Alight Welcomes Four New 2021 Board Members

MINNEAPOLIS, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global humanitarian organization, Alight, is proud to welcome four new board members in 2021 including Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools Dr. Brenda Cassellius, Kenyan Ambassador Mahboub M. Maalim, NIKE Vice President of Purpose Communications Virginia Rustique-Petteni and Justice for Muslim Collective Movement Chaplain Yasmin Yonis.

"We are very pleased to welcome each of the new board members, as they bring exceptional and diverse experience that will benefit the work that Alight does to create dignified spaces and human-worthy services for refugees and displaced people throughout the world," says Alight Board Chair Maureen Reed. "Each of these individuals captures the core values and mission of Alight's work, and we are honored to have them join us."

Dr. Brenda Cassellius has been an educator for more than three decades and has devoted her career to ensuring all children succeed and thrive. As Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools, Cassellius works to ensure every child receives an equitable, exceptional and joyful education. Her leadership is student-centered, supportive of educators, and grounded in collaboration and effective community partnerships. Prior to Boston, Cassellius spent eight years as the Commissioner of Education for the State of Minnesota. She also served as the superintendent of the East Metro Integration District in Minnesota, associate superintendent in the Minneapolis Public School District where she led a comprehensive high school redesign initiative, and as academic superintendent of middle schools in Memphis, Tennessee.

Ambassador Mahboub M. Maalim is a diplomat with 41 years of experience spanning international, regional and national levels. He is Chairperson of the Council of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and the Executive Director of  international pathfinders and research think-tank group Sahan. He previously served as the Chairman of the Kenya Power and Lighting Company and as Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for over a decade, where he formulated the only regional UN CRF tool in Africa: The Nairobi Declaration for Durable Solutions for Refugees. Maalim has also served in the Kenyan Government at various levels. Utilizing his experience as a Registered Engineer with the Kenya Engineers' Registration Board and a member of the Institute of Engineers' of Kenya, Amb. Maalim has been instrumental in designing disaster management programs, relief and rehabilitation implementation, arid lands and food insecurity mapping, coordination and refugee population assistance. He has worked closely with UNHCR and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and understands the workings of the African Union Commission and the Regional Economic Commissions (RECs) across the continent.

As the visionary behind Nike's sustainability engagement and partnerships strategies, Virginia Rustique-Petteni is an integral member of the Global Sustainability Leadership team, working across the business to ignite a culture of sustainability--working to identify and advocate with partners to inspire global action. Previously, Rustique-Petteni  was the Senior Director of Relationships for the UK-based non-profit, Girl Effect. Her first role with Nike was as Director of Global Partnerships for The Nike Foundation, where she launched the Girl Declaration. Prior to Nike, Virginia ran her own consultancy practice, launching and incubating philanthropic initiatives for corporations, international NGOs, global foundations and private individuals.

Yasmin Yonis is an interfaith movement chaplain providing care to organizers, activists and communities. A human rights advocate, Yonis has served in positions at the Children's Defense Fund, lobbying the Obama administration on its foreign policy and advocating for global refugee and asylum rights as a Senior Associate at Human Rights Watch, serving as an organizing fellow at the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, resettling refugees at the International Rescue Committee and providing spiritual care as a Prison Re-Entry Chaplain at Osborne Association in Brooklyn. Yonis supports the re-imagining of how to do justice work in just ways. She consults organizations and foundations shifting toward liberatory and collaborative work cultures, trains groups interested in system-shifting networks and facilitates communities of practice. In addition, Yonis mobilizes donor funds to the frontlines of social and economic justice movements as a member of the Emergent Fund's board and Solidaire Network's R&D Fund Committee.

To learn more, please visit www.wearealight.org. 

ABOUT ALIGHT
Established in 1978 by founder Neal Ball, Alight, formerly known as American Refugee Committee, provides health care, clean water, shelter, protection and economic opportunities to more than 3.5 million people in 19 countries each year. Alight believes in the incredible creativity, potential and ingenuity of the displaced and works to shine a light on their humanity, the tremendous amount of good that's already happening and the possibilities to do more. In 2020, Alight received the prestigious 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the tenth consecutive year, celebrating a decade of impactful work.

SOURCE Alight

Related Links

https://wearealight.org/