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