wfn.org | Erol Kekic named director of CWS Immigration and refugee Program

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Erol Kekic named director of CWS Immigration and refugee Program

NEW YORK, Dec 10, 2008--Erol Kekic has been elected director of the 
Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program, it was 
announced today by John L. McCullough, the agency's executive 
director and CEO of the New York headquartered humanitarian agency.

Kekic, who was associate director of the program, has served as 
interim director for the past three months.  He has worked for more 
than eight years in the CWS Immigration and Refugee Program, which 
resettles about 8,000 refugees and entrants into the United States each year.

In making the announcement, Rev. McCullough said, "Over the years 
that he has been with us, Erol Kekic has brought to his work a deep 
understanding and awareness of the issues, outstanding knowledge of 
our organization and a tremendous commitment to this vital work."

Kekic came to Church World Service from Lutheran Family and Community 
Service/Immigration and Refugee Program in New York City, where he 
served as associate director.  Prior to that, he was assistant 
director for resettlement for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee 
Services, also in New York.

Kekic earned a bachelor o Science degree in chemical engineering at 
the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia.  He also has done post-graduate 
study at The University of Detroit-Mercy in Michigan and at Oxford 
University Refugee Study Centre in England.

Kekic will be based in the New York City headquarters of the global 
humanitarian
agency.

Church World Service is on of 10 agencies that work with the 
Department of State Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration to 
resettle refugees in the U.S.  CWS administers the Religious Services 
Program, which operates in seven government-run immigration detention 
centers across the U.S. and also helps serves people in drawn-out 
refugee situations through its Durable Solutions for Displaced 
Persons programs.

Media Contacts

Lesley Crosson, media@churchworldservice.org, (212) 870-2676
Jan Dragin, 24/7, jdragin@gis.net, (781) 925-1526