Giving Refugees
Opportunity

Our Vision

• Rides for Refugees helps refugees obtain reliable vehicles.

• We serve refugees without prejudice.

• We bring relevant professional experience and firsthand refugee experience to bear in serving our mission.

• We gather input and feedback from refugees, donors, and other interested parties so we can be responsive to refugees’ needs and continually improve our operations.

• We serve refugees wherever we see need and opportunity.

Refugee Eligibility for Car Grants

In order to qualify for a vehicle or vehicle grant from Rides for Refugees, applicants must:

• Be a refugee who fled to the United States from another country

• Need private transportation to foster self-reliance

• Have permanent legal status in the United States (not a temporary or parolee status, no pending asylum claim)

• Have a U.S. driver license or be in the process of earning one

• Be enrolled in or income-eligible for one or more government programs for low-income recipients

• Be able to afford fuel, insurance, and maintenance for a vehicle

To apply for a car, refugees must complete an application with a nonprofit organization or employer who knows the applicant(s) and can attest to the accuracy of information submitted in the application.

Sponsoring organizations or refugees can request an application by writing to us at Hello@RidesforRefugees.org. Please note, we send applications on a rolling basis, as funding allows. We receive many more requests for vehicles than we can fulfill.

Leadership

We founded Rides for Refugees to help refugees get the best possible start in their new country. Our officers and board of directors are unpaid volunteer leaders. We keep overhead costs low so we can use the large majority of our funding getting vehicles to refugees in need.

Jacqui Olkin, President and Co-Founder

Jacqui is the owner and principal consultant of Olkin Communications Consulting, a user experience (UX) and research consultancy that helps clients align their digital presence, products, and services with business goals and customer needs. Prior to founding her consultancy, Jacqui worked in nonprofit publishing. She received an Emmy Award as project editor and coauthor of the multimedia “Biography Project for Schools” collaboration with A&E Networks, and was the strategy lead on many award-winning websites. Jacqui serves on the board of Global Woman PEACE Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting gender-based violence. She founded Rides for Refugees in 2022, after friends in Ukraine became refugees and shared the difficulties posed by a lack of transportation. Jacqui holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a master’s degree from Boston University.

Jeff Ward, Vice President and Co-Founder

Jeff is a senior engagement manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he oversees strategy and delivery for a variety of government, nonprofit, and private-sector clients. He is a certified scrum master, business transformation expert, agile project and product manager, cross-functional team manager and trainer. Prior to joining AWS, Jeff was an executive director of business delivery and chief of staff at the College Board, where he oversaw an $80M annual budget and a staff of 300, and led an agile transformation strategy and IT conversion to cloud-native product architecture. Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland, as well as multiple certifications.

Board of Directors

Dulce Zahniser, Managing Director & CEO, Towpath Group International

Dulce is Managing Director and CEO of Towpath Group International, LLC, where she represents clients involved in global technology solutions, manufacturing, energy and infrastructure, agribusiness, real estate development, communications, financial services, nanotechnology, and smart technology. In addition to private-sector work, she has provided contract work to the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, USAID, and the Department of Defense. In addition to leading Towpath, Dulce is currently the Senior International Trade Specialist for the Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at George Mason University.

Prior to forming Towpath, Dulce was a senior executive of the former Overseas Private Investment Agency (OPIC) (now U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, DFC). Her experience includes a number of conflict and post-conflict zones on the ground, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Liberia. Her portfolio included international trade activities in Eastern Europe, the Broader MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Dulce has worked in 43 countries around the world, in a variety of sectors, and has worked within the U.S. interagency process on key foreign policy initiatives. Dulce is a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) and a member of the District Export Council (DEC) of D.C. and Virginia. She received her bachelor’s degree from American University, as well as a master’s in International Commerce and Policy and a Global Trade Management Certificate, both from George Mason University.

Erin Williams, JD, President, CEO and Founding Member, EDW Wisdom, LLC; Managing Director Emeritus, Biomedical Innovation, MITRE Corporation

Erin is an independent consultant at EDW Wisdom, with expertise in bioethics, health policy, law, federal agencies and biomedical innovation. She is on the board of directors of the International Society of Bioethics (SIBI) and was a vice president of the board. She consults to governments and groups in the United States, Canada, Spain, Venezuela, Ukraine, Taiwan, Croatia, and Japan. In her former role as Managing Director, Biomedical Innovation, at MITRE Corporation, Erin oversaw services for NIH, FDA, ASPR, HHS, and other government agencies, and shared responsibility for guiding and growing the HHS Health Federally Funded Research and Development Center. Prior to joining MITRE,  Erin was a specialist in Public Health and Bioethics at the Congressional Research Service and prior to that, the executive director of the Foundation for Genetic Medicine. Erin is the author of multiple books and articles, and was a faculty member at George Mason University. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia and her law degree at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Lisa Sechrest-Ehrhardt, Owner, Sechrest Diversity

Lisa is the owner of Sechrest Diversity, a cultural competency training and consulting company. She is also a professor, and a former social worker. Lisa has been providing insight and training to individuals and companies for more 25 years. She brings her advanced education, training, and experience to organizing and inspiring companies to make appropriate changes to counter bias and embrace diversity as an asset. Lisa specializes in creating customized presentations and strategies for companies who have routinely approached Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) from a human resources perspective, which often tends to be reactive. Instead, Lisa imparts a proactive approach to solve DEI-related problems. She recognizes that the identification of personal behaviors (the self) is desperately needed in social service organizations, government institutions, and small businesses throughout our country. Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in social casework, and a doctorate in clinical social work.

Malcolm McGaughy, Owner, McGaughy Design

Malcolm is the owner of McGaughy Design, a boutique design studio that has provided commercial and nonprofit clients with white-labeled and freelance design services for more than 25 years. Malcolm’s work has appeared in numerous publications, including Graphic Design USA, Graphis, Print Magazine, and the AIGA50 Design Exhibition. Malcolm has many years of experience working with non-profit organizations and holds a public trust security clearance. He graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in art/graphic design. 

Photo credits: Refugee camp, (c) 2022, V. Bedakov.
Photo of J. Olkin by A. Wasilewski; Photo of Ward by J. Olkin.
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