The IRC in Atlanta’s Team Continues to Grow

The IRC in Atlanta is excited to welcome four new staff members to our family. With the recent roll-out of the new Volunteer Operations Program and further expansion of our Education Programs, their arrival comes at a time of positive change and growth for the office.

Our newest education staff members: Gina, Wende and Becky. Photo by: Duncan de la Feld

Becki Veal is our new English and Job Skills Instructor. Becki comes to us from Georgia Piedmont Technical College (formerly DeKalb Technical College) where she has been a long-time instructor of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) with the refugee community in Clarkston.  She will be teaching our First Things First class, a special women’s literacy ESOL course for predominately single mothers.

Our new Computer Literacy Instructor is Wende Crow.  Wende has worked as an ESOL teacher both domestically and internationally (in Korea), which will be invaluable in facilitating computer literacy for our ESOL students.  Furthermore, she worked as a computer instructor at the Center for Immigrants and Refugees in Tennessee and has been a long-time volunteer with Café Clarkston’s computer literacy program.

Gina Cynn is the new Childcare Teacher. Gina is an early childhood educator with an emphasis on ESOL. She too has both domestic and international experience teaching ESOL at the kindergarten and early childhood levels.

Finally, our new Volunteer Coordinator, Jessica Seales, comes with a broad range of experience in the nonprofit community, including special events, fundraising, organizing, and advocacy. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Jessica was a Field Organizer at Planned Parenthood where she was directly responsible for recruiting and managing volunteers. More recently she was a marketing and promotions associate for the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

All four of these remarkable women have already had a tremendous impact on the lives of our refugee clients and will be an incredible asset the IRC in Atlanta team.