MEET THE STAFF

The iACT staff is a lean, nimble team ready to adapt to the situation at hand.

MEET THE STAFF

Katie-Jay Scott

Executive Director

Katie-Jay Scott graduated from Portland State University with a B.A. in Sociology and a focus on Community Development. She also holds a certificate in Executive Management from the Center for Nonprofit Management.
Through her positions as founding Board of Peers member of Education Network for Global and Grassroots Exchange (ENGAGE), AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Coordinator with “I Have a Dream” Foundation-Oregon, and founding Coordinator of the Portland Coalition for Genocide Awareness, Scott brings extensive leadership, community organizing, facilitation, and organizational development experience to iACT. She is a trainer, facilitator, and mentor. She began volunteering with iACT in April 2007 and been with the organization since. In January 2019, Scott became the Executive Director of iACT. She currently serves on Healing Dialogue and Action’s Advisory Board, a CA-based organization that creates healing with survivors, people who have experienced incarceration, communities impacted by violence, and advances transformative justice working towards a world free from violence. As Executive Director, she oversees international and national programs and campaigns, partnerships, fundraising and development, advocacy and policy, and engages iACT’s extensive team of volunteer experts and technical advisors. Scott brings a strong social justice lens to iACT’s work.
She has practiced yoga and mindfulness for over 15 years. She is trained in Trauma-Informed Yoga, Healing Yoga, and recently completed Off the Mat and Into the World’s Action and Purpose Leadership Intensive. She believes mindfulness and mindful movement are tools that can support trauma transformation. Scott has traveled and worked in countries in North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Why Katie-Jay Acts:
“I feel we are all part of one community and one humanity. It’s a value that runs deep and I feel obligated to not only share this but to help build the next generation of leaders. I’ve always felt that I will leave this world a better place, and each day there is something I can do to work towards this. Educate. Activate. Empower.”

Gabriel Stauring

Founder, Chief of Vision and Strategy

Gabriel became involved in supporting populations displaced by genocide and mass atrocities out of a sense of personal responsibility. He believes that the power of community and compassion, combined with personal empowerment, can bring about meaningful change. He graduated from California State University at Dominguez Hills with a degree in Behavioral Science, and previous to founding iACT, Gabriel worked as a Family Consultant, providing in-home therapy for abused children and their families. In addition to making over 30 trips to refugee camps on the Chad-Darfur border, Cameroon, Tanzania, and the Central African Republic, Gabriel has spearheaded campaigns such as the 100-Day Fast for Darfur, Darfur Freedom Summer Vigils, Camp Darfur, Darfur Fast for Life, as well as iACT’s innovative and award-winning programs such as Little Ripples, the Refugees United Soccer Academy, and Darfur United. He is featured in The Enough Moment, a book written by activist John Prendergast and actor Don Cheadle.

Why Gabriel Acts:
“Because it’s personal. I am a father and cannot help but thinking what it would be like if it was my kids sitting in the middle of the desert, with so much danger and so little hope. I know so many refugee fathers,mothers, and children. They are friends. I must act.”

Oumda Al-fateh Tarbosh

Program Coordinator

Al-fateh Tarbosh is the Program Coordinator for iACT, an international organization whose mission is to aid, empower, and extend hope to those affected by mass atrocities. Tarbosh oversees iACT sports, education, nutrition, and human rights programs across five refugee camps in eastern Chad. Before becoming a refugee in camp Goz Amer, eastern Chad, Tarbosh was an accounts manager and traditional leader, or oumda, in his village in Darfur, Sudan. Since becoming a refugee in 2003, Tarbosh has served as a primary school teacher and an English teacher, and has maintained his traditional leadership role as oumda for his community in camp Goz Amer.

Suleiman Bourno

Refugees United Soccer Academy Manager

Coach Suleiman was the captain of the original 2012 Darfur United Men’s Team (DU) that traveled to Iraq. He returned to his camp with pride, energy, and the determination to share the skills he had learned through DU with the children of his camp. Suleiman works alongside coaches Issag, Sadiya, and Thouhilia to manage the program on and off the field.

Why Suleiman Acts:
“Football, to me, is everything. Football is support. Football is health. It means relationships and it means peace.”

Danielle Kercher

Team and Operations Manager

Danielle Kercher is a graduate from Pepperdine University with a B.A. in Psychology. Through her work with populations suffering from mental health issues, youth and adults with physical and mental disabilities, and at-risk youth providing crisis interventions and trauma-informed care, Danielle brings a grounded work ethic centered around patience, compassion, and empathy. She uses her attention to detail and organizational skills to manage iACT’s internal operations, provide logistical support to U.S.-based and international programs, onboard volunteers, and maintain donor and community partner relations. She currently works from iACT’s main headquarters in Southern California.

Why Danielle Acts:
“Because surviving isn’t living. We are all human beings and we need more than just food, water, and shelter. We need to feel safe, to feel connected, to have purpose, and to have opportunities to realize our potential.”

Sarah Nagengast

Program Manager, Storytelling & Relationships

Sarah Nagengast is a Nebraska native and graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism with a degree in Strategic Communications and Marketing. After winning Miss Nebraska USA 2016 and working closely with organizations like the Ronald Mcdonald House Omaha and Girls Inc, she knew her next move would be a meaningful career in nonprofit. Sarah began her career in the nonprofit sector at a notable dog rescue, The Vanderpump Dog Foundation. She quickly fell in love with the hustle of the operations side and became the foundation’s vice president of operations. She recently moved to El Porto and is fully embracing life as a beach bum with her husband Eric, who is a plastic surgeon employed by Operation Smile. Going on missions with Operations Smile as a medical records volunteer has brought to her attention the dire need for access to fundamental human rights around the world. She hopes to bring problem-solving and ingenuity as a project manager at iAct to help get things done. In her free time, she likes to scuba dive in exotic locations, video edit, and considers herself a full-blown yogi.

Why Sarah Acts:
“I act because it is only by luck I was born in the most powerful country in the world. With power comes a great deal of responsibility. No one should be burdened or held back because of the hand they are dealt. Access should be granted to all.“

REFUGEE STAFF

MEET THE STAFF

MEET THE STAFF

Katie-Jay Scott

Gabriel Stauring

Oumda Al-fateh Tarbosh

Suleiman Bourno

Danielle Kercher

Sarah Nagengast

PROFILES