Get To Know Our Team
Left to Right: Missy, Steven and Charity at our recent One Community, Many Cultures celebration
Although Renew Northwest is a brand new venture seeking to welcome and walk alongside our newest neighbors, our small team are certainly not strangers to one another. We have worked together for years, most recently as staff members at a humanitarian relief and development organization which resettled close to 400 individuals in the Bellingham area through the US Refugee Admissions Program.
With the suspension of that refugee program and the drastic changes to federal policy toward immigrants seen since January 2025, we felt compelled to launch a local effort which would bring the community together to provide support and encouragement to immigrants of all backgrounds.
Steven (Executive Director) - Steven led the launch of an office focused on providing support to refugees and immigrants in Bellingham and served as its manager from for four years. He has years of experience connecting with community organizations and faith groups to educate, mobilize, and coordinate services for immigrants. He is also passionate about seeking appropriate, honoring ways to tell compelling stories about the struggles and triumphs of our newest neighbors. A Western Washington University graduate, he lived in Southeast Asia for six years while teaching English and gaining a Master’s Degree in TESOL. He has pursued advanced studies in theology at Regent College in Vancouver and was on staff at Bellingham Covenant Church for seven years.
Missy (Direct Services Manager) - Missy has previously served as a case manager for refugees being resettled in Whatcom County and is experienced at navigating services, collaborating with community partners and advocating for her clients. She was introduced to the world of refugee resettlement and immigrant services through her volunteer work with Houston Welcomes Refugees while living in Houston TX, and she was excited to find that the same sort of work was ongoing in Whatcom County as well. Missy graduated from Sichuan University in Chengdu, China with a degree in Chinese Language.
Charity (Community Engagement Manager) - Charity is a Whatcom County native who was deeply involved in the launch of refugee support efforts in the community. Beginning in a volunteer role, she was soon hired as a case worker serving refugees, eventually becoming a coordinator overseeing all refugee case management efforts in Whatcom and Skagit counties. She is particularly passionate about caring for children and families, and headed up efforts to start a successful family literacy ESL program as well as a summer School Readiness Program for refugee students. Her role in Renew Northwest is focused on increasing our community capacity to welcome and support immigrants.
