Our Board

Debbie Schmieding

(President)

Debbie Schmieding is retired from a 40-year career with Havar, a local non-profit supporting citizens with developmental disabilities. Through that experience—and a long association with the League of Women Voters—she has significant experience with public policy at state and national levels. Her commitment to immigrant support stems from several things: a desire to model kindness and hospitality for the three grandkids; a (well-founded) belief that the Athens community will step up in a big way to support newcomers; and the amazing fellow board members with whom she gets to work! Debbie and John have hosted individuals and families from Uganda, Nicaragua, Somalia and Niger.  Every experience and every connection have been a treasure!

Cynthia Tindongan

(Vice President)

Cynthia has championed human rights and social justice her whole life-long. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines and as a United Nations Volunteer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Hong Kong. Her professional roles in the United States have included higher education: coordinating Service Learning and as Director of Thesis and Dissertation Services in the Graduate College at Ohio University. Additionally, she has served in various roles engaging in community development. She worked for the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) and the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio (COHHIO). Her doctoral research centered on the lived experiences of Muslim immigrant children in U.S. public schools. She currently serves on the board of Athens United Immigrant Support Project and as director of Athens Area Mediation Service. As the middle child of five, her mediation career got an early start.

Catherine Marshall

(Treasurer)

Catherine Marshall has been a study abroad professional for over 25 years, working to facilitate global opportunities for university students. Her current position is Director, Office of Global Opportunities at Ohio University. She sees the global connections forged through intentional international travel and study abroad as important steps toward building empathy and understanding.

As a recent empty nester, Catherine has increased her engagement with and support of the Athens community she’s called home for almost 23 years. She is the newest AUISP board member and is looking forward to supporting the mission of the organization and the fight for immigrant rights. 

Catherine jumped right in with enthusiasm, and the board happily accepted her offer to take on the treasurer responsibilities.

Anne Sparks

(Board members)

Anne Sparks became involved in 2019 to protest against the policy at that time of separating the children of newly arrived immigrant families from their parents. The peaceful and compelling “Lights for Liberty” vigil held in Columbus that year brought her into contact with many grassroots groups working on behalf of people seeking asylum in the U.S.

Anne writes, “Being on the Board of AUISP has made it possible for me to join this amazing network. We quickly learned that community support is vital to fulfilling our mission, and I am thankful for the many groups and individuals partnering with us to provide a stable, welcoming environment for asylum seekers.

As AUISP gains more first-hand experience with the challenges asylum seekers face, she expects the organization to become an effective advocate for needed changes.

Ratna Ariyanti

(Board members)

Ratna is a doctoral candidate at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University. She is originally from Indonesia. Before pursuing her PhD, Ratna worked as a full-time journalist in Jakarta. She used to be heavily involved in fighting for press freedom, including increasing the welfare and safety of women journalists. Her activism was expanded beyond Indonesia to the point where she built her networks in Southeast Asia. Living far away from home now and understanding the struggle of living as an immigrant, Ratna feels very honor to serve as a board member for AUISP.

In her spare time in Athens, Ratna enjoys gathering with the neighbors, walking, and reading. She misses different things from home, especially Indonesian food and her cats.