IRIS

Immigrant Resources Immediate Support

About

Board of Directors

Leta Sanchez

Leta Sanchez

Guillermina Bazante

Guillermina Bazante IRIS Director

Norma Suárez Govea

Norma Suarez Govea

Sarah Chaplin

Sarah Chaplin

Sequoia Pullella Barca

Sequoia Pullella Barca

Karyn Byrne

Karyn Singfield

Advisory Board

Marta Martinez Olivera

Marta Martinez Olivera

Marta Martinez
Marta Martinez grew up in a Farmworker family, working side by side with her siblings and parents in the fields of Skagit Valley. She always dreamed of going to college. After graduating from high school, Marta could only afford her first quarter of community college because, at the time, she was not eligible for financial aid. Through the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Marta became eligible for financial aid and completed her Associate’s Degree in Human Services at Skagit Valley College.

Marta is the Program Coordinator at the Catholic Community Services Farmworker Center and oversees the Plaza Communitaria Adult Education programs.

Susan Wells

Susan Wells

Susan Wells
Sister Susan Wells, SNJM belongs to the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. For nearly five years she served as the Director of the Catholic Community Services Farmworker Center in Mount Vernon. She has worked in solidarity with Immigrant communities in Skagit Valley, Yakima Valley, Tacoma, and California for nearly 20 years.

She brings her passion for serving the Indigenous migrant community members to the Community Advisory Board of IRIS. She is currently working for the Washington State Department of Health.

Yadira Rosales

Yadira Rosales

Yadira Rosales
Yadira Rosales serves as the Associate Vice President for Equity and Inclusion at Skagit Valley College. As the daughter of immigrant, farmworker parents, and a first-generation college student, she sees her role to expand educational opportunities to all students who are often marginalized and underrepresented in education. The power of education is life-changing, it has the potential to change generations and provide opportunities for advancement that too often are denied to many. Creating a more just environment takes all of us, it takes us to stand for injustices and to work towards an equitable community.

Yadira lives in Mount Vernon with her husband and her three children.

Donor Relations

Julie Pryor Barr

Julie Pryor Barr

Julie Pryor Barr
Julie Pryor Barr is a human services professional with 40 years of management experience. She has a long-term interest in multiculturalism and has done extensive international travel including Mexico, Central America, and Africa. She volunteered with asylum seekers at the U.S. Mexico border in 2018 and has been an active IRIS volunteer since 2019.

“I give to IRIS NW because it helps bridge the gap between the challenges immigrants face and the resources needed to help them achieve self-sustainability. During this process, cultures, families, and communities intersect in a way that allows them to find common ground and be enriched by their differences.”

Staff

Keeley Mathis

Keeley Mathis, Program Manager

Keeley Mathis
Keeley is the Program Manager and strives to tackle inequities that immigrants face by providing dignifying and culturally appropriate services to recipients of IRIS.

Years ago, Keeley visited a family in rural Oaxaca, Mexico, where she gained a better understanding of transnational migration. Juxtlahuaca is a sister city to Mount Vernon; upon arriving there, it seemed that every resident had family members living in Skagit.

Keeley worked at the Whatcom Literacy Council and Skagit County Goodwill Job Training and Education Center. She met regularly with local immigrants, assisting them to sort through sources of stress, learn to advocate for themselves and connect with trustworthy, immigrant-friendly agencies for services.

Keeley lives in Mount Vernon with her husband and baby. She enjoys walking the Wiley Slough trail and cooking vegetarian meals.