Dr. Barbara Eiswerth - Director & Founder

Barbara is the director and founder of Iskashitaa Refugee Harvesting Network. She is the drive and vision behind Iskashitaa's work and is always working to improve services for refugees.

Natalie Brown - Resource Coordinator

Natalie previously served as Iskashitaa’s Community Liaison, strengthening existing bonds and creating new partnerships between Iskashitaa and community organizations. A U of A graduate with a degree in molecular and cellular biology, Natalie has been involved with HIV/AIDS education in the U.S., Tanzania, and Mexico. She was the Director of Education and Community Relations for Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN), but stepped down in order to dedicate more time to working with Iskashitaa. As Iskashitaa's Resource Coordinator, she is looking forward to continuing to learn from the diverse refugee population in Tucson.

Kathryn Zaleski - Community Education Coordinator

Kathy is from Indianapolis, Indiana and earned her undergraduate degree in Secondary Education -Social Studies at Indiana University in Bloomington. She completed part of her student teaching in a small village in western Kenya and spent a month traveling around East Africa. She left for Peace Corps shortly after and worked in the tiny country of Macedonia, south of Kosovo, north of Greece. She taught English in a primary school in Krusevo, held adult English classes and headed the Sexual and Reproductive Health Education Committee for Peace Corps.  Kathy is studying for her masters in Language, Reading and Culture at the University of Arizona and is here as a Peace Corps Fellow. She is now at Iskashitaa as the Community Education Coordinator and is extremely excited to be working with volunteers and refugees in the community. 

Mike Parelskin - Harvesting & Preservation Coordinator

Mike Parelskin recently graduated from Western Washington University with a Master of Education specializing in environmental education and
a certificate in leadership and nonprofit administration. Mike studied environmental education for a year in North Cascades National Park where
in the summertime he led 12-day backcountry canoe and backpack trips for under-served youth. Mike has taught various environmental education
programs in the classroom, residential and field-based. He has followed the ghost of Ed Abbey (and his girlfriend) down to the southwest from the
Pacific Northwest and is excited to be here. Mike's hobbies include, but are not limited to, rock climbing, mountain biking, fermentation, reading, trail
running, surfing, snowboarding, cooking, canoeing, backpacking... you get the picture. Mike is excited to get his hands and Iskashitaa's kitchen dirty!

Elizabeth McMahon - Program Development Coordinator

Beth McMahon worked as the volunteer coordinator for Iskashitaa during 2011 and is excited to return as the program development coordinator. Beth
graduated from Albright College with a bachelors in Psychology and spent a year in Taiwan teaching English as a Fulbright Scholar. After returning from Taiwan, Beth taught environmental education in Pennsylvania and traveled with teens who are doing community service abroad.  Beth is excited to help Tucson refugees learn about swimming and pool safety while continuing to strengthen and develop Iskashitaa's programs.

Lizbeth Gonzales - Volunteer Coordinator

Lizbeth Gonzalez has just joined the Iskashitaa staff as the new volunteer coordinator. She grew up on the Nogales, Sonora/Arizona border where she witnessed firsthand the dynamics of immigration and international relations. She studied International Studies with a focus on Public Health at the University of Arizona, working directly with Latin American women discussing their health issues in Mexico and Guatemala. She has recently returned from Tanzania after coordinating a HIV/AIDS education campaign in rural villages with the NGO, Support for International Change. Lizbeth is passionate about advocating education as a tool to decrease health issues and increase quality of life. Iskashitaa attracted Lizbeth due to our mission to use local harvests to provide nutritional foods to international refugees as well as working to create connections with refugees within the Tucson community. Lizbeth is excited to work locally with a non-profit organization helping volunteers learn about their community and help create connections with refugees.

Emily Jones - Sewing & Crafts Coordinator

Emily Ann Jones received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Arizona and completed a study abroad program for travel
photojournalism in Orvieto, Italy. Although photography is her main passion, she became interested in non-profit organizations, including humanitarian aid while reporting for her senior capstone course, Border Beat.net, a student-run online publication focusing on U.S./Mexico relations. Emily has also photographed and written for the Arizona Daily Wildcat, Tucson Sentinel.com and gained an internship at the Tucson Weekly. Since then she has worked as a marketing consultant and client coordinator for a local independent portrait photography business and has also completed several freelance photography jobs. Currently, Emily also works with another non-profit organization, Planet Coexist, as the video editor and fundraising coordinator that puts on the annual Earthwalk event. With a lengthy background in arts and crafts and planning events, Emily hopes to positively impact the Iskashitaa Sewing and Crafts Circle.