Meet the RICS' Board of Directors!

Bipasha Biswas, Board Chair 
BASW Program Director at Eastern Washington University

Bipasha is a social work educator and scholar activist in the area of women’s health, women’s rights and human rights. She immigrated from India in 2002. Bipasha is a dedicated dog mom, swimmer, loves to cook, garden, and share her love for Indian food. She is fluent in Bengali, Hindi, English and understands Urdu and Marathi.

Rumyana Kudeva, Co-chair 
Early Childhood Specialist at Spokane Regional Health District
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Rumyana is a Bulgarian-American, bi-lingual clinical social worker, and educator with 20 years of nationwide and international scholarly work, mental health and direct social work practice with diverse populations. She brings strong community education skills and strengths-based public health approach to building community resilience. Rumyana supports RICS with her expertise in HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) and is an advocate for system-wide change to create integrated, person-centered and strengths-based trauma-informed community.

Victorya Rouse, Secretary 
English as a Second Language Educator, Spokane Public Schools
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Teacher and author Victorya Rouse joined the RICS Board of Directors in 2019. Originally from Minnesota, Ms. Rouse has also lived in Illinois, Utah, and Eswatini, Southern Africa.  She has lived in Spokane County since 1989.  Her teaching experience includes work with students from preschool through university level. Her teaching career began at a rural secondary school in the Kingdom of Swaziland (now Eswatini), in southern Africa. She worked for Spokane Public Schools from 1991 to 2024, teaching all levels of English as a Second Language -- beginning beginners to advanced, including running the English Language Development [ELD] Newcomer's Center at Ferris High School for several years. She was the English Language Program Coordinator from 2011 to 2013. She has been an adjunct professor for Whitworth University, teaching Second Language Acquisition and Methods for Teaching Multilingual Learners, since 2003. Her first book, Finding Refuge: real-life immigration stories from young people, was published in September 2021.

Sousan Rasuli, Treasurer

Aruna Bhuta

Sara Lambdin
Health and Wellness Case Work Supervisor, International Rescue Committee
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Sara has two years of experience in refugee case management and over five years of experience within the non-profit sector. She is currently serving as a Health and Wellness Casework Supervisor at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), where she has assisted many families with housing stability, medical advocacy, and financial management to help them achieve self-sufficiency. During her time at IRC, Sara has focused on building community partnerships to provide comprehensive support for diverse clients. She recently transitioned to her supervisory role, where she oversees a team of case managers and emphasizes best practices to improve service delivery. Sara is committed to addressing issues of burnout and compassion fatigue within public service, advocating for self-care and resilience among her colleagues. She looks forward to contributing to the mission of Refugee Immigrant Connections Spokane and expanding her efforts in working to enhance the well-being of refugee and immigrant communities.

Citlalli Briseño

Hasti Rasuli