Barbara Eiswerth

I am the founding and executive director of Iskashitaa Refugee Network, a role I've held for going on 24 years now. Before starting this organization, I worked as a research geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey and then as a research specialist in remote sensing and GIS at the University of Arizona's Arid Lands Resource Center. While I'm trained as an environmental scientist with a PhD in Arid Lands Resource Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania, I now work in the non-profit world, focusing predominantly on social justice with an environmental sustainability twist. Our mission at Iskashitaa is to focus on community integration of the world's United Nations refugees from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. We create a safe and secure gathering place for bidirectional education and hands-on experiential learning, with a focus on local food. My most notable professional achievement would be the creation of Iskashitaa Refugee Network and surviving 23 years. What inspired me to get into this field was that the need was great - the need for innovation and hunger solutions and community building among global neighbors. I attribute my success to hard work and never giving up.