Meet the Team
Eleonora Del Gaudio
Interim Executive Director
Eleonora Del Gaudio has over 15 years of experience in the humanitarian sector, holding project coordination roles with NGOs, primarily in Africa. Previously, she worked as a sales and marketing professional in the private sector. Eleonora currently coordinates the international development of EMERGENCY and, since the end of 2024, has served as interim Executive Director of EMERGENCY USA. She has a law degree, an MBA, and a master’s in International Human Rights Law from Abo Akademi University in Finland.
Willow Faulkner
Development Manager
Willow Faulkner is a development professional with 7+ years of experience in fund management, grant administration, and disaster and humanitarian response across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and a record of securing multimillion-dollar funding. She specializes in data synthesis, donor engagement, and managing complex grant portfolios with a commitment to equity and community-driven recovery. Willow holds a Master of Public Administration and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Conflict Resolution from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, and bachelor’s degrees in International Relations and Citizenship & Civic Engagement.
Larry Crickenberger
President
Currently working as a consultant, Larry Crickenberger’s career has spanned both the legal and financial sectors, including with Silicon Valley Bank and Fidelity Investments. In addition to many years with EMERGENCY USA, he has been involved with community organizations focused on hunger, wildlife, the environment and LGBT rights, including as Treasurer of SF Pride and Vice President of the Independent Living Resource Center in San Francisco. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia (BA) and New England Law School (JD).
Cathe Giffuni
Vice President
Cathe Giffuni is a long-standing champion of EMERGENCY and has been involved with EMERGENCY USA since its inception in 2005. More than 20 of her bibliographies of 20th-century authors have been published in books and journals in the United States and abroad.
Fazlia Seraj
Treasurer
Fazlia Seraj is a business professional at Applied Medical Resources Corporation, an innovative medical device company. With over 30 years of experience in the fields of accounting, budgeting, forecasting, and management, Fazlia has extensive knowledge in analytics and robust problem-solving skills – a background she has used for multiple charitable endeavours. In 1998, she co-founded the Afghan Women Association of Southern California, where she remains a member. In addition to her role with EMERGENCY USA, she currently serves on the board of International Orphan Care.
Dr. Nafisa Abdullah
Board Member
Born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dr. Nafisa Abdullah earned her medical degree from Kabul University. She is an OB/GYN with extensive experience in Endocrinology and Infertility. Now retired, she spent decades of her career at Kaiser Permanent West Los Angeles Medical Center. Dr. Abdullah has brought her expertise to numerous hospitals in Afghanistan, including EMERGENCY’s Maternity Centre in Anabah, and is dedicated to aiding the most vulnerable civilians impacted by war: mothers and infants.
Nicola Ciano
Board Member
Nicola Ciano discovered a passion for fundraising in 2013 when he led the Direct Marketing Area start-up at WeWorld Onlus. Prior to that, he worked for several years in the for-profit sector, including with product and brand management for publishing and mail orders. An expert in Direct Marketing across mediums and campaigns, he coordinated individual fundraising for WeWorld until arriving at EMERGENCY in 2019, where he is Fundraising Director. He joined the board of EMERGENCY USA in 2025.
Dr. Emily Farkas
Board Member
Dr. Emily Farkas is a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. She was the first woman accepted to train in the specialty at Yale, and remains among the less than 12% of women in the occupation in the US. Pursuing her passion for humanitarian medicine, Dr. Farkas has directed or participated in dozens of surgical missions around the world, including to EMERGENCY’s Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery in Sudan.
Asma Rasikh
Board Member
Asma Rasikh is a Senior Program Manager at Workday, focused on data analytics, process improvement and technology. She is passionate about human rights, social justice issues, and leveling playing fields for economic equality. Having been involved with EMERGENCY USA for many years, she joined as a board member in 2023. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.
Mary Ray
Board Member
Mary Ray is co-founder and former COO of MyHealthTeam, a direct-to-patient and social networking company helping millions of people facing chronic health conditions across 13 countries. She has received several recognitions for her achievements, including Inc. Magazine’s “Female Founder 100” list in 2021. Joining the board of EMERGENCY USA in 2023, Mary is steadfast advocate for women’s health, social justice, and humanitarian initiatives.
Dr. Kais Rona
Board Member
Dr. Kais Rona is a trained fellow in bariatric surgery, robotic surgery, and advanced endoscopy and the Director of Bariatric Surgery at UCI Health – Placentia. An Afghan-American, he and his family fled their homeland during the Soviet invasion, an experience that inspired his pursuit of medicine. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and original works. Dr. Rona completed his medical and surgical training at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
Mimi Yu
Board Member
Mimi Yu was the McKnight Presidential Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota, a position from which she retired in 2009 after more than 30 years in academic medicine. Involved with EMERGENCY USA since 2009, she is also a board member of the Orchestra Santa Monica, her local community orchestra. Social justice, human rights, and pacifism are central to her world view.
Dr. Gino Strada
Honorary Co-Founder
Dr. Gino Strada was the founder of EMERGENCY. An Italian surgeon, he provided high-quality medical and surgical services to people affected by war and poverty for more than three decades. With EMERGENCY, Dr. Strada campaigned forcefully against the root causes of war and human suffering, speaking out against Italian military involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and playing a leading role in the successful campaign that resulted in Italy banning the production and use of antipersonnel landmines in 1997.