Our Team

Raisa served as a TEFL Volunteer for Peace Corps UA in Cherkasky Oblast in 2019-2020 COVID Evac (Group 54). She currently works for SNAP under USDA as a program analyst in the DMV area. In her free time she enjoys weight lifting, hiking, painting, traveling, wine tasting, brunching, and adventuring the DMV. She is passionate about sustainable development, trade, and food accessibility. Originally from Florida, she completed her undergrad and MBA there.

Kevin served as a Community Development Volunteer from 2015-2017 (Group 48) in Rivne. During service, his work focused on the building of coworking centers, e-democracy, training in Agile management techniques, and founding a social venture incubator. Upon returning from his service in Ukraine, he located to Washington, D.C. to remain engaged in the Ukrainian development sphere.

Eric served as a community and economic development voluteer in group 48 (2015-2017). He served in Vinnytsia at the Podolian Agency for Regional Development working civic participation, participatory budgets, and social enterprise development. Currently, he works as an international program specialist at the US Department of Agriculture covering Ukraine, Georgia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. In his free time, he loves to travel, hang with his pup Rosie, and study Russian.

Cortney served as a Community Development Volunteer from 2017 to 2019 in Cherkasy, where she worked with the regional development agency and several local nonprofits. Her service focused on internal capacity development and strategic planning, but Cortney also enjoyed traveling across Ukraine to deliver a wide array of workshops, including: vintage jazz dance and dance improvisation; choral singing; Google Calendar fundamentals; team dynamics; intercultural communication; and cultivating a growth mindset. Cortney earned her Master of Public Administration and Master of Arts in International Education Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. Cortney has returned to her native Golden State to work in economic development, but has a soft spot for Indiana where she spent several years in youth development and refugee resettlement.

Jim served as a TEFL Volunteer (Group 41) at a primary/secondary school in Dovzhok near Kamyanets-Podilskyi from 2011-2013. In addition to his primary work as an English educator, he developed skills-building seminars for Ukrainian English instructors, assisted with camps dedicated to advancing civil society themes, and instructed students in project management. After completing his service, he interned with the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, a Ukrainian watchdog organization working for corruption-related reform in Ukraine. Jim holds an MA in International Development with a concentration in Democracy and Governance and BA in the Program of Liberal Studies and in Arabic Language from the University of Notre Dame.

Patty served from 2017-19 (Group 51) in Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk oblast as a Community Development Volunteer where she worked with the city’s Economic Development Department. This was a perfect match for skills she developed over a career as a municipal finance and redevelopment attorney in San Jose CA. She now resides in Sebastopol CA, keeping busy with various volunteer efforts, including chairing the Chyhyryn Committee of Sebastopol World Friends (a Sister City Organization) and (pre-pandemic) hosting a FLEX student from Donetsk Oblast

Mike served in Vinnytsia as a Community Development volunteer from 2011 until an evacuation in February of 2014. As an architect, he worked in a Regional Development office. In 2015 he was a Response volunteer in Armenia and, in 2016, in Kosovo. Returning from Kosovo, he was asked to be the historic preservation architect for the State Capitol Building in Cheyenne, Wyoming (2016-19). He resently resides in St. Augustine, Florida, and is an active volunteer with the Kiwanis Club, the St. Augustine Art Association and sits on the city’s Corridor Review Committee. Active with the Peace Corps Third Goal, he has presented numerous PowerPoint programs and photo exhibits of his Peace Corps journeys.

Karis served as a Community Development Volunteer (Group 43), from 2012-2013, in Vinnytsia. She is currently the director of marketing, communications and guest services at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. Previously, she was the director of marketing at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Karis holds a masters in public administration with an emphasis in nonprofit management. As an avid baker, Karis can be found each spring spending an entire day baking Paska from scratch.

Katherine Fitch served as a youth development volunteer (Group 49) and volunteer leader from 2016 until being evacuated in 2020. She was fortunate enough to have served in both western and eastern Ukraine at regional youth centers. Her passion has always been people, good humor, and exploring new places; however, if prompted, she will gladly bring out her ukulele to sing a pep cover of any popular song.

Natalia served as a TEFL Volunteer for the Peace Corps in Mohyliv, Podilskyi, Ukraine, from August 2019 until the global evacuation in March 2020. She is passionate about community development, cross-cultural communication, and foreign languages. Natalia graduated with a B.A. from Mercyhurst University with degrees in Socio-cultural anthropology & Russian studies, and earned a M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago. Natalia now lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where she works as a Senior Programs Associate at Venture For America. In her free time, she likes to try new recipes, explore the Cleveland Metroparks, learn new languages, and travel

Patrick served with Group 41 in Dnipro as a community development volunteer from 2011-2013, where he worked with Virtus, a human rights HIV service organization, and as a Response volunteer in Kyiv with the East Europe Foundation in 2014. Although he calls Seattle home, he moved to the DC area after returning from Ukraine and began working as a program analyst at the US Department of Agriculture, focusing on what is commonly still referred to as the food stamp program. In his spare time, he likes to travel and spend time exploring local hiking trails and historical sites.

Elena served with Group 48 in Khotyn, Chernivetska Oblast as a community development volunteer from 2015-2017 where she worked with the town mayor on civic engagement, grant writing and tourism development. She calls Rhode Island home, but currently lives in DC where she works as an administrator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery. In her free time she likes to paint and explore the city!

Cassandra served from 2010 – 2012 in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk oblast, as a Community Development Volunteer specializing in after-school and summer projects for the city’s youth, teenagers and young adults. Immediately following her service, Cassandra worked for Save the Children for 10 years managing grants and contracts throughout the agency’s 100 active countries. In 2022, she traded her international skills for domestic work, leading the Program and Grant Financial Management team at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Though her 3 children certainly keep her busy, in their free time, she and her husband David, enjoy gardening and traveling around his home country of Albania.

Christopher served as a TEFL Volunteer (’07-09, Luhansk Oblast) and more recently, as a Fulbright Public Policy Fellow placed within Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice. A licensed lawyer and international development consultant by day, “Kpic” enjoys eating vinnigrette, all things UEFA and reminiscing about his glory days with his club, FC Bilovodsk. He is a Wisconsinite and earned his JD and MIPA from the University of Wisconsin.