Casey Lynn Crow
Executive Director & Founder
Casey Crow is a researcher, entrepreneur, dance artist, and matriculating PhD student in autumn 2020. Casey has nearly ten years of experience working in international development, humanitarian aid, and human rights research from grassroots activism to policy analysis at the United Nations.
Casey’s research is centered largely on the intersection of refugee rights, disability rights, sexual and reproductive health, and combating sexual violence. Her recent research projects include dissertation work on gender-based violence and disability inclusion amongst Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, as well as a research consultancy on child protection for UNICEF in conjunction with the London School of Economics.
Casey holds a bachelors in Political Science and Global Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a masters in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies from the London School of Economics. As an incoming doctoral student at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, her research explores access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for refugees with disabilities.
Apart from her research, Casey is a dancer, choreographer, and owner of a dance studio. She is passionate about merging art and activism. Having worked with refugees in Kenya, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, and Greece, she has witnessed the transformational power of the arts to improve mental health and promote hope, healing, and connection for survivors of trauma. Casey founded Beyond Words International in 2018 with the hope of collaborating with artists, therapists, and those serving in their communities to increase opportunities for healing, empowerment, and positive expression.
Kelly Ziemer
President
Kelly is a licensed social worker trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness evidence-based practices and has recently established her behavioral health coaching practice. Providing individual and group counseling for almost 10 years, Kelly wholeheartedly pursues utilizing mindfulness and inducing positive emotions to ease suffering from disorders of despair (e.g. depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse) and co-facilitate thriving and joy. Her work has been with people living in a refugee camp, those in drug and alcohol rehabilitation, survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, youth in a high school-based support program, and people suffering from depression and anxiety.
She resides in Amsterdam, the Netherlands where she is collaborating with the Research Institute of Child Development and Education at the University of Amsterdam. Kelly is currently a PhD Candidate in Social Welfare at the University of California-Berkeley where her research is focused at the intersection of well-being, addiction and recovery, self-love, social justice, and social media. In conjunction with her PhD responsibilities, Kelly is the instructor for master-level and undergraduate social welfare students. She also gives lectures and trainings on emotion- and self-regulation workshops for students, therapists, and nonprofits. Prior to transiting to the social work field, Kelly spent almost 10 years in corporate consulting where she developed and delivered in-person and web-based software trainings.
Her interests in international policy and organizations led her to complete an NGO internship as a United Nations Representative and a Master of Science in International Business. She speaks fluent French, basic Spanish, and is learning Dutch. Having resided overseas several times, as early as the age of 13, Kelly brings to BWI her cultural humility in embracing others’ lived experiences. Kelly’s belief, and a guiding principle of the social work profession, is that everyone is the expert of their own experience. She sees her role as co-facilitating opportunities-within individuals and local partners-where their expertise can be honored and nourished.
Laura Rombach
Director
Laura Rombach, is a resident of Pagosa Springs, Colorado where she resides with her husband, and has two adult sons. She enjoys kayaking, hiking, crafts and beading. In her professional life she is a program manager and behavioral health therapist at the University of New Mexico and an independently licensed counselor with extensive experience in behavioral health program development, clinical services and childhood trauma. Laura has worked in a variety of sites specializing in behavioral health care, family programs, suicide prevention, adoption and foster care services, and youth residential settings.
Paula Jo Miller
Secretary and Treasurer
Paula is a contemporary abstract artist living in Pagosa Springs, CO. Formerly a nonprofit consultant, she retired in Pagosa to pursue her passion for painting and teaching. Living in one of the most beautiful places in the world, she is so grateful for her wonderful life.
Paula comes from a long line of remarkable female artists. The finest was her Mom who took her first painting lesson at age 60. That courage inspired Paula to create a series of interactive art classes where both kids and adults can learn abstract techniques and work with a variety of painting styles, tools and textures – all in a fun and judgment free space. In addition to teaching, she loves to paint and her artwork hangs in galleries, businesses and in the homes of private collectors around the US.
Her medium of choice is acrylic painted over thick layers of texture to create a multi-dimensional look. And she specializes in large pieces that fit big spaces in modern homes.
Paula exhibits her work in solo and group shows around the country, often benefiting charitable organizations for which she is passionate. She believes whole-heartedly in giving back to her community. She is a founding member of BWI and was a founding board member of the Pagosa Springs Arts Council and Treasurer/Secretary for three years. She also serves on the advisory board for Dog Lodge Sanctuary in Houston, Texas. Paula volunteers with numerous community organizations; including the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs, Rise Above Violence, Rock the Vote, Seeds of Learning, and others.
Alexis Saghie
Director
Alexis Saghie is an entrepreneur, UN Sustainable Development Goals and humanitarian health rights advocate who recently graduated with a Masters in Applied Science in Humanitarian Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Simultaneously, she interned in the Public Affairs and Communications Directorate: Monitoring and Evaluation Impact Team with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France where she worked on social media monitoring and reporting, project management, and COVID-19 monitoring and reporting. Prior, she obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Political Science with an emphasis on International Affairs at Westmont College; during her study abroad at The American University of Paris, she conducted an internship at Pierre Claver, a school aimed to help the integration and transition of refugees to the French lifestyle which transformed her future goals to focus on the mental health implications among refugees. In part due to the pandemic, she has started a business that seeks to focus on sustainable products as a means to eliminate the world’s carbon footprint. The goals of the business/future organization is to formulate projects that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to put into place humanitarian and environmental initiatives to educate and to reverse global warming. Having travelled internationally, as early as a few months old, and with parents of American/Lebanese descent, her love for travelling and experiencing new cultures, languages, and communities is engrained in her being. Her passion is to continue travelling and working on hands-on-projects to sustain developing communities, as her love of the world lies in humanitarian action, health, and rights. In particular, to focus on the mental health among refugees in the Middle East, and to ultimately develop an organization to further research and set up health clinics to aid vulnerable groups suffering from mental illnesses.
Kayla Nasralla
Intern
Kayla was raised in Pagosa Springs, Colorado and after graduating high school in 2018, moved to Seattle for college. She is currently studying International Business and graphic design at Seattle Pacific University. Through her college classes, travel time with family, and study abroad, she has become increasingly aware of global and social justice issues, such as immigration, gender and racial inequality, and environmental problems.
Kayla has also been involved with the arts for many years and has come to love its ability to communicate messages in a more powerful and expressive way.