2023-2024 Board of Directors
MNRPCV elects a Board of Directors every year as required by our Bylaws. We hold Board elections in August or September at our Annual Meeting and Picnic. The 10-20 Board Members serve from the time of their election to the Annual Meeting the following year. The election of officers and assignment of committees take place at the first Board Meeting following the Annual Meeting. Registered Members may attend Board meetings at the invitation of a Board Member. For general questions about MNRPCV, email president@mnrpcv.org.
Officers
President Mary Adams, Latvia 95-97, served as a Small Enterprise Development advisor to the Jelgava Agriculture Regional Government. She left her job, where she was a Senior AML/BSA (e.g., financial crime) officer at TCF Bank (now Huntington) in 2020 shortly before everything shut down due to Covid, to volunteer and travel. Since leaving TCF, she has not returned to working, which means she is semi-retired and spends her time traveling (all domestic trips) and volunteering. When not traveling or volunteering, a person will find her out walking in the various regional parks in the Twin Cities, working in her garden, or taking in one of many performing art events in the Twin Cities.
Vice President and Fundraising Chair Erin Doak, Albania 2013-2016, works for HUD in Minneapolis. Before that she worked for Public Health in Wyoming State Government, where is originally from. She served in Albania from 2013-2016, as an English educator volunteer. She extended her service because of her success with GLOW, Girls Leading Our World, in rural remote northern Albania. She married her Albanian husband in 2017 in Albania and they moved to the US in 2019 where they started a family.
Secretary Ursula Brandt, Albania 2017-2019, was a Community and Organizational Development Volunteer and worked with the local municipality on a range of initiatives from community design projects to organizing a youth leadership board. She is currently working as a Senior Community Planning and Development Representative with the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Minneapolis.
Treasurer Linda Lipscy, Samoa 1984-1986, is an accountant
BOARD COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Advocacy Chair Paul Thompson, Malaysian Borneo 1971-73, served in Malaysian Borneo in 1971-73 as a biology teacher. Following his Peace Corps service Paul travelled and lived in 10 SE Asian countries and witnessed the impact US Policy had on people living in those countries. Following Paul's five year experience he returned to the USA to engage with The Hunger Project, Save the Children and used his teaching career to further international cultural education, addressing hunger and poverty and ultimately taking action on climate solutions through citizen engagement. Now Paul is active with RPCVs for Environmental Action, Elders Climate Action, Citizens’ Climate Lobby and serves as the president of the Birchleggers Club to bring sustainability to a major cross country ski festival.
Communications Chair Jane Bardon, Turkmenistan 2003-2005, was a public health volunteer. She is retired from the University of Minnesota.
Community Service Chair Hannah Keuler, Guatemala 1918-1920, served as a district Healthy Schools coordinator in Guatemala from 2017-2020. During her two-year service, she worked with parents, teachers, principals, and other community actors to support the implementation of the national school feeding law, promoted health education best practices, and increased capacity in 26 elementary and preschools in a rural, indigenous Maya community. Her third-year extension was based out of PC Guatemala's main office and focused on training and support for current PCVs, however, it was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon returning home, she continued her work in food security and school meals and is currently working at the national nonprofit, Share Our Strength on the No Kid Hungry Campaign as the Center for Best Practices Associate. She was born and raised in the south metro and graduated from St. Catherine University. She now lives in NE Minneapolis with her partner and their two cats. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crafting, baking, coaching youth softball, and traveling. She's excited to meet more of the MN RPCV community through serving on the board!
Fundraising/Calendars: Erin Doak: Albania 2013-2016 is also Vice President (see above)
Membership Chair Maren Haas, Burkina Faso 2011-2013, served as an education volunteer in Burkina Faso from 2011-2013. Her primary assignment was teaching math in a rural middle school, where she also worked with the staff to start a library, English club, and an annual female youth empowerment camp. She served on the Volunteer Advisory Committee advocating for volunteer needs and as a Peace Corps Volunteer Facilitator Lead designing programming and training incoming volunteers. Maren is from a suburb of Milwaukee, WI and attended the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities for undergrad. After Peace Corps and moving around for a decade, she returned to the Twin Cities in March of 2021. She has spent her career working in experiential education, primarily supporting university international education programs. She currently manages operations for the occupational therapy assistant program at St. Catherine University. In her free time, she enjoys wandering the many lakes and parks in the metro area, spending time with family and friends, and dreaming of the next adventure.
Social Events Chair Jane Willard, Afghanistan 1972-1974, taught engineering English to employees at a state owned construction camp in Helmand Province. After also working 2 years in Iran teaching Iranian pilots and mechanics aviation English, she returned to grad school and became an environmental geologist working in soil/groundwater cleanup (meeting her husband on a landfill) and owned a consulting firm for 25 years. She retired in 2015 to enjoy her extended family. She and her husband have two Indian born children and one grandson. She still travels, mostly by train and ship, but exclusively in and around North America. She is a walker, a vegan activist, and a declutterer.
Operating documents and other supporting documents are accessible through the google drive for each board email account.
Vice President and Fundraising Chair Erin Doak, Albania 2013-2016, works for HUD in Minneapolis. Before that she worked for Public Health in Wyoming State Government, where is originally from. She served in Albania from 2013-2016, as an English educator volunteer. She extended her service because of her success with GLOW, Girls Leading Our World, in rural remote northern Albania. She married her Albanian husband in 2017 in Albania and they moved to the US in 2019 where they started a family.
Secretary Ursula Brandt, Albania 2017-2019, was a Community and Organizational Development Volunteer and worked with the local municipality on a range of initiatives from community design projects to organizing a youth leadership board. She is currently working as a Senior Community Planning and Development Representative with the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Minneapolis.
Treasurer Linda Lipscy, Samoa 1984-1986, is an accountant
BOARD COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Advocacy Chair Paul Thompson, Malaysian Borneo 1971-73, served in Malaysian Borneo in 1971-73 as a biology teacher. Following his Peace Corps service Paul travelled and lived in 10 SE Asian countries and witnessed the impact US Policy had on people living in those countries. Following Paul's five year experience he returned to the USA to engage with The Hunger Project, Save the Children and used his teaching career to further international cultural education, addressing hunger and poverty and ultimately taking action on climate solutions through citizen engagement. Now Paul is active with RPCVs for Environmental Action, Elders Climate Action, Citizens’ Climate Lobby and serves as the president of the Birchleggers Club to bring sustainability to a major cross country ski festival.
Communications Chair Jane Bardon, Turkmenistan 2003-2005, was a public health volunteer. She is retired from the University of Minnesota.
Community Service Chair Hannah Keuler, Guatemala 1918-1920, served as a district Healthy Schools coordinator in Guatemala from 2017-2020. During her two-year service, she worked with parents, teachers, principals, and other community actors to support the implementation of the national school feeding law, promoted health education best practices, and increased capacity in 26 elementary and preschools in a rural, indigenous Maya community. Her third-year extension was based out of PC Guatemala's main office and focused on training and support for current PCVs, however, it was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon returning home, she continued her work in food security and school meals and is currently working at the national nonprofit, Share Our Strength on the No Kid Hungry Campaign as the Center for Best Practices Associate. She was born and raised in the south metro and graduated from St. Catherine University. She now lives in NE Minneapolis with her partner and their two cats. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crafting, baking, coaching youth softball, and traveling. She's excited to meet more of the MN RPCV community through serving on the board!
Fundraising/Calendars: Erin Doak: Albania 2013-2016 is also Vice President (see above)
Membership Chair Maren Haas, Burkina Faso 2011-2013, served as an education volunteer in Burkina Faso from 2011-2013. Her primary assignment was teaching math in a rural middle school, where she also worked with the staff to start a library, English club, and an annual female youth empowerment camp. She served on the Volunteer Advisory Committee advocating for volunteer needs and as a Peace Corps Volunteer Facilitator Lead designing programming and training incoming volunteers. Maren is from a suburb of Milwaukee, WI and attended the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities for undergrad. After Peace Corps and moving around for a decade, she returned to the Twin Cities in March of 2021. She has spent her career working in experiential education, primarily supporting university international education programs. She currently manages operations for the occupational therapy assistant program at St. Catherine University. In her free time, she enjoys wandering the many lakes and parks in the metro area, spending time with family and friends, and dreaming of the next adventure.
Social Events Chair Jane Willard, Afghanistan 1972-1974, taught engineering English to employees at a state owned construction camp in Helmand Province. After also working 2 years in Iran teaching Iranian pilots and mechanics aviation English, she returned to grad school and became an environmental geologist working in soil/groundwater cleanup (meeting her husband on a landfill) and owned a consulting firm for 25 years. She retired in 2015 to enjoy her extended family. She and her husband have two Indian born children and one grandson. She still travels, mostly by train and ship, but exclusively in and around North America. She is a walker, a vegan activist, and a declutterer.
Operating documents and other supporting documents are accessible through the google drive for each board email account.