MEET THE BOARD
Meet MRPI’s 2021-2022 Board of Directors below. Our team includes members of the McCourt School of Public Policy as well as the Walsh School of Foreign Service, all with diverse policy interests and experiences. Our team is connected by our commitment to strong, inclusive migration and refugee policies. Please learn more about our board below and don’t hesitate to get in touch!
EMMA HEIKEN
President
Emma is a second year Master of Public Policy student at Georgetown University, focusing on immigration and urban policy. Emma grew up in Eugene, Oregon and earned her B.A. in Public
Health from the University of Rochester. Before coming to McCourt, Emma served as a Fulbright Scholar in Colombia and an immigration paralegal working on employment-, family-, and humanitarian-based immigration cases. Living alongside immigrant communities, Emma developed her passion for public service and advocating for immigrants from within government and joined the San Francisco Mayor’s Office, beginning as a Community Liaison and rising the ranks to lead the Mayor’s community engagement team. In addition to her studies and leadership at MRPI, Emma is the Policy Advisor on a campaign for Governor of Maryland.
HOPE CUTCHINS
Vice President
Hope is a second-year Master of International Development Policy student. Before coming to Georgetown, she worked in nonprofit management and humanitarian aid. Prompted in part by work with refugees, asylees, and SIV holders, she is interested in policy and programming to more effectively meet the needs of displaced populations, particularly promoting social and economic inclusion in prolonged displacement situations. During her time at Georgetown, Hope has worked on research related to cash assistance for farmers and agricultural supply vendors in Liberia through Innovations for Poverty Action and also preventive health care in Estonia through DIME at the World Bank.
ANDREIA BARCELLOS
Director of Outreach
Andreia is a Master of Policy Management student. Andreia has held positions in International Organizations, non-profits and local governments. Before moving to the USA, Andreia has managed projects in several countries in matters of gender, migration and development. Andreia’s policy interests are migration and international development.
GUSTAVO NIÑO
Director of Partnerships
Gustavo is a Master in Policy Management student. Before moving to the USA he was the mayor of the district of Santa Fe in the city of Bogota in Colombia his home country. Gustavo has more than 10 years of experience as a public servant and his policy’s interests are migration, urban, and public management.
AMELIA DAL PRA
Director of Communications
Amelia is a first-year SSP student focusing on international peacebuilding and refugee and humanitarian emergencies. Prior to Georgetown, Amelia earned her B.A. in International Studies and Political Science at Pepperdine University. Amelia is especially passionate about inclusive, forward-thinking refugee and asylum policies and the intersection between climate change, displacement, and human security. She has lived, worked, and studied in Italy, Spain, Jordan, and Israel-Palestine and conducted a Fulbright Grant in Malaysia. Her experience includes work at NGOs, the U.S. Department of State, and Capitol Hill. She currently works at an international development think tank where she supports research on environmental migration.
CHASE BERGERSON
Director of Operations
Chase is a first-year Master of Public Policy student. Before Georgetown, he studied at Gonzaga University, and worked in the Utah prison system at the Utah Prison Education Program. Chase is most interested in border security and how conflict impacts migration, and he will be serving MRPI as Director of Operations.