Advisory Council
World Relief Western Washington's Advisory Council is not a governing body. They volunteer their time, professional expertise, and lived experience to advance our vision to see every immigrant welcomed by community, rooted in community, and empowered for community.
Dr. Karima Bassalé
Dr. Karima Bassalé joined the advisory council in 2023, after World Relief established residency in Thurston County. She graduated from Naturopathic Medical School in 2011, and proceeded to complete her residency in primary care in community health. Since graduating from her residency program, she has dedicated the entirety of her career to serving low income and homeless populations. Her earlier years were spent working in downtown Portland, for a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and for the last six years has been working for another FQHC in the Olympia area. Her passions include justice, relationship building and eating food from all over the world. The values of World Relief closely align with her own. She is the daughter of an immigrant from the Middle East, and her husband immigrated to the USA from West Africa. They share three beautiful children together.
Victor Chinn
Victor was born in the US to immigrant parents who arrived in the late 1950’s. He has over 40+ years of experience in the computer industry and owns a small business that manufactures a patented scientific instrument. His passion is to be the best steward of what God has entrusted to him and to empower people on the margins and in vulnerable situations with access to technology. “I fully support those who are the hands and feet of Jesus ministering to the very people in need."
Stan Diddams
Stan Diddams retired from Bank of America after 38 years in commercial and investment
banking in 2022. He worked in New York, Chicago, and Seattle during his career, and held positions as individual contributor and manager. Throughout his career, his clients were large and mid-sized corporations. Stan’s past non-profit experience includes board member and chairman for the Foundation for Seattle Community Colleges, and board member and treasurer for International Association for Refugees. He completed his MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and holds a BA degree in Social Science from Wheaton College in Illinois. Stan is a candidate for a MA in Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College. He and his wife, Dr. Margaret Diddams, have four children, two grandchildren, and live in Seattle, WA.
Joe Kurian
Joe immigrated to the US from India 35 years ago, and has since navigated a corporate career with recent emphasis on leveraging those learnings for the non-profit sector. He has held leadership roles at Microsoft, Verizon Wireless and Alaska Airlines, is a lifelong elder of the Presbyterian Denomination, and sits on the Board of the Bellevue Presbyterian Legacy Foundation. His heart for the underprivileged is driven by his faith. Joe says the work that World Relief Western Washington community does is “putting what we are taught to do in the New Testament into action.”
Dr. Mohammad Qadam Shah
Dr. Mohammad Qadam Shah joined the advisory council in 2020. He comes with an academic and practical background focused on development management. Mohammad is currently working as Assistant Professor of Global Development at Seattle Pacific University where he teaches courses on different aspects of global development including program/policy analysis and evaluation, and grant writing. In addition to teaching, Mohammad conducts academic research on issues related to state building, development management, anti-corruption reforms, and public policy analysis in conflict-affected countries. As an immigrant, Mohammad is passionate in helping refugees and immigrants who come to the US and need resettlement support.
Dr. Brittany Tausen
Dr. Brittany Tausen is an associate professor of psychology and the director of undergraduate research at Seattle Pacific University. Dr. Tausen’s academic research focuses on the causes and consequences of dehumanization with a particular emphasis on perceptions of individuals experiencing homelessness. Additionally, her research probes factors, like social justice motivations and ethnocultural empathy, that cultivate socially conscious communities. In so doing, her work aims to foster the mental health and well-being of marginalized group members and those who have been historically oppressed and dehumanized. Brittany has two tiny humans and one not so tiny rottweiler. As a family, they enjoy hiking, playing at the beach, and eating delicious food.
Dr. Jinkyoo (David) Lee
Dr. Jinkyoo (also goes by “David”) Lee is a reborn Christian, former researcher, and immigration attorney. Originally from Seoul, Korea, he came to the U.S. to study the Civil Justice system at UW Law, earning an LL.M and Ph.D. His dissertation focused on pretrial disposition reform and comparative civil procedure. Since 2015, David has worked as a business immigration attorney, handling cases like federal court litigation, family immigration, and humanitarian relief. He also volunteers at Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS). A board member and treasurer of the Korean American Bar Association of Washington (KABA-WA) since 2019, he enjoys connecting with colleagues and contributing to the community.