Elissa M. McGovern is the Chief of Policy at the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a position she has held since 2014.  She was previously the Director of Policy for the Office of Foreign Labor Certification in the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor.  A graduate of New York University School of Law, Ms. McGovern has also practiced in immigration law and compliance, served on the American Immigration Lawyers Association Board of Governors and as chair of the Washington, DC Chapter, and written and spoken frequently on immigration topics.

The Office of the CIS Ombudsman is dedicated to improving the quality of citizenship and immigration services delivered to the public by providing individual case assistance, as well as making recommendations to improve the administration of immigration benefits by USCIS.  Created by section 452 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the Office of the CIS Ombudsman is an impartial and confidential resource that is independent of USCIS.

Elissa M. McGovern is the Chief of Policy at the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a position she has held since September 2014.  In this role, she is responsible for the office’s Annual Report and recommendations to USCIS.  She was formerly the Director of Policy for the Office of Foreign Labor Certification in the U.S. Department of Labor.  A graduate of the New York University School of Law, Ms. McGovern has also been in private practice (most recently as counsel with the firm of Greenberg Traurig), specializing in immigration law and compliance.  She has served on the American Immigration Lawyers Association Board of Governors and as president of the Washington, DC Chapter, as well as on the staff of the Association.  She is a frequent speaker on immigration topics. 

Sheri Tang is Director of Legal Affairs of SF Motors, Inc. dba SERES, a Silicon Valley based technology company building technology that will empower intelligently electrified vehicles of the future. SERES is founded by a major Chinese OEM in 2016. Sheri joined SERES in August 2016 as its first in-house counsel and has worked alongside the engineers to develop a strong portfolio of electric powertrain system, battery technology and autonomous driving technologies while providing strategic guidance in an uncertain legal environment ranging from cyber security and data sharing of connected cars, export control, foreign investment regulation, to global IP strategy, homologation, labor and employment issues for a unionized work force, safety regulations for electric and autonomous vehicle, tariff, and environmental compliance. Sheri is a native of Hangzhou and believes in the power of connected and autonomous cars and the need for vehicle electrification for a greener future.


 

Melissa Myer is Director, Global Mobility, Total Rewards at Mastercard.  In her role she is involved in the strategic development of the Global Mobility function through policy design/implementation (lump sum and core/flex), technology and process improvements, as well as monitoring trends and best practices.  She also functions as a strategic advisor to the Operations & Technology and North America Markets business units on people movement, immigration and taxation. Melissa managed a successful phased transition of repeatable and transactional Global Mobility tasks to a shared services center and continues to provide operational oversight to this team on policy governance and relocation exceptions.

Prior to joining Mastercard in March 2014, Melissa was an Assistant Director, International Programs at Ernst & Young where she directed a team that provided mobility support for long-term and short-term structured international mobility programs for career development and busy season resources. Melissa also held leadership roles at Goldman Sachs as a Global Mobility Senior Assignment Manager and HR Business Partner during her 12-year tenure.

Melissa holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management with a concentration in Career Development from The New School, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Boston University.

Ray S. Leki is a career member of the Senior Executive Service of the United States government at the Department of State, Foreign Service Institute. He is also an adjunct professor of intercultural management with the rank of Senior Interculturist in Residence at American University, and an author. At the Foreign Service Institute, he is the director of the Transition Center, where he oversees preparation and support for employees and family members entering, transitioning within, and leaving the U.S. foreign affairs community. He has developed, designed, and overseen the implementation of international awareness training for the U.S. foreign affairs community for nearly 40 years. His work in government began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal in 1979, and continued with a series of Peace Corps staff assignments in Washington, Nepal, Pakistan, and Poland, before joining the Department of State in 1991.

Ray has taught a range of graduate courses and seminars through American University’s School of International Service, Intercultural Management Institute. They include international personal and organizational security, crisis management and communication, intercultural facilitation and training, multicultural negotiation, and spirituality and conflict transformation. He is a recipient of the school’s adjunct faculty of the year award.  

Ray published Travel Wise: How to Be Safe, Savvy and Secure Abroad through Intercultural Press/Nicholas Brealey Publishing in 2008. The book shares his thoughts, experiences, and techniques in preparing sojourners for international success through integrating cross-cultural competence, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, and security awareness with careful identification and analysis of motives and motivation. Travel Wise is used by businesses, study abroad programs, international and non-governmental organizations and government employees and agencies to protect people and ensure mission success.

At the U.S. Department of State, he has been a leader in dealing with far-flung diplomatic communities experiencing crisis and trauma. Recent interventions included work in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Algeria, Moscow, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. He has focused his organizational efforts on creating smarter, more resilient, and more effective expatriates. In 2016, he opened the Center of Excellence in Foreign Affairs Resilience as a new division within the Transition Center.

He is a fellow of the International Academy of Intercultural Researchers, and is on the advisory boards of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research USA, the Foreign Service Youth Foundation, and the International Association of Protocol Consultants. Current interests include resilience, leadership, intercultural communication, crisis management across cultures, and crisis aftermath psychology. He studied chemistry at Southern Illinois University and has his master’s from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia.