Bita Golshan Lotfi – Attorney, Private Practice
Bita, the daughter of first‑generation Iranian immigrants, has dedicated her career to supporting refugees and immigrants in the Washington, D.C. area. She joined IROC after her daughter Ariana founded the organization in 2019, helping expand its mission and impact.

She holds degrees from Wittenberg University and the University of Dayton School of Law, and is a member of the Illinois and D.C. Bar Associations as well as AILA. Bita spent more than a decade with the immigration law firm Fragomen and now works as a business immigration consultant.

Alison Bostrom
Allison holds an MSc in International Development from the University of Edinburgh and an MS in Astronomy & Astrophysics. She has experience in monitoring & evaluation, specializing in supporting organizations in collecting and using data to understand and improve their programming. Allison oversees most of IROC’s programs while managing the organization’s volunteers and partner relationships.

Cees Roels (LLM Leiden University Netherlands) has spent over four decades working in some of the world’s most challenging places as a diplomat of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His work took him from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Balkans, the Great Lakes region in Africa and Asia (India, Japan, Indonesia), often right into the heart of conflict and transition.

During the surge in Afghanistan in 2010, Cees worked closely with US and UK military leaders on the ground, spending long stretches in frontline areas like Kandahar. He was also in Kabul during its fall in 2021, giving him a rare and very personal view of events as they unfolded. He was dealing with Afghanistan from 2002.

Cees is known for his clear, honest insights and his ability to cut through complexity with real-world experience. After retiring late 2021, he continues to share those insights through his writing and public discussions.

Catherine Kapikian is a site-specific liturgical artist. Her scores of commissions reside in churches of diverse denominations; synagogue; university, seminary, and military chapels; retreat centers; and hotel and convention center lobbies for national ecclesial events. Kapikian is founder and Director Emerita of the Henry Luce Center for the Arts and Religion at Wesley Theological Seminary (WTS) in Washington D.C. and currently Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at WTS. She has authored numerous articles, lectured throughout the USA in ecclesial and academic contexts, and authored the authoritative “Art in Service of the Sacred.” Her work can be seen at catherinekapikian.com.