Meet the RISE AmeriCorps Staff

Meet the RISE AmeriCorps Staff

HENNY
​OHR

Co-Founder and Executive Director
henny@embarciowa.org

Ohr is the co-founder and executive director of RISE AmeriCorps' parent organization, EMBARC. Prior to joining EMBARC, she was the executive officer for the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs and the Status of Women at the Dept. of Human Rights, where she advocated for equitable access to resources for marginalized communities. Ohr immigrated to the U.S. from Korea as a child, and has been committed to working for immigrant and refugee rights throughout her career. Ohr received her J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law.

LIVVY
​HAN

Program Manager
livvy@embarciowa.org

Originally from South Korea, Livvy studied aircraft cabin services management in college and worked as an executive secretary. After moving to the U.S., she worked as a healthcare insurance administrator. Now as the RISE AmeriCorps Program Manager, Livvy is responsible for RISE Member management/development, supervising the RISE communications team and mentoring program and supporting RISE advocacy and public relations.  In Livvy’s free time, she enjoys spending time with family, watching K-dramas and serving as vice president of the Korean-American Society of Iowa (KASI). 

“The RISE AmeriCorps Program opened up a new learning opportunity to serve the immigrant population I also come from. The issues our target population go through are also my own barriers and the success they achieve throughout the program is also what I have achieved with support from others.”

MY
​NHAN

Program Coordinator
my@embarciowa.org

Born as a refugee in Hong Kong, My Nhan came to the United States when she was an infant and has called Iowa home ever since. Her mother’s account of life and poverty in Vietnam paired with her experience as a first generation immigrant has inspired her to pursue opportunities to bridge connections, serve, and empower others.

My was drawn to EMBARC’s grassroots model and joined the RISE AmeriCorps team in 2021. In her current role as the program coordinator, My is always eager to connect RISE AmeriCorps members to resources, support, trainings and professional development opportunities to enhance members’ service experience and service provided to the community. 

​In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, spending time with family, and dreaming of plans for new places to explore.

ALLISON
​PLEASANT

Education Manager
allison@embarciowa.org

Allison is a Des Moines native, helper and life-long learner. Her passion for refugees and immigrants started by volunteering as a co-teacher for Lutheran Services in Iowa’s Community-Based English as a Second Language (CBESL) program. After that, she had the opportunity to live in Peru and teach ESL to adults and volunteer with adolescents in special education. Allison graduated with her Master’s in Education and Human Resources Studies from Colorado State University in 2021. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her husband, crochet blankets, sing and take long walks with her dogs.
“Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching.”

Meet the Macro RISE AmeriCorps Members

AUTUMN
DIESBURG

Member Leadership​Coordinator
autumn@embarciowa.org

Autumn specializes in member support by providing resources, expanding partnerships, developing recruitment strategies and strengthening inclusivity initiatives to improve the RISE AmeriCorps program. 

TAYLOR
THOMAS

Communications Coordinator
taylor@embarciowa.org

Taylor specializes in storytelling and communications content for RISE AmeriCorps, such as the website, blog, social media and branding.

CARTER
​PAGE

Impact
​Specialist
carter@embarciowa.org

Carter specializes in managing the data and information regarding RISE AmeriCorps’ host sites and their impact, and communicating it with members to tell a story. 

AMANDA
MCVANN

Member Leadership Coordinator 
​amandap@embarciowa.org

Amanda specializes in member support by providing resources, expanding partnerships, developing recruitment strategies and strengthening inclusivity initiatives to improve the RISE AmeriCorps program.