About CORE

Cultural orientation providers attending a workshop hosted by CORE

About CORE

The Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange (CORE), a technical assistance program, connects and supports refugee resettlement staff globally to deliver effective Cultural Orientation which helps refugees and Special Immigrant Visa holders achieve self-sufficiency in the United States.

Through CORE, Cultural Orientation providers can:

  • Participate in online and in-person learning opportunities
  • Download resources to deliver Cultural Orientation
  • Utilize refugee resources in multiple languages and multimedia formats

CORE is funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), and administered by the International Rescue Committee.

Who We Serve

Before refugees arrive in the United States, they usually work closely with an assigned Resettlement Support Center overseas. Most refugees come to the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and receive pre-departure Cultural Orientation. This map provides information about pre-departure Cultural Orientation at the Resettlement Support Centers worldwide.

 

  • RSC Africa – Church World Service (CWS)
  • RSC Austria – HIAS
  • RSC Asia – International Rescue Committee (IRC)
  • RSC Eurasia – International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • RSC Latin America – International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • RSC Middle East and North Africa – International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • RSC Turkey and Middle East – International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC)

In the U.S., refugees are assigned to a Resettlement Agency to help them integrate into their new communities. Resettlement Agencies have cooperative agreements to resettle refugees under the Reception and Placement Program, a public/private partnership with PRM. This map provides the locations for offices in the U.S. during FY20.

Our Impact

CORE’s work helps Cultural Orientation providers boost their skills and increase their knowledge. The Cultural Orientation they provide to refugees is then better coordinated, more consistent, and higher quality. Indirectly, CORE serves refugees through the creation of resources and digital platforms that support the understanding of key Cultural Orientation messages.


47

trainings attended by 3,414 individuals

524+

resources for refugees

52,000+

visitors from 170 countries to Settle In

Our Team

Jamie Bussey, Director

Jamie oversees the strategic development of CORE’s portfolio, including capacity building for the
resettlement community and the development of newcomer–facing digital communication channels. She
has more than 15 years of experience in education and capacity development, including six years
working in resettlement.

 

Hannah Joos, Deputy Director

Hannah leads CORE’s capacity building unit, inclusive of training and resource development for Cultural
Orientation providers and their respective organizations and support of CORE’s Community Cultural
Orientation technical assistance. She has 15 years of experience in teacher training and working with
diverse communities, including refugees.

Tiana Gonzalez, Senior Community Orientation Officer

Tiana Gonzalez leads CORE’s capacity building of community partners, volunteers, and cosponsors to
deliver effective Cultural Orientation. She has eight years of experience in resettlement, including
program design and management and partnership development.

 

Anh–Tu Phillips, Curriculum Design Officer

Anh–Tu manages updates to the domestic Cultural Orientation curriculum, including creation of
presentation materials, facilitator guides, and provider training. She has more than 30 years of teaching
and training experience, including English as a Second Language and Cultural Proficiency training.

 

Ella Fowler, Research and Learning Officer

Ella manages CORE’s monitoring and evaluation initiatives and leads CORE’s capacity building activities
for new Cultural Orientation providers. She has ten years of experience in managing and monitoring
non–profit programming, including work in refugee resettlement.

 

Manar Marouf, Education Officer

Manar manages various CORE’s capacity building initiatives, including managing training delivery and
resource development. She has more than ten years of experience in education and human rights,
including six years implementing Cultural Orientation programming.

 

Amy Franz, Senior Training Coordinator

Amy supports CORE’s training and capacity building initiatives including the delivery of both virtual and
in–person trainings for Cultural Orientation providers. She has more than ten years of experience
teaching and working with immigrants and refugees.

 

Regan Hill, Senior Community Orientation Coordinator

Regan supports CORE’s community Cultural Orientation portfolio by leading Extended Cultural
Orientation activities for Preferred Communities clients. She has experience working domestically within
Resettlement Agencies as well as in overseas education initiatives.

Annaleah Morse, Senior Digital Strategy Officer

Annaleah leads digital strategy and resource development for COREs refugee–facing mobile app,
website, and Virtual CO program. She also oversees CORE’s provider–facing website and user feedback
initiatives. She has over seven years of experience in evidence–based digital strategy, user research, and
digital content management.

 

Emily Kaiser, Senior Digital Communications Officer

Emily leads CORE’s interactive newcomer–facing digital initiatives, including Settle In for Afghans and
Settle In for Ukrainians. She has more than 15 years of digital communications experience in corporate
and media organizations.

 

Adam Goldstein, Digital Content Manager

Adam manages and edits content for Settle In digital platforms and initiatives. An experienced writer,
video and audio specialist, and content licensing curator, he has created content for numerous
international nonprofits focused on human rights, indigenous peoples’ rights and environmental issues.

 

Adele Auguste, Digital Content Manager

Adele manages digital content for CORE’s refugee–facing website and mobile app, and provider–facing
CORE website. Adele has more than three years of experience in various communications roles,
including work with Atlanta Council for International Relations and Voice of America.

 

Ogochukwu Chiamaka Agali, Virtual Events Manager

Chiamaka manages and implements new refugee–facing virtual events and online learning series, and
support live events Settle In social media platfroms. She has more than four years of event management
and has conducted research on the effects of resettlement on refugees.

Michal Panner, Senior Production and Operations Officer

Michal oversees CORE translation and production of newcomer products and manages project
operations including management of vendors and consultants. She has more than 15 years of
experience working in operations and translation.

Melad Kakar, Senior Digital Community Liaison

Melad supports Settle In Facebook, including overseeing engagement with newly arrived Afghans and
supporting overall management and monitoring and evaluation of the project’s activities. He has over
five years of experience working in research, capacity building, data collection, and utilizing his language
abilities in Afghanistan in helping returnees and Internally Displaced Populations.

 

Ajmal Sharif, Digital Community Liaison

Ajmal supports Settle In Facebook as a moderator, providing Dari, Pashto and English content and
responses to the Settle In Facebook page. He has more than 12 years of experience as a business analyst
and project manager, with expertise as a language trainer and curriculum developer.

 

Rashida Faqiry, Digital Community Liaison

Rashida supports Settle In Facebook as a moderator, providing Dari, Pashto and English content and
responses to the Settle In Facebook page. She has more than ten years of experience with program
management, including three years working with refugee communities.

 

Jamal Zekri, Multimedia Specialist

Jamal supports Settle In Facebook as a multimedia specialist and moderator, providing Dari and English
content and responses. He has more than ten years of experience as a media professional, including
developing social media content for Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Miri Kudinov, Senior Digital Community Liaison

Miri oversees Settle In Facebook engagement with newly arrived Ukrainians and supports overall
management, monitoring and evaluation of the project’s activities Settle In team for Ukraine response.
Miri brings over 10 years’ experience in operations and program management.

 

Mariia Leshchenko, Digital Community Liaison

Mariia supports Settle In Facebook as a moderator, providing Ukrainian, Russian and English content and
responses to the Settle In Facebook page. She has nearly five years working as a social media manager
and moderator.

 

Yana Lazar, Digital Community Liaison

Yana supports Settle In Facebook by providing accurate and up to date information and resources in
Ukrainian, Russian and English to newly arrived Ukrainians resettling to the United States. She has an
experience in managing social media platforms, creating content, and developing strategic promotional
methods to expand digital footprint.

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