Announcement
The International Rescue Committee’s office in Charlottesville, Virginia was founded in 1998. Over a quarter-century has passed since then, and for most of that time there has been one leader at the helm of the city’s only refugee resettlement agency, charting a path forward for newcomers through the uncertainty of three presidential administrations and countless international conflicts.
Harrier Kuhr, Executive Director of IRC Virginia offices for 20 years.
Harriet Kuhr became Executive Director of the IRC in Charlottesville in 2010, when it was still working out of a small downtown office with just 14 full-time staff members. She has overseen a period of tremendous growth and change with the Charlottesville team more than tripling in size. Harriet oversaw the expansion of IRC Virginia as it opened an office in Richmond, VA in 2015.
After dedicating 20 years of service to the IRC, Harriet announced that she would retire at the end of 2024. We sat down with her for an interview in December to get some final reflections on refugee resettlement in Charlottesville and her impactful nonprofit career.
What was your first job, and how did you end up getting involved in refugee resettlement?
Harriet: “My first job out of college – I joined the Peace Corps and spent three years in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Then I worked for over 19 years at The Friendship Force, a cultural exchange program headquartered in Atlanta. I was job hunting after I left there and applied for a job as Employment Supervisor with the IRC in Atlanta. I had no prior experience working with refugees but had been active in Atlanta’s international community for over 20 years. So, I kind of fell into it backwards and then never looked back.”
Your career with the IRC began in 2004. What led you to dedicate 20 years of service to our nonprofit and its field of work?
Harriet: “I came to the IRC mid-career and quickly fell in love with the work, our clients, my colleagues, and the IRC. I knew that it was an organization where I could continue to grow and build a career.”
You became the Executive Director of the IRC in Charlottesville in 2010. What was the Charlottesville office like when you arrived, and how has it evolved since then?
Harriet: “The Charlottesville office had 14 staff members at that time and some AmeriCorps VISTAs. We resettled around 200 people annually. The office had a strong family feel about it; many of the staff members had been there for a long time and knew each other and the clients very well. Over the years, we slowly grew to about 25 staff in 2021 when we moved from the downtown office location, where we had been for 17 years, to our new office location on Greenbrier Drive. With Operation Allies Welcome, the Afghan Evacuation in 2021, we grew very quickly. Three years later, the Charlottesville staff has close to 60 staff members and a provides a wide variety of programs to our clients.”
You played a major role in expanding refugee resettlement in Richmond as well, which didn’t have an IRC office until you submitted a proposal in 2015. How did you decide to pursue this expansion, and what challenges and opportunities came with opening an office in a new city?
Harriet: “I realized after just a few years in Charlottesville that the sustainability of the office relied on expansion. Increasing the number of refugees that our small city could resettle wasn’t appropriate, so I had my eye out for another community in Virginia. I hadn’t foreseen the opportunity to expand to Richmond, since there were already other resettlement agencies there, but when the opportunity arose, we went for it. Luckily, the community was already familiar with resettlement work, but there was a need to improve the quality of the services provided to refugees as well as increase public outreach and awareness. I found community partners eager to work with the IRC and our focus on clients. The first year, we provided ongoing services to clients already in the community, then started resettling our own clients the following year.”
After decades spent working in refugee resettlement, is there one client story that stands out to you as particularly impactful?
Harriet: “Not really a client story, but perhaps a favorite group. I love to see refugees who were resettled as children come back to work with us as staff. They represent so well what resettlement can be – creating that new generation of Americans, products of our education system and proud to be U.S. citizens yet also comfortable with the communities, native language and customs of their culture of origin.”
During your time in Charlottesville, what have you observed about this community’s willingness and ability to welcome newcomers?
Harriet: “Charlottesville is an amazing place for refugees to land! The community has always been welcoming, seeing the added diversity as a positive. When I talk to families who have been here a while, they often mention how happy they are to have been resettled in a community where they feel safe, and their children have positive experiences in school. We are so fortunate to have such strong support from our community partners including a strong donor base as well as service providers.”
What advice would you give to someone interested in a career in refugee resettlement?
Harriet: “Come try us out! Just know up front that it’s challenging working with people who are going through such a time of upheaval in their lives. It’s not for everyone, but for many of us, we find the challenge-reward balance coming out in our favor!”
What was your favorite part of being Executive Director of the IRC in Virginia?
Harriet: “That’s a hard one! Honestly, I didn’t love all of it, but I loved most of it. Meeting so many wonderful people – staff, clients, and community members. Representing the IRC in the community – it’s so much fun to share information about refugees and our work with the public. Opening the Richmond office and leading the expansion of both offices over the past 3 years. I’ve always been proud to be part of the IRC and a spokesperson for the organization and its mission in Virginia.”
What do you most look forward to in retirement?
Harriet: “Being executive director for more than 14 years has been very much personally consuming. I’m looking forward to having the time to slow down and rediscover what I want to prioritize in my life. What parts to keep, what to change, what to jettison. Possibly discovering new interests along the way. And getting enough sleep on a regular basis! I find the prospect of doing whatever I want to in the middle of a weekday positively thrilling!”