About Us.

Our Founding Story & History

Jamie co-founded InReach (fka AsylumConnect) during his senior year at the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn, a classmate shared his personal experience struggling to find safe resources during the U.S. asylum process despite access to technology. As a trans man who grew up in a conservative environment, the feeling of not being able to live authentically and lacking easily accessible information on how to find affirming support deeply resonated with Jamie. So, during their senior year, the two friends co-founded AsylumConnect, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization started as the world’s first technology platform for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, to fill the critical resource information gap facing the diverse LGBTQ+ community. The organization is founded on the belief that every LGBTQ+ person deserves the safety and freedom to live authentically.  

In May 2022, AsylumConnect officially became InReach. Since launching its app in 2016, the organization has seen the platform be used by a wide variety of LGBTQ+ people, in addition to those seeking asylum. The organization rebranded to InReach to better communicate and reflect the value of its free technology to a diverse LGBTQ+ user base.

Today, InReach has verified services for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, refugees and other immigrants, LGBTQ+ BIPOC communities, the transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) community, LGBTQ+ youth and their caregivers, and more LGBTQ+ communities.

SAFE HELP IS ALWAYS
InReach.

InReach is the world’s first tech platform matching LGBTQ+ people facing persecution or discrimination with safe, verified resources.

Jamie Sgarro

“As someone who has had the privilege of hearing numerous success stories over the years and who used the free InReach App to locate trusted trans affirming legal, medical, and mental health services during my own transition, I have such high hopes for this organization’s future.”

Jamie Sgarro

-

InReach Co-Founder & Executive Director

CHANGE THE WORLD WITH US​

Are you a lawyer, nonprofit service provider or local community member?​

FIND RESOURCE REFERRALS

Our Team, Board, and Advisors

We are a proud trans-led nonprofit organization serving the trans and wider LGBTQ+ community. Learn more about our staff, volunteers, interns, Board of Directors, Young Professionals Board and Advisory Council below.

Staff

Our staff members lead our operations and collaborate with our volunteers to advance our mission to increase access to safe, verified resources for the diverse LGBTQ+ community. 

Join us! Learn more about our open staff, volunteer and intern positions here (*all positions remote).

Jamie Sgarro (He/They)

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Shannon Baker (They/Them)

Programs Director

Myron Day (He/him)

Development Director

Joe Karow (He/him)

Lead Engineer

Abby Davies (She/her/ella)

International Resource Coordinator & Translation (Part-Time)

Kristen Shonborn (She/her)

Resource Coordinator (Part-Time)

Our volunteers are invaluable to the continued growth of our organization. We are proud to have volunteers from a diversity of immigration statuses, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender identities.

Interested in joining our remote team? Click here.

Our interns join us for the summer or a semester to develop their skills while helping to advance our mission to increase access to safe, verified resources for the diverse LGBTQ+ community.

Interested in interning with us? Click here to view our available internship positions.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the governing body for InReach. The board plays a pivotal role in developing InReach’s strategic plan, providing oversight and guidance. Ultimately, our governing board works to steer our organization towards achieving its goal to increase access to safe, verified resources for the diverse LGBTQ+ community.

Jamie Sgarro (He/They)

Co-Founder & Executive Director at InReach

Sean Buckley (He/him), Chair Emeritus

Operating Partner at Kupanda Capital

Christina Tong (She/her), 2023 Board Chair

Senior Product Manager at Google & Former Junior Board at InReach

Wesley Bizzell (He/him)

Sr. Asst. Gen. Counsel at Altria Group & Former Pres. at Natl. LGBT Bar Assoc.

David Robinson (He/him)

Sr. Manager eDiscovery at Macquarie Group

Justin Becker (he/him)

Associate at Sidley Austin LLP

Hans How (he/him)

Former Volunteer VP at InReach

Slavi Arnaudov (He/him)

Tactical Opportunities Investor at The Blackstone Group & Former Junior Board at InReach

Tanushree Khanna (She/her)

Assurance Manager at PWC & Former Junior Board at InReach

Hannah Willard (She/her)

Founder and Chief Strategist, Heart Forward Consulting

Young Professionals Board

The InReach Young Professionals Board is a group of young professionals in North America, committed to supporting InReach’s critical work through app support, fundraising, and professional development.

Scroll down to meet our 2023 Young Professionals Board members.

Learn more about this innovative program for young professionals in North America and how to become a member here.

2023 Tri-State Area Regional Chapter

Harper Simpson (He/him/his)

Petal - Product Manager

Co-Chair of The Tri-State Chapter

Alex Joseph (He/him/his)

Nonprofit New York - Programs Coordinator

Co-Chair of The Tri-State Chapter

Athena Zander (She/her/hers)

Joynup, Inc. - Director of Business Development and Partnerships

Michael Lupton (He/him/his)

Blank Rome - Associate

Bruno Rovai

Macquarie Asset Management, Sr Manager - Sovereign Strategist

Bryce Badger

PwC - Cyber Risk & Regulatory Consulting Associate

Sehrish Rashid

LifeTies, Inc. - LGBTQ+ Mentor Coordinator

Pearl Huang

Macquarie Group - Lawyer

Micki Lee Coleman-Palansky (She/her/hers)

Levy Konigsberg, LLP - Paralegal

Max Chazen (He/him/his)

Deloitte - Transfer Pricing Consultant

Bram McGinnis (He/him/his)

Harry’s, Inc. - People Business Partner

Garrett Williams (He/him/his)

Annual Giving Coordinator - Achieva

Alex Hedge (He/him/his)

Capital One - Senior Business Analyst

Ian Thomson (He/him/his)

Google - Program Manager

Tejas Kulkarni (He/him/his)

PwC - Senior Associate, Deals Tech & Data Solutions

Fedline Saintina (She/her/hers)

Schrodinger - Compensation Manager

John Maloney (He/him/his)

CleanCo Ventures, Inc. - Head of Brand, US

Carolina Marrano (They/them/theirs)

Wegmans - Produce Team Member

Shivani Goel (She/her/hers)

TikTok - Marketing Science Insights Partner

Matthew Fittipaldi

2023 Virtual Chapter

Laura Hammdorff (She/her/hers)

Adobe - Principal, Customer Success

Co-Chair of the Virtual Chapter

Kristelle Aisaka (She/They)

The Jed Foundation - Sr. Manager, Design & Impact

Co-Chair of the Virtual Chapter

Tabitha Belshee (She/her/hers)

Fragomen - Immigration Process Analyst

Madisson DeLisle (She/her/hers)

Gavin Heath - Senior Technical Recruiter

Amanda Stern (She/They)

Freelance Software Engineer

Alexis Kassees (She/her/hers)

PwC - Manager of Financial Services Transformation

Stephen Brown (He/him/his)

Rosemont College - Graduate Assistant

Billy Jo Ayakatubby (He/They)

Children International - Tech Lead, Web

Kristen Kelley (She/her/hers, They/them/theirs)

LGBT Tech - Programs and Communications Manager

Seraphina Meacham

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) - Tax Associate

Grete Miller

Shutterstock - Product Operations Specialist

Sophie Pierre-Louis (She/her/hers)

PwC - Assurance Associate

Kris Torres (She/her/hers)

Operations Specialist - Rewire News Group

2023 Great Lakes Regional Chapter

Joe Anderson (He/him/his)

HSBC - Assistant Vice President and Business Consultant

Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Chapter

Ben Levinsky (He/him/his)

Nordic - Director of Operations

Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Chapter

Oleg Grachev (He/him/his)

GTCR - Senior Private Equity Associate

Robert Middlekauff (He/him/his)

McKinsey & Co. - Sr. Software Engineer

Nicholas Prewitt (He/him/his)

Ferguson Partners - Vice President

2023 National Capital Regional Chapter

Anna Coughlan (She/her/hers)

USO - Corporate Development Specialist

Co-Chair National Capital Chapter

Charles Gushue (They/Them/He/Him)

Association of American Universities - Administrative Assistant

Co-Chair National Capital Chapter

Michele (M) Royer (She/her/hers)

User Computing Administrator III - Center for Naval Analysis (CNA)

Mia Ayer (She/her/hers)

D.C. City Council and Bread for the City - Public Policy Fellow

Jonathan Valdez (He/him/his)

The American Immigration Lawyers Association

2023 West Coast Regional Chapter

Kyle Pazdel (He/him/his)

Co-Chair of the West Coast Chapter

Ashley Richard (She/her/hers)

LAUSD - Teacher

Indrasen Bhattacharya (He/They)

KLA Corporation - Imaging Research Scientist

Ani Hamparsumyan (She/her/hers)

Mallery Jenna Robinson (She/her/hers)

Sam Brennan (He/him/his), Junior Board

Freelance

Advisory Council

The Advisory Council is a diverse group of LGBTQ+ advocates, asylees, refugees, nonprofit leaders, and human rights defenders. Members generously lend their areas of expertise, personal experiences, and networks to help InReach reach its full potential.

Jacque Larrainzar

Fernando Chang-Muy, M.A., J.D.

Micheal Ighodaro

Emma Biegacki

Raina Fox

Francisco Tenorio-Hernandez

Priscilla F. Aybar

Sara Wagner, MA

Danielle Madeja

Maher Darwiche

Glenn R. McGillivray

John Lloyd, Ed.D.

Gera Mats (He/him/his)

Need Help?

Get instantly matched with safe, verified legal, medical, mental health, and social services.

SEARCH

Volunteer With Us

Join our remote team and help LGBTQ+ people find safe and verified resources!

JOIN