Our Team

Rebecca comes to Preemptive Love with two decades of international experience in peace building with Search for Common Ground, primarily focused in Africa. She is particularly motivated by how frequently less heard voices—women, young people, ethnic and religious minorities—can become leaders and actors for peace and positive change in their communities, countries, and the world. She’s recently relocated to Maryland from Rwanda, and is enjoying getting reacquainted with the United States as home. She spends her free time connecting with friends, reading, and trying to keep her two children busy.

Jen has significant years of experience in the humanitarian sector serving in the Middle East, Asia, and Central America. She is passionate about coordination, women’s health, and combatting issues of gender-based violence. Intrigued by the posture Preemptive Love takes toward humanitarian action, she is excited at the endless opportunities to make a more beautiful world. When Jen is not fighting injustice, you can find her in a local coffee shop, at a sporting event or enjoying the outdoors.

Maritza has spent the last twenty years working with non-profit causes that align with her vision of a world that honors and supports every member of our human family and our natural environment. She has dedicated her career and board service to immigrant rights and advocacy, social justice, global poverty, reproductive rights, youth mobilization and leadership development, and international peacemaking work. She is currently based out of Houston, Texas but spends a considerable amount of her time traveling this big, beautiful world. Outside of work, you can find her practicing Baptiste Yoga, exploring hidden culinary gems, and leading social justice and antiracism workshops.

Jeff brings over 25 years of experience in managing projects, programs, people, and development teams in financial, mortgage, tax, CRM/loyalty and transportation industries. He is working across Preemptive Love to establish industry standards and processes to ensure technology solutions allow the entire team to focus on their main goal of stopping the spread of violence. Originally from Colorado, Jeff calls Texas home. He has also worked for a nonprofit organization that provides sanctuary to big cats (tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards, etc.), serving as a volunteer and on the Board of Directors. Jeff enjoys entertaining guests at home or spending time with friends. He is a big fan of Cirque du Soleil and theater productions.

Kara is an award-winning writer with almost 20 years of journalism, public relations, marketing, and broadcast experience. She is passionate about storytelling, leadership, and life-long learning. Kara and her family love to travel the world and have even hosted international visitor groups at her home in Dallas. At these dinners, she has experienced how fostering connections break down borders, shatter barriers, and create a more peaceful world and she continues that same work at Preemptive Love. Beyond work Kara enjoys swimming, traveling, reading, paddle boarding, and photography.

Danelia was born and raised in Honduras and was taught at an early age the importance of helping others. She brings over 9 years of experience in a variety of HR areas. Daniela loves meeting new people and creating long-standing relationships with them. She lives in Florida with her husband and their two children. In her free time, she loves to listen to audiobooks, garden, and travel with her family.

After following Preemptive Love’s work for years on social media, Michelle jumped at the opportunity to join the team as the Senior Accountant and combine her heart for people with her love of numbers. She has a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Accounting from Indiana University. Outside of work, you can find Michelle spending time with her family and friends, reading a book, or planning her next trip to see more of this complex and beautiful world.

Living through four wars and surviving the last war alone as her family fled Iraq to find safe heaven created the pacifist that Sarah is today. She spent the past 17 years of her life on the peacemaking path trying to provide for, protect, and help the persecuted minorities in the Middle East, while trying to build bridges between all the different religious groups and communities. Sarah has focused all her efforts in the past few years on youth and educational development and women empowerment through reaching out and looking for talented young people and push to create a chance for them, providing lecturing and workshop to those who have no access, and creating jobs and business ideas to change the economical and employment scene in Iraq. Sarah tries to lead by example to change the cultural religious perception of women, youth, and general ethics.
She was awarded in 2016 the Peace and Reconciliation Prize at the House of Lords in London and in 2017 the Tanenbaum Peace in Action Prize (the first Iraqi to ever have the price and the youngest to have ever gotten it).

Faitth Brooks is an anti-racism educator, speaker, writer, and podcaster. Faitth believes in creating spaces that promote healthy dialogue and discussion amongst people across social and political divides. Faitth is a social worker and advocate; she engages in community organizing and activism. Faitth’s desire to see Black women thrive propels her passion for racial justice and equity. Faitth is a multifaceted professional skilled in scaling non-profit programs, creative strategy, storytelling, and team building. Faitth earned her Master’s degree in Social Work and earned a certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University. In her spare time, Faitth loves to cook and spend time with family and friends.

Nathan comes to Preemptive Love after almost four years at Chip and Joanna Gaines’s company, Magnolia, where he worked in the warehouse, customer service, and ecommerce. After following Preemptive Love’s work for years on social media, he found a place where his passions for people and product could merge as the Shop’s Ecommerce Merchandise Coordinator. His favorite items in our store are the Kinsman Lemongrass and Sisterhood Fig & Date Soaps. Outside of work, Nathan loves cooking new recipes, reading a good book, pop culture, and all things Star Wars.

Wendy joined Preemptive Love with 17 years of experience in housing and community development. With her passion for storytelling, she enjoys writing about the lives of people in the conflict zones we serve, and helping the rest of the world see not only their urgent needs, but also their amazing beauty and significance to our global family.

Leigh has been with Preemptive Love from its earliest days, first as a volunteer, and later on staff with our finance team. When she started, Preemptive Love was a small group who loved well, and invested all of themselves to make sure that Iraqi children born with heart defects–much like her own son–got lifesaving surgeries. Leigh was part of the pivot to respond to the wave of violence unleashed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and has continued on through our work responding to the effects of violence throughout Latin America. Her compassion, consistency, and attention to detail makes the whole organization better.

After graduating as an Environmental Engineer, Saadia worked for the government to ensure compliance of landfills and power generation facilities. She took a pause to raise her family and volunteer for several non-profits, ultimately discovering herself by being an active, responsible citizen in her hometown of Oviedo, Florida. Saadia believes meaningful friendships can be found in unexpected places. Her work to show neighbors how similar we are regardless of ethnic or religious differences led her to Preemptive Love. As a Gathering Coordinator, Saadia hopes to spread this message to communities nationwide. If she’s not participating at an event around town, you may find Saadia picking up after her two girls, reminding her husband where he left his wallet, or saving the last three bananas for her famous banana bread.

Lana saw Preemptive Love’s work first-hand when she, along with her family members, volunteered to bring food to children that Preemptive Love was providing heart surgeries for in Iraqi Kurdistan. She has volunteered with various NGOs since middle school, developing a passion to serve others in need of help no matter where they are. Right after graduating from Lipscomb University in Nashville, she immediately began working alongside Preemptive Love to connect with our kind-hearted and inspirational donors. Lana loves to utilize her international business skills to also help our volunteers get creative with their fundraisers and become leaders in their community. Because of her love for people and culture, Lana’s always trying to learn a new language that will help her connect with people from across the globe, and she absolutely loves to listen to music in different languages (especially Korean-pop).

Sabah is from Iraq and studied Psychology at Baghdad University. Sabah and her husband have three kids and one adorable grandson. Six years ago, Sabah and her family came to the US from Iraq as refugees and settled in Clarkston.

Hataw is from Kurdistan and loves to cook. One day she hopes to open her own Kurdish restaurant, but for now she loves to bring in feasts for her coworkers! Hataw and her family came to the US seven years ago. She and her husband have three kids.

Hawar was born in Kurdistan, Iraq. He fled with his family to Iran when he was 4 years old. From a young age, Hawar wanted to do humanitarian work. After graduating university, Hawar began working with internally displaced people in Kurdistan. He organized the distribution of resources, food, and cash, as well as registration of all refugees and displaced people, including Kurds, Christians, Shabak, and Yazidis. Over the years, Hawar has been recognized by various organizations for his humanitarian work. Hawar joined the Preemptive Love family in 2018 and continues to use his passion for humanitarian services to bring hope and help to all he meets.

Chase is a graphic designer and photographer who is passionate about using his creative eye to tell stories that matter. His design career began in his days as a touring musician creating art for friends and it has grown into much more. He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, Gracie. You can find him most Saturdays cheering for West Ham United or trying to book his next trip to document more of the beauty this world has to offer.

Kalindi studied Journalism with a focus in Advertising & Public Relations at the University of Arkansas. She has a passion for fighting against social injustices in the world and has worked alongside some of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations. She devoted her years in college to raising funds for non-profits, and strengthening her leadership skills and passion for helping people. Kalindi first learned about Preemptive Love after hearing Jeremy Courtney speak at a conference to fight against human trafficking. She immediately resonated with the messages of pressing into pain and loving anyway. Kalindi lives in Dallas with her two dogs. You can find Kalindi on her mountain bike, reading, writing poetry, chugging insane amounts of coffee, watching telenovelas, and serving as an encouraging friend to all.

Afnan was born in Saudi Arabia after her parents fled the civil war in Somalia. When she was 7, they moved to Syria and spent an incredible decade in Damascus. In 2008, Afnan and her family relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana as refugees. She has always been passionate about working for and with refugees and displaced people and volunteered with the same organization that took care of her family. Afnan attended Indiana University and received her bachelor’s in International Studies with a concentration in Human Rights and International Law. In the summer of 2019, Afnan interned with Preemptive Love as an English instructor. While at Indiana University, Afnan taught Arabic for three years and served as co-host for IU’s Preemptive Love chapter. Afnan wants to help change the ideas that lead to war globally.

Raised in the US, but born and currently living in Mexico, Haniel brings years of personal experience to Preemptive Love’s work with migrant and refugee populations. While working as a professor in several universities in Ciudad Juarez, he also frequently volunteered with migrants in the various shelters in the city, bringing them English classes and connecting them with other local resources. In early 2020, Haniel found a home in Preemptive Love, and he now puts to use his passion for helping refugees as a Program Officer on the US-Mexico border. Outside of work, he enjoys couch-surfing while traveling the country, playing guitar and singing in his church’s worship band, and attempting to keep his fishing hobby alive while living in the desert.

Ronal isn’t afraid of the hard stories he hears while working with Venezuelans devastated by the country’s economic collapse. He is a journalist by trade, and covered hard news stories for seventeen years, through audiovisual media, print and digital newspapers. Now with our Preemptive Love team, he leverages his experience to facilitate programming with deep understanding of underlying issues behind poverty, and documents the stories of those we serve with a strong mix of experience and compassion. For Ronal, faith and family are cornerstones of his life. He’s a teacher and drummer in his local church. He also loves to enjoy a sunrise on the beach with his wife.

Joyce has been a technical guru for over 20 years, and loves the challenge of tech. She originally hails from Chicago, Illinois, and currently makes her home in Kalamazoo, Michigan (yes, there really is a Kalamazoo!). Since 2016, she’s been a certified Salesforce Administrator. Recently, she worked as a Consultant for the past 8 years, and previously was an IT Manager at Planned Parenthood of South Central Michigan. Joyce is a warrior for social justice and anti-racism.

Nigel is a West Virginian native, who picked up and moved to Atlanta, GA almost 4 years ago. He studied Business Management & Marketing at Marshall University, as well as Public Administration. Nigel is an artist and educator by trade, who uses the avenues of creativity and communication to bridge gaps between people groups and help grow an overall understanding of our individual experiences. If there’s food to be eaten or coffee available for consumption, he will be first in line. International travel, insightful cultural experiences, and challenging conversations are atop the list of ways Nigel likes to spend his free time.

Julia first learned about the work of Preemptive Love in 2014 as the Syrian Civil War was displacing thousands of families from their homes. Passionate about learning from the world around her, she is finishing her degree in International Affairs and continues to stay curious about why systems that work for some people, don’t benefit all people. Julia has experience working with community organizing and enjoys getting to know her neighbors better. You can find her supporting local shops wherever she travels and always on the hunt for her next read.

After almost a decade of focusing and dedicating her time on getting her masters degree and preparing for her PhD, Zheen wanted to spend her time on global peacemaking. In 2018 Zheen joined Preemptive Love as a teacher at one of our tech hubs where she coached the younger generation in the community to start their tech-related careers. Zheen loves working with a diverse team and enjoys the opportunity to get to know those who are different and learn from them. Outside of work, Zheen likes to collect coffee mugs, exercise, read novels and philosophical books, spend time in nature and mountains, and is active in protecting the environment.   

For almost a decade, Kelley has been working in the non-profit sector, starting her professional journey with local Santa Barbara non-profits before moving to the Bay Area. Taking her experiences from Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Stanford Medical Center Development, she is excited to utilize her education and passion in political science and international relations to work with donors and form new relationships in the Western region on behalf of Preemptive Love. Kelley speaks fluent conversational Japanese and is learning ASL. In her free time, Kelley loves to listen to podcasts, take long walks, cook, and try new restaurants in San Francisco with her friends.

Mallory Wyckoff serves as Key Relationships Officer with Preemptive Love, keeping faith partners connected with the work they enable. She is a spiritual director and theology professor, and at center of all of her work is the desire to live, teach, and speak in ways that affirm the dignity of all human beings. Originally from Clearwater, Florida, she lives with her husband, Tim, and daughters, Olive and Ivy, in Nashville, TN (despite her disinterest in Southern food and country music).

Born in the borderplex region of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso Texas, Manuel had the opportunity to experience two cultures, which impacted his way of seeing life. With a degree in business administration and 6 years of experience in customer service, Manuel enjoys finding new solutions to problems. Manuel loves to encourage people and has facilitated more than 150 coaching sessions a year helping people create change in their lives. Manuel loves to be with people and to listen to their stories. He’s active in his community. In his free time, he loves to play soccer, watch movies, listen to music, or just take a walk and play Pokémon Go.

Cecilia lives in Venezuela with her family and her dog Rocco. She is a lawyer and has volunteered in communities facing hardships in Venezuela since her teenage years. She loves reading and making people laugh. Cecilia tries to live her life always loving and serving.

Shwan has extensive experience in IT operation, IT service delivery, and software development. He’s worked with software implementations and administration for both regional and global organizations. Shwan has experience in end-user computing, desktop and network support, and security administration. Shwan loves all food, from Middle Eastern to Italian. He especially loves Turkish and far east cuisine.

Living in sunny Miami, Florida, Geraldine has dedicated the last ten years of her life to serving vulnerable populations in her community. Throughout the years of meeting diverse individuals, hearing their unique stories, and learning about local and global issues, Geraldine grew more and more passionate about dedicating her career to help vulnerable populations around the world. Everything she does comes from her heart to serve and empower others, advocate for social justice and human rights, and build genuine community with those around her. She wholeheartedly believes in leaning into the pain and brokenness of our world (and of our personal stories and relationships) in order to heal and create the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.

Fictionalizing from real life events, Alex’s stories are backdropped by today’s pressing social justice issues. She believes in the power of stories to evoke empathy and promote change. She has lived and worked in Iraq, the West Bank, Germany, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, Panama, and the US and is indebted to the people and places which inspire her writing. She is the author of four works of fiction including Girl, World, Moxie, Jinwar and Other Stories, and Duende. When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s planning her next adventure.

Alicia is a Los Angeles Native and has worked with grassroot non-profit organizations throughout Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. She has dedicated the last 7 years tackling global health issues affecting at-risk populations around the world. Alicia received her Masters in Public Health from Washington University in St Louis and utilizes her education and passion to work towards ongoing growth and sustainability for public service organizations and empowering vulnerable populations. She is a native Spanish speaker and has experience working with diverse communities. You can find Alicia salsa dancing on the weekends, drinking tea on her porch, spending time with her dogs, and traveling every chance she gets.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in finance and banking, Aran worked in the banking sector as a customer service agent and main teller for three years. Aran had always dreamed of helping society, and his dream came true when he transitioned his job to that of an accounting officer at Preemptive Love. He is proud to help expand Preemptive Love’s financial division in order to better serve those in need.

Monica has been drawn to peacemaking and relationship building since a young age. After earning a degree in Communications and Ministry from Hope College in Holland, MI, Monica turned loving others into a career in the non-profit field. She has a deep passion, both personally and professionally, to love others no matter what and recognize the inherent dignity that exists within everyone. She is thankful to be able to connect with Preemptive Love’s incredibly beautiful donors each day. Monica currently lives in West Michigan. You can most likely find her on the beaches of Lake Michigan, swimming, hiking, or playing with a dog!

Rezhwan finished university with a bachelor’s degree in Commerce, in the field of Information Technology. He was born in Sulaymaniyah, in the Kurdish region of Iraq, into a family with their own history of being refugees. Before he was born, his family fled to Iran because of the Iraq government’s violent operations against the Iraqi people. He grew up hearing stories of refugee life from his family and knows how destructive violence can be. Rezhwan dreamed of working with organizations that help refugees and bring an end to violence. He joined Preemptive Love to use his skills as a Technology Support Agent and to help end war.

Esbeydi has over 6 years of experience working with Mexican nationals in the US, providing them assistance and protection as part of the work done by the Mexican Consulates. After finishing her degree in International Relations, she found out that helping others was her calling and strongly believes that even the smallest action can make the biggest impact in someone’s life. Now, as part of the Preemptive Love family she hopes to make a difference in the lives of immigrant families stranded along the US-Mexico Border. A self-proclaimed movie lover, she also enjoys watching stand-up comedy, reading and talking to her family on her free time.

Mourad has always aspired to help people in some way, doing things here and there, but never really satiated his desire to assist. After graduating from university, Mourad entered the professional workforce. Following some time developing his skills in project management, he was blessed with an excellent opportunity to join Preemptive Love as a Technology Project Coordinator. Mourad now has the opportunity to grow his career path and have his desire to help others realized at the same time. With a spark in his eye, Mourad eagerly marches toward the future and what it beholds.

Growing up during the Iraq war and moving out of her childhood home multiple times made Dalia who she is today. She feels lucky she had the chance to live in two different cultures and learn two languages from an early age.
She believes that all human beings are born free and equal. Dalia graduated as a Medical Laboratory Scientist, and volunteered during her college years to raise funds for orphanages.
Dalia lives in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq and loves to spend time with her family, walk her dog and enjoy nature, and listen to classical music with a cup of coffee.

Deako was Born in Sulaymaniah, in the Kurdish region of Iraq, He graduated from the American University of Iraq, Sulaymaniyah with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Deako started his career in sales before changing his career path toward the humanitarian sector. He is always motivated and eager to learn and improve the work that he is doing. He likes to improve his robotics engineering skills and learn new languages in his free time.