Meet Our Team

The Staff and Board of Directors of SDRT are passionate about making education accessible to every student. We work together to make each child feel welcome and successful. We believe that education is the path to success for our students and their families.

Filter Team:

Yasmin Ahmad

Middle and High School Program Assistant
Kelsey Baron

Middle/High School Assistant
Denise Brecher

Director
India Bishop

Elementary School Program Assistant
Justice Fleischmann

Director
Joanne Brown

Vice President
Sodaba Dehpoor

Family Academic Liaison
Habon Hassan

Middle School Director
Christine Friedman

President
Kerry Lee

Director of Operations
Kristin McGraw

Elementary School Director
Sadia Habib

Director
Stefan Montgomery

Director
Keith Messerman

Finance and Development Support
Thnay Moo

Elementary School Program Assistant
Melissa Phillips

Executive Director
Scott Mullaney

Secretary
Roggens Succeus

Family Academic Liaison
Laurel Wheeler

Early Literacy Director
Andrew Younger

High School Director/Grant Writer
Laura Requena

Treasurer
Susie Sovereign

Director

Ready To Get Involved?

Yasmin Ahmad

Middle and High School Program Assistant

Originally from Sudan, Yasmin Ahmad moved to the United States with her family at a young age. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in General Business with a minor in Communication at San Diego State University. As a child, Yasmin attended tutoring through San Diego Refugee Tutoring, and the support she received inspired her to give back to the organization that helped her along the way. She is excited to now serve as a Program Assistant and support students and families in her community.

In her free time, Yasmin enjoys trying new matcha spots, reading, spending time with family and friends, and exploring San Diego.

Kelsey Baron

Middle/High School Assistant

Kelsey is a former Ph.D. scientist turned rock climbing coach and professional cook. Introduced to SDRT by the Network of Women in Science at Scripps Research, Kelsey has been tutoring with SDRT since 2020. After watching her student of 6 years graduate high school in May 2026, Kelsey joined SDRT as Program Coordinator to continue working with her favorite organization.

In her free time, you can find her rock climbing, dancing, and exploring the world.

Denise Brecher

Director

Denise grew up in the New York Metropolitan area. She worked with vulnerable populations including refugee children and their families in New York City for many years as both a social worker and a teacher. She has also served on the Board of Directors for Bronx Charter School for the Arts in New York City for the past fifteen years.

In 2019 Denise and her family came to San Diego for three months, and loved it so much that they decided to stay!

Anxious to get involved in the community, she heard about SDRT and signed up to volunteer. After only a few months working with the children of SDRT, Denise was so impressed with the organization’s mission and impact that she wanted to become even more involved!

In her spare time, Denise enjoys open water swimming, pottery, reading and spending time with her family.

India Bishop

Elementary School Program Assistant

Originally from England, India moved to the United States at age 10. After finishing high school in Seattle, Washington, she moved to San Diego for college (and for the sunshine). She graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Political Science and Human Rights and Migration. India is passionate about welcoming newcomers and creating spaces where they feel celebrated, supported, and respected. During college, she volunteered as a tutor with several nonprofits in City Heights, where she fell in love with the neighborhood’s vibrant community. She joined SDRT in February 2026 and is looking forward to building meaningful, lasting relationships with the students and their families in her role as an Elementary Program Assistant.

India is happiest when she is by the sea, and if she is not at the beach, you can find her crocheting, journaling, and finding fun places to walk her dog, Eddie. She is an avid conversationalist and loves making new friends from all over the world!

Justice Fleischmann

Director

Dr. Justice Fleischmann is a cancer immunotherapy researcher at the Scripps Research Institute. He has been a tutor with SDRT since 2020, where he has found joy empowering middle and high school students to actualize their potential.

Prior to attending Scripps, Justice taught middle school science at Bridge Boston Charter School in Boston, Massachusetts. Justice has always been passionate about education and this experience revealed to him the necessity of holistic education, rather than just an academic focus. This lens drew Justice to SDRT and formed the foundation for his commitment to this organization and these students.

In his free time, Justice enjoys spending time with his dog, Sequoia, surfing, hiking, rock climbing, cooking, and playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Joanne Brown

Vice President

Joanne Brown began her career as a teacher of students with learning differences. She then became involved In leadership positions with a variety of nonprofits, often using her teaching skills to train adults. She ended her professional career as the manager of a volunteer program for a non-profit hospice. She holds a BA from Yale, an Ed.M from Harvard and an MPH from Boston University.

She has served on a number of boards, including the governing board for Cambridge Friends School, the only Quaker school in Massachusetts, and most recently for Mothers Milk Bank Northeast.

Now retired, Joanne and her husband moved cross-country from Cambridge, MA to San Diego in the summer of 2023. She began tutoring at SDRT in February 2024 and is delighted to be back to working directly with students. She is also honored to draw on her board experience to further support the organization.

Sodaba Dehpoor

Family Academic Liaison

Sodaba Dehpoor is the dedicated Family Academic Liaison at SDRT, bringing warmth and enthusiasm to her work supporting students and families. She is committed to helping refugee families thrive academically. Known for her friendly approach and positive energy, Sodaba creates a welcoming learning experience for everyone.

Outside of her role, she enjoys exploring new ideas and cultures, believing that curiosity is the key to growth.

Habon Hassan

Middle School Director

Born in Somalia, Habon Hassan moved to Kenya at the age three before arriving in the United States in 2014. She is a proud first-generation graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Child and Family Development. Habon began attending tutoring sessions with San Diego Refugee Tutoring (SDRT) in seventh grade and continued until her senior year of high school. This long-standing relationship with SDRT inspired her to give back to the organization that supported her throughout her academic journey. Today, she is proud to be a staff member with SDRT, helping other students succeed just as she once did.

Habon loves doing henna on special occasions, taking long walks, and spending time in nature, especially with her mom. An outdoor enthusiast, she completed the Five Peak Challenge in San Diego in 2019. In her free time, she also enjoys hiking, exploring the arts, and attending local events.

Christine Friedman

President

Christine Friedman has practiced law in California since 1996. Currently, she is a Deputy Attorney General in the Appeals, Writs, & Trials section of the California Attorney General’s Office. Previously, she practiced employment law and commercial litigation, and served as a law clerk for Hon. Barry Ted Moskowitz, United States District Court Judge, and Hon. David R. Thompson, Senior Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Christine has been a volunteer with SDRT since 2018. As an immigrant herself, she appreciates the difficulties of adapting to a new culture and wholeheartedly believes in SDRT’s mission of achieving social justice through educational access.

Kerry Lee

Director of Operations

Kerry first came to SDRT as a volunteer and is now incredibly grateful to be a part of the SDRT staff. Kerry is a longtime community volunteer with a large part of her work background in case management and social work. Kerry is also an avid photographer and owned her own photography business for nine years. She has a big heart for helping refugee families feel welcome and supported in their new home.

Originally from Virginia, Kerry has lived all over the United States, while her husband served in the USMC for twenty years. She and her family are so thankful to be able to call San Diego their longtime home now. When not out exploring vintage shops, or museums, you’ll find Kerry hanging with friends, going to concerts, painting, reading, exercising or spending time with her family and their dog Rocky. Kerry loves staying physically active, traveling, and finding creative ways to connect with people and make a positive difference.

Kristin McGraw

Elementary School Director

Kristin McGraw connected with SDRT as a volunteer, supporting a teacher at Ibarra Elementary with new refugee students. Her first years teaching were in the San Francisco Unified School District where she taught grades 4-8. The diversity of her classrooms inspired her to return to graduate school to become a reading specialist and to learn more about second language acquisition. While raising her family in San Diego, she continued to support classroom teachers as a volunteer, tutoring struggling readers, and working at a charter school in City Heights supporting middle and high school students. Her role at SDRT allows her to continue pursuing her passion of supporting students and their families.

Kristin and her husband have recently become empty nesters after many years of raising their three children. In her free time she is happiest hiking, exploring national parks, knitting, reading, and spending as much time as she can with her family.

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Sadia Habib

Director

Sadia Habib serves as the Public Outreach Manager and Communications Director for the Afghanistan Law and Political Science Association (ALPA), where she supports free educational opportunities for Afghan women worldwide. With a background in teaching and tutoring through various NGOs and schools, Sadia is passionate about creating pathways to learning and empowerment for communities in need. Her own experience of being displaced for four years has given her a deep understanding of the challenges that come with navigating new environments, making her especially appreciative of the impactful work SDRT is doing for refugee students and families.

Sadia is multilingual, speaking several languages fluently, which helps her connect with diverse communities. Outside of her professional commitments, she enjoys learning new things, meeting people from different backgrounds, and exploring new places. She believes in the power of education to transform lives and is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of those she serves.

Stefan Montgomery

Director

Stefan Montgomery spent his childhood in San Diego before moving to Buffalo, NY; Dortmund, Germany (as an exchange student); and Pittsburgh, PA where he graduated from high school. He attended Mesa Community College in San Diego and received his BS in Mathematics and Computer Science from Elmhurst College in Illinois.

Stefan is a software engineer with 25+ years of experience. He has written code for everything from video games to flight testing software and currently works at Intuit where he has enjoyed his job over the last 8 years.

Stefan values community and loves to cook for everyone and anyone, appreciating the way that food can connect people. He plays the guitar and feels lucky to be married to his loving wife and to be a father to his two almost-adult kids.

Keith Messerman

Finance and Development Support

A native Clevelander, Keith joined SDRT after moving from Denver, CO to City Heights in the summer of 2025. He has a background in victim services, grant management, and nonprofit administration, and was previously the finance director for Denver’s family justice center. He holds an M.A. in history and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania where he taught high school English and learned to speak Swahili.

Keith became a first-time father to a beautiful baby girl in August 2025. While discovering the joys of being a girl dad in real time, he might be found exploring San Diego, hiking, camping, fishing, or doing his best not to ruin dinner for his hard-working better half.

Thnay Moo

Elementary School Program Assistant

Thnay is a former student of Crawford High School who will join the San Diego Refugee Tutoring Team as an Elementary Program Assistant. He can relate to our students as he immigrated as a refugee to San Diego at the age of seven from a refugee camp in Thailand. He speaks both English and Karen. He has a strong passion for education and believes in the power of encouragement, patience, and meaningful relationships to help students succeed.

Outside of tutoring, he enjoys playing basketball and exploring new places. He looks forward to growing as an Assistant and making a difference within the community and the lives of students and their families.

Melissa Phillips

Executive Director

Melissa Phillips is the co-founder and Executive Director of San Diego Refugee Tutoring (SDRT). A credentialed teacher, she served in San Diego Unified schools (City Heights area) for almost two decades. When she discovered the intense needs of students from a refugee background in her classroom, she created SDRT with another colleague, Jeremy Blough. Together, they wanted to connect volunteers to students in an outside-the-box effort to meet the significant academic needs of students who recently resettled in the United States. SDRT has continued to grow at a rapid rate, far exceeding anything Melissa ever dreamt of creating. She loves watching the students and tutors connect where, as a result, both tutors and students end up seeing life from a different perspective. While living in City Heights for 21 years, she loved seeing firsthand the diversity that each unique culture brings to the community. She is passionate about all students deserving an equitable educational experience.

Melissa is also a mom to five children through adoption and foster care. When she isn’t with kids, she can be found on a date with her high school sweetheart (who also works in education), hiking, camping, jogging or reading.

Scott Mullaney

Secretary

Scott Mullaney teaches and practices nephrology as a faculty member at the UC San Diego Medical School. As an educator he has taught across all levels at the medical school, holding leadership positions focused on educating students, residents, fellows, and faculty. Scott is a strong believer in the power of education to help level playing fields and create opportunities for all.

Scott has lived in San Diego for more than 25 years with his wife and son. Serving at SDRT provides a space to build a stronger community that he is proud to call home.

When not at the hospital working, Scott can be found watching soccer (Vamos Wave!), searching out live music and spending time with family. Be well.

Roggens Succeus

Family Academic Liaison

Roggens is originally from Haiti and moved to the United States in 2024. During his first three months in the country, he studied English as a Second Language at the San Diego College of Continuing Education. He completed his bachelor’s degree at Revelation Message Bible College in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2020, and is now pursuing a master’s degree in Transformational Leadership in Theology.

Roggens is active in his church, where he preaches and leads worship. He is also a singer, pianist, and flutist. He is friendly, welcoming, and dedicated to serving the Haitian community as an interpreter in Haitian Creole and French.

He loves people and believes that every human life is precious and a special gift from God. His philosophy is rooted in social justice, with the belief that everyone should live in peace because the earth is not private property, but a place God has given to all people to live together as one family.

Laurel Wheeler

Early Literacy Director

Laurel first came to SDRT as a volunteer and is now excited to be a part of the SDRT staff. Laurel is a recently retired elementary educator with 25 years of experience in the classroom and a Master’s degree in Crosscultural Education from National University. She has a passion for literacy, language development, and igniting a spark of curiosity in the children she works with. She believes in the magic of reading and feels fortunate to be able to share her knowledge with the SDRT community.

Laurel is passionate about advocating for children and families and also devotes time to community causes and justice initiatives.

In her spare time, you will find her with her husband, Steve, her two sons Jack and Joshua, and her 3 dogs. She enjoys arts and crafts, thrifting, and a good book. When opportunities arise, she loves to take little trips up the coast with her husband and spend some time at their happy places; local botanical gardens and libraries.

Andrew Younger

High School Director/Grant Writer

Prior to becoming SDRT’s MS/HS Director, Andrew Younger taught grades 7-12 and was the English Department Head and Curriculum Specialist at a middle school in South San Diego where he worked with a large English learner student population. Empowering students through language and literacy inspired Andrew to pursue an English degree through SDSU and a M.Ed through the University of San Diego. He is excited to continue empowering students and families with SDRT.

Outside of the classroom, Andrew is an avid movie and music fan who always appreciates recommendations. He plays multiple musical instruments in his free time and enjoys trivia, tennis, skateboarding, and travel. Andrew has visited 12 countries so far and is looking forward to adding more countries to that list soon.

Laura Requena

Treasurer

Laura Requena has worked in the biotechnology life sciences field for over 20 years. Laura focuses on developing and commercializing technologies, which scientists use to understand diseases and develop new therapies.

Laura was a refugee from Chile, gaining asylum in the UK as a child. Laura and her family initially struggled with the English language and culture—she was often seated at the remedial table in primary school. After overcoming these difficulties, Laura completed her Ph.D. and emigrated to the US in 2001. Her career has led to secondments in Japan and China.

When at home in San Diego, Laura enjoys live music events, and tending to her unruly backyard chickens.

Susie Sovereign

Director

Susie Sovereign was a public school educator and administrator for over 30 years and is now happily retired. She was the principal at Herbert Ibarra Elementary, where San Diego Refugee Tutoring started, for 14 years.

She grew up in Monterey, California, went to college at the University of the Pacific in Stockton and came to San Diego for graduate school.
After completing her master’s degree she stayed in San Diego and will not leave unless it is to visit Italy for an extended period of time with her boyfriend.