In association with Meridian International Center

New Members of the GSLI Team

Dear VOLiNTEER Community,

Meridian’s Global Service Leaders Initiative has expanded our team. We have hired a Program Associate and three part-time interns to help us build the program, improve the VOLiNTEER website and prepare for the upcoming Service Innovation Summit in Madrid, Spain this coming March. Below we are providing their bios so that you can all get to know them.

As you may have noticed, we are working to upgrade the VOLiNTEER website’s layout, features, and content. Our goals for improving the website are:

Improve the communication amongst members by making the website more user-friendly;
Effectively share resources and tools amongst the network to promote volunteerism around the world;
Develop new activities, projects, and ways to interact to better engage members and build the community.

The GSLI team here at Meridian is excited to interact with you all through the VOLiNTEER website. We have updated the Member Profile Questions and encourage you all to update your profile and profile picture if you haven’t done so. We would love to hear any questions or comments you may have about how to improve the site. You can contact us via the chat function or send us a message on the site.

Sincerely,

The GSLI Team Arno Ahornegger

Meridian International Center VOLiNTEER

GSLI New Staff Bios:

Karina Gutierrez, Program Associate, Global Service Leaders Initiative

Karina has a completed both her undergraduate degree in Political Science and her graduate degree in International Studies at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL. She also holds a certificate in Cuban Studies from the University of Miami. Her research interests included the Middle East and Cuba. Karina has experience interning with the US Department of Treasury and worked as a research assistant for the Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies (ICCAS). She grew up in Canada, Mexico, Australia and the US. Karina loves to travel and studied abroad in Europe during both her undergraduate and graduate studies. She is fluent in Spanish and English.

Karina will provide support for the upcoming Service Innovation Summit and also help to manage the GSLI Intern team. Karina loves social-networking so feel free to contact her with any questions about updating your profile, how to post a blog, photo, video or comment, and what kind of things to add.

Kaitrin Morrison is part of the GSLI intern team this spring. She is currently in her final year of undergraduate studies at the University of Rhode Island, majoring in Political Science and Spanish. Kaitrin recently returned from Spain where she studied at the University of Sevilla for three months and gained a new appreciation for other cultures. Kaitrin’s interest in volunteering was sparked after she participated in her university’s Mentor Tutoring Internship, where she helped teach English to adult immigrants in Rhode Island. She loves to travel and is excited to become integrated in the global community of VOLiNTEER.

Kaitrin will be managing member activity, accounts and helping to develop new content for the website.

Andy Parks is a first year MA candidate in International Affairs at the George Washington University. His area of specialization is Latin America. He is from North Carolina and holds a Bachelors of Arts from Wake Forest University, majoring in Spanish and International Studies. During the 2010-11 academic year, Andy lived in Sevilla, Spain and taught English in a secondary school. Andy is interested in Latin America's role in the international arena and how the exchange of ideas and practices in one region of the world can unearth creative solutions to challenges in another.

Andy is currently working to develop the content for country pages for the VOLiNTEER website, which will have specific information and resources on volunteering by country.

Lindsey Lange is a first year graduate student at the George Washington University, studying International Development Studies. Her academic interests lie in civil society capacity building and promoting gender equality. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Global Studies and Spanish-Portuguese Studies from the University of Minnesota. Lindsey is originally from Wisconsin, but has spent the last 6 years living in California and Oregon, where she has been working in various non-profit organizations. Most recently she worked as Project Manager at Holt International Children's Services, where she provided training and technical support to international partner organizations. She has worked, studied and traveled extensively in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Lindsey is enthusiastic to apply her experience and skills as intern with the Global Service Leaders Initiative at Meridian.