The League of Women Voters of Vermont will host a lunch presentation on Saturday, March 25th at the Best Western Hotel on 45 Blush Hill Road in Waterbury. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. and the event is open to the public. There is no cost to attend but registration is required and may be made at https://lwvrefugeeresettlement.eventbrite.com or via email, lwvofvt@gmail.com.
Amila Merdzanovic, Director of Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program will deliver the keynote address, Refugees & The Process of Resettlement. According to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (US Department of Health & Human Services), 312 refugees came to Vermont in FY 2015, the majority from Asia (312) and Africa (92) with more than half employable. For FY16 it was estimated that Vermont would receive 325 refugees. The vetting process is intensive and typically takes around two years.
Ms. Merdzanovic came to Vermont in 1995 as a refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina and is the first former refugee leading the USCRI Vermont field office. She brings over 10 years’ experience working in refugee resettlement providing direct services, program management, and advocacy on behalf of refugees and asylees in Vermont. Most recently, she graduated from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University with a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy. She holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College. Her interests include forced migration, human rights, and conflict resolution. She is fluent in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian and has basic knowledge of Russian.

Following lunch, guests will have the opportunity to meet, greet, and ask questions of Ms. Merdzanovic and learn about the League and its positions on advocacy and social policy.

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