Our Center for Refugee Services is proud to have these amazing board and staff members. We are happy to have them be a part of the team.
Margaret Costantino, MA, LPC
Executive Director and Board Member
Bio
Margaret is a lifelong resident of San Antonio and has spent more than 20 years as a career counselor in higher educational settings.
She has three years of experience working in a community mental health program that she co-founded in San Antonio, Texas.
She has worked with the resettled refugee population in San Antonio since 2008, teaching ESL, citizenship classes, and addressing their psychosocial needs.
She earned her Master’s in Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio and is a licensed professional counselor.
She also has six years’ experience teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Jean Sherrill
President
Bio
Jean is a retired pharmacist who earned her BS in Pharmacy at the University of South Carolina while husband Jody was assigned at Fort Jackson, S.C.
During Jody’s 20 years as an Army officer, Jean was active as a per diem pharmacist and volunteer at many military bases. The Sherrills retired to San Antonio in July 1993 and Jean enjoyed an 18-year pharmacy career.
She retired again in April 2011. In 2008, Jean became aware of the significant refugee influx into San Antonio and began to volunteer at CRS. .
In July 2014, Jean organized the all-volunteer craft shop, World Mosaic Market, at CRS to provide a sales outlet as well as work experience for our many talented local refugee artisans. Sadly, it was discontinued in 2020. Jean currently volunteers in many areas of CRS and enjoys the time spent with clients the most.
Kelsey Goldstein
Board Vice President
Bio
Kelsey is a Certified Lactation Counselor and IBCLC Intern at The Breastfeeding House, as well as “Mom” to her two young children. She currently serves as the Vice President of the CRS Board and supports the staff in its fundraising efforts.
Kelsey’s passion for serving others has led her to acquire the variety of skills and experiences she brings to CRS. Over the last decade she has worked in fundraising, research, and programming capacities for a number of non-profits—including the San Antonio Food Bank, the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, Rutgers University’s Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, and Human Rights First. While completing her graduate studies in Global Affairs at Rutgers, Kelsey taught undergraduate courses in political science and writing courses for international graduate students.
Veena Prasad
Board Treasurer
Bio
Veena Prasad, PhD, MBA is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Texas. Dr. Prasad is a Behavioral Health Consultant for graduate medical education at UT Health SA and a member of the UT Health SA Wellness Team. She has been a long-term member of the Center for Refugee Services. She has worked with the refugee population to help them settle down in their new country.
As an alumni of Harvard Divinity school and a graduate of Compassion Integrity Training for the City of San Antonio, she includes spirituality to connect people with compassion and empathy to enrich lives of people and her own.
Howaida M. Werfelli, DrPH, MPH, CHES
Board Member
Bio
Dr. Howaida M. Werfelli holds a Doctorate in Public Health with a focus on health disparities and refugee health. She is dedicated to improving health outcomes for underserved populations through research, advocacy, and community work.
Dr. Werfelli has led several significant public health projects aimed at addressing inequities in healthcare access and quality for refugee communities. Her work includes partnerships with various non-profits and agencies to develop and implement health programs that cater to the unique needs of these populations.
Dr. Werfelli is also the Executive Director of SALVERE, a public health consulting firm that provides comprehensive public health consultation. Through SALVERE, she focuses on leveraging her passion to create a reimagined system for refugee resettlement, allowing for a more effective transitional process for refugees resettled in the United States.
In addition to her public health career, Dr. Werfelli is the CEO of Tripolis, a restaurant offering Middle Eastern and North African cuisine. Under her leadership, Tripolis has gained a reputation for its authentic food and welcoming atmosphere.
Her expertise in public health and her entrepreneurial success reflect her commitment to making a positive impact in her community. She is also the President of the Board of Directors for the Center for Refugee Services, a member of several organizations and continues to mentor aspiring public health professionals.
Sheetal Patel
Board Member
Bio
Sheetal began volunteering at CRS with her 2 children in 2017. After learning more about the organization from the co-founders, it was clear that they also needed assistance in data management and reporting.
Sheetal holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Westminster, London. She has over 20 years of experience as a Systems Analyst in the United States, specializing in the analysis, design, development, testing, and implementation of diverse financial and administrative applications across multiple industries.
With this background and her commitment to continuous learning, she applied her expertise to guide and support CRS in meeting its software and data needs and continues to do so. She helped CRS migrate their data from MS Access to a new case management software “CharityTracker” in fall of 2023 and has been providing training on implementation to the staff and volunteers.
Sheetal cares deeply about social causes. In addition to her role at the CRS, she is actively involved in Chinmaya Mission of San Antonio (CMSA), a global spiritual and educational organization dedicated to spreading the teachings of Vedanta and promoting self-development and community service.
Sheetal serves as Secretary on the CMSA board and teaches in their Balvihar/children’s program, a comprehensive initiative aimed at nurturing well-rounded individuals who are aware of their cultural roots and equipped with strong moral values. She also volunteers with Awaaz, an organization dedicated to empowering South Asian survivors of domestic violence through culturally specific advocacy and support services, demonstrating a consistent commitment to advocacy and service.
Outside of her professional and board responsibilities, Sheetal enjoys playing tennis, traveling with her husband and family and reading. Sheetal is honored to serve on the board of the Center for Refugee Services and looks forward to continuing to contribute to the organization’s mission of fostering hope, dignity, and opportunities for refugees.
Jill Rips
Program Manager
Bio
Jill Rips began volunteering at CRS in 2017 as an ESL teacher and grant writer. She became a full-time staff member, one of two Program Support Managers, in 2018 and continues to serve in that position, with principal oversight of maternity and public health-related programs, grant writing and program evaluation.
Prior to CRS, Jill served in a variety of Public Health research and service delivery programs for most of her career. Jill has a BA in Anthropology from Wesleyan University, an MA in Anthropology from the New School for Social Research (NY, NY) and a MPhil in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University (NY, NY).
A native San Antonian, prior to moving home in 1999, Jill had more than 15 years of experience in HIV/AIDS, reproductive, and general public health work, both domestically (New York City) and internationally, including the publication of articles in scholarly journals and books. Additionally, Jill oversaw federally funded asthma health education and childhood obesity prevention programs among Dominicans living in NYC. She taught Cross Cultural Perspectives on Health and Illness and The Social Construction of Women’s Health at Columbia University’s School of Public Health and Teacher’s College in New York City.
In San Antonio, Jill was the Deputy Executive Director of the San Antonio AIDS Foundation for 16 years, where she also served as Director of Development, had program development, evaluation, and oversight, as well as general agency operational duties. Jill has been involved in establishing syringe exchange as a public health intervention in San Antonio and served on the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District’s Advisory Board of Health and the HIV/Syphilis Task Force.
Maurya Villarreal
Program Manager
Bio
Maurya Villarreal began to volunteer at CRS in 2008 as an ESL teacher, delivering furniture, and outreach to new arrivals. She became a full-time staff member in 2018 and continues to serve today as a Program Manager with primary oversight of the health and human services programs for clients and is the HHSC community partner site manager at CRS.
Prior to being fulltime at CRS, Maurya spent several years teaching at private religious schools in San Antonio. In 2012 she joined the CRS Board of Directors and served as board president from 2016-2018. From 2016-2018, Maurya also worked full-time in case management at the State of Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Raised in San Antonio, Maurya holds a BA in Adult and Child Psychology and a Religious Studies Certificate from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), where she was honored with the Outstanding Academic Achievement in Psychology award. She also earned a Six Sigma Black Belt certification in Project Management. In 2018 she completed the Certificate for Lay Pastoral Caregivers (lay chaplaincy program) through the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
Maurya was also certified by the Trauma Healing Institute in Dallas, TX as a Facilitator I in 2018 and then in 2020 a Group Facilitator II, guiding trauma recovery workshops in San Antonio.
Outside of her professional and volunteer work, she finds joy spending time with her family, event planning, interior design, singing and painting.
A verse that has guided her life is in 2 Corinthians 1:4, “He helps us in all our troubles so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God.” (TEV)
Naqibullah Ehasas
Client Case Manager
Bio
Naqibullah Ehasas is Senior Case Manager at the Center for Refugee Services. He and his family arrived in the US following the fall of the Afghanistan government in August 2021 and was hired at CRS in 2022.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations. In his former career, Naqibullah was a member of the diplomatic corps in the Afghan department of the foreign ministry and traveled throughout the world.
At CRS, Naqibullah is responsible for client case management, especially with newly arriving refugees from all countries, especially Humanitarian Parolees and SIV’s from Afghanistan. He speaks 4 languages.
Luqman Shah Sultani
Client Case Manager
Bio
Dr. Luqman Shah Sultani is a community health worker at the Center for Refugee Services. A medical doctor by training, he brings extensive experience in pediatric care, clinic management, and medical translation across multiple countries.
Originally from Afghanistan, Dr. Sultani has served as a pediatrician and medical translator with organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, Health Net TPO, and MVI International. He previously managed 20 clinics in Khost Province and directed physician training at a U.S. Army base hospital.
Dr. Sultani is multilingual in English, Pashto, Dari, and Urdu, and is known for his teamwork, efficiency, and cross-cultural communication skills. He holds a medical degree from Kandahar University and a diploma in child health from Indira Gandhi Child Health Institute.
Mary Field
Administration Specialist
Bio
Mary Field supports refugee families and helps coordinate community resources at the Center for Refugee Services. Her work includes assisting clients with resources and services and helping newcomers navigate unfamiliar systems.
Mary is also involved in fundraising efforts, donor communication, and event planning to help sustain the organization’s services. She brings experience in international nonprofit work and language immersion education, along with a strong commitment to respectful, practical support for refugee communities.
Madison
Administrative Assistant
Bio
Madison began volunteering at CRS in October 2022 and joined the staff as an administrative assistant a year later.
In August 2021, she began volunteering full-time at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where she worked with medical staff to provide culturally appropriate support for the Afghans and Americans evacuated from Afghanistan in Operation Allies Refuge. In 2021 and 2022 Madison was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award for her volunteer contributions to Operation Allies Refuge.
She is currently in nursing school at the University of Texas San Antonio Health Science Center and will graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2026.
At CRS, Madison collaborates with her colleagues and community partners to find how to best serve the San Antonio refugee community. Additionally, every Wednesday, she provides social services interventions at the free San Antonio Refugee Health Clinic.
Mir Dad Sadat
Interpreter
Bio
Mir Dad Sadat is an Interpreter and Intake Specialist at the Center for Refugee Services.
He and his family arrived in the United States in March 2024, and he joined the CRS staff in October of the same year.
Dr. Sadat holds a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. Prior to resettling in the U.S., he served as the Provincial Project Manager for a World Health Organization (WHO) project in Ghazni Province. He also worked for three years with the U.S. Army’s Provincial Reconstruction Team at Camp Wright in Kunar Province, where he was the lead physician at the on-site clinic.
He is fluent in Pashto, Dari, Urdu, and English.
Alex Crous
Board Member
Bianca Rodriguez
Board Member