Before starting NAAPR, Someireh served as the Executive Director of the Refugee Women’s Alliance for 12 years, where she created opportunities for refugees and immigrants to establish a new life, and to become community of activists working to ensure equity. By challenging and breaking stereotypes, she provides a public face for the rights of all refugees and immigrants in Washington.

For years, Someireh had envisioned a mobilization effort among the immigrant and refugee communities. At the first Refugee and Immigrant Legislative Day on February 20, 2007, in Olympia, WA, more than 700 participants from immigrant communities across Western Washington gathered together. In 2013, more than 2000 refugees and immigrants attended the Legislative Day.

A tireless voice for children and families, Someireh has served on numerous Boards and Committees, including Governor Jay Inslee’s Transition Committee, the Committee to End Homelessness Refugee and Immigrant Taskforce, Chair of the Tri-County Refugee and Immigrant Planning Committee, the United Way of King County’s Systems Support Impact Council, the City of Seattle’s Levy Oversight Committee, and the State of Washington’s Minority Advisory Council, among many other posts. Currently, she serves as a Human Services Commissioner for the City of Bellevue, helping to make funding decisions affecting Bellevue’s most vulnerable. She also serves on the Board of the Puget Sound Educational Service District, and the King County Healthcare for the Homeless Network Governance Council.

Someireh has received many awards and recognitions, including the Archbishop Raymond G. Hunthausen Award from Seattle University in 2018, the highest honor awarded to a graduating student. In addition, she has received the Family Advocacy Award from the Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the Ruth Woo Citizen Activism Award. She was recognized by the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation as one of the top ten contributors to the Asian Community in 2012. In recognition of her contributions to refugee and immigrant communities, the City of Seattle proclaimed November 22, 2013, “Someireh Amirfaiz Day.”

Someireh holds a Master’s of Arts in Psychology, and a doctorate degree in Education from Seattle University.