And You Welcomed Me has made an offer to an exceptional candidate to become its president. This individual has worked in American, British, and European government settings, and has significant experience with and knowledge of African foreign policy and non-profit advocacy.

The Rev. Ethan Bishop-Henchman is an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church. He is especially passionate about the intersection of social justice and voluntary action, and is a recognized leader across faith communities and charities in Washington, DC. He was a founding co-chair of both the Outreach and Social Justice Committee of Washington National Cathedral and the Refugee Response Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. With their social justice leaders, he also volunteers with and recruits for the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, the latter honoring him with a 2020 Caritas! Award. A native Vermonter, Ethan graduated from St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. In his “day job,” he supports startups and non-profits with their behind-the-scenes operations. He currently resides in the District with his husband, Joe, and their rescue dog Ulysses.

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(IMAGE: 2023 joint visit to the LGBT+ ngo Insight and Servant of the People Party HQs in Kyiv, Ukraine)

Yasmine Belarbi is a recent graduate of the George Washington University in Washington DC, where she studied International Affairs and Conflict Resolution. Yasmine currently works in development at CASE, The Council for Advancement and Support of Education, a global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement professionals—in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services—who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society.

Dominic Nozzarella is a recent graduate of George Washington University and currently works at Churches for Middle East Peace, and previously for the Washington Kurdish Institute. He has a background in International Affairs, Asia, and Conflict Resolution with active interests in peacebuilding, diplomacy, human rights, and humanitarianism.

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Joseph Ross is a poet and teacher who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. He has been an advocate for LGBTQIA+ refugees in Kakuma Camp, Kenya, Block 13, since 2020. As a teacher of more than thirty years, he has taught English, creative writing, and social justice at the college and high school levels. He currently teaches in Washington, D.C. He has taught at Carroll High School, American University, Washington, D.C., the University of Notre Dame, and Montgomery College, Takoma Park, Maryland. Ross holds degrees in English and Divinity from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of five books of poetry: Crushed & Crowned (forthcoming, Fall, 2023) Raising King (2020), Ache (2017), Gospel of Dust (2013), and Meeting Bone Man (2012). His poems have been published in many journals and anthologies including The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Poet Lore, The Langston Hughes Review, and Sojourners.

You can read more about his writing, books, and publications HERE.

(IMAGE: On the stoop at Langston Hughes’ house, 127th Street, Harlem, New York City)

Ivy Love is a senior advisor in the Center on Education & Labor at New America, where her work focuses on community colleges, their students, and federal and state policies that support them.

Prior to New America, Love worked as a policy analyst for the Association of Community College trustees, as a lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis and Webster University, and as a refugee orientation educator at the International Institute of St. Louis where she also gained experience working with LGBT+ refugees.

Love is a PhD candidate in higher education administration at Saint Louis University. She holds an MA from the University of Sheffield (UK) and a BA from Missouri Southern State University.

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Łukasz Niparko (pronounced: woo-kash), pronouns: he/him/his —is a passionate advocate for human rights, originally from Poznań, Poland. He is currently completing his doctorate in Political Science and Human Rights at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and working as a Data Fellow at the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C. Łukasz has navigated the intricate legal landscapes affecting individuals fleeing conflict and persecution through various roles. He brings to And You Welcomed Me robust experience working with asylum seekers and refugees in the European Union, including various legal projects he has done with the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and the Association for Legal Intervention, as well as from the field of humanitarian and development aid (with Polish Humanitarian Action, PAH). As a Migration Clinic Fellow, he prepared court briefs and drafted pleadings, focusing particularly on appeals and complaints in proceedings to grant refugee status and legalize the stay of foreigners. Additionally, he was a Pat Cox Fellow at the European Parliament, contributing to its Development Committee (DEVE). Łukasz has served with various NGOs, including Humanity in Action (HIA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He is an alumnus of the United World College (UWC-USA’09), St. Lawrence University (SLU’13), and the European University Viadrina (M.A./LL.M. in International Human Rights Law’16). His interests center on the future of civil society amidst digitalization, along with the impact of digitalization on human rights and democracy.

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Rev. Antonio Baxter works as the Agency Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services for the District of Columbia and also works for the District’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Antonio has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a Master’s in Public Policy, and a Master’s of Divinity. He is currently working on a Doctor of Ministry Program.

Rev. Baxter was ordained to the vocational diaconate in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington in November of 2020. He has served on the Vestry of Calvary Episcopal Church and was responsible for starting a new outreach ministry. This ministry concentrated on small group discussions with people of the Generation X and Millennials age groups.

Ashley Shade is an elected City Councilor for the city of North Adams, Massachusetts. After graduating from Charles H. McCann Technical High School, she began working and later studying at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts where her interest in politics and civics began. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Her professional career has led her into a position where she is able to help people and continue to advocate.

She served as a Senior Service Support Consultant for Wayfair, where she also led an Employee Resource Group for LGBTQ+ employees and allies, and was appointed to the Corporate Impact Council where she was able to help drive positive culture change within the global organization. Ashley is actively involved in numerous organizations, serving to advocate for marginalized communities. She works in Customer Service and previously worked in healthcare at the hospital, pharmacy, and nursing home settings and understands the complex issues that confront the residents in and around North Adams.

As the Chairwoman of a national non-profit organization, Outright USA, and a former member of the National Transgender Visibility March policy team, Ashley continues to work and offer solutions to serve and represent LGBTQ+ community issues and provide a positive impact on people’s lives. Her election as chair of the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts set history, making Ashley the first transgender person in Massachusetts to be elected as the chair of a state political party. She is a staunch advocate for diversity and inclusiveness and uses her platform to increase education and awareness around the issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Her former work on the Human Services Commission and with the Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition and current work as Co-Chair of the Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Access (I.D.E.A.) Commission has helped further the aim to build a strong, safe, and vibrant community in North Adams. Ashley was elected to her first term as a City Councilor in 2021 and took office in January 2022. In 2022 Ashley left the Libertarian Party and in 2023 she joined the Democratic Party and serves as the Political Director of the Democratic Freedom Caucus.

Being transgender has given her a unique perspective on what it feels like to be marginalized, a perspective that and the vital importance of helping people of all backgrounds and treating them with equal compassion.