Krista Kartson

Krista Kartson is the Senior Director for Sponsorship Initiatives with Welcome.US, a national initiative built to inspire, mobilize, and empower Americans and American institutions from all corners of the country to welcome and support those seeking refuge here. Krista’s work sits at the intersection of her faith, migration, and policy. Growing up in a globally-minded church in Ohio, Krista was inspired to learn more about the world, leading her to pursue a degree in International Studies at American University. She began an international development career in Washington, DC until joining Peace Corps Response in Ukraine, where she witnessed the 2014 Euromaidan Revolution. Krista moved to Iraq the following year to serve families displaced by ISIS. Her work with migrant populations in the region took her across Europe and the Middle East. Krista earned a masters degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics in 2019, and promptly returned to Iraq for a year working with the federal government to improve public service delivery in the post-conflict environment. In 2021, Krista led Samaritan’s Purse’s Afghan Resettlement Program, mobilizing churches across the U.S. to sponsor Afghan allies evacuated after the fall of Kabul. It was in this role that she first understood how the support that she received from churches while overseas had the ability to transform generations through private sponsorship right here in America. Krista is passionate about supporting policies that enable the public’s participation in immigration through sponsorship, and engaging the Church to “welcome the stranger”.