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.
Artie Mullins - West Virginia Team Leader
Artie Mullins
West Virginia Team Leader:
Artie was born to a coal miner father and a mother who worked as a part-time maid - third in a family of nine children in Beards Fork, West Virginia. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts and managed a local chain of bookstores, later moving to Ukiah, CA to become a department manager for Mervyn's Department Stores. Family ties called him back to Beards Fork in 1999, and he began volunteering for the Southern Appalachian Labor School - our host partner. In 2003, he became our permanent team leader in West Virginia.
Volunteer Coordination
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.
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.
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.
Amy Gauthier - Volunteer Coordinator
Amy Gauthier
Volunteer Coordinator:
Amy counsels volunteers to select service programs which match their skills and interests. She's especially motivated by listening to individuals' needs and answering their program questions fully and cheerfully. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Business Management, and has worked extensively within the Twin Cities nonprofit community as an advocate for women and children, and in sales positions.
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.
Program Marketing and Management
Linda Schlapp - LGBT Program Director and Volunteer Preparation Manager
Linda Schlapp
Director of LGBT Program and Volunteer Preparation Manager: 
Linda manages cultural program activities for self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender participants, counsels LGBT volunteers to select service programs that match their skills and interests, and manages all details for each volunteer's pre-departure preparation.
Linda has a long history with Global Volunteers. She started as a volunteer and in just one year, joined teams in Vietnam, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Tanzania and Mississippi. She later became the first Country Manager in China. Following her stay in China, Linda became the Director of New Program Development and helped start programs in the Cook Islands, Ghana, Greece, India, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Romania. Linda has lead 27 teams for Global Volunteers and has travelled to over 35 countries around the world.
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.
Jennifer Scribner - Development Officer
Jennifer Scribner
Development Officer:
Jennifer works with volunteers and supporters to raise funds for Global Volunteers' partner community projects and general organization needs.
She also assists the CEO with H.R. and development projects.
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.
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 and Cuba. 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.
Bill Westbrook - The St. Lucia Project Volunteer Marketing Director
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.
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.
Adam Kruczek - Media Development and Systems Support Manager
Adam Kruczek
Media Development and Systems Support Manager:
Adam is responsible for web development and management, media design, and in-house video production. Adam also serves as on-site IT systems support for our local offices. Adam has spent over a decade working in technical support and systems management in the print media world. After earning his Bachelor of Science degree in 2006, he began to become more involved with web and visual media, focusing primarily in web development.
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.
Home Office Volunteers
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.
International Field Staff
AFRICA
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.
Moses Kifyasi - Tanzania Night Guard and Groundskeeper
Moses Kifyasi
Night Guard and Groundskeeper:
Moses joined the Tanzania in-country staff in 2010 to provide security and maintenance around the Global Volunteers house in Pommern. Born in 1985, Moses completed his primary education in Pommern in 1992, and then was was trained in masonary work. Volunteers enjoy Moses' quiet confidence and open-heartedness.
ASIA
Stephen Raja Chinnappan - 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.
CARRIBEAN
Warren Williams - The St. Lucia Project Country Manager
Warren Williams
The St. Lucia Project Country Manager:
Warren served on the Global Volunteers board, completed Global Volunteers Team Leader Training, and has led more than 70 teams on service programs in nearly all of Global Volunteers' partner communities. He retired as a senior Colonel in the U.S. Army after more than 30 years service; with two years as a combat leader in Vietnam; eleven years as a negotiator for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); and as Chief of Joint Strategy, Forces Command in Operation Desert Storm. He earned a Master's Degree in Education, is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and NATO School, and is fluent in Greek, Vietnamese and Italian.
EUROPE
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.
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.
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
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.
Volunteer Team Leaders
Pam Cromer- Volunteer Team Leader
Pam Cromer
Volunteer Team Leader:
Pam first served on Global Volunteer's Turkey Program in 1997, and followed the next year in China. She completed Global Volunteers Team Leader Training, and began leading teams in 2000. She has lead just under 50 teams to nearly all our partner communities. Pam earned a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work, and has been in private practice doing long-term psychotherapy for more than 40 years. She has served on boards for abused children, counseled patients with HIV, and participated in early research on death and dying. With all this, she says her " best job in the whole world is being a grandmother to my five grandchildren...ages 5 to 16."Milt Diehl - Volunteer Team Leader
Milt Diehl
Volunteer Team Leader:
Milt first participated on a Global Volunteers Free Enterprise Institute in Ukraine in 1997. He followed that with more than 35 teams, leading all but two of them. They include: Ukraine, Mexico, Minnesota, Poland, Ireland, China, Italy and a record 17 teams to Hungary. He said he enjoys leading teams because it "offers the opportunity to to interact with and get to know wonderful people I otherwise would not have met." Milt earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration and worked in manufacturing before he taught business and accounting classes at the Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin.
Gail Emerson - Volunteer Team Leader
Gail Emerson
Volunteer Team Leader:
Gail first participated on a Global Volunteers Tanzania Service Program in 1990. "I was doing contract work at that time," she recalled. "I wanted to do something meaninful, and that program exceeded my expectations. She served on a Poland Service Program, completed Global Volunteers Team Leader Training, and has led more than 15 teams to Poland, India, Greece, Tanzania, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Montana, Hawaii and Oklahoma. Gail is a marketing and capital consultant and a Realtor in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Philip Farrocco - Volunteer Team Leader
Philip Farrocco
Volunteer Team Leader:
After Philip first served with Global Volunteers in Guatemala in 1991, he completed Global Volunteers Team Leader Training, and led teams to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Poland and Greece while simultaneously serving on the Global Volunteers board of directors. In 1996, he took a two-and-a-half-year sabbatical from his professional life to serve as our Country Manager in Italy and Spain. He also served on several teams to Mississippi and Texas, and as a team leader to the Navajo Nation in Arizona. He is a Civil Engineer, and has a consulting practice in construction dispute prevention, resolution and advocacy. He is fluent in Spanish and Italian.
Milagros Flores Chamochumbi - Volunteer Team Leader
Milagros Flores Chamochumbi
Volunteer Team Leader:
Milagros (Mili) is formerly Global Volunteers' Peru Country Manager. She recently completed graduate work in Child Psychology in the United States. She performed her internship at the Pericultorio (PPA), the orphanage in Lima where Global Volunteers teams work. She earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology, and completed Master's work at the University of the Sacred Heart in Lima in 2010 to become a licensed psychologist.
Carol Conzelman - Cuba NOW! Group Leader
Carol Conzelman
Cuba NOW! Group Leader:
After serving with Global Volunteers for the first time in Costa Rica in 1994, Carol was so impressed with the Philosophy of Service that she completed Team Leader Training the next summer. Since then, she has lead volunteer teams on service programs in Jamaica, Italy, Ecuador, Tanzania, and Ireland—and now is a Group Leader for Cuba NOW! She also served on the Global Volunteers Board of Directors for three years. Carol teaches cultural anthropology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, serves as the Associate Director of the Global Studies Academic Program, and brings students to Bolivia each summer for a Study Abroad course.
Ginny Giffin - Volunteer Team Leader
Ginny Giffin
Volunteer Team Leader:
Ginny first participated on Global Volunteers' teams in Ecuador in 2008 and Poland in 2009, and has completed Global Volunteers' Team Leader Training. She holds a Masters' Degree in Counseling and currently is an elementary teacher in Orlando, Florida. Ginny has taught children with special needs and has worked as a school guidance counselor. She also taught in a primary school in London, England, for three years.
David Johnson - Volunteer Team Leader
David Johnson
Volunteer Team Leader:
David has served on Global Volunteers programs in Spain, Italy, Peru and twice to Mexico, and has visited other countries on his own. He completed Global Volunteers Team Leader Training in 2011. He holds a Master’s Degree in History from the University of Minnesota, where has worked for 30 years. He says he "enjoys travelling with volunteers because of the high quality of those seeking to help others as part of their vacation experience."
Amy Keegan - Volunteer Team Leader
Amy Keegan
Volunteer Team Leader:
Amy's first service program in Malungeni, South Africa cemented her commitment to Global Volunteers: "To have a front row seat in the life of the people of Malungeni was a priviledge! How else would you, in the first few hours in South Africa, be sitting in someone's house, sharing a cold beverage with a family that was so pleased to see you that they couldn't stop smiling, or talking about their country!" Since then, she's completed team leader training and led a team to Costa Rica in 2012. Amy was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She owns two restaurants and works as a business consultant for a local non-profit - teaching business skills to entrepreneurs. She underwrites microloans and works alongside her clients to help ensure their success.Â
Michelle Lindstrom - Volunteer Team Leader
Michelle Lindstrom
Volunteer Team Leader:
Michelle first participated on a Global Volunteers Portugal Service program in 2009. Since then she has volunteered in South Africa, Italy, and St. Lucia, and completed Team Leader training in 2012. Michelle has been self-employed for 21 years as a Licensed Massage Practitioner. She has served as a Massage Board member for the Washington State Department of Health and was a Site Review Team Leader for COMTA (Commissions on Massage Therapy Accreditation). She currently resides on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Maria Maki - Volunteer Team Leader
Maria Maki
Volunteer Team Leader:
Maria first joined Global Volunteers as a volunteer on a service program in Texas. In 1998, she served as China Country Manager in Xi'an, and returned for the China Team 100 celebration in 2004. Maria has also led teams to Mexico and Hawaii. She says: "travel that feeds the soul is the reason I continue to experience the world with wonderful volunteers to wonderful places. I look forward to the next journey!"
Cindy Murray - Volunteer Team Leader
Cindy Murray
Volunteer Team Leader:
Cindy first participated on a Global Volunteers service program in Mississippi, USA in 1997. She subsequently completed Global Volunteers' Team Leader Training, and has led teams in South Florida,
West Virginia, Minnesota, Montana, Costa Rica, and Poland. She was born in upstate New York, raised in Minnesota, schooled in Wisconsin, and now resides and works in Orlando, Florida. Cindy holds a Dual Masters’ Degree in Human Resources and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre & Drama.
Ann Marett - Volunteer Team Leader
Ann Marett
Volunteer Team Leader:
A native Texan, Ann first participated on Global Volunteers' teams in Greece and Spain in 1999. Thereafter, she completed Global Volunteers' Team Leader Training, and served as our country manager and team leader in China in 2000, and in Mexico in 2005-2006 and has also led teams in Peru, Costa Rica, the Cook Islands, Greece, Italy, Australia and the United States. Now retired after 32 years as a corporate public relations professional, she is feeding her passion for learning about cultures around the world, including in the U.S.
Patty Prue - Volunteer Team Leader
Patty Prue
Volunteer Team Leader:
Patty first participated on a Global Volunteers team in Ghana in 2008 and loved her experience so much that she returned to Ghana with her son in 2010. Later that same year, Patty completed Global Volunteers Team Leader Training and offered her coaching services to country managers. Patty leads McCartan Consulting and is a certified business coach with extensive global human resources executive experience. She has a number of professional certifications, serves on not-for-profit boards and is a graduate of Stonehill College, North Easton, MA.
Ron Reimann - Volunteer Team Leader
Ron Reimann
Volunteer Team Leader:
Ron served on the Global Volunteers board, completed Global Volunteers Team Leader Training, and has led teams to Russia, Ukraine and St Lucia. He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, with a Masters Degree in public administration from Harvard University. He served in the submarine force, in several national security positions, as a Congressional staff officer, a transportation policy officer in the Carter and Reagan administrations, and vice president at Burlington Northern Inc.
Sue Surma - Volunteer Team Leader
Sue Surma
Volunteer Team Leader:
Sue participated on her first Global Volunteers program in 1989 to Guatemala and completed Team Leader Training in 1994. Sue has led teams to Mexico, Costa Rica, Mississippi, India, and Ireland, and served on 13 others programs. She has a Bachelors Degree in Theatre Arts, a Degree in Travel Planning, and an Associate of Science degree in Nursing. Sue has worked in the hospitality, tourism and health care industries.
Jim Swiderski - Volunteer Team Leader
Jim Swiderski
Volunteer Team Leader:
As a former staff member, Jim led over 50 teams to nine host countries during his 12-year career at Global Volunteers. He served 3 1/2 years as our China Country Manager, and as a volunteer team leader to the Cook Islands, Poland, and Vietnam, and also joined teams in India, Minnesota, Texas and Mississippi. Jim had a career in human and economic development, working in both public and private organizations. He has managed a Subcommittee for the US Congress, and recently helped lead efforts to expand U.S. federal support for international volunteer service. He currently works in Washington D.C. for Congressman Nick Nolan.
Joe Testa - Volunteer Team Leader
Joe Testa
Volunteer Team Leader:
Joe first joined a Global Volunteers service program to Guatemala in 1991. He completed Global Volunteers Team Leader Training in 1993, and has since led more than 50 teams worldwide. Joe earned an MBA and built a highly successful ground water and water purification business. He sold the company and now serves as General Manager so he can spend more time with two beautiful grandchildren, volunteer as an ESL tutor, and continue as a “big brother” to the same “little brother” he's had for 20 years with "Big Brothers, Big Sisters."
Taiana Torea-Allan - Volunteer Team Leader
Taiana Torea-Allan
Volunteer Team Leader:
Taiana (Tai) is a New Zealand-born Cook Islander who lives and works in Sydney, Australia. Tai worked as Global Volunteers' Cook Islands Country Manager in 2007, and has since led four teams to South Africa as a volunteer team leader.
Holding an Advanced Diploma in Environmental Management and a Diploma in Sales Management, she works on projects in sustainable living and environmental conservation (her "passions") in Sydney and Rarotonga.
Francoise Yohalem - Volunteer Team Leader
Francoise Yohalem
Volunteer Team Leader:
Francoise has led more than 30 teams for Global Volunteers over 20 years to Costa Rica, Vietnam, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Portugal and the U.S. She is fluent in French and Spanish, and enjoys teaching English as a Foreign Language to women in her community near Washington DC, as well as in Mexico, where she resides part of the year. She has an MA in Studio Art, and has recently retired from a busy career as a Public Art Consultant.Judy Werner - Volunteer Team Leader
Judy Werner
Volunteer Team Leader:
Judy first joined a Global Volunteers service program to Jamaica in 1995 and "caught the volunteer vacation bug." She completed our extensive Team Leader Training in Minnesota in 1997, and has since led volunteers on service programs in Texas, Tanzania, Costa Rica, and the Cook Islands. She lives in Vermont - where she works with Discovery Map International.
Warren Williams - Volunteer Team Leader
Warren Williams
The St. Lucia Project Country Manager:
Warren served on the Global Volunteers board, completed Global Volunteers Team Leader Training, and has led more than 70 teams on service programs in nearly all of Global Volunteers' partner communities. He retired as a senior Colonel in the U.S. Army after more than 30 years service; with two years as a combat leader in Vietnam; eleven years as a negotiator for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); and as Chief of Joint Strategy, Forces Command in Operation Desert Storm. He earned a Master's Degree in Education, is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and NATO School, and is fluent in Greek, Vietnamese and Italian.
Marcy Freedman Winzer - Volunteer Team Leader
Marcy Freedman Winzer
Volunteer Team Leader:
Marcy served in St. Lucia in July, 2012 and was so moved by her experience she completed team leader training later that year. She has most recently worked for 11 years for Pathfinder International, a US based NGO, as Human Resources Manager. In that role, she's traveled to 10 countries to provide HR support. Marcy has worked as the Executive Coordinator of a program for Special Olympics to create a permanent competitive sports program (1980) for mentally challenged citizens of Suffolk County in Boston and worked as a Neuro Developmental Therapist with multiply challenged children to establish the first newborn to three programs in MA.