NEW YORK CITY – HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid
Society, has named two new members to its board of directors:  Genia
Brin, of Hyattsville, Md., who is a scientist at NASA, and Suzette
Brooks Masters, an immigration lawyer who practices in New York. At
125, HIAS is America’s oldest international migration and refugee
resettlement agency, helping facilitate the safe passage, humanitarian
needs and legal documentation for refugees.

“We are delighted to have these two remarkable individuals join the
HIAS Board of Directors,” said Jerome S. Teller, chair of the Board. 
“Each brings with her an important perspective to help us accomplish
our mission of rescuing Jews and others in need around the world and
integrating them into new, secure communities in the U.S., Israel and
elsewhere.”

Eugenia Brin is a scientist currently working on
issues related to climate and weather forecasting at NASA.  Along with
her family, she resettled in the United States with the assistance of
HIAS in 1979.  Before being named to the HIAS Board, Brin had already
accepted the responsibility of heading HIAS’ archival preservation
project, which will focus on preserving the portion of the archives
documenting the largest wave of Russian Jewish immigration to the U.S. 
“HIAS’ goal of preserving its archive is of utmost importance to the
Russian Jewish community because it contains our history, and a record
of our arrival in the United States,” says Brin. “This is something
that our children and grandchildren will appreciate when they want to
know more about their family history.” Brin is a graduate of the
prestigious School of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State
University. 

Suzette Brooks Masters is a legal consultant to a
project co-led by Pro Bono and CLINIC to use Internet-based technology
tools to increase the capacity of immigration legal services providers
around the country to serve immigrants through improved communication
and shared resources.  She is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Urban
Research at the CUNY Graduate Center.  Brooks Masters is also a trustee
and member of the Executive Committee and chair of the Long Range
Planning Committee for the Lower Eastside Tenement Museum; a board
member, serves on the Executive Committee, and chairs the Development
Committee of the National Immigration Forum.  She received a JD degree cum laude
from Harvard Law School; was a Marshall Scholar at Cambridge
University, Kings College, where she earned a master’s degree in
economics; and was valedictorian and a member of Phi Beta Kappa at
Amherst College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in economics.