Employer Resource Panel

In the final panel of the day, panelists discussed the role of employer support for refugees in the workforce. They highlighted the unique opportunities of apprenticeships and career training for this group.

Speaker Bios

Mike Batt is Vice President, Talent, for the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). As Vice President of FCEDA’s Talent Program, Mike is responsible for developing programs and delivering solutions to solve the talent management attraction challenge at scale, aimed at retention, retraining, growth, and attraction. Mike also oversees market intelligence functions for the organization. Mike joined FCEDA in 2019 after a 30-year career in technology sales and channel management, most of that time working for Microsoft.

Huhdaidah Bhimdi is a seasoned immigration practitioner with a focus on business immigration and I-9 compliance for US and Global corporations. In addition, she also handles affirmative immigration cases such as family and naturalization. Hudaidah advises businesses and professionals in all sectors of the economy by providing them with immigration strategies and representing them before various U.S. government agencies within the U.S. and abroad. Whether the cases involve non-immigrant visas or permanent resident applications, Hudaidah guides clients on a full range of business visas including H-1B professional, E-1 and E-2 investors, L-1 intra-company transferees, O-1 artists, EB-1 executives, EB-2 advanced degree works or professionals, and other employees going through the labor certification process. Hudaidah also helps many international students transition to the workforce through advising on issues such as F-1 reinstatement, STEM OPT, STEM extensions and change of status from F-1 to J-1, H-1B and other non-immigrant visa categories.

Immigration compliance is also critical for employers. In this context, Hudaidah represents companies facing government investigations or audits and she works proactively with businesses to develop immigration and compliance policies and conduct internal assessment.

Hudaidah represents her family immigration clients before U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) and before U.S. embassies and consulates abroad with their immigrant and non-immigrant visa petitions, waivers and complex liaison issues.

Gregg Levin is the Founding CEO and Board Member of EnGen, a Certified B Corporation that delivers personalized, career-aligned, mobile-first English language instruction to immigrants, refugees, and speakers of other languages. Using patented technology that has served over 4 million language learners worldwide, EnGen is advancing economic mobility, workforce inclusion, and talent pipeline development at the scale needed to serve both New American workers and the U.S. workforce. Formed in 2020, EnGen serves adult learners from Fortune 500 companies, regional employers, higher education, apprenticeship programs, and government institutions, and is proven to help adult learners – internationally trained professionals and those with limited formal education – meet their educational and employment goals in high-demand fields. Prior to forming EnGen, Gregg held senior leadership positions with leading educational technology companies including K12 Insight, K12, Inc (now Stride) and Educate, Inc. In addition, Gregg has served in board and advisor capacities for multiple early-stage companies focused on virtual learning, student achievement, school safety, and online mental/behavioral health solutions. Gregg is a graduate of the University of Rochester and earned an M.B.A. from Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. 

Fatima Sanz (she/her/hers) is the Senior Policy Manager at World Education Services (WES), where she leads the organization's federal advocacy strategy to promote the workforce inclusion of immigrants, refugees, and international students in the U.S. Prior to joining WES, Fatima worked in international development organizations, including UNESCO and Teach for Qatar implementing educational programs in the Middle East and West Africa. Fatima holds an M.S.Ed. in International Educational Development, an MPA from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in International Politics from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.