United Nations Association-Dane County

press release: Zoom link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86228895403?pwd=SEFYMUllSFRWWFEzejZhSmcybEYrQT09

UNA-USA, Dane County Chapter Distinguished Lecture Series Presents Refugee Resettlement in Wisconsin and Dane County

Kristen Olsen, refugee programs coordinator, Bureau of Refugee Programs, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families

and Becca Schwartz, resettlement director, Jewish Social Services of Madison

A very important role of the United Nations is in working to protect those who are forced to flee their countries of origin due to violence and persecution. The United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) works to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge. This presentation will discuss how organizations and groups in Wisconsin and Dane County work to help refugees and other groups to resettle in Wisconsin and Dane County.

Kristen Olsen is a Refugee Programs Coordinator with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) working on refugee support services, English as a Second Language (ESL) activities, and overseeing refugee youth services in Wisconsin. She has sixteen years of experience working with diverse populations, four of those years studying, living, and working internationally. Kristen completed the School for International Training Wildlife Conservation and Political Ecology program in Tanzania. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin working on natural resource conservation, sustainable agriculture, environmental education for youth, and women’s empowerment activities. She extended her service to become the Gender and Development Coordinator for Peace Corps Benin, expanding women’s equity programs, promoting girls’ education, and developing gender equity education for youth. Kristen has worked for a refugee resettlement agency in Denver, Colorado helping clients with social, economic, and housing needs. Prior to joining DCF’s Bureau of Refugee Programs, Kristen worked in the department’s Division of Early Care and Education on initiatives that expand access, affordability, and quality of child care in Wisconsin. She sits on the department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee (EIAC) and chairs the Training and Curriculum Development subcommittee. She can be reached at: Kristen.Olsen@Wisconsin.gov.    

Becca Schwartz joined JSS in early 2017 to head up the new Refugee Resettlement Program and considers herself very fortunate to have the opportunity to help newcomers establish themselves and become a part of the community in Madison. She is a Middleton native who spent over a decade working in various parts of East and West Africa. She earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Iowa and an M.B.A. from Drexel University, before joining the Peace Corps where she started working in small business development.

Zoom link   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86228895403?pwd=SEFYMUllSFRWWFEzejZhSmcybEYrQT09

Hope to see you Tuesday!