Brandi Kilmer

Brandi Kilmer began volunteering as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and family mentor in 2016 while living in Southern California. Since moving to Northern Virginia in 2018, she continued to teach ESL and mentor newcomers while acting as the Director of Community Programs for Their Story is Our Story (TSOS) until September 2023 when she narrowed her focus within TSOS to the Washington D.C. area while pursuing a Masters in Conflict Management and Resolution degree from George Mason University. Her work in the Washington D.C. area includes co-founding the DMV Refugee Physicians Advocacy (RPA) Coalition where she partners with the Georgetown University School of Medicine and Nova Friends of Refugees and other state and national organizations to support refugee physicians career pathways. Brandi has actively participated with NoVa Coalition for Refugee Wellness and the Virginia Community Capacity Initiative, and is a member of the 2024 SHERR English Language Learning and Career Pathways Support Community of Practice and Action group. As a speaker, Brandi represented TSOS at the 2022 and 2023 Idaho Conference on Refugees, and the 2023 ECDC National Conference presenting to audiences about integration solutions. She has a BA in English from Brigham Young University, is the mother of five children, and enjoys the great outdoors.