Emelia Sheeley

Executive Director

Emelia grew up in southwestern Ohio and took her first trip abroad as a teenager, spending a month in Russia.  That experience led her to travel internationally for the next ten years, leading service and mission trips for young people. She graduated with a
Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Arabic from The Ohio State University.

In 2009, Emelia and her husband, Gabriel moved to Egypt, where they lived, studied, worked, and fell in love with the Middle East for more than five years. After returning to central Ohio in 2015, Emelia worked for other non-profits in training, recruiting, and writing. She began working at the RIC in 2017 as Volunteer Coordinator and gradually took on more roles, including Assistant Director, Director of Programs, and now Executive Director.

For Emelia, working at the RIC is the perfect way to utilize her cross-cultural experience and language skills, as well as her passion for service and leadership.  She loves to create opportunities for the Columbus community to get involved at the RIC, as volunteers, supporters, or advocates for our neighbors. Her goal is to see immigrant families thrive in their new lives in America.