Jodi de la Peña Jodi de la Peña brings over 30 years of social work and leadership experience supporting refugees, immigrants, and youth. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she served as BRFN’s Executive Director (2017–2021) and chaired the East Bay Refugee & Immigrant Forum for over four years. Jodi has managed refugee foster care programs, human trafficking prevention grants, and community initiatives in the U.S. and Latin America. With a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, she is passionate about trauma-informed, culturally competent, and strengths-based support for newcomers, fostering their path to economic and social well-being.
Farhad Yousfazai Farhad, originally from Afghanistan, arrived in the Bay Area in 2014 as a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holder. A former Senior Procurement Manager for USAID with expertise in project management, he has since studied Business Administration and become a certified insurance agent. Dedicated to his community, Farhad volunteered for three years supporting Afghan newcomers with organizations like No One Left Behind and Refugee & Immigrant Transitions. He joined BRFN in 2018 as a social adjustment case manager before relocating to Sacramento in 2019. Farhad is fluent in Pashto, Dari (Farsi), and Urdu.
San San Win, Treasurer San San Win, originally from Burma, came to the US in 2000 as an asylum seeker. A leader in the 1988 Burmese uprising, she served as treasurer for the National League for Democracy and organized underground activities for the People’s Defence Force. After fleeing to the Thai-Burma border in 1989, she continued her fight for democracy. In the US, she has been active in Burmese American political movements and worked with the Burmese American Women Alliance. A US Army Human Resource Specialist from 2007 until her medical retirement in 2012, San San holds a BA in Accounting from SFSU and speaks Burmese.
Ariam Weldeab Araya Ariam Weldeab Araya, born in Eritrea, immigrated to the Bay Area in 2017. An award-winning author, poet, film director, and television host, she holds a degree in Theatrical Arts and was Eritrea's first independent talk show host. Ariam has directed three award-winning films featured in U.S. international festivals and published a bestselling book of poems and stories in 2014. In the U.S., she continues to write, direct, and teach, including developing a course on art with a local nonprofit. Ariam speaks Tigrinya and Amharic.
Ben Paul Ben Paul is the manager of global channel partnership programs at Unity Technologies, overseeing market strategies across countries and industries with a worldwide team. Previously at IBM, he managed major partnerships with organizations like Salesforce and Workday across the US, Canada, and the UK. Passionate about the intersection of technology and humanitarian efforts, Ben and his family have supported refugee relief in Indonesia, creating programs and schools for refugees from Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Sri Lanka.
