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Meet Emily Russ, OPE/Accra Representative
Emily Russ, OPE/Accra Representative
Photo: CWS/IRP Accra
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"I am inspired by refugees. They are extremely hard working and resilient. And I really enjoy being able to participate in improving their lives." So says Emily Russ, who in July was promoted to the position of Representative of the CWS Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) in Accra, Ghana, after more than four years' service in other capacities there.
In fact, she was one of the two Americans and three Ghanaians hired to set up the OPE in January 2001. Initially Post-DHS Supervisor, Russ was an integral part of securing office space, hiring staff, and formulating operating procedures for West African refugee case processing.
She became Deputy Director for Cultural Orientation in November 2001, then was named the OPE's Acting Representative on April 1, 2005.
Early in her life, Russ' compassion for refugees and immigrants was inspired by her grandparents. They all immigrated to the United States at the start of the 20th century, when virtually no services were available to new immigrants. Her paternal grandfather and his mother fled economic hardship in what is now Austria and settled in Philadelphia. One day, his mother disappeared. From age six to 16 or 17, Russ' grandfather fended for himself until he joined the U.S. Army to fight in World War I.
Russ' first direct exposure to refugees came while studying at the University of North Carolina. A United Methodist, she took part in a Wesley Foundation college youth group work camp in the Dominican Republic, where she helped paint a church/community center and build a classroom for Haitian refugees.
"That experience had an indelible impact on me," she said. "I always knew I wanted a career involving people from different cultures."
After graduating college with a degree in international studies and French, she joined Lutheran Family Services of the Carolinas, a CWS affiliate, in Greensboro, N.C., in 1995 as a Vista Volunteer, where she managed the volunteer and intern programs. In 1997, she became Match Grant Coordinator. She went on to help establish the Refugee Services of North Texas (RSNT) sub-office in Fort Worth, where she coordinated the Match Grant program for two years and then was named director. Later she became director of resettlement for RSNT's Fort Worth and Dallas offices.
At RSNT from 1997-2000, she "moved sofas and other furnishings in trucks, assisted families in the emergency room late at night, conducted community orientation post-arrival, and did just about everything in between" to welcome refugees, she said. Russ also taught English to Vietnamese students and Somali women. That sparked her interest in education for refugees.
While with RSNT, Russ was among affiliate staff chosen for a visit to the OPE's "sister" Joint Voluntary Agency in Nairobi, Kenya. On the trip, she gained a greater appreciation of the complexities involved in overseas processing, including relationships with implementing partners such as the International Organization for Migration, Department of Homeland Security, and UNHCR. Upon return to America, Russ was asked to help pioneer the OPE in West Africa.
As OPE Representative, Russ said she wants to continue OPE's unbroken record of meeting departures goals and to work with her staff on cultural sensitivity and a review of operating procedures.
"The emphasis is shifting from family reunification to resettlement of smaller groups referred by the UNHCR or U.S. officials," Russ said. "As new populations in need of resettlement emerge, it is more important than ever that we work together with our partners to process refugee cases in the most efficient
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