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Caseworkers
ESL Instructors
Employment Specialist
Interpreter Coordinator
Director
Accountant
Laura Joseph, Director
Laura first began working with CMAA in 1986 as the Agency's Case Manager, supervising staff and overseeing new resettlement cases. Her prior experience included Peace Corps service in the People's Republic of Benin (83 - 85), followed by teaching of English as a Second Language at Ashland College. She left the agency to attend graduate school, then went on to work with Catholic Relief Services for eight years. During that time she served as Assistant Desk Officer for East Africa, CRS/Uganda Assistant Country Representative, and CRS/Zaire Country Representative, overseeing programs in emergency relief, agriculture, health, microenterprise and other areas. In that capacity she has lived in Kenya, Burundi, Zaire, and Uganda, as well as working in other countries in East and West Africa. Laura returned to the U.S. to join CMAA again in 1999 as Director of the agency.
She holds her Bachelor's Degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and her Master's Degree from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, Department of Social Change and Development. During her graduate studies she interned with Bread for the World, a grassroots advocacy group, and for the International Food Policy Research Institute, both in Washington, D.C. She lived and studied in France for two years and is fluent in French.
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John Snyder, Accountant
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John has been CMAA's accountant since its inception in 1980. Together with the Director, he manages all fiscal aspects of CMAA's operations and produces reports for funders.
John's other work experience includes working as an accountant for the Diocese of Columbus and as a corporate accountant for Borden.
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Sandra DiCenzo, Employment Specialist
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Sandy joined CMAA in 1989 after having served for Migration and Refugee Resettlement Services in Columbus for two years. As Employment Specialist, she is the primary liaison with area employers, and works closely with case workers to help refugees get and keep jobs. This includes identification of health, housing, transportation, day care and other obstacles, as well as the steps in assessment, job applications, orientation and so forth which lead to actual job placements.
Sandy brings other international experience to the job. She managed an international youth hostel in Columbus, and as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco taught ESL and photography. She holds a B.A. from Ohio State University in International Studies and Photography, and an M.A. in Intercultural Administration from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont.
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Hawo Warsame, Interpreter Coordinator
Hawo joined CMAA in April 2001 to work on a grant recently funded by the Columbus Medical
Association Foundation. In collaboration with the Somali Women's Association and other agencies,
this project is geared to training more Somali medical interpreters, training hospitals and other
providers in how to use interpreters, educating the Somali community about interpreters and health
access, and helping to build a centralized referral and billing system for interpreters in collaboration
with other agencies. Working for both the Somali Women's Association and CMAA, Hawo leads and coordinates these efforts.
Hawo worked as a teacher and trainer in Somalia, both with governmental and private
institutions. In Columbus she has worked as a teacher's aid and an ESL Instructor. She holds a Master's
Degree in Education from the University of the Hague,
Netherlands, and a B.S. from the Somalia National University.
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