From five high-need locations across the United States, our staff provide interdisciplinary, trauma-informed services to immigrant survivors of gender-based violence. Located in Greater DC, our executive and national teams support the needs of our local offices and our policy advocacy. Our staff exhibit a high level of cultural competency, speak multiple languages, and, above all, are committed to supporting our clients.
Since May 2021, Archi Pyati has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Tahirih Justice Center, taking on the task of leading Tahirih in its service to more than 30,000 women, girls, and other immigrant survivors seeking safety from gender-based violence.
Archi was the Chief of Policy and Communications at Tahirih before assuming the role of CEO. As the Chief of Policy and Communications, Archi led the policy team in using survivor-centered policy advocacy to assist clients in securing the rights that they are entitled, to rebuild their lives.
Archi is also a spokesperson for Tahirih, connecting with lawmakers, media, funders and on coalitions such as the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence.
Before joining Tahirih, Archi served as Deputy Director of the Immigration Intervention Project at Sanctuary for Families in New York, where she ran a pro bono asylum program and worked with survivors to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) from occurring in the United States. Prior to joining Sanctuary for Families, Archi was a senior associate with the Human Rights Defenders Program of Human Rights First.
She brings nearly twenty years of experience in immigration law, women’s rights, and public policy advocacy to the CEO role. Archi is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Michigan Law School, where she was named Outstanding Woman Law Student of the Year by the Michigan Women Lawyers’ Association.
Paul Glist serves as General Counsel for Tahirih, supporting the management and legal teams and Tahirih’s strategic initiatives. Paul served as a member of Tahirih’s Board of Directors from 2008-2017, and chaired the Board for most of that decade.
Until his retirement in 2018, Paul was a partner at Davis, Wright Tremaine specializing in cable, Internet, and telecommunications law and policy. He also serves as Chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Alexandria, Virginia; is a former board member of the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington; former co-chair of the Alexandria Interfaith Association; and former Secretary for the City of Alexandria Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Planning Committee.
Paul has lived in Johannesburg, South Africa and London, England.
“I am inspired by Tahirih’s unwavering commitment to fight for equality between women and men and to obtain justice for immigrant survivors of gender-based violence.”
Paul received his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his B.A. from Cornell University.
Adriana López joined Tahirih in 2017. Previously the Social Services Program Manager at Tahirih’s Greater DC office, Adriana brings nine years of experience advancing immigrants and gender-justice causes through advocacy, training and capacity-building, program development, and direct service work. As Co-Director of Client Advocacy, Adriana strengthens Tahirih’s interdisciplinary model of service, where legal and social services staff comprise one interdisciplinary team to holistically address clients’ needs and increase their access to safety and justice. Prior to joining Tahirih, Adriana worked at the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), and the Equal Rights Center. She has lived abroad in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.
“Violence against women and girls is one of the most visible effects of gender inequality, and eradicating it is critical to women’s social, economic and political well-being everywhere. I feel privileged to be a part of an organization that advocates for and provides holistic services to immigrant women and girls, so they can live their lives free from violence.”
Education: University of Michigan, MSW; London School of Economics, MSc in Gender, Development and Globalization; and Saint Mary’s College, BSW
Languages: Spanish
Hometown: Elgin, IL
Vanessa joined Tahirih’s Atlanta office in 2021. As Executive Director, Vanessa is responsible for the management, growth and financial sustainability of the Atlanta office. She leads the Atlanta team in delivering client-centered legal and social services to immigrant women and girls fleeing violence; conducting community outreach and partnerships; oversees the local office’s financial and operational integrity; and engaging diverse stakeholders. Vanessa also works collaboratively to develop and execute a regional advocacy strategy for policies supporting the community.
Prior to joining Tahirih, Vanessa worked within the non-profit field for over eighteen years. In 2003, she joined Promise Place to expand domestic violence services in Fayette county to several new counties within the judicial circuit. With the opening of that area’s first state certified domestic violence shelter in 2007, Vanessa took on the position of Shelter Director, assisting in developing the framework for services provided to clients. She then served as Executive Director for the next ten years. As Promise Place Executive Director, Vanessa developed numerous domestic violence initiatives for the community. One of these initiatives was featured in the 11th annual Georgia Domestic Violence Fatality Review report. In February 2015, Vanessa was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to the Georgia Commission of Family Violence where she served for 3 years. She received a Pinnacle Leadership award in 2017 for outstanding community leadership and was recognized with a Phenomenal Woman award in 2021 for her 17 years of service to the community.
I am inspired by both Tahirih’s mission and inter-disciplinary approach to providing services. Having worked in the domestic violence field for many years, I have seen firsthand the complex barriers immigrant women and girls face in achieving safety – a basic right that we all too often take for granted. Legal services are a critical factor in removing these barriers and I am honored to work alongside a team that focuses on prioritizing client needs while maintaining excellence in our service delivery.
Hometown: Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
Adilene Nuñez Huang joined Tahirih in 2018. Adilene most recently served as the Managing Attorney for the Greater DC office. In her current role as the Co-Director of Client Advocacy, Legal Services, Adilene ensures that interdisciplinary client services teams have the infrastructure in place and necessary tools to deliver smooth, efficient, high-quality, client-centered, and trauma-informed services to immigrant survivors of gender-based violence.
Adilene is an active member of the AILA DC chapter, has written on bond issues, cancellation of removal for non-lawful permanent residents, has spoken at the national AILA conference and local chapter conference, and she regularly hosts trainings for the Tahirih Pro Bono network to help pro bono attorneys develop practical, trauma-informed, and client-centered best practices for working with immigrant survivors of violence. Prior to joining Tahirih, Adilene advocated for immigrants at a boutique immigration law firm in Washington, DC.
“I am inspired by Tahirih’s holistic approach to client services. Tahirih not only provides women and girls with immigration and family law assistance and connects clients to social services, but Tahirih also works to advocate for policy changes so that women and girls can live in safety and with dignity. I am thrilled to be part of an organization like Tahirih that works daily to provide lasting change for such a vulnerable population.”
Education: Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, JD; Santa Clara University, BS
Languages: Spanish
Hometown: Fremont, California
Casey Carter Swegman joined Tahirih in 2013. As the Director of Public Policy, Casey is responsible for leading Tahirih’s state and federal policy advocacy focused on improving protections for immigrant survivors while simultaneously seeking long-term, systemic change. She also oversees the Tahirih’s Forced Marriage Initiative which provides direct services to survivors across the country, training and technical assistance to service providers and advocates nationally. She engages in extensive domestic and international training and outreach, and she is a nationally recognized expert on the issues of forced and child marriage in the United States.
Casey has been with the Tahirih Justice Center for over 10 years and comes to her position as Director of Public Policy by way of a career in direct service with immigrant survivors of gender-based violence as well as refugees and asylum seekers. Before stepping into the role of Director of Public Policy she spent many years at Tahirih as the Manager of the Forced Marriage Initiative where she provided direct case management to survivors and individuals at risk of forced and child marriage. Prior to joining Tahirih in 2013 she worked at the International Rescue Committee and prior to that she worked overseas at the Refugee Processing Center in Nairobi, Kenya.
Casey is a sought after expert for outlets covering issues impacting immigrant survivors of gender-based violence including NPR, Politico, PBS NewsHour, the Hill, the Washington Post, and the New York Times among others. She has published an applied research paper on The Intersection of Forced Marriage and Other Forms of Harm in the United States as well as Time To Lead: The Federal Government’s Role in Ending Child Marriage in the United States.
Casey was born in Washington, DC and raised in Maryland. While she spent time living abroad in Cameroon, South Africa, and Kenya she returned to Washington, DC in 2011 and has been a resident of the District for the past 14+ years.
“I am inspired by Tahirih’s unconditional dedication to collective movement building and working in coalition through an intersectional lens as we seek to advance policies that center those most vulnerable and marginalized in our communities. We know we cannot do this alone and we deeply value our partners and allies across movements.”
Education: Georgetown University, MA; Drexel University, BS
Hometown: Burtonsville, MD
Morgan Weibel joined Tahirih in 2010. As Director of Client Advocacy, Legal Services, Morgan is responsible for the execution of Tahirih’s legal services nationwide and works collaboratively with other program directors to lead the organizational implementation of interdisciplinary representation teams, oversee legal services program standards, facilitate best practices and provide trauma informed supervision to the managing attorneys and litigation counsel.
Prior to joining Tahirih, Morgan served as Graduate Research Fellow at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies where she drafted a protocol for the investigation of femicides and assisted Professor Karen Musalo in updating sections of her course book related to asylum based on membership in a particular social group. Morgan also worked for three years as a paralegal at a San Francisco-based firm focusing on asylum and deportation defense.
During law school, she interned in the Trial Chambers of the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Morgan also studied, literature, law and politics for one year at the University of Granada Spain.
“I am inspired by the strength and courage of the survivors that I have the privilege of working alongside at Tahirih. Their unwavering commitment to breaking century-old cycles of violence and the courage that it takes to stand up for themselves and ultimately all of us remarkable.”
Education: UC San Francisco, JD; UC Berkeley, BA
Languages: Spanish
Hometown: Fresno, California
Morgan was named Leader of the Year by AILA’s DC Chapter Liaison Division in 2013, and in 2008, she won National Championship and First Place Speaker Awards at the UC Davis Asylum Law Moot Court Competition.
Meaghan Whalen joined Tahirih in 2022. As Director of Development in the national office, Meaghan helps support the organization in achieving its fundraising objectives. She brings over a decade of fundraising experience and is excited to collaborate with the wider team to further strengthen and advance the fundraising program and to cultivate meaningful relationships with Tahirih’s stakeholders. Before Tahirih, she served as a Major Gifts Officer of Food & Friends and as Assistant Director of Development with Jesuit Refugee Service/USA both in Washington, DC.
“The vision of a gender-equal society and holistic, client-centered services provided for immigrant women and girls inspires my work at Tahirih.”
Education: Rockhurst University, BA
Hometown: Kansas
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