Jennifer Verkamp-Ruthven
Director of Catholic Immigration Services and Refugee Resettlement
Hometown: Charleston, AR
Briefly describe your role:
I manage both legal immigration programs in Springdale and Little Rock. These programs provide legal immigration services to low-income immigrants who may qualify for a legal immigration benefit. I also manage our refugee program, which resettles newly arrived refugees within our community. In 2021, we resettled several Afghans, with whom we still work with.
Q: Is what you’re doing now what you always pictured you would do?
A: Overall, yes, it is. I knew I wanted to work with immigrants and refugees but just wasn’t sure what that’d look like exactly.
Q: What do you see as the greatest challenges for women in your chosen industry? What are the greatest opportunities?
A: This industry primarily has women working within it. I think the challenge is with those who do not work in our industry and lack the understanding of what we do and the importance of it. Working with immigrants and refugees is controversial for some, so receiving respect for our work can be challenging at times. The greatest opportunity is the opportunity to make a life-changing impact on the lives of immigrants, refugees and their families. Educating the community about the realities of the work we do and the people we serve is another opportunity to be accomplished.
Q: Who has inspired you in your life/career?
A: So many people have inspired me throughout my life and career: several have been my professors in my graduate degree program. Their work inspired me.
I have also been inspired by a lifelong friend who took me under her wing when I was studying for my undergraduate; she taught me about social justice and what it meant to generously serve people. She also made it possible for me to travel abroad and learn about the realities of where many immigrants within our state come from.
Q: What advice would you give to an aspiring professional?
A: Talk to people within the field you are interested in and ask them questions about their day-to-day work. Consider all the pros and cons of the field you want to enter while deciding what is most important to you. For some, it might be the salary, and for others, it might be flexibility. These are important questions to ask yourself while also considering what may be in the future. For example, if you think you might have a family someday, then flexibility may be more important down the road, but not as much right now.
Q: What’s been your secret to success?
A: I believe the most important key to success is to be kind to others.
