Thursday, January 1, 2009

About the Contributors

alexheadshot1 becca sheff

Becca joined FCNL as the Program Assistant on immigration, human rights and civil liberties in September 2009. She is a recent graduate of Macalester College, a small liberal arts school in Minnesota, where she studied Political Science with concentrations in African Studies as well as Human Rights and Humanitarianism.

Last year, her interest in international development took her to Senegal, where she worked to establish sustainable community-based programs with Senegalese migrants and their families. While in Senegal, she interviewed Senegalese migrants in French and Wolof for her thesis on remittance-based development within religious communities. She has also worked in coalition to provide holistic healing services for Liberian survivors of torture and war trauma in the Twin Cities, at which time she designed and taught a healing art program for Liberian youth.

When not working on comprehensive immigration reform, Becca may be found backpacking or traveling internationally. She leads multisport outdoor adventures focusing on building leadership and community skills for youth in the Pacific Northwest. Most recently, her international travels have included Israel/Palestine and Sweden, and she has also traveled to Zimbabwe, Spain, France, Italy, Costa Rica and Canada. In the future, Becca looks forward to working internationally on migration and development issues.



alexheadshot1 alexandra douglas

Alex recently joined FCNL as the legislative program assistant on human rights, civil liberties, and immigration. She received her degree in International Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.

Before coming to FCNL, Alex spent two years advocating with and doing research for sex workers and trafficked persons in Cochabamba, Bolivia, San Francisco, CA, and the Twin Cities, MN. Her written work on the subject critically examines international and domestic policy on prostitution and sex trafficking in relation to the daily realities and survival tactics practiced by the people she worked with. In addition to this work, she worked part-time at an immigrant and refugee rights organization as a facilitator and interpreter.

Alex is excited to be at FCNL and spark on a new journey of advocacy and action. In the future, she hopes to work internationally in crisis relief and refugee services.

Out of the office, Alex loves to be traveling, tasting new foods, talking to people, learning new languages, and being surrounded by her dearest friends. She has lived in five countries and travelled extensively throughout the surrounding regions. Asked where she would like to go next, she responds: “Anywhere.” But, she has an increasing interest in visiting Palestine, Israel, and the Middle East.


ruth-flowerheadshotruth flower

As FCNL’s legislative director, Ruth Flower coordinates the work of the “hill team”. Ruth lobbies on the federal budget, military spending, immigration, civil rights, religious freedom and other domestic issues. Ruth first joined the FCNL staff in 1981, where she served as a lobbyist on domestic issues until June of 1996. In 1996, she became the government relations director and later the director of public policy for the American Association of University Professors. She returned to FCNL in March, 2006.

Ruth is a member of Adelphi Friends Meeting of Baltimore Yearly Meeting; she has served as clerk of her local meeting, clerk of the yearly meeting’s nominating committee, and assistant clerk of the board of Friends House Retirement Community. She is married to Tom Horne and is a proud parent of three adult children, Daniel, Sam, and Anna. Ruth graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of California, Davis, School of Law; she is a member of the California and Federal bars.