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.
Holly Andrews
Holly Andrews is currently serving as the Outreach and Next Steps Director at Brooklake Church in Federal Way. While living in the Minneapolis metro area of Minnesota, Holly first started welcoming and engaging immigrant and refugees within her community as an educator in adult education for English Language Learners while raising awareness and leading initiatives that supported anti-human trafficking domestically and internationally. Her love for cultures and languages led her to pursue an MA in Linguistics. She taught and developed courses in the Modern World Languages Department as an adjunct professor at Bethel University. Upon moving to Washington, Holly joined World Relief as the ESL Program Coordinator. Over the last 8 years, she has served in missions and outreach fostering church partnerships, one of which has been World Relief Washington. She and her husband Ben and their two daughters live in Auburn, WA.
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.
Bob Gomulkiewicz
Bob Gomulkiewicz is a Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Washington School of Law. His teaching and scholarship focus on intellectual property and freedom of expression. Prior to joining the faculty at UW, Bob was an Associate General Counsel at Microsoft and an attorney at Preston, Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates). Bob has served on the boards of Landesa, Camp Fire USA, Independent Colleges of Washington, and Pacific Lutheran University where he chaired the Board of Regents. He also served as a volunteer attorney for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, representing refugees from Latin America. Bob received his JD and MA in International Studies (focused on protection of international human rights) from the University of Washington.
Rose Gundersen
Rose Gundersen’s father was a refugee who fled to Hong Kong after the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and she immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong in 1981. Her passion for justice and law led to a law school policy internship on human trafficking and 12 years of subsequent work advancing anti-trafficking policy and building local coalitions. Her corporate and entrepreneurial background later led her to advocate for small businesses in both the public and private sectors. The fall of Afghanistan, which highlighted the vulnerability of refugees to human trafficking, inspired her to support World Relief. Rose hopes to further advance advocacy for refugees by serving on the Advisory Council.
Dereck Kamwesa
Dereck Kamwesa is currently serving as the Director of Justice and Spirituality at Rainier Avenue Church. He is a graduate of Seattle Pacific Seminary with a Master of Arts in Theology focused on Reconciliation and Intercultural Studies. As a native of Kenya, Africa, Dereck loves the intersections of faith and culture that allow all of God’s children to flourish in their God-given stories. Dereck is married to Rachael, and they live and serve in South Seattle, where they love to explore the Pacific Northwest, cooking, and practicing hospitality.
Sarah Kelley
Sarah Kelley is a Seattle native, a graduate of the University of Washington, and a business development leader for Devices and Services at Amazon. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Sean, their two sons, and their dog. In her personal time, she enjoys hosting friends and family, traveling, maintaining an active lifestyle, and exploring the city she has long called home.
Sarah is the daughter of immigrants from Guangzhou, China. She is committed to supporting refugees and immigrants as they seek safety, a sense of belonging, and opportunities to establish new lives in their communities through World Relief Western Washington.
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.”
Jonathan Nolasco
Jonathan Nolasco is the son of Salvadoran immigrants who fled a violent civil war in the 1980s. He grew up in Federal Way, Washington and graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in International Studies. Since graduating, he has worked with migrant youth and their families, those experiencing food insecurity and homelessness, and historically marginalized communities in the Seattle area. While working as a director of mission ministries at Bethany Community Church, he completed his MA in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and was then licensed as an Associate Pastor of Mission and Outreach. He continues to help lead local and global mission ministries, including church partnerships with World Relief offices in Western Washington and Rwanda.
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.