ORAM Welcomes Four Humanitarians, Business Leaders and LGBTIQ Visionaries to Its Board of Directors
- ORAM
- Mar 9, 2020
- 3 min read
Selisse Berry, Jody Cole, Rajiv Desai and Perry A. Witkin Join ORAM Board
Minneapolis, MN (March 9th, 2020): ORAM – The Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration is delighted to announce the appointment of four new additions to its Board of Directors: Selisse Berry, Jody Cole, Rajiv Desai and Perry A. Witkin. Leaders in diversity and inclusion, business, travel, philanthropy and LGBTIQ advocacy, the new board members bring with them years of experience and leadership which will enable ORAM to continue to address the unique and urgent needs facing LGBTIQ asylum seekers and refugees globally.
Selisse Berry Selisse Berry is the founder and former CEO of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to creating safe and equitable workplaces for LGBTIQ people. Under her trailblazing leadership, Out & Equal pioneered and advanced LGBTIQ workplace inclusion across the U.S. and around the world. Her awards include the Outstanding Hero Congressional Recognition from Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi; the Parks Award in Rome; and the KQED Local Heroes Award in San Francisco. Selisse serves on the boards of Equality Florida, Center Link and Safe Place International.
Jody Cole Jody Cole is the founder and guide of Wild Rainbow African Safaris and has over 15 years experience operating her safari company specializing in East and Southern Africa. A tireless advocate for LGBTIQ rights around the world and at home in the U.S., Jody has served on the board of Equality California, The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (OutRight Action International) and the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association Foundation.
Rajiv Desai Rajiv Desai is the Vice President of Global Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement at Gartner. Prior to that, Rajiv was the Executive Advisor with CEB’s Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Leadership Council and the Executive Advisor with CEB’s Financial Services practice. Before joining CEB in 2014, Rajiv worked with FedEx in Belgium, Dubai and the United States. Rajiv is active in the greater Washington, DC LGBTIQ community, where he serves on the board of The Rainbow Theatre Project.
Perry A. Witkin Perry A. Witkin has had an extensive career as an entrepreneur in business and health care administration, founding several medical imaging companies, including Stat Technologies and StatBridge. Perry has been very active in community service and philanthropy, serving on the Board of Directors of The Sholom Home, The American Israel Chamber of Commerce/Minnesota, Nechama – Jewish Response to Disaster and ORAM’s parent organization Alight (formerly the American Refugee Committee). Perry was also honored in 2009 by National Distribution and Contracting, Inc. with their Humanitarian Award.
“We are thrilled to welcome Selisse, Jody, Rajiv and Perry to the ORAM Board of Directors,” said Steve Roth, ORAM’s Executive Director. “Each one of them brings their own unique skills, passion and commitment to human rights and protecting the most marginalized among us. We know they will provide valuable insights, fresh perspectives and new energy to expand and strengthen ORAM’s mission, and we’re excited to welcome them into the ORAM family.” “I am so happy that we will be joined by these four talented individuals on the ORAM Board of Directors and I look forward to working alongside them closely to improve the lives of LGBTIQ asylum seekers and refugees around the world,” said Charlie Rounds, ORAM’s Board Chair. “Their exceptional backgrounds and diverse experience will make them a great asset to ORAM and our global work.” _________________________________________________________________________________
About ORAM: Founded in 2008, ORAM is dedicated to the protection of LGBTIQ asylum seekers and refugees worldwide. ORAM collaborates with local stakeholders and beneficiaries to ensure that its work is built around the people it serves. Through capacity building and collaborative relationships with governments, international organizations and NGO’s worldwide, ORAM has successfully increased system-wide awareness and protection of LGBTIQ refugees and continues to deliver special expertise in this constantly evolving field. Learn more about ORAM: @ORAMrefugee www.oramrefugee.org
A very inspiring announcement. Bringing together leaders with such diverse experience in inclusion, humanitarian work, business, and advocacy can bring valuable perspectives to ORAM’s mission. It’s encouraging to see organizations building strong teams to support vulnerable communities around the world. I also appreciate discovering useful online resources that make everyday tasks easier. Wishing the new board members and ORAM continued success with their important work.
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Coming back to this announcement after reading it when it was first published and feeling the same sense of genuine optimism I felt then. Organizations like ORAM do work that is invisible to most people until it becomes personally relevant, and by then the quality of the infrastructure they've built either holds or it doesn't. Board appointments like this are part of building infrastructure that holds. For the practical toolkit side of supporting this kind of work from the outside, a bill split calculator for group events is something I use constantly when coordinating fundraising dinners with mixed groups. A cubic feet volume converter came in handy when we were estimating storage space for donated goods at our local resettlement office. A…
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