Mark Leech Email & Phone Number

Tampa, Fl

Adjudicate complex asylum cases through non-adversarial interviews and make determinations whether an individual qualifies for asylum, statutory withholding of removal, or withholding or deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture.Write well-organized, logical, and complex legal decisions that cover essential issues and are consistent with adjudicative standards and legislation and are applicable to the facts of the case or which communicate USCIS policies and proceduresAdjudicate other complex affirmative asylum and prescreening cases such as those involving national security and egregious public safety concerns, high profile cases that have high visibilityIdentify noncitizens believed to be involved in defrauding the U.S. Government.Elicit testimony to determine the possibility of deferral of removal under Convention Against Torture, which will be granted if the person meets all eligibility requirements.

Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic

Consular Officer and Foreign Service Officer. Adjudicated routine and complex visa, passport, and citizenship applications and assisted U.S. citizens abroad per INA and Department of State regulations and policies. Interviewed thousands of visa applicants from Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean for visa services.Awarded Meritorious Honor Award by U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo for the role as the Independence Day Coordinator for the 2022 Independence Day Celebration, the embassy’s most significant annual representational event that entailed training over 75 mission volunteers and managing all fundraising and logistics for the event through effective leadership and delegation.Developed, revised, and conducted training for all new consular officers in the immigrant visa unit on adjudicating employment, family-based, and humanitarian petitions, which included providing technical guidance on visa policy and procedures, detecting fraud, criminal ineligibilities, and efficiency. Earned the Franklin Award at Embassy Santo Domingo for this exemplary training.Demonstrated consistent good judgment, urgency, compassion, and effective communication skills when handling complicated and sensitive American Citizen Services cases and congressional inquiries, e.g., assisted a kidnapped American tourist return home safely by providing essential information to embassy law enforcement partners; reunited a Haitian-American child indiscriminately detained and separated from her family by Dominican immigration authorities; frequently communicated with U.S. citizen victims of homicide and long-term detainees; helped families understand the nuanced mechanics of the Dominican legal system.Drafted sensitive congressional and legal correspondence for visa, passport, and citizen inquiries by analyzing and citing case evidence, statutory requirements, regulations, and judicial and administrative precedents.

Kennesaw, Georgia, United States

Served as the university’s chief immigration compliance officer for 800 international students on F-1 and J-1 visas. Analyzed, interpreted, and applied relevant visa laws and policies per Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations to ensure compliance with Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Supervised and trained six full-time professional staff for monitoring and supporting immigration compliance; developed frequent training, goal-setting, and professional development sessions, increasing employee morale.

Atlanta, Ga

Created and managed a private student housing company that provided housing and cultural exchange services for university programs in Metro Atlanta and the Southeast. Effectively grew revenues from zero to $450,000 in four years through effective marketing and long-range business analysis and planning. Expanded host family network to 300 fully-vetted families by implementing effective social media and traditional marketing techniques. Supervised and trained three full-time and part-time staff for business and marketing operations.Negotiated private contracts for services with various businesses, nonprofit organizations, foreign governments, and universities ranging from $10,000 to $350,000.

Morrow, Ga

Served as the university’s interim chief immigration compliance officer during a staff vacancy (part-time, 30 hours/weekly). Analyzed, interpreted, and applied relevant visa laws and policies per Department of Homeland Security regulations to ensure SEVP compliance for all 150 students on F-1 and J-1 visas. Frequently developed new internal policies and procedures to ensure student and university compliance with DHS regulations.Effectively maintained foreign student enrollments during the transition by timely issuing I-20 and DS-2019 forms for students. Properly safeguarded Personal Identifiable Information, such as passports, visas, and SEVP data.

Morrow, Ga

Served as the university’s interim chief immigration compliance officer during a staff vacancy. Analyzed, interpreted, and applied relevant visa laws and policies per Department of Homeland Security regulations to ensure SEVP compliance for all 150 students on F-1 and J-1 visas. Frequently developed new internal policies and procedures to ensure student and university compliance with DHS regulations.Effectively maintained foreign student enrollments during the transition by timely issuing I-20 and DS-2019 forms for students. Properly safeguarded Personal Identifiable Information, such as passports, visas, and SEVP data.

Atlanta, Ga

Served as the Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) for student visa compliance for the university’s degree programs and English Language Institute by applying relevant DHS regulations for over 500 international students. Frequently briefed senior university leadership on immigration policy and international enrollment trends.Led successful collaboration with the academic departments to standardize the international admission process by creating an SOP that decreased the international admission time by half, more effectively supporting enrollment goals. Supported cultural inclusivity by scheduling frequent lunch sessions, newsletters, presentations, and cultural exchanges to educate faculty, staff, and students about international cultures.

Atlanta, Georgia

Advised F-1 and J-1 visa holders as the Designated School Official and Alternate Responsible Officer for 1,600 international students. Frequently drafted, cleared, and issued new policies and procedures to ensure university immigration compliance, e.g., created a new admission policy for international financial documents that reduced admission wait times by weeks.Improved efficiencies and customer service by creating an innovative self-led online F-1 and J-1 employment workshop, decreasing the frequency and duration of in-person employment advising sessions by half.

Managua, Nicaragua

Drafted the Congressionally mandated International Narcotics Control Strategy Report and Country Reports on Terrorism for Nicaragua by researching, assessing, and compiling data from various embassy sections and agencies.Drafted the initial cable reporting on a large protest at Embassy Managua that significantly damaged embassy property. Informed by direct accounts, social analysis, and political developments, the cable gained substantial attention from Washington, D.C., further highlighting the Mission’s concerns about democracy and human rights.Documented democracy and human rights abuses by the Ortega regime by conducting on-site visits and interviews with members of the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS), a political party persecuted by the regime. Interviews were used in official front channel cable reporting.

Master Of Arts (M.A.), Higher Education Administration

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Secondary Education And Teaching

Activities and Societies: Residence Life