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 is dedicated to listing verified services for a broad spectrum of LGBTQ+ people including asylum seekers, refugees, and other immigrants, BIPOC communities, transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people, youth, caregivers, and more.

SAFE HELP IS ALWAYS
InReach.

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

“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
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Our Team, Board, and Advisors

Welcome to our trans-led nonprofit serving the diverse LGBTQ+ community. Meet our team, including 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)

Community Outreach & Programs 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), 2024 Board Chair

Senior Product Manager at Google & Former Young Professionals 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)

Partner at Baker McKenzie LLP

Hans How (he/him)

Former Volunteer VP at InReach

Slavi Arnaudov (He/him)

MBA Candidate at Harvard Business School & Former Young Professionals Board at InReach

Tanushree Khanna (She/her)

Assurance Manager at PWC & Former Young Professionals Board at InReach

Hannah Willard (She/her)

Founder and Chief Strategist, Heart Forward Consulting

Young Professionals Board

The InReach Young Professionals Board (YPB) is a network of service-minded LGBTQ+ and allied young professionals investing their time to develop, expand and promote the free InReach App in their local communities.

Scroll down to learn more about our 2024 Young Professionals Board members!

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

2024 YPB Members

Harper Simpson (He/him/his)

Zillow – Senior Product Manager

Kristelle Aisaka (She/They)

The Jed Foundation – Sr. Manager, Design & Impact

Pearl Huang

Macquarie Group – Lawyer

Bryce Badger

PwC – Cyber Risk & Regulatory Consulting Associate

Sehrish Rashid

LifeTies, Inc. – LGBTQ+ Mentor Coordinator

Max Chazen (He/him/his)

Deloitte – Transfer Pricing Consultant

Alex Hedge (He/him/his)

Capital One – Senior Business Analyst

Bruno Rovai

Macquarie Asset Management, Sr Manager – Sovereign Strategist

Mallery Jenna Robinson (She/her/hers)

Genesis Regalado (She/Her/Hers)

Program Coordinator – University of California, San Francisco

Madisson DeLisle (She/her/hers)

NomiSo – Talent Management Lead – Americas

Alexis Kassees (She/her/hers)

PwC – Manager of Financial Services Transformation

Garrett Williams (He/him/his)

Annual Giving Coordinator – Achieva

John Maloney (He/him/his)

CleanCo Ventures, Inc. – Head of Brand, US

Fedline Saintina (She/her/hers)

Schrodinger – Compensation Manager

Robert Middlekauff (He/him/his)

McKinsey & Co. – Sr. Software Engineer

Amanda Stern (She/They)

Freelance Software Engineer

Stephen Brown (He/him/his)

Rosemont College – Graduate Assistant

Billy Jo Ayakatubby (He/They)

Children International – Tech Lead, Web

Sophie Pierre-Louis (She/her/hers)

PwC – Assurance Associate

Tejas Kulkarni (He/him/his)

PwC – Senior Associate, Deals Tech & Data Solutions

Paige Finnerty (She/her/hers)

JP Morgan Chase – Technical Project Manager

Rachel Silverthorn West (She/her/hers)

Florida International University – Graduate Research Assistant

Annika Bassey (She/her/hers)

Microsoft – Software Engineer II

Nicholas Prewitt (He/him/his)

Ferguson Partners – Vice President

Tabitha Belshee (She/her/hers)

Fragomen – Immigration Process Analyst

Pacific Northwest Co-Chair

Jonathan Valdez (He/him/his)

The American Immigration Lawyers Association

Oleg Grachev (He/him/his)

GTCR – Senior Private Equity Associate

Christina Shalonda Russ (She/Her/Hers)

Obama Foundation, Full-stack Engineer

Ava Izdepski (She/Her/Hers)

Eastlake LLC and Sustainable Rain Management – Owner

Monika Warren (She/Her/Hers)

Sid Agrawal (He/him/his)

Intel, Engineer

Kelly Vermandere (She/Her/Hers)

Johns Hopkins University, Program Manager

Danielle Powers (She/Her/Hers)

Compass Group USA, Director of Communications, Culture & Success

Chantz Anderson

Hunter Sussman

Kimberly Atkins

Callie McSweeney

Tarun Kalyanaraman

Kasia Samsel

Harriet Sinclair

Lindsey Dartsch

Angela Marie Flynn

Rachel Troy

Daniel Brooks

Zane Landin

Shannon Pollero

2024 YPB Program Advisors

River Holley (he/him)

AMD

Shifra Issacs

Annalect

Shaniqua Staples, LMSW (SHE/HER)

Google

Marsh Douglas (THEY/THEM)

MasterCard

Saloni Garg (She/Her)

Wayfair

Grete Miller (SHE/THEY)

Shutterstock, Inc.

Patricia Todd (SHE/HER)

Jobs to Move America

Stephanie Trochez (SHE/HER)

Senior Project Manager

RaShar Divine Hardin Legner

CEO of 22nd Century Humans

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

Gera Mats (He/him/his)

Raina Fox

Francisco Tenorio-Hernandez

Priscilla F. Aybar

Sara Wagner, MA

Danielle Madeja

Maher Darwiche

Glenn R. McGillivray

John Lloyd, Ed.D.

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