Serving immigrant and refugee families in the DMV since 2019

IROC was established in August 2019 by local high school junior, Ariana Lotfi. Through her involvement with local nonprofits assisting Syrian refugees, Ariana saw a need in the DC region for resettlement assistance for families arriving from all over the world.

Generally, refugee families only receive 90 days of assistance from government-appointed resettlement agencies and very limited financial assistance. IROC was created to help address the gaps in the resettlement process and to try and ease the burden on families as they begin to build a new life in America.

IROC receives requests for help directly from immigrants and refugees, including those with no support from resettlement agencies. We prioritize assistance for recent arrivals and strive to meet their immediate and medium-term needs, by providing urgent support, delivering essential household necessities, and by connecting newcomers to other available community resources.

IROC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit & donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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Children of refugee families in the DC Metropolitan area stand and pose for a picture. There are 11 children, all facing the camera, outside of an apartment building, ready for an IROC event

Our Leadership Team

Board of Directors

Bita is the daughter of first-generation immigrants from Iran and witnessed firsthand the challenges of resettling in the United States. Inspired by these experiences, she has dedicated her career to supporting refugees and immigrants in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. After her daughter, Ariana, founded IROC in 2019, Bita joined the organization to help expand its mission and impact.
She is a graduate of Wittenberg University and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Dayton. Bita is a member of the Illinois and District of Columbia Bar Associations, as well as the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). She spent more than a decade with the international immigration law firm Fragomen in Chicago, Tysons Corner, and Washington, D.C., and currently works as a business immigration consultant.
An IROC volunteer since 2022 and as a Board member, Lydia has leveraged her professional experience and networks to address the needs of refugees and new immigrants. Her work in assisting newcomers, and particularly new mothers, has been featured in several publications, including in the Washington Post article “A New Country, A New Baby, and the Universal Bonds of Parenthood” (October 7, 2022). She lives in Chevy Chase, DC with her husband and two kids, where she organizes a group of more than 300 neighbors in service of the refugee community. Lydia has assisted more than 100 refugee families directly, helping with school enrollment, home furnishing, benefits enrollment, job placement, English lessons and - perhaps her favorite undertaking - building community by organizing outings for new families with established neighbors.
Sadiq Amini is a Fulbright Alumni and holder of a MA Degree in Diplomacy & International Security from the Patterson School of Diplomacy, University of Kentucky. His key role coordinating the evacuation of more than 3,000 staff members as part of Operation Allies Refuge was recognized by the U.S. Department of State with a Heroism Award. He guides and advises IROC in the assistance of newcomers by applying his extensive professional experience, which include the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations. He also brings empathy and compassion born from his personal experience of being uprooted from his life after the Taliban takeover of Kabul.

In June 2019, Ariana came back from a service trip in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon working with refugees through the non-profit organization Project Turquoise, with a curiosity to learn about the resettled refugees in the United States. She received a fellowship from her high school, National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C. to learn and study about the DMV area refugees and their journey’s to the U.S. and to understand their needs now and what they are lacking. Through dozens of in-person interviews with the newest immigrants, she learned that their needs were not met. Thus, in the summer of August 2019, she formed the non-profit organization, IROC. The highlight of her work through IROC is the free summer camps held in Riverdale, Maryland . Ariana is a senior at Stanford University majoring in Public Policy and Management Science & Engineering.

Allison holds an MSc in International Development from the University of Edinburgh, where she wrote her thesis on the relationship between imperialism and migration. She enjoys using her NGO experience, particularly relating to project design and monitoring & evaluation, to help make IROC the best it can be. Allison oversees most of IROC’s programs while managing the organization’s volunteers and partner relationships. Outside of work, Allison loves baking, knitting, crochet, and gardening.
Audrey Duchesne is a first-generation immigrant from Kingston, Jamaica, and has been in the United States for more than 50 years. She is recently retired and spent 30+ years in the private and public sectors as an accountant and auditor. Audrey holds a BS in Accounting from George Mason University and is a licensed CPA in VA. Audrey assists IROC's leadership team with donor relations and outreach.
Carmen Ramirez manages IROC's scholarship program. She teaches English as a second language at a partner organization, and has a particular passion for placing students in English classes. She is also an accomplished lawyer with nearly twenty years of experience in financial services and tax litigation.
Darya is currently a high school student at The Potomac School. She started an IROC club at her school and she has worked with IROC for over 5 years and has led free refugee camps for the refugee kids throughout the year.
Halima came to the United States from Afghanistan and has always been passionate about helping others. When the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan and universities were closed, Halima met people who, without expecting anything in return, started providing services to women and the community. They created free courses, university programs, and educational initiatives. Being involved in these programs in Afghanistan changed her mindset about helping others and inspired her to contribute and make a difference, even in small ways. She studied midwifery and has experience supporting families with forms, translation, and finding essential services. She joined IROC as a Community Navigator because she wants to help newcomers feel welcomed, supported, and confident as they adjust to life in Northern Virginia. She enjoys connecting with people and making sure they know there’s someone who cares and can guide them through the challenges of building a new life here.
Matthew is a retired attorney who spent several years in private practice and more than two decades with the federal government working in a broad array of legal disciplines. Two of his grandparents were immigrants to the United States. In addition to identifying, evaluating and helping apply for grant opportunities, Matthew help's IROC's leadership team complete day-to-day administrative tasks, and augments the efforts of other IROC volunteers by picking up and delivering needed items, and providing targeted help with respect to managing landlord-tenant relations, assisting with job searches, and applying for available benefits.
Mollie Regan manages IROC's Immigrant Support Services and helps clients navigate the legal and administrative labyrinth as they start life in their new country. She is endlessly amazed by the character, bravery, and tenacity of IROC's clients and is passionate about helping them get successfully settled in the D.C. metropolitan area. Mollie is a lawyer, teacher, and former magazine editor.
Sajia arrived in the US as a refugee from Afghanistan in 2023, and immediately became a leader in her community. She brings her experience in coordinating several USAID-funded projects and her ability to speak multiple languages to her work as IROC intake coordinator. She contacts every household who submits a help request and welcomes them with kindness and advice about starting a new life in a new country. She also assesses their most pressing needs and helps IROC coordinate delivery of necessary assistance.

Staff

Advisory Board

Community stakeholders who guide IROC’s programming

Armeen is currently a Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Company in New York, where he primarily focuses on Private Equity and Growth Strategy engagements. In 2025, Armeen served as an Investment Associate secondee at Acumen America, a leading early-stage impact venture capital fund, where he invested in Healthcare and Fintech ventures. Armeen was also a founding member of Intern From Home, a COVID-19 pandemic startup that connected university students with remote internships at high-impact startups.
Armeen graduated from Brown University with degrees in Economics and International Affairs, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
Esmat Gulistani is a Consultant, Community Mobilizer and refugee advocate, recognized for his impactful community leadership and services. He has received formal recognition from the Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) for his community contributions and was also honored with the Outstanding Workforce Champion Award by Employ Prince George’s (EPG) of Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Prior to relocating to the United States in 2016, Esmat played an active role in strengthening government institutions and supporting the U.S.-led reconstruction mission efforts in Afghanistan. Following the fall of Afghanistan in 2021, he has remained deeply committed to serving refugee communities across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region.
Currently, Esmat serves full-time as a Consultant and Community Mobilizer with ManpowerGroup, where he focuses on supporting refugees and immigrants in their integration into the U.S. workforce. He strongly believes in the transformative power of education, technology, and awareness to bridge opportunity gaps and equip job seekers with the skills needed for long-term success. His approach is rooted in empathy, guidance, and a genuine commitment to helping individuals navigate the complexities of job searching, promoting both stability and economic prosperity. Esmat remains dedicated to lifelong learning and to advancing meaningful, positive outcomes for immigrant and refugee communities in the United States.
Laura is the executive director of Homes Not Borders, a grassroots nonprofit that helps refugees and forced migrants in the D.C. area thrive and feel at home. She has been with the organization since it started in 2019, growing out of her involvement with National Community Church's Refugee Care Mission. She is also a founding member of the Hello Neighbor Network, a national network of grassroots refugee care organizations.
Prior to collaborating with refugees and newcomers, Laura worked with unhoused individuals and was co-founder of D.C.’s street newspaper, Street Sense, and was its Editor and Executive Director from 2004 to 2009 (and briefly in 2011). She helped grow it from a project of the National Coalition of the Homeless to its own thriving non-profit helping hundreds homeless individuals.
Laura is passionate about welcoming new refugees because their culture and contributions so enrich the United States. (She also loves sampling all their new foods!)
In her free time, Laura loves hiking in Rock Creek Park - or anywhere she can - and playing board games with her husband and three kids.
Maheen Qureshi is the founder and owner of Jahaan Institute, a venture that builds communities of changemakers focusing on deeper knowledge sharing, developing connection and self-leadership. With over 21 years of professional experience working in global corporate and nonprofit entities, Maheen’s work has focused on social and environmental impact at the intersection of business and finance. She has led affordable housing, community outreach and financial capability programs at Freddie Mac and conservation impact investing at The Nature Conservancy. Maheen served on the boards of a national South Asian American social justice nonprofit and Immigrant & Refugee Outreach Center. Her volunteer work includes outreach to women and girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Maheen earned her MBA and is an IPEC-certified Life & Leadership Potentials Coach. She calls the Washington, DC area home, where she lives with her family. She grew up in Pakistan, Myanmar, the Philippines and Indonesia, is multilingual, and enjoys traveling and experiencing world cultures.
Merritt Groeschel is the founder and executive director of Solutions in Hometown Connections (SHC). Passionate about working with newly arrived members of the community, Merritt spearheaded her church's effort to resettle a Syrian family in 2015; which led to her leadership of the Refugee Sponsors Group, consisting of representatives from over 55 diverse faith groups and secular organizations in the greater Washington area, exchanging resources and experience in sponsorship of newcomer families. In 2024, SHC's reputation for positively engaging with congregations and volunteer groups, as well as traditional resettlement stakeholders, led to the establishment of the Maryland Newcomer Support Coalition in partnership with the Maryland Office for Refugees and Asylees.
Before launching SHC, Merritt was a program manager and a policy and legal researcher in Washington DC. She holds a J.D. from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law; and an M.A. in International Development Studies from The George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs.
Olga joins IROC's advisory board with a sincere commitment to the refugee community. As a Ukrainian immigrant who moved to the DMV area over thirty years ago, she understands the challenges of starting over and the resilience required to build a new life. Her journey with the IROC began as a family mission; alongside her son, she supported Afghan refugees by organizing donations, delivering groceries, and helping with resumes and job applications. As a board member, Olga’s goal is to ensure that every refugee who arrives in our area has the resources and the dignity they need to thrive.
Sayed Samiullah Rohani, born in Ghazni province into a distinguished military family, is a dedicated and courageous Afghan professional who devoted some of the most important years of his life to serving his country. He completed his higher education in Law and Political Science, as well as Pharmacy, and later began his career in the security institutions of the former Afghan Republic.
In his youth, Rohani served in the security sectors of the Afghan Republic, holding important governmental responsibilities. He also worked closely with international forces, including ISAF, NATO, and the United States, contributing to shared security objectives and strengthening cooperation efforts during the Republic era.
Following the collapse of the Afghan Republic, Rohani was forced to leave Afghanistan and resettled in the United States. In addition to his daily responsibilities, he is currently engaged in volunteer work, assisting newly arrived immigrants in the United States—particularly in the DMV area (Washington, Maryland, and Virginia). He has also begun writing his personal memoir, intended to document his life story, military service, experiences in war, the fall of the Republic, migration, and hopes for the future.
On a personal level, Sayed Samiullah Rohani is the father of two children—a daughter and a son—who remain his greatest source of pride and inspiration.
Yaz Aljarrah is a manager at Boston Consulting Group, contributing to strategy projects across the technology, media, and telecommunications sectors and collaborating closely with client leadership teams.
Outside of his professional role, Yaz has spent many years deeply committed to supporting refugee communities in the DMV area through hands-on volunteering with organizations such as IROC and Mozaic. He has worked closely with multiple families throughout their resettlement journeys, helping with employment readiness, access to resources, and overall well-being. This work is deeply meaningful to Yaz, driven by a strong belief in dignity, opportunity, and the importance of community in rebuilding lives. He is thoughtful, and has an empathetic perspective grounded in long-term service and a genuine passion for helping families feel supported as they start new chapters.