About this Event
Join this panel exploring issues related to immigration and refugees in Vermont, the United States, and outside our borders. Our panelists bring experience as former refugees themselves and working with immigrant communities. We hope these perspectives from other countries can help inform our understandings of immigration and refugee policy in the US.
To amplify the 80th anniversary of the International Visitor Leadership Program, one of our Faces of Exchange will share information about how their IVLP impacted their current work and their career success. Hear information about connections to the United States since their project and any reflections on how the IVLP changed their impression of the United States.
Meet the Panel
Mpanzu Bamenga
Lawyer, Diplomat, Activist
Mpanzu Bamenga was born in Kinshasa (Zaire) and fled to the Netherlands in 1994 with his family, where lived as an undocumented refugee for thirteen years.
Bamenga was studying immigration law when his family’s deportation hearing was scheduled and sent a letter to the government that resulted in an exception from deportation. After receiving his citizenship status in the Netherlands, he immediately dedicated his life to helping other refugees and people who are marginalized.
Bamenga is the driving force behind the Inclusion Leaders Network (INCLEADERS), an organization that provides opportunities for information sharing, leadership development, and networking opportunities for emerging and established leaders.
Bamenga was selected to participate in the VCWA International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in 2016. That IVLP experience provided him with a better understanding of the U.S. social, political, and economic conditions and connected him with a network of other young European leaders. Bamenga said, “My IVLP was life changing and gave me friendships throughout the world and broadened my network.” Bamenga has fond memories of his home stay in Salt Lake City where he was hosted by a staff member who worked in the Governor’s office and has collaborated with a number of the project’s participants on refugees, diversity and human rights issues.
As a lawyer, diplomat, activist, and public representative, Mpanzu Bamenga is promoting human rights, diversity, inclusion, and opportunities for refugees and migrants.
Dr. Mamuda Bugre
Malta’s Key Advisor on Integration Issues
Dr. Mamudu Bugre is an immigrant to Malta from Ghana in 1990 and works closely with the African migrant community in Malta and with African refugees on the island.
Dr. Bugre is one of the government's key advisors on integration issues and a key partner promoting integration of migrants into Maltese society. Dr. Bugre has addressed a number of international conferences on topics ranging from integration and social inclusion of refugees and migrants to language and literacy, employment support, and community support initiatives within migrant communities.
Dr. Bugre participated in the 2010 VCWA International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) looking at immigration and refugee issues in the United States. As a result of his IVLP experience, Dr. Bugre established two NGOs, the Foundation for Shelter and Support to Migrants and the Third Country National Support Network Malta (TSN Malta). These organizations have made significant contributions to Maltese society and its efforts to successfully integrate significant numbers of migrants. TSN Malta was selected as a Best Practice in a European Community co-funded project and in 2012, the President of Malta awarded Dr. Bugre with the highest honor for service to the Republic of Malta.
Dr. Mamudu Bugre acts as a bridge between Maltese and African cultures and works on a daily basis to help new refugees and immigrants with the daily challenges they face in a new society.
Amila Merdzanovic
Director, US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Amila came to Vermont in 1995 as a refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina and is the first former refugee leading the USCRI Vermont field office. She brings over 15 years of experience working in refugee resettlement providing direct services, program management, and advocacy on behalf of refugees and immigrants in Vermont. Amila holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College. Her interests span across disciplines including forced migration, human rights, and conflict resolution.
Moderated by Susan Sussman
Susan Sussman is a retired immigration and civil rights attorney in Vermont. Most recently she worked as a staff member for U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy assisting people in Vermont with immigration and refugee cases pending with federal agencies, as well as other matters involving the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State. Ms. Sussman’s career has included private practice as an immigration attorney, serving as the first Executive Director of the Vermont Human Rights Commission, a Vermont Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, a lawyer for Vermont Legal Aid, and as a diversity/equity trainer and mediator.
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Event Format: Webinar
Attendee Video: Off
Attendee Audio: Off
Attendee Interaction: Polls, Submit Questions through Q+A, Raise Virtual Hand to Request Unmute
In this virtual event, your video will not be displayed and you will be automatically muted. You may interact by submitting questions into the Q+A box, answering polls, and raising your virtual hand to be unmuted.