About Us

Please Note

Because OIRA staff members are working in the office and from at home, we are unable to guarantee that someone will be in the office if you drop in. For all inquiries, we recommend that you first call (206) 727-8515 or email oira@seattle.gov.

Disclaimer

Mission

The mission of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) is to improve the lives of Seattle’s immigrant and refugee communities through policies, programs, services, and community engagement.

Seattle is a Welcoming City. We value inclusion and equity. City employees do not ask about citizenship status and serve all residents regardless of immigration status.

The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs was established in 2012 by Seattle Ordinance 123822 with the recognition of the importance and need for a stronger relationship and increased accountability between the City of Seattle government and immigrant and refugee communities.

Staff

Click on a name to jump to their bio.

Alessandra (Alex) Roque
Annie Dimitras
Hamdi Mohamed
Joaquin Uy
Khalid Mohamed
Linh Huynh (Linh Huỳnh)
Luanda Hassan Arai
Oksana Bilobran (Оксана Білобран)
Peggy Liao (廖思穎)
Rodha Sheikh
Shilpa Salgar

Alessandra (Alex) Roque
External Affairs Intern

Alex was born and raised in Manila, Philippines and immigrated to Seattle in 2019. She received her associate degree from Seattle Central College in 2022 and is now working toward a B.A. in Law, Societies, and Justice at the University of Washington. As the External Affairs Intern, Alex supports OIRA’s Ethnic Media Program, outreach and engagement programs, and research efforts. She also provides general administrative and project support as needed. Before joining OIRA, she served as a core youth leader at immigrant justice organization OneAmerica. There her work focused on the 2021 Language Access Campaign, where she co-led a research committee whose work was essential to the passing of HB1153, which expanded language access in K-12 schools in Washington State. Alex was previously an intern at the Office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray, where she provided constituent services, supported grant work, and conducted research for other staff members.

Her life and work experiences have guided her passion for improving the day-to-day experiences of immigrant and refugee communities and for building genuine, intentional relationships with residents. In her free time, Alex likes to read, watch anime, and try out new restaurants and coffee shops. She also considers herself a “baby audiophile” and frequently tests audio equipment with her loved ones.

Annie Dimitras
New Citizen Program and Policy Specialist

Annie Dimitras has a background in immigration, human rights, and public service. She has spent years working directly with refugee and immigrant communities in King County. Annie most recently served as the Immigration Program Supervisor at Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA), where she led a diverse team and provided legal representation to low-income clients as a Department of Justice Accredited Representative. Prior to joining ReWA, she worked with Washington’s Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA), a local refugee resettlement agency, the U.S. State Department, and Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein (California). She has also served on the Seattle Human Rights Commission and has been a long-time volunteer with Seattle-area citizenship clinics.

Annie holds a B.A. in Creative Writing and International Studies from the University of California-San Diego as well as an M.A. in Human Rights and Democratization from the Global Campus of Human Rights based in Italy. In 2013, she was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to teach in Kosovo and support post-conflict community-building. When not working on immigration, Annie can be found gardening, visiting local bakeries, and spending as much time as possible on, in, or near the water.

Hamdi Mohamed
Director

Hamdi Mohamed is a civil servant with more than a decade of experience serving immigrant and refugee communities. Hamdi most recently served as Policy Advisor to King County, where she managed initiatives directing funds and investments in small businesses, community organizations, and COVID-19 responses. Before working for King County, she served as the Deputy District Director for U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. Hamdi has also worked for CARE International and the Refugee Women Alliance (ReWA) in roles dedicated to fighting poverty and empowering immigrants.

Hamdi has a Bachelor’s Degree in Law, Societies, and Justice and a Master’s Degree in Policy Studies, bothfrom the University of Washington. She has also earned a Global Business Certificate from Harvard Business School. In 2021, Hamdi won a historic race, becoming the first Black woman elected to the Port of Seattle Commission and the first Somali woman elected in office in Washington state.

Joaquin Uy
External Affairs Manager and Policy Advisor

Born in Manila, Philippines, Joaquin Uy has called Seattle home for over 25 years. As one of the longest serving members of OIRA, he has worked in multiple roles, which have included serving as the external deputy director of the department, managing the department's emergency operations goals, and leading the office's COVID-19 response work in the early days of the pandemic. He is especially proud of his continued role of working across departments to help staff integrate effective immigrant- and refugee-focused strategies into communications, outreach, and engagement workplans. Joaquin is also currently one of OIRA's Race and Social Justice Initiative Change Team Co-leads and has completed multiple Racial Equity Toolkits for OIRA and for other City departments. His current position in the City also includes advocating for immigrant communities regarding policy decisions and long-term planning, typically involving extensive inter- and intra-governmental relations work. He has spent a combined 24 years in state legislative advocacy, external affairs, and project management, which includes such diverse roles as the News and Public Affairs Director at Community Radio KBCS 91.3 FM and as an affordable housing development associate. As a lifelong public servant and a self-identified "doer," he thrives when he is able to help ensure government is truly responsive and accountable to communities, especially communities who have inequitably been harmed by government policies and programs. You can usually find Joaquin singing at a local karaoke spot, walking around Union Bay Natural Area with a pair of binoculars, or kayaking through a local waterway.

Khalid Mohamed
Language Service Coordinator

Khalid Mohamed was born in Yemen and as a junior high school student, arrived to the United States as a refugee to start his new life with his family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He's a lifelong community advocate passionate about linguistics and fluently speaks three languages: English, Somali, and Arabic. His career has been rooted in working with immigrant families to achieve language justice and equity in education and health. Khalid graduated from Hamline University in Minnesota with a degree in political science and nonprofit management. He has worked for the City of Minneapolis, the Office of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and several Minnesota nonprofit organizations. Khalid Mohamed moved to Seattle in 2019 and previously worked for Summit Public Schools: Atlas as an operational assistant. These days, Khalid and his wife call West Seattle home, and he enjoys spending time in the outdoors and with his family. 

Linh Huynh (Linh Huỳnh)
Administrative Assistant

Linh Huynh came to Seattle with her family as a Vietnam War refugee in September of 1979. Linh supports OIRA staff in ensuring the office lives up to its mission of improving the lives of Seattle's immigrants and refugees. Prior to joining OIRA, Linh worked for Seattle City Council for nearly 10 years as an Administrative Specialist. She has experience helping immigrant and refugee families on issues of domestic violence, orphans, and young people. In Linh's free time, she and her mom go grocery shopping or just hang out at an eatery and cherish the time they have with each other. She is also a proud mom of two sons.

Luanda Hassan Arai
Community Outreach and Program Specialist

Luanda Hassan Arai was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, spent part of her childhood in London, and in 1997 moved to the Seattle area as a teenager. She finished high school in South King County and attended the University of Washington, the first in her family to graduate from college. She comes from a mixed-status family and has a lot of personal experience navigating the U.S. immigration system, including being undocumented, adjusting her status to legal permanent residency, and becoming a U.S. citizen. Luanda's career spans the hospitality industry (including growing up working in her family's restaurants), housing, homelessness, workforce development, social enterprise, community and civic engagement, tech, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. In her free time, Luanda enjoys exploring cities, staying on top of the local dining scene, seeing live music, being an aunty, and bird watching. She is also proud to have served on the board of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project for six years.

Oksana Bilobran (Оксана Білобран)
Legal Defense Program and Policy Specialist

Oksana was born and raised in Ukraine. After receiving her first law degree there, she worked in the area of international environmental law focused on climate change, public participation, and access to environmental information and justice. Oksana moved to the U.S. in 2004, then graduated from the University of Washington School of Law and started practicing immigration law in 2007. Prior to joining OIRA, Oksana has worked at three local nonprofit organizations, where she oversaw legal immigration programs and provided direct representation for people seeking to become U.S. citizens, to adjust status, to obtain DACA status, or to file family-based petitions. Oksana played a leadership role in the immigrant rights community with a wide scope of legal work, including organizing Know Your Rights workshops, facilitating immigration law clinics, and providing consultations to asylum seekers at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac. During Oksana's free time, she is raising three children with her husband and enjoys traveling, hiking, visual and performance arts, and poetry.

Peggy Liao (廖思穎)
Language Access Program and Policy Specialist

Peggy grew up in Taiwan and immigrated to the U.S. in 2014 and has lived both in Baltimore and Seattle. She holds a B.A. in business administration and an M.A. in social design. Before coming to the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, she worked for an international shoe company, a foundation for historic preservation, a social service organization, and a communications agency. As a Language Access Program and Policy Specialist, she is committed to supporting every City department in their provision of linguistically-appropriate and culturally-relevant information for all Seattle residents. When it’s sunny out, she enjoys biking around Lake Washington with her husband, Jonathan. When it isn’t, she enjoys a glass of good cider and cuddling with her two cats, Mante and Miel.

Rodha Sheikh
Finance and Operations Manager

Rodha Sheikh was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates to Somali American parents. During high school, she moved to the United States where she attended Highline High School in Burien, Washington. Rodha first joined the City of Seattle as a fiscal and policy analyst at the City Budget Office, where she managed the budgets of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, Office of Arts and Culture, and Seattle Center. Prior to that, Rodha worked at a think tank in Washington, D.C. where she analyzed federal Medicare, social security, and criminal legal policies. She has spent the last six years focusing on equity and access in various spaces. Rodha has led an outreach course at the University of Washington that made STEM fields more accessible to a local underfunded school. She also worked with the Highline School District in developing a Somali dual language curriculum. Rodha holds a degree in law, societies, and justice from the University of Washington. And in her free time, she rates boba spots across the city in an effort to find the best boba in town.

Shilpa Salgar
Special Projects and Policy Specialist

Shilpa Salgar is a second-generation immigrant born to immigrant parents who arrived from India. She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in psychology and law, societies and justice. As the Special Projects and Policy Specialist, Shilpa helps shape policy surrounding significant City projects and mayoral priorities. Her position in the City also includes assisting with outreach projects supporting immigrant and refugee communities. Before joining OIRA, Shilpa served as the Immigration Caseworker for U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. In this role, she collaborated with federal, state, and local departments and leaders to effectively implement initiatives and create solutions for immigrant and refugee populations. As the immigration caseworker, Shilpa helped numerous constituents effectively navigate their concerns with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State and helped constituents impacted by the Afghanistan and Ukraine crises. Shilpa has also served as a campaign manager for a nationally recognized race. She has served in positions where she has overseen the hiring and training of employees, managed budgets, and served as a community liaison.

Banner photo credit: Alabastro Photography.