Meet our Team and 2021 Objectives
Refugee Pathways envisions a world where all displaced people can relocate safely and find protection in a humane and dignified way.
Too many refugees and internally displaced people face exploitation when seeking protection in another country.
To empower displaced people to relocate safely, Refugee Pathways has created an online information platform in 2017 to address the need for increased access to information on legal options for relocation. The Refugee Pathway’s information platform provides free access to legal complementary relocation opportunities — or complementary pathways — tailored to displaced Syrians. The complementary pathways featured on the platform include opportunities for humanitarian visas, private or community-based refugee sponsorship programs, family reunification programs, and academic scholarships.
Refugee Pathways’ mission is to serve the humanitarian needs of displaced people, with a focus on Syria, by providing reliable information on resettlement pathways as they seek legal protection through relocation.
Refugee Pathways aims to provide information on all available complementary relocation options to empower displaced persons to make well-informed decisions when seeking relocation during challenging times. Currently, the Refugee Pathways platform features 62 academic scholarship opportunities, 20 Family Reunification programs, 15 humanitarian visa opportunities, seven private sponsorship programs, and six language courses across 31 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States, and others.
Recent years have shown harsh realities for resettlement and other relocation opportunities for displaced people around the world. Refugee Pathways is hopeful for 2021 to be a year of increased support for refugees and displaced persons in seeking safety and protection. This year, Refugee Pathways plans to sustain and grow its commitment to refugee relocation through research, outreach, and advocacy efforts.
- Refugee Pathways is committed to supporting the expansion of complementary pathways through continued research and publication of opportunities on an updated, user-friendly, and accessible website.
- Refugee Pathways will strengthen connections with partners to bolster the support of complementary pathways and increase our platform’s visibility to refugee and displaced persons.
- Refugee Pathways will continue to advocate for more significant complementary resettlement opportunities through written essays and collaborations with other initiatives and publications to promote the expansion of such programs.
Thanks to our growing team at Refugee Pathways, we are incredibly motivated to pursue our 2021 goals. We would love for you to get to know our team more this coming year:
Julie Meier — Founder & Executive Director
After working with refugees in Greece, Julie founded Refugee Pathways in 2017 to provide displaced persons with a free online resource on complementary resettlement opportunities. Apart from managing Refugee Pathways, Julie has been working in the humanitarian sector with UNHCR, Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services and others. She currently holds a position with IOM in Iraq.
Jeff Bachman — Associate Director
Jeff has been with Refugee Pathways from day one, advising our strategic and outreach efforts. Jeff is a senior professional lecturer in Human Rights at American University.
“I wanted to be a part of Refugee Pathways because I believe it is a necessary resource for refugees and IDPs seeking alternative pathways to resettlement, and because I believe in Julie Meier!”⠀
Emily Ervin — Research Assistant and Writer
Emily joined Refugee Pathways in February 2019 and has since been supporting our research and advocacy efforts. Emily also leads our blog writing. She is a graduate student at Teachers College, Columbia University studying International Educational Development, focusing on refugee education. Her professional background in international education and scholarship administration guides her commitment to protecting refugee rights. She is a proud advocate for refugee scholarships and other educational opportunities for displaced populations.
Caleb Reed — Research Assistant
Caleb provides research support and advises on all things advocacy, outreach and fundraising. After volunteering with his community’s refugee partnership in Virginia, Caleb wanted to have an even more significant impact on refugees’ lives. Caleb met Refugee Pathways founder Julie while studying in Oslo in 2013 and joined Refugee Pathways in October 2019. Apart from supporting Refugee Pathways, Caleb is a writer and designer for a tech firm and has worked in the nonprofit world in affordable housing advocacy and Jewish cultural institutions.⠀
Emmaly Read — Research Assistant
Emmaly has been working in the humanitarian and disaster management field for three years. She is currently getting her Master’s degree in Ethics, Peace, and Human Rights at American University, focusing on human and refugee rights. At Refugee Pathways, Emmaly focuses on researching available resettlement pathways and creating easy to understand guides on how to access such opportunities.
Heather Knorr — Outreach Assistant
Heather is a graduate student at NYU studying Global Affairs, focusing on International Development and Humanitarian Assistance. She supports our outreach efforts, including our monthly newsletter! She is passionate about humanitarian affairs and joined the Peace Corps in 2019 as a Community Health Educator in Ethiopia.
Refugee Pathways looks forward to supporting complementary pathways for refugees and displaced persons in the year ahead. If you are interested to learn more or collaborate, write to us at info@refugeepathways.org.
