Our Board
Melanie Coburn
CHAIRPERSON
Melanie Coburn is the Chief Relationship Officer for a unique networking community called CADRE, where she supports more than 100 CEOs and business leaders. Along with her husband, Derek, Melanie launched CADRE in 2011 and hosted events with esteemed speakers including Daniel Pink & JJ Virgin. Prior to CADRE, she worked as Marketing Director for the Washington Redskins cheerleaders.
After volunteering for three and a half years for Homes Not Borders, Melanie stepped up as the board chair in January 2021.
Melanie is most at home in her new house in Arlington, doing life with her husband and two boys.
Borzou Azabdaftari
BOARD MEMBER
Borzou is the founder and CEO of Nickelbronx, a brand management agency. He was born and raised in the Northern Virginia area but his family is originally from Iran. When he’s not working, he’s either spending time with his family, traveling, or trying to make the world a better place.
Borzou feels most at home surround by people he loves – wherever that may be.
Lauren Cherry
BOARD MEMBER
Lauren Cherry is a Navy Judge Advocate and national security
law practitioner. She has served the Navy domestically and abroad as prosecutor, defense attorney, and as legal advisor to various units. She is also a member of the Advisory Committee to the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Law and National Security, an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown Law Center, and a Fellow at Georgetown’s Center on National Security.
Lauren became involved with Homes Not Borders in 2022, when searching for ways to serve the local refugee population.
Lauren feels most at home when she is laughing with friends and family.
Joe Fuld
VICE CHAIR
Joe founded The Campaign Workshop, an advocacy and Democratic political consulting firm based in Washington DC, in 2009 after having been a partner at MSHC Partners. He has produced award-winning strategies for a long list of clients, including Defenders of Wildlife, and DC VOTE. Joe served as the Northeast Political Director at the Democratic National Committee in 1996, and between 1991 and 1995 managed 10 Democratic political campaigns throughout the country. Joe is also a seasoned political trainer and facilitator, and has been the lead trainer for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute’s Candidate and Campaign Training School for more than fifteen years.
Joe is also an amateur comedian and was introduced to Homes Not Borders after being featured in it’s first fundraiser in 2019 – Funnier than your Average Boss.
Joe feels most at home when he’s playing board games with his family on the rug in the family room or sitting on the couch with his dog.
Maura Fulton
SECRETARY
Maura is Vice President of Global Pro Bono at PYXERA Global, partnering with corporations and their employees to provide pro bono expertise to nonprofit organizations and communities around the world.
Maura has held leadership roles in the government, nonprofit, and private sectors, including as Peace Corps Country Director in Myanmar and Georgia. She is proud of her service as a Peace Corps Volunteer on a remote island in Micronesia and has dedicated her career to intercultural understanding, social impact, sustainable community development, and organizational and leadership development.
After volunteering on several home setups with HNB, Maura became interested in supporting the mission in a deeper way and is thrilled to be a member of the Board.
Maura feels most at home with her husband, hiking, attending theater and concerts, and traveling.
Hannah Koilpillai
BOARD MEMBER
Hannah recently retired, after having worked in finance at the World Bank for 35 years. When her family immigrated to the United States from India in the 1960’s she benefited from having a host family assigned to her family. The hosts helped her family integrate and treated them like family. Hannah is now passing on that legacy of being a host to refugees and asylum seekers volunteering and helping the board at Homes not Borders.
Hannah was one of the original volunteers at Homes Not Borders, before it even became a nonprofit.
Hannah feels most at home hosting family gatherings at her house in Silver Spring, MD.
Mira Mendick
BOARD MEMBER
Mira is the Program Manager with the Community Sponsorship Hub. She formerly worked as a Remote Placement Specialist for refugee resettlement with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, working to reunite refugees with their family and friends in the US and for Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area as the Community Relations Director, leveraging the community to meet the needs of recently resettled refugees, which is how she became involved with Homes Not Borders.
Mira feels most at home cooking vegan food for her friends, ideally with her cat at her feet.
Shekeba Morrad
BOARD MEMBER
Shekeba is an attorney with the federal government where she handles legal and policy matters.
As the child of Afghan refugees, Shekeba advocated for the evacuation of vulnerable persons from Afghanistan in 2021 and when families arrived, she saw in them what she envisioned her own parents faced when they were refugees. Wishing to make the world a better and more welcoming place, she helped ease transitions by hosting activities on refugee camps and fundraising to provide for basic needs. This led her to the cause of Homes Not Borders.
Shekeba feels most at home when she is spending time with her family and friends, and when she is traveling the world.
Abbas Mousa
TREASURER
Abbas is an economist with the Department of Commerce. He is also a featured storyteller on NPR’s ‘The Moth Radio Hour” and the Moth 3rd edition book “Occasional Magic”.
He immigrated to the U.S. through the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program in 2009 after working with the U.S. Army in Iraq, then joined the U.S. Army, serving seven years as a Sergeant. He joined the Home Not Borders board hoping to use his own experiences to help refugees and SIV holders to build a new life here in the DC area.
Samad Saifudin
BOARD MEMBER
Samad is the founder and lead strategist at FunnelWorkSuite, a highly specialized IT and development firm in Rockville, Md.. With over ten years of experience in the industry, Samad is a master at IT strategy. He specializes in helping businesses revamp their IT governance, automation, and building applications to improve ROI.
Under Samad’s leadership, FunnelWorkSuite has helped businesses of all sizes and industries
achieve their IT and development goals, including helping Homes Not Borders develop its New Neighbor Designs online store in 2022.
Samad feels most at home with his family either hanging out at home or exploring new trails while hiking or biking.
Robin M. Stutman
BOARD MEMBER
Robin recently retired from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) where she held the position of Chief Administrative Hearing Officer. She previously served as EOIR’s General Counsel. Prior to that, Robin served in the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices (now the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section), Civil Rights Division, DOJ, as a Special Litigation Counsel, Supervisory Attorney and Senior Trial Attorney. Previously, she was in private practice as an Associate with Venable, Baetjer, Howard and Civiletti (now Venable).
Robin became involved with Homes Not Borders after donating some furniture and wanted to do more to help new refugees feel at home both in their new residences and the workplace.
Robin feels at home exercising, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Paula Sweeney
BOARD MEMBER
Paula recently retired from the Central Intelligence Agency after almost 24 years as a Senior Intelligence Service attorney. She served in several different capacities including as Chief of Litigation and legal counsel to the Europe division. Prior to that, Paula worked in private
practice and served in the US Attorney’s office in Manhattan, at the Legal Aid Society in New York City, as an Assistant Independent Counsel in the investigation of public corruption at HUD, and on Capitol Hill as an Assistant Senate Legal Counsel.
Paula started with HNB by donating household items and helping with home set-ups.
She feels most at home with family and friends, sharing a meal, conversation, and activities such as board games and travel.
Adam Zissman
BOARD MEMBER
Adam is a senior attorney with NPR (National Public Radio), where he manages a range of legal matters, including work related to business affairs, international operations, non-profit tax, security, sponsorship and advertising, and special projects. Before joining NPR, he held various legal positions with professional sports franchises and media companies. Adam also sits on the Executive Committee for Beth El Hebrew Congregation, where he serves as Treasurer.
Adam lives in Del Ray in Alexandria with his wife and two sons. He has led multiple efforts to evacuate and resettle Afghan families, which has fueled his drive to join Homes Not Borders to support refugees as they start new lives in the region.
Adam feels most at home when he is out in nature with his family or sitting in the crowd at his boys’ orchestra performances and hockey games.