Samar Jafri
sjafri@cwsglobal.org
Samar Jafri is the CWS Winchester Director. Samar is committed to the resettlement work and to the CWS mission and finds the work very meaningful and rewarding. Samar has been involved with various non-profits in various capacities over the last 10 years. She is currently serving on the boards of Valley Interfaith Council, the City of Winchester’s Board of Architectural Review, the Islamic Society of Winchester and is the treasurer for the non-profit HandUp Loans. She has a BA Hons in Economics from York University in Toronto, Canada and is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Administration at Old Dominion University. Her name is pronounced like the season – Summer. Samar is fluent in Urdu and Punjabi.
Jenny Chacon
jchacon@cwsglobal.org
Jenny is originally from vibrant Colombia, and is fluent in Spanish thanks to her upbringing. Her American adventure began in 2018 with a cultural exchange program. For two unforgettable years, she soaked up the charm of Maryland before making the leap to Virginia. Now, she is rocking it as a proud mom and part of the awesome CWS crew in Winchester. As the cheerful face at reception, she is here to welcome you with a smile and make sure you're pointed in the right direction. Need a hand with office stuff? She's got you covered – whether it's copying, scanning, sorting mail, or juggling appointments, count on Jenny to keep things running smoothly!
Susannah Lepley
slepley@cwsgobal.org
Susannah provides leadership and oversight to all CWS offices operating in Virginia, working collaboratively with the Office of New Americans to advance the shared vision of welcome across the state and the provision of professional, compassionate services to displaced populations. She lives in Harrisonburg with her spouse and dogs and enjoys riding her motorcycle and trying different foods from around the world. Susannah grew up in Brazil and speaks Spanish and Portuguese.
Lucia Canizares
lcanizares@cwsglobal.org
Lucia is the Associate Director of Immigration for both the Harrisonburg and Winchester offices. She assists clients with applications for legal services such as asylum, citizenship, green card applications, and family reunifications. She is accredited by the Department of Justice to practice immigration law. She speaks Spanish and French.
Rodrigue Makelele
rmakelele@cwsglobal.org
Rodrigue works with the CWS policy and advocacy team to develop and implement strategies to increase support for refugee resettlement with policymakers in the state of Virginia. He also supports building refugees’ civic engagement efforts in the State of Virginia through capacity building and trainings. He holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA, and a B.S. in Information Technology from Institut Superieur d’Informatique et de Gestion in Goma, DRC. He speaks several languages including French, Swahili, and Lingala.
Ana Cruz
acruz@cwsglobal.org
Ana oversees programs that offer direct support to clients for both the Harrisonburg and Winchester offices. She provides supervision to case managers while working to develop mental health services for clients. Ana is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University and holds an MA in Clinical Mental Health.
