Sabrina Lustgarten is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at HIAS. In this role, she promotes organizational growth and the alignment of international operations to HIAS’ global goals. Prior to assuming this position, Sabrina worked for over 18 years as Country Director in Ecuador where she led a team of over 400 staff to serve thousands of refugees annually. Within the Latin America & Caribbean region, she also supported the opening of HIAS operations in Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Panama.

Sabrina is a strong advocate for human and refugee rights. She helped to pioneer the implementation of Psychosocial Support and Economic Inclusion Programs for refugees in Ecuador. Additionally, Sabrina has participated in activities to promote the inclusion of refugee populations in host countries in Latin America, such as the Brazil Plan of Action and the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela. To respond to the Venezuela refugee crisis, Sabrina coordinated HIAS’ interventions with the Ecuadorian Government, other civil society organizations, and international partners, providing humanitarian assistance to the families who needed it most.

Sabrina holds an undergraduate degree from Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, and a master’s degree in Management for Social Development from the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar in Quito, Ecuador. She is married, with two daughters and two granddaughters, and is very close to her family.