About Our Team
Founded in 2021 after a life-changing encounter with a refugee family facing crisis abroad, our organization began with a simple mission: to help families stay alive, find safety, and pursue a secure future.
With more than 42 million refugees worldwide, the need is immense. We equip refugee-led initiatives that provide food, essential supplies, and medical assistance in several countries. We then empower refugees to secure legal status, achieve language acquisition, access educational opportunities, and relocate to safer countries. These impact-driven outcomes transform a season of despair and uncertainty into one of survival, progress and achievement. Backed by decades of executive and philanthropic leadership, our team has supported hundreds of individuals with tangible aid and meaningful pathways toward long-term security and hope.
Founders and Board of Directors
Anne Allen
Founder/DirectorAnne Allen is a Founder and Director of Arm in Arm Outreach, and is dedicated to serving displaced refugees who are seeking safety, guidance, and resettlement in secure, stable nations.
Five years ago, a defining moment with a displaced family searching for safety set everything in motion.
Anne stepped away from a successful business career to pursue a calling she could no longer ignore—to walk alongside families navigating uncertainty and prolonged displacement.
Drawing on her background in entrepreneurship and community leadership, she helps guide fundraising efforts, marketing, strategy, operations, and development efforts while remaining closely connected to the families served.
Anne has long been active in local leadership, previously serving as president of a women’s group supporting more than 200 members and is currently leading a children’s organization, where she oversees teachers, volunteers, children’s needs, and financial stewardship.
One of the greatest joys of her work has been walking alongside a group of young people who spent over three years in hiding under dangerous circumstances after facing targeted persecution overseas. In the years since their resettlement in a secure country, she has built close friendships with them and continues to visit and encourage them as they rebuild their lives. Seeing them thrive is a powerful reminder that perseverance and compassionate support truly change lives.
You can contact Anne at Anne@ArmInArmOutreach.org
Donna Nielsen
Founder/ DirectorDonna Nielsen is a Founder and Director of Arm in Arm Outreach and has been instrumental in shaping the organization’s mission to walk alongside displaced families seeking stability, dignity, and hope.
After a forty-year career in the Silicon Valley sales and software industry, Donna brings deep organizational and financial experience to the daily operations of the nonprofit. She oversees many of the organization’s financial responsibilities- managing the budget, stewarding incoming donations, and ensuring funds are distributed carefully and consistently to trusted refugee partners overseas, particularly in Turkey, who provide direct support to families rebuilding their lives.
Just as important to Donna is the personal connection behind the mission. She builds relationships with the refugees the organization serves, offering encouragement, friendship, and emotional support along the way. Known for her joyful spirit and generous heart, Donna finds great fulfillment in helping families experience care, stability, and renewed hope.
Outside of her humanitarian work, Donna enjoys photography, creating donation quilts, and spending time with her young grandchildren.
You can contact Donna by emailing Donna@ArmInArmOutreach.org
Carie Smith
Founder/ DirectorAs Founder and President of Arm in Arm Outreach, Carie Smith has been deeply committed to empowering refugees since 2020. She spearheads strategic partnerships, executive vision, and program innovation. She helped conceptualize and create an impact-focused model of refugee-led outcomes that build dignity, opportunity, and hope. Her work has extended to countries in Asia, the Middle East, North America, South America, and she has also lived in Mexico and Spain.
Before entering the refugee sector, Carie built a reputation for analytical excellence, strategic problem-solving, and process development. As a former Area Information Technology Officer for Kaiser Permanente, she led IT initiatives in operations, compliance, risk management, disaster response, construction, and strategy. She previously worked to optimize healthcare technology innovations, direct educational initiatives, and implement business consulting frameworks.
Carie earned a BA in Spanish/Geography Teaching from Brigham Young University and a Masters in Information Management and Systems with an additional focus on Management of Technology from the University of California, Berkeley.
She has an adventurous soul with a lifelong interest in international affairs, global cultures, travel, and languages.
You can contact Carie by emailing Carie@ArmInArmOutreach.org
Tracy Twomey
Finance DirectorAfter a 30-year career leading financial and operational excellence in the food industry, Tracy Twomey is dedicating her retirement to a cause close to her heart: the success of the underserved refugee community. As a former CEO and longtime CFO, Tracy understands that the “building blocks for success” in any organization are a healthy culture and a clear mission.
As a Board Advisor for Arm in Arm Outreach, Tracy focuses on financial and compliance issues, ensuring that every dollar is maximized to serve those in need. She fell in love with the stories of the families served by the outreach and is passionate about providing the “helping hand” necessary to bring individuals to a state of self-reliance. She continues to lead by her personal motto: always strive to listen, learn, educate, and motivate.
You can contact Tracy by emailing Tracy@ArmInArmOutreach.org
Volunteers
Marcie Gallacher
Refugee Support CoordinatorMarcie is an individual with a deep desire to lift and serve others, to find ways to offer connection and hope.
As a former high school teacher, she cared deeply for the success of those around her and
worked tirelessly to ensure that students, parents, and colleagues received the support they needed. With these interpersonal skills, she became an integral part of the Arm in Arm Outreach team.
In addition, Marcie is the author of nine commercially published novels. Within the community, she has led women’s organizations, organized humanitarian projects, and she currently serves as an oral historian documenting the histories of refugees in California.
When teaching high school, Marcie reminded her students daily that Tenacity+Struggle= Success. This is the mantra which Marcie lives by in her work with refugees.
She is tenacious in helping these families find solutions, hope, and joy.
Suzanne Ross
Family Support Coordinator
