About Us.

Our Founding Story & History

Jamie co-founded AsylumConnect (now InReach) during his senior year at the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn, he met fellow student Sy. Sy shared his personal experience struggling to find safe resources during his U.S. asylum process. Despite access to technology, upon arrival in the United States Sy struggled as a gay immigrant to find reliable data on where it was safe to go for help to meet his basic needs. 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, Sy and Jamie 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 broader LGBTQ+ user base.

Today, InReach has 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 discrimination and persecution with safe, verified resources.

Jamie Sgarro

“As someone who has had the privilege of hearing numerous success stories over the years and who recently 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.”

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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, Junior Board and Advisory Council.

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

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Shannon Baker

Programs Director

Myron Day

Development Director

Joe Karow

Lead Engineer

Asher Sovereign

Partnerships & Operations Coordinator

Carissa Chantiles

Resource Coordinator (Part-Time)

Abby Davies

International Resource Coordinator & Translation (Part-Time)

Kristen Shonborn

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, Co-Founder

Co-Founder & Executive Director at InReach

Sean Buckley, Chair Emeritus

Operating Partner at Kupanda Capital

Christina Tong, 2023 Board Chair

Senior Product Manager at Google & Former Junior Board at InReach

Wesley Bizzell

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

David Robinson

Sr. Manager eDiscovery at Macquarie Group

Justin Becker

Associate at Sidley Austin LLP

Hans How

Former Volunteer VP at InReach

Slavi Arnaudov

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

Tanushree Khanna

Assurance Manager at PWC & Former Junior Board at InReach

Hannah Willard

Founder and Chief Strategist, Heart Forward Consulting

Junior Board

The InReach Junior Board is a group of young professionals in the United States committed to supporting InReach’s critical work through app support, fundraising, and professional development.

Scroll down to meet our 2023 Junior Board members.

Learn more about this innovative program for young professionals in the U.S. and how to become a member here.

2023 Tri-State Area Regional Chapter

Harper Simpson, Co-Chair of The Tri-State Chapter

Petal - Product Manager

Alex Joseph,
Co-Chair of The Tri-State Chapter

Nonprofit New York - Programs Coordinator

Athena Zander

Joynup, Inc. - Director of Business Development and Partnerships

Michael Lupton

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

Levy Konigsberg, LLP - Paralegal

Max Chazen

Deloitte - Transfer Pricing Consultant

Bram McGinnis

Harry’s, Inc. - People Business Partner

Talah (Tay) Hughes

Grants Manager - The Trevor Project

Alex Hedge

Capital One - Senior Business Analyst

Ian Thomson

Google - Program Manager

Tejas Kulkarni

PwC - Senior Associate, Deals Tech & Data Solutions

Robert Middlekauff

McKinsey & Co. - Sr. Software Engineer

Matthew Fittipaldi

2023 Virtual Chapter

Laura Hammdorff, Co-Chair of the Virtual Chapter

Adobe - Principal, Customer Success

Kristelle Aisaka, Co-Chair of the Virtual Chapter

The Jed Foundation - Sr. Manager, Design & Impact

Tabitha Belshee

Fragomen - Immigration Process Analyst

Madisson DeLisle

Gavin Heath - Senior Technical Recruiter

Amanda Stern

Freelance Software Engineer

Alexis Kassees

PwC - Manager of Financial Services Transformation

Stephen Brown

Rosemont College - Graduate Assistant

Billy Jo Ayakatubby

Children International - Tech Lead, Web

Kristen Kelley

LGBT Tech - Programs and Communications Manager

Seraphina Meacham

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) - Tax Associate

Grete Miller

Shutterstock - Product Operations Specialist

2023 Great Lakes Regional Chapter (launching in July 2023)

Joe Anderson, Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Chapter

HSBC - Assistant Vice President and Business Consultant

Ben Levinsky, Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Chapter

Nordic - Director of Operations

Oleg Grachev

GTCR - Senior Private Equity Associate

Fedline Saintina

Schrodinger - Compensation Manager

2023 National Capital Regional Chapter (launching in July 2023)

Taylor Phillips, CoChair National Capital Chapter

Placemakr - Area Manager Pop Up Hotels

Anna Coughlan

USO - Corporate Development Specialist

2023 West Coast Regional Chapter (launching in July 2023)

Kyle Pazdel, Co-Chair of the West Coast Chapter

Ashley Richard

LAUSD - Teacher

Indrasen Bhattacharya

KLA Corporation - Imaging Research Scientist

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

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