Washington, DC – Refugees International has elected Eileen Shields-West as its new Board Chair and Sam Waterston as its Vice-Chair. The organization also added two new members to its Board of Directors: Marianne d’Ansembourg and L. Craig Johnstone.

Ms. Shields-West will succeed Farooq Kathwari, Chairman and CEO of Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. who served as Chairman of the Board since 2004. Refugees International achieved unprecedented growth under Mr. Kathwari’s leadership.

“Refugees International is honored by the dedication Eileen Shields-West has shown during her nine years on the Board and we’re excited to have her serve as our Chair,” said Dan Glickman, President of Refugees International. “We know that under Ms. Shields-West’s leadership we will continue to grow and serve as a voice to power for refugees around the world.”

“We are also fortunate that two powerful advocates for refugees and displaced people have joined our Board,” said Glickman. “Marianne d’Ansembourg and Craig Johnstone bring years of experience and tremendous dedication to serving the world’s most vulnerable people, and Refugees International will benefit greatly from their presence.”

A short biography of each new board member follows:

Marianne d'Ansembourg currently works as an independent consultant specializing in gender and international development, and has recently been working with the UNICEF Syria Country Office on developing protection interventions for vulnerable Iraqis living in Syria. In this capacity, Ms. d'Ansembourg conducts field visits, designs programs, and carries out focus group discussions for the Iraqi refugee population with a focus on adolescents. Her findings and recommendations concerning that demographic group can be found in the report titled Iraqi Adolescent Girls: Voices to be Heard. Prior to her work with UNICEF, Ms. d'Ansembourg gained invaluable experience working for the Population Council, the Social Science Research Council, the United Nations Development Program, and Equilibres et Populations. From 1999 to the present, Ms. d'Ansembourg has served as a volunteer in various positions including teaching English in China as a Worldteach volunteer. She played a vital role as a volunteer with the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children. Ms. d'Ansembourg is a family council and board member of the Flora Family Foundation where she supports grants with an international focus on women’s human rights, education, health, and sustainable development.

L. Craig Johnstone is the Managing Director of jSolutions, and also currently serves on the Advisory Boards of Manti Oil and Gas and Authentix. Prior to joining jSolutions, Mr. Johnstone worked in various distinguished capacities in the private sector, government, and within the non-profit community. From June 2007 until November 2009 he served as deputy UN High Commissioner for Refugees, testifying before Congress on the plight of Iraqi refugees and the importance of focusing on the growing problem of climate displacement. His experience in government service also includes USAID and US Foreign Service Assignments in Vietnam, Canada, Jamaica, the Sinai and France. He has also served as Deputy Director of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s staff, US Ambassador to Algeria, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America, and as Director (Assistant Secretary) for Resources Plans and Policy in the Clinton Administration. During his previously mentioned service in Vietnam, Mr. Johnstone managed, among other responsibilities, a refugee camp in Chau Doc Province in the Vietnam Delta. His private sector experience includes five years as Vice President and General Manager, Europe for the Boeing Company, Senior Vice President for International Affairs at the Cabot Corporation in Boston, and President of Cabot Plastics International based in Brussels, Belgium. Mr. Johnstone was also Senior Vice President of the US Chamber of Commerce and for five years Founder and Chairman of the US Center for Corporate Citizenship.

Refugees International’s Board of Directors

Board Officers.
*Eileen Shields-West, Chair

*Sam Waterston, Vice Chair

Michael Hawkins, Secretary

Michael Berkman, Treasurer


Board Members
Jane Best
*Steven E. Carr
*Frank Caufield
Amb. John C. Danforth
Marianne d’Ansembourg
Matt Dillon
Charlene Engelhard
*Elizabeth Galvin
Carol Ann Haake
Roya Hakakian
Hadeel Ibrahim
*W. Braun Jones, Jr.
L. Craig Johnstone
*Farooq Kathwari
Lady Malloch-Brown
Dale Mathias
*Tatiana Maxwell
Cary Netchvolodoff McCall
*H.M. Queen Noor
*Peta Roubin
Jan Weil
Natacha Weiss
*Amb. Frank Wisner

Emeritus Directors
Bill Clarke, Chair Emeritus
James V. Kimsey, Chair Emeritus
Sue Morton, Founder
Dr. James Cobey
Robert P. DeVecchi
Mary Louise Fazzano
Marta Gabre Tsadick
Tom Getman
Susan Goodwillie Stedman
Alan G. Hassenfeld
Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
Shep Lowman
Judy Mayotte
Constance Milstein
Charles Monat
Sandra Sennett Tully
George Soros

Dan Glickman, President
Lionel A. Rosenblatt, President Emeritus

*Re-elected to the board for a three year term

###

For Immediate Release: May 12, 2010
Contact: Ann Brown, 202-828-0110 x214
ann@refugeesinternational.org