, and this extends into her desire to support immigrant and refugee communities. Although she misses her hometown in Syria, Marry appreciates the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Stephanie Lauenstein was born in Germany and completed graduate school in the US and Germany with a master's in molecular biology. Stephanie immigrated to Minneapolis, MN after she had worked as a science book editor in Berlin for a few years. She started a family and learned how to reinvent her career multiple times to make it harmonize with each stage of her life. She managed a clinical research group at Medtronic, and helped bring novel therapies such as Deep Brain Stimulation to the US. While her children were in school, she trained to become a K-12 science and ESL teacher and was elected by her peers to become a teacher coach. During this time, she also helped to start and establish the first teacher union for charter schools in the state of Minnesota. Stephanie also worked as a freelance intercultural trainer and consultant to support Minnesota healthcare organizations in their process of understanding and adjusting to their immigrant and refugee patients' needs and customs. Stephanie has lived in the Netherlands, Switzerland and recently California, where she directed the STEAM programming and grant writing at a Berkeley non-profit education organization. Stephanie now calls Portland her home and works at IRCO as a training coordinator and ESL instructor. Her children are grown, so she has time to enjoy the wonderful offerings of the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
Bernal Cruz Muñoz moved to the US in 1990 during a civil war and political unrest in this native country of Guatemala. Bernal brings over 20 years of experience providing complex mental health services to children, families, and communities in various settings like schools, hospitals, foster care, refugee, and residential facilities for diverse populations. He is a community-based social worker, currently working with unaccompanied migrant children who have traveled to the US and their families to promote reunification. Bernal is a public speaker, a guest lecturer, and a storyteller whose focus is largely to humanize the migrant experience, to advance social justice, inclusion, and to ensure that newcomers can thrive in their new environments.
Sankar Raman was born in India and immigrated to the U.S. to attend graduate school, earning a Masters in Physics and a PhD in Engineering from Purdue University. After a successful career in high tech, he now applies his technical knowledge, managerial skills, and pragmatic mind to nonprofit leadership. Sankar is an award-winning digital art photographer, author, storyteller, community leader and a motivational speaker. He lives in Portland with his wife, where they enjoy taking photographs of the beautiful Northwest. Sankar founded The Immigrant Story and currently serves as its board President. Over the past six years, Sankar has been instrumental in developing The Immigrant Story into a collaborative community-oriented multimedia arts programming organization and premier storytelling organization in the Pacific Northwest.
Mia Sabanovic is a refugee from Bosnia. In 1995 she escaped with her family the genocide in Bosnia and immigrated to Portland. Mia has worked on Resettlement and integration, Civic Engagement, and Community Advocacy. Mia is a Civil Engineer graduate at Portland State University and for the past 15 years has been working for the City of Portland. Mia served on the Islamic Bosnians Educational & Cultural Organization - IBECO leadership board and has also volunteered with the Muslim Educational Trust (MET), and participated with the Woman in Leadership conferences to commemorate March 8th (International Women's Day) encouraging Muslim women to step into leadership roles. For the past 18 months Mia has been volunteering on the Portland Utility Board which provides advise to the Portland Water Bureau and the Bureau of Environmental services on issues that impact our communities.
Demet Tuncer is a celebrated actress and bi-lingual speaker with two Turkish Tony Awards. She has hosted global events such as the Davos World Economic Forum, FIFA World Cup, and FIBA World Championships. Collaborating with global companies like Coca Cola, Intel, Ford, Microsoft, and BBC, Demet's experience extends beyond corporate collaborations to engagements with former US Presidents and First Ladies.
Demet journeyed to Portland, Oregon, in 2016, leaving a thriving career to embrace new challenges. As the stage performance coach for "The Immigrant Story," Demet's influence leaves an enduring imprint, inspiring transformation and purpose. She continues her mentoring role in the Women's Initiative, a global movement where women from all over the world apply to be prepared for the workforce.