Lavinia Limon

Lavinia Limón "is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. USCRI is a non-sectarian organization that has served refugees and immigrants since 1910. Its 35 community-based partner agencies country-wide provide refugee resettlement, immigration counseling, and other services to newcomers. USCRI’s mission is to defend the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced persons worldwide.

"Prior to coming to USCRI in August of 2001, Lavinia Limón was Director of the Center for the New American Community, a project of the National Immigration Forum. During the Clinton Administration, Ms. Limón served as the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Department of Health and Human Services designing and implementing programs to assist newly arriving refugees in achieving economic and social self-sufficiency. She served simultaneously as the Director of the Office of Family Assistance for four years helping to devise policies and strategies for implementing national welfare reform.

"Ms. Limón has more than 25 years of experience working on behalf of immigrants and refugees. Beginning in 1975 when the first refugees from Southeast Asia were sent to Camp Pendleton, California, Ms. Limón has gained extensive knowledge of the domestic refugee resettlement process. She also worked in various capacities in overseas refugee camps located in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Costa Rica and Saudi Arabia. In addition, as the Executive Director of the International Institute of Los Angeles for six years, Ms. Limón gained experience serving immigrant communities in such diverse programs as childcare, services to seniors, youth programs, and legal immigration services.

"Ms. Limón is a founding member of the Coalition of Humane Immigration Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and has served on numerous boards and task forces at local, state, national and international levels." [1]

• Director, InterAction