LEWISTON — Deputy City Administrator Phil Nadeau will serve on a Kennedy Institute panel Thursday to discuss how New England is responding to and resettling refugees.
Joining Nadeau on the panel will be Eva Millona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, an organization which promotes the rights and integration of immigrants and refugees. Also participating is Jessica M. Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies.
The “getting to the point” discussion, moderated by the Boston Globe’s Maria Sacchetti, is scheduled Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m., at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, Columbia Point, Boston.
Opening remarks will be given by U.S. Congressman Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts.
Nadeau has served as Lewiston’s deputy city administrator since 1999. He also serves as the city’s labor-risk management director, chief union negotiator and freedom of information officer.
Most notably, Nadeau has served as the city’s primary contact for immigrant and refugee policy, programming and services, since 2001, when the city realized an influx of refugees. It is estimated there are approximately 5,000 new immigrants and refugees currently living in Lewiston.
In response to the relocations, Nadeau has worked with local, state and federal agencies and nonprofits to assist with the transition into the Lewiston community.
He has also participated in myriad multi-level refugee policy programs and discussions, including those of the Maine Department of Labor; city of Portland; U.S. Department of Justice; University of Maine’s Somali Narrative Project; Catholic Charities Maine; Maine State Advisory Council on Multicultural Affairs; the Office of Refugee Resettlement; Maine State Planning Office; and the U.S. Department of State.
Nadeau was profiled in Dominic Pulera’s book, “Sharing the Dream,” and was a contributing author of the book, “Somalis in Maine: Crossing Cultural Currents.”
His research involving the city’s local, state and refugee experiences has been cited in numerous academic papers, and he has spoken on the topic regionally and nationally.
The Kennedy Institute, which opened in March last year, is dedicated to educating the public about the important role of the Senate in our federal government. It has hosted nearly 10,000 students from across Massachusetts, and has hosted public events in Boston and Washington, D.C., that have included speakers ranging from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to Congressman John Lewis, to Red Sox Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez.
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