USA Office Staff
Co-Founders
Bud Philbrook - Co-founder and CEO
Bud Philbrook
Co-founder and CEO:
Bud directs the organization's internal and external business and is Chairman of the Board. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, a Master's Degree in Public Affairs, and a Juris Doctor (Law). He has served as Deputy Undersecretary for USDA, as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, Assistant Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, a government affairs consultant for Rural Ventures Corporation, and was in private law practice for 12 years.
Michele Gran - Co-founder and Senior Vice President
Michele Gran
Co-founder and Senior Vice President:
Michele manages the organization's media relations and external messages, and works directly with host partners to promote and strenghten local development partnerships. She earned a Master's Degree in Liberal Studies/International Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. Before joining the staff in 1990, she worked as a public relations consultant, and held communications manager positions at various departments in Minnesota State Government, and in non-profit organizations. Michele also has led over 35 Global Volunteers teams.
International Operations
Dorota Wierzbicka - Director of International Operations and Poland Country Manager
Dorota Wierzbicka
Director of International Operations and Poland Country Manager:
Dorota manages operations and preparations for teams led by our Country Managers worldwide. For five years, Dorota volunteered as an an interpreter for Global Volunteers' Poland teams. In 2000, she joined the staff full-time as Poland Country Manager, and in 2007, was promoted to Associate Director of Operations. She was promoted to her current position in 2011 and continues to lead teams to Poland as well as to other countries as needed. She has a Master's Degree in English language linguistics and a degree in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Dorota was named Staff Person of the Year in 2001 and 2004, and Staff Person of the Decade in 2010.
Tanya Battista Crespo - Director of International Operations
Tanya Battista Crespo
Director of International Operations:
Tanya manages operations and preparations for teams led by volunteer team leaders. She works with hosts to schedule and evaluate service programs, oversees program improvements, manages program budgets, and prepares team leader schedules. Tanya has Bachelor's Degrees in International Relations and Spanish with emphasis in International Development and Latin American Studies. She has led teams to or served on Global Volunteers service programs in China, India, Jamaica, Brazil, Ecuador, Italy, South Africa, Texas and Minnesota. Tanya was named Staff Person of the Year in 2009 and 2011.
Volunteer Coordination and Marketing
Diane Fredricksen - Volunteer Manager
Diane Fredricksen
Director of Volunteer Management:
Diane manages all aspects of the daily activities of and motivates Global Volunteers' outstanding team of volunteer coordinators. Before joining the staff in 1997, she held executive and management positions in the resort and hospitality industries in Florida and Mississippi. Diane has led 14 teams to Tanzania, India, Vietnam, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Montana, Ghana, South Africa, Greece and Brazil.
Bill Westbrook - Volunteer Director of The St. Lucia Project
Bill Westbrook
Volunteer Director of The St. Lucia Project:
Bill is contributing his expansive expertise to Global Volunteers' St. Lucia Project. Bill is formerly CEO of Fallon Worldwide, one of the world's most respected advertising agencies, and is currently CEO of No Fences Brand Consulting where he works with agencies and clients on brand-building projects. After learning about Global Volunteers' work, Bill offered to help expand our global reach. He assisted in St. Lucia with preparations for our program launch in 2012.
Julie Costa - Volunteer Manager
Julie Costa
Volunteer Manager:
Since 1994, Julie has responded to prospective and Encore volunteer requests, questions and recommendations, and monitored service program developments. She shares her extensive history with Global Volunteers through recommendations on strategic direction and volunteer relations. Julie has a Bachelor's Degree in Media Communications and Marketing, and has worked in specialized reporting, writing, event coordination and public relations positions. She's served on 18 service programs worldwide, and was named Staff Person of the Year in 2010.
Michelle Latvala - Senior Volunteer Coordinator
Michelle Latvala
Senior Volunteer Coordinator:
Michelle counsels volunteers to select service programs that match their skills and interests. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Child Psychology with an emphasis on American Indian studies. Michelle has served on Global Volunteers service programs in Romania, Hungary, Poland, Montana and Minnesota.
Michelle Holker - Volunteer Coordinator
Michelle Holker
Volunteer Coordinator:
Michelle counsels volunteers to select service programs that match their skills and interests. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration in marketing and international business and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin. She studied in Spain and Mexico, and has travelled widely in Europe and Latin America. She lead a Global Volunteers team in Ecuador in 2011, and currently works from her home in Argentina.
Karisa Nigon - Volunteer Preparation Manager
Karisa Nigon
Volunteer Preparation Manager:
Karisa manages all details for each volunteer's pre-departure preparation - from processing personal inventory questionaires and answering program questions to arranging emergency evacuation insurance. Karisa has a Bachelor's Degree in sustainable agriculture and community development, and has served on Global Volunteers' India and Costa Rica teams.
Patty Carlson - Volunteer Relations Manager
Patty Carlson
Volunteer Relations Manager:
Patty works with Encore! volunteers on outreach and awareness building for Global Volunteers. She supports volunteers' service program presentations, special events, participation at travel and educational fairs, and other promotions. Patty has a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts, a professional background in real estate sales and marketing, and has been a volunteer and board member for local non-profit organizations.
Catherine Meakins - Volunteer Coordinator
Catherine Meakins
Volunteer Coordinator:
Cat counsels volunteers to select service programs which match their skills and interests, and assists Global Volunteers' CEO in promoting the Essential Services and the St. Lucia Project to corporations, education institutions, and government agencies. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Global Studies with a minor in African Studies, and for years worked with homeless, chemically dependent, and developmentally disabled populations. She's backpacked solo throughout Europe, North Africa, and Central America, and is currently training for Olympic Weightlifting competitions.
Jessica Swanson - Volunteer Coordinator
Jessica Swanson
Volunteer Coordinator:
Jess counsels volunteers to select service programs that match their skills and interests. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Religion with concentrations in Camping and Urban Ministries. With a heart for volunteering and travel, Jess has partnered with various organizations to serve in Wyoming, Mexico, Swaziland, Mozambique, and Haiti.
Andrew Philbrook - Volunteer Preparations Coordinator
Andrew Philbrook
Volunteer Preparations Coordinator:
A recent University of Minnesota graduate, Andrew manages pre-departure materials and information for The St. Lucia Project. He also coordinates office supplies and inventory; materials assembly and distribution; and office equipment installation. He's travelled to China, Jamaica, Poland and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation with Global Volunteers.
Development
Jennifer Scribner - Development Officer
Jennifer Scribner
Development Officer:
Jennifer manages corporate development programs including sponsorships, major community projects,
Spare Change the World, annual appeals, grant-writing, the St. Lucia Project, service program fundraising
and general donations. She also works closely with our community partners and volunteers promoting The
12 Essential Services. Jennifer holds a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and English Literature, a Master's degree in Public Administration,
and has served on Global Volunteers programs in Poland.
Finance and Administration
Ann Flor - Accountant
Ann Flor
Accountant:
Ann assists Global Volunteers' CEO with department annual budgets, monthly budget reviews, organization bank reconciliations, country manager compensation payments, and currency worksheets. She has 25 years accounting experience in various roles in non-proft and for-profit offices. Ann has volunteered with Global Volunteers in Siedlce, Poland.
Katie Carlson - Receptionist
Katie Carlson
Receptionist:
As Global Volunteers' public "voice" and "face," Katie greets our office visitors, answers our main switchboard, responds to inquiries, routes calls, mail and email to our worldwide staff, and processes a mountain of daily mail and other deliveries. She studied in Chile and lived in Spain for a year teaching English. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish and Communication Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota.
Kevin Matthews - MIS Manager
Kevin Matthews
MIS Manager
Kevin manages our computer network and databases worldwide. He earned a Bachelor of Physics with Distinction at the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology. The majority of his career has been doing software development, primarily in operating systems and in backup and computer storage utility programs.
Jake Philbrook - IT Hardware Manager
Jake Philbrook
IT Technology Manager:
Jake responds to technology needs within Global Volunteers' U.S. offices and international staff locations. Focusing on computer tech support, Jake is responsible for maintaining the day-to-day operation of Global Volunteer's vital information systems. He also creates multimedia content for the web site and online media. Jake is finishing a degree in Computer Science, and has served on Global Volunteers teams in Costa Rica, China, Jamaica and Russia.
Dave Yeats - Handyman
Dave Yeats
Handyman:
Dave is Global Volunteers' part-time handyman, and has handled all physical work projects around the office and the broader Global Volunteers campus since 1997. He keeps our offices cooled in the summer and heated in the winter! He is an ordained minister and holds a Master's Degree in Religious Education from Bethel Seminary.
Home Office Volunteers
Crispin Phillips - Marketing Volunteer
Crispin Phillips
Marketing Volunteer:
Cris assists with media research, news release placement and volunteer program evaluation processing. He has a background in customer service, sales and non-profit services. After receiving his Bachelor's Degree in political science/history, and working toward a Master's Degree in international study and politics, he served four years as a missionary in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, assisting local farmers to establish agricultural co-ops and improved farming methods.
Kathryn Schmidt - Operations Volunteer
Kathryn Schmidt
Operations Volunteer:
Kathryn processes Global Volunteers' team evaluations when they return from service programs. She has a background in non-profit management, volunteer management, public education and adult training. She is currently an event coordinator and always an avid traveller. She also has responded to national disaster recovery efforts, and finds giving service very rewarding.
Brendan Mead - Operations Volunteer
Brendan Mead
Operations and Special Projects Volunteer:
Brendan processes and analyzes post-service volunteer evaluations, helps prepare volunteer packets, and assists the Operations Department with special projects. He served on Global Volunteers' Ecuador Program in 2005, was an instructor of sequential art at the University of Redlands in 2009, and in 2011, wrote and storyboarded a biography of the Tibetan Buddhist, Gampopa in comic book form to be published in three languages.
International Field Staff
AFRICA
Esther Kwarteng - Ghana Country Manager
Esther Kwarteng
Ghana Country Manager:
Esther has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture and experience in community-based education, agricultural and natural resource management, and health and nutrition projects. With ADRA/Ghana, she educated Ghanaian farmers in agricultural best practices, nutrition and the use of soy and local plants for enriching the quality of food prepared at the household level. She also worked with a rural bank loan program for small scale farmers
Edward Mgeni - Tanzania Country Manager
Edward Mgeni
Tanzania Country Manager:
Before becoming Global Volunteers' country manager, Edward served for 21 years as master and department head at Pommern Secondary School. He earned a Bachelors Degree from Kenya Highlands Evangelical College and a diploma from Marangu Teachers College before he began his teaching career. He studied English and teaching methodologies in Leeds, Britain and completed Mafinga National Service Camp in 1984.
Mohamed Kassim - Tanzania Program Assistant
Mohamed Kassim
Tanzania Program Assistant:
Before joining our staff, Mohamed was a guide at the State Travel Service, a park ranger at Ngorogoro Conservation Authority Area and a conservation education specialist. In 1996, he was hired as a driver for Global Volunteers teams, and became a program assistant in 2009. He completed training in Minnesota in 2009.
Mama Tony (Nesia Tengelakwi) - Tanzania Program Cook
Mama Tony (Nesia Tengelakwi)
Tanzania Program Cook:
As a lifelong resident of Pommern, Mama Tony has known Global Volunteers since we began working in the village in 1986. She was hired in 1992 as Cook and Housekeeper of the Global Volunteers guest house, and delights volunteers with her healthy, traditional meals. As is the custom in Tanzania, Mama Tony takes her name after the youngest of her sons, which is how she's fondly known by all.
James Nyalusi - Tanzania Program Driver
James Nyalusi
Tanzania Program Driver:
James safely transports Global Volunteers teams from the Dar es Salaam airport through Iringa and on to our host villages in Global Volunteers' four-wheel drive vehicles. He's a trained "Class E" driver for Pomerini Secondary School, and joined our staff as a driver in 1997.
ASIA
Stephen Raja Chinnappan - Associate Director of Operations and India Country Manager
Stephen Raja Chinnappan
India Country Manager:
Stephen was born and raised in Bangalore, and now lives near Chennai in the suburb of Porur. He has a Bachelor's Degree in commerce, and before becoming Country Manager, he served as our on-site consultant in India for almost a year. Stephen owns a tour business in Chennai, which he runs when teams are not on-site.
Sheeba Thankappan - India Program Assistant
Sheeba
India Program Assistant:
When Sheeba married India Country Manager Stephen Raja Chinnappan, Global Volunteers gained a nurturing and intelligent cultural consultant. Like a "first lady" to an American president, Sheeba cheerfully took on many coordination tasks and made our volunteers feel at home in Chennai. In 2008, we formally hired her as our Program Assistant. Sheeba has earned a Bachelor's Degree in History, and a nursing diploma.
Rani Selvarani - India Program Cook
Rani
India Program Cook:
Rani prepares nutritious and flavorful traditional meals for volunteers at Global Volunteers' guest house in Chennai. After lovingly cooking for her family of origin, and later her husband and children for over 30 years, in 2003, at the time she was widowed, Rani accepted a staff position with Global Volunteers.
Anthonysamy Barnabas - India Program Security Guard
Barnabas
India Program Security Guard:
Barnabas ensures the safety and comfort of Global Volunteers' teams at our guest house in Chennai, India. Before joining the India staff in 2004, Barnabas worked as a security guard at Ramachandra hospital in Chennai. As is customary in his country, he uses his father's name, not his formal name, as his common name.
Bao Li - China Country Manager
Bao Li
China Country Manager:
Wang "Bao Li" completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English at Northwestern University of Political Science & Law in Xi'an in July 2001. She was a local Chinese volunteer with our program and was hired the Sino American Society, as its representative in July 2001. She has worked with every team of volunteers since that time. In May 2005, Bao Li was hired as the Assistant China Country Manager, and was promoted to country manager in 2009.
EUROPE
Dorota Wierzbicka - Associate Director of Operations and Poland Country Manager
Dorota Wierzbicka
Associate Director of Operations and Poland Country Manager:
Dorota first learned about Global Volunteers as a student in 1995. She volunteered as a translator for Global Volunteers' Poland teams for five years until 2000, when she joined the staff full-time as Poland Country Manager. In 2007, she was promoted to her current position. She has a Master's Degree in English language linguistics.
Samantha Pinakoulaki - Greece Country Manager
Samantha Pinakoulaki
Greece Country Manager:
Samantha was born and brought up in the south of England and graduated from a London school of performing arts with honors.She spent 10 years travelling the world with various dance groups. Her last group took her to Crete in Greece, where she met her husband of 16 years. They now have five children. Samantha volunteers to help mentally and physically handicapped children in her hometown.
Mihaela Cirjontu - Romania Country Manager
Mihaela Cirjontu
Romania Country Manager:
Mihaela began working for Global Volunteers as a consultant in 1989. In 2000, she joined the staff full-time as the Romania country manager. A former teacher, Mihaela earned her degree in Bucharest, studying Romanian and world literature. A native Romanian, Mihaela and Dan married in 2004, and work together while raising their daughter, Dahlia. She was named Staff Person of the Year in 2006.
Dan Cirjontu - Romania Country Manager Assistant
Dan Cirjontu
Romania Country Manager Assistant:
Barladian by birth, Dan grew up in the same city and went to school there. He assists Mihaela with her photography and Internet needs, and with the children at the Tutova Clinic. Dan worked as a metrologist for 17 years at the Ballbearing factory in Barlad, one of the fewest of the kind in Romania, and of the biggest in Eastern Europe. He is currently studying to become a social worker.
CENTRAL AMERICA
Nia Salas - Costa Rica Country Manager
Nia Salas
Costa Rica Country Manager:
A native Costa Rican and world traveler, Nia joined the Global Volunteers staff in 2007. She has an MBA and Bachelors Degree in Administration from the University of Costa Rica, where she graduated Cum Laude. She also studied marketing communications at the Institute Francais in Paris, France. Besides Spanish, she's fluent in English and French.
SOUTH AMERICA
Edith Rodriguez Preciado - Peru Country Manager
Edith Rodriguez Preciado
Peru Country Manager:
Edith earned a diploma in Advance English and Methodology in Language Teaching from Instituto Cultural Peruano - Norteamericano and served as coordinator of the English department after she taught elementary and high school English in private schools for five years. She considers it crucial to remain updated in the field of English teaching, and attends numerous seminars and international conferences related to this area.
Maggie Bjorklund- Ecuador Country Manager
Maggie Bjorklund
Ecuador Country Manager:
A native of Minnesota, Maggie manages our service program in Calderon, Ecuador. She earned a Bachelor's Degree (double major) in Global Studies and Spanish from the University of Minnesota. She studied grassroots development in Ecuador, and upon completing her degree, decided to remain in Ecuador. Before joining the Global Volunteers staff, Maggie worked as an English teacher as well as a translator in Ecuador.
SOUTH PACIFIC
Debbie Futter Puati - Cook Islands Country Manager
Debbie Futter Puati
Cook Islands Country Manager:
Debbie was born and raised in New Zealand and moved to the Cook Islands with her family in 2002 so that their children would be exposed to their Cook Islands heritage. Before joining Global Volunteers staff, she worked for the Cook Islands Ministry of Education as the Health and Physical Well-being curriculum developer. She also worked as a contractor to the New Zealand Ministry of Education in the area of health education.
James Puati - Cook Islands Country Manager
James Puati
Cook Islands Country Manager:
James is a New Zealand-born Cook Islander, and leads Global Volunteers service programs year around. He has worked at both elementary and high school levels as a Physical Education teacher and teacher of Maori. He has also contracted to the New Zealand Ministry of Education to develop Maori resources, and as a Pacific Island Education Advisor.