Meet the Staff

  • Nura Adam - Executive Director

    Nura moved to Puget Sound as an immigrant 24 years ago. She has developed deep relationships with the growing immigrant community on the Eastside and a commitment to supporting community members through financial, social, and personal hardships. Her desire to bridge cultural, systemic, and linguistic divides led her to found Adams Interpreting Services.

    Nura has for years connected community members to valuable resources in the community and fundraised to support immigrants with daily living expenses. The Immigrant Women’s Community Center (IWCC) was born out of these passions.

    The IWCC mission reflects Nura’s lifelong approach: to engage with empathy, serve with compassion, and preserve humanity.

  • Sana Arafat - Case Manager

    Sana was born and raised in Kuwait. She studied business administration in Jordan, where her family eventually moved due to war in their home country. She eventually immigrated to the US, where she worked with refugee families as an interpreter and case manager for 8 years.

    When Sana's 4 sons were young, she started working at a preschool as an assistant teacher. As her children grew older, Sana returned to work as an Arabic interpreter.

    Sana is excited to have joined the IWCC team as a case manager and interpreter. Throughout her life she has enjoyed helping people in many different ways. She understands from experience how difficult leaving one's home can be, especially when it is due to conflict. She loves to help other women and their families feel empowered in their new home, and is excited to be part of such a compassionate, motivated team.

    Sana enjoys spending time with family. There are many ways she likes to show people love and cooking is one of them. She also likes reading and camping.

  • Daniel Oron - Program Coordinator and Board Member

    I immigrated to the US with my family when I was 5 years old. I grew up in Seattle, where I learned from many amazing role models, many of whom were immigrant women.

    Helping others and fostering connections have been two guiding principles in my life. As a young adult, I helped organize and lead a grassroots summer camp called Middle East Peace Camp, where children and teens could come together to learn about each other's cultures, peace, and social justice. For 5 years, I've worked as a teacher in ESL, Hebrew, and many other subjects.

    As Program Coordinator, I help to organize and facilitate regular virtual events. I also develop new programs to meet the needs and interests of our community members. My favorite part of working at IWCC is the connections I make with community members.

    I have a bachelor's degree in chemistry, and I am currently studying for a master's degree in public health (epidemiology). I hope to work as a researcher in the future, finding new ways to ensure the health of our diverse community. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, playing soccer, and exploring new areas in the city.

  • Kristen Jawad - Community Engagement Coordinator

    Kristen Jawad holds a Master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and has advanced training in compassionate communication, mediation, restorative practices, life coaching, traditional healing and spiritual care.

    For two decades, she has shared effective ways to reduce harm and heal trauma — integrating brain, body, and mind. Kristen offers relationship-building practices to individuals, couples, families and organizations — creating better, stronger bonds driven by trust and appreciation for each other.

Meet the Board

  • Jennifer Karls - Board President

    Jennifer Karls is committed to working with others to build an inclusive community where every individual has access, is valued, and belongs. Everyone deserves to live in a society where they have opportunity and can thrive. The work of the Immigrant Women’s Community Center (IWCC) aligns with those values and is a critical lifeline for people who are in crisis and need support.

    Jennifer is very pleased to be on the Board of the IWCC with so many talented and dedicated individuals and to be involved in supporting this incredibly important work with our community.

  • Sherri Hall - Board Member

    Sherri Hall has been a resident of Seattle for over 40 years and is a proud graduate of the University of Washington. She co-founded CLS Inc, a local landscape/design company in 1985, and became the sole owner/president in 2002. When she sold her company in 2016, she wanted to focus her time and energy on the things she is most passionate about; her friends/family and serving the immigrant families of our community.

    Sherri believes IWCC will provide not only the services they need and deserve but also the sense of belonging that comes from empathy, understanding, and inclusion.

  • Faith Reeves - Board Member

    Faith Reeves has been a practicing physician in the Puget Sound area for over 30 years.

    Her interest in the immigrant community has to do with the privilege and responsibility that she feels to provide hospitality to the newcomer to her home in the same way that others opened their doors to her relatives.

    She has confidence that the experience and commitment of the board members at IWCC will enable the organization to accomplish its goal to be a source of hope to all in the immigrant community.

  • Carlos Snellenberg-Fraser - Director of Communications & Board Member

    Carlos is a born and raised Washingtonian that joined our team in August 2022. He graduated from Seattle Pacific University with his B.A. in Communication and served as a student journalist at The Falcon for two years. Since then, Carlos has gained experience in corporate public relations, nonprofits, and journalism which he is excited to bring to our community here at the IWCC.

    As board member and communications director, he manages our social media presence, assists the organization in fundraising efforts, fosters new relationships with leaders and organizations in the greater community, and manages our media relations.

    Carlos is passionate about using his knowledge and experience in communications to serve the immigrant and refugee communities in Washington. He believes that through empathy, inclusivity, and respect for one another, we can all make a positive impact on others. His goal is to make everyone feel welcome in our community as we strive to make a difference in people's lives.

  • Peg Marckworth - Volunteer Board Consultant

    Peg is the CEO of Felton Health Care, an innovative medical practice offering in-home primary care and medical director services to adult family homes and assisted living facilities. Peg's experience in marketing, business consulting and family therapy assures that Felton Health Care clients have a compassionate troubleshooter to conduct the business side of our operations.

    Peg has a 30 year career in communications, working with companies, non-profit organizations and government agencies throughout the United States and Canada. Peg is the principal of Marckworth Associates, a branding and marketing firm whose work is based on the knowledge that brand integrity only exists when companies consistently deliver what they promise.; She co-owned an award-winning public relations firm, known for its national media campaigns and community relation's work in urban neighborhoods. She has been a child welfare administrator and researcher, a Washington State lobbyist, and a family therapist.

    Peg is pleased to act as a Consultant to the IWCC Board to further its work supporting immigrant women and their families with empathy, understanding and dignity.

  • Nishrin Poonawala - Board Member

    Nishrin Poonawala has been in the Seattle area for 25 years. She spent her elementary years in Ethiopia, India and Yemen, completed high school in Dubai, has an undergraduate degree from Canada, and passed the CPA exam in Washington State in 2001. She has worked in the finance and accounting space in corporations such as Microsoft, Zillow and Pokémon.

    As an immigrant, Nishrin understands the challenges that these women and their families face in a new country. At such trying times, a compassionate organization such as IWCC and its team becomes the lifeline for them. Nishrin is honored to be part of the IWCC Board and family and is committed to help and empower these women for a better future. She believes that empowering immigrant women is not just about providing opportunities; it's about recognizing their resilience, honoring their journey, and ensuring they have the support to thrive in a new world.