Jennifer Wilson

Executive Director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Denver

Jennifer Wilson serves as Executive Director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Denver. Jennifer’s career working with refugees and displaced people began in 1999, when she joined a local resettlement agency, first in employment and later in case management, volunteer coordination, and grant writing. She moved to New York in 2002, where she led CWS Global’s domestic programs for refugees and later managed international initiatives that promoted access to protection and durable solutions for displaced populations in Afghanistan, Argentina, Chile, Ghana, Lebanon, Myanmar (Burma), Pakistan, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand. During this time, Jennifer was instrumental in national-level advocacy initiatives to counter material support and other provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that undermined protection for displaced people. She also co-chaired the Europe and Central Asia Joint Regional Working Group with Department of State to advocate for human rights and durable solutions for stateless and displaced people in the region. Upon returning to Colorado, her home state, Jennifer briefly joined Rocky Mountain Survivors Center before the Center’s closure in 2009—an experience that left an indelible imprint on her and motivated her to restore torture rehabilitation services in the local community. Since 2016, she has had the privilege of working with a talented team of staff, volunteers, clients, and colleague providers to build the IRC in Denver from the ground up. The IRC in Denver now provides a wide range of services for refugees, asylum seekers, torture survivors, and other immigrants and forcibly displaced people, in addition to maintaining a robust advocacy program that engages in federal, state, and local level actions to advance fair and just policies for refugees and immigrants. As a result of the IRC team’s legislative and policy work, asylum seekers and others who lack permanent legal status are increasingly eligible for programs administered by state agencies including housing assistance and COVID relief, refugees and special immigrant visa recipients quality for in-state tuition, and Colorado’s commitment to participating in the refugee resettlement program is codified in state statute. Jennifer holds an MS in Nonprofit Management and Global Leadership from Regis University and a BA in Cultural Anthropology and Latin American Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder.