Staff

Bolivia (1999-2002), Timor Leste (2002-2003), Peace Corps HQ (2003-2006, 2010-2011, 2014-2017), Costa Rica Staff (2007-2010), Ethiopia Staff (2011-2014) 

Dan Baker has more than 20 years of professional experience in both the private and public sectors. Prior to becoming President of NPCA, Dan was NPCA's Director of Programs and Business Development for two years, joining NPCA as the pandemic began in order to launch to support programs for evacuated Peace Corps Volunteers. Prior to NPCA, Dan worked in fundraising for Outward Bound, and was project director and senior technical advisor for youth development at IREX. At IREX, Dan led a $30M USAID-funded project working with political leadership in Guatemala and consulted with various other projects and practices to improve the organization's approach to working with youth around the world.

Dan's Peace Corps journey began in 1999, just after undergraduate school at Davidson College, when he received his invitation to serve in Bolivia. There he worked as a water sanitation worker and volunteer coordinator. After three years in Bolivia, Dan answered a call for continued volunteer service in Timor Leste, where he was a member of the first group of volunteers to arrive in the new country. 

After four years as a volunteer, Dan continued on to a 13-year career at Peace Corps in various staff and consultant roles, both in the field and in the Washington, D.C. headquarters office. His first field position was in Costa Rica where he was the Associate Director for a youth development and child protection project. He also notably worked in Ethiopia as the first Director of Programming and Training in that country, and where he oversaw a rapid expansion of the program, including significant work with USAID Feed the Future and PEPFAR programming. Following his tenure in Ethiopia, he served as the Chief of Programming and Training for the Africa Region in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw implementation of region-wide initiatives such as Let Girls Learn, Read for Life, and advances in the agency's diversity and inclusion efforts. Dan served with distinction during his time as Peace Corps staff, twice receiving the Director's Distinguished Service Award, and being selected to the agency's leadership development academy. 

Dan and his wife Chris (RPCV Jamaica) currently live in Silver Spring, Maryland with their daughters and enjoy frequently visiting their southern roots in North Carolina and Georgia. 

Marieme Foote joined National Peace Corps Association in August 2020 and serves as the Advocacy and Administrative Associate as well as Community Outreach Specialist, helping to launch an outreach campaign as well as working on advocacy-related issues. She is a COVID19 evacuated Volunteer who served in Peace Corps Benin beginning September 2018, until the global evacuation in March 2020. In Benin she served as a sustainable agricultural systems agent and worked alongside men and women’s groups to address issues concerning food security and agriculture.

After returning from the Peace Corps she became heavily involved in advocacy work on behalf of evacuated Volunteers, and worked with Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security (WCAPS), a nonprofit organization, to gather data and create a report to advocate for better support for evacuated Volunteers. She studied at Ithaca College and earned a B.A in political science with a minor in environmental studies.

Lauren Griffis is an experienced financial operations specialist, CRM organizer, and day-to-day office operations manager. Driven by her heart for equality and a mission for human rights, she takes pride in providing the best assistance to NPCA. Lauren joined NPCA in March 2022 as our Administrative Operations Assistant. She brings with her experience in mission work both domestically and internationally with outside organizations. She has a BA from Waldorf University in Psychology and Criminal Justice, and she is currently working on an MA in Business Administration and Leadership. A native to the Northern Virginia area, Lauren enjoys the art of dance, a great cup of coffee, and her gorgeous golden retriever named Paddington The Bear.

Jodi Hammer (RPCV Ecuador 1994-97) is a career counseling professional and consultant with 25 years of experience serving the federal, corporate, and non-profit sectors, including 16 years of specialized experience in career and life coaching, training and development. From 2007-2019, she managed the RPCV Career Center in Peace Corps Headquarters where she counseled thousands of returning Volunteers. 

Jodi has a Master’s in International Adult Education and is a Certified Federal Job Search Trainer and Federal Career Coach.

Tiffany James, a Baltimore native, joins NPCA as the new Associate Editor, Global Stories. She has worked within the nonprofit sector for roughly eight years. During that time, she founded a content marketing agency committed to helping nonprofits and social entrepreneurs amplify the stories behind their missions. She brings to the team experience in marketing and event planning as well as a commitment to service after three years serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer for nonprofits in the affordable housing and education sectors. Tiffany earned a B.S. in architecture from the University of Virginia and a M.A. in writing from Johns Hopkins.

Orrin Luc joined the National Peace Corps Association in March 2021. As the Digital Content Manager, he designs and delivers digital messaging across all platforms, managing the creation of video, website, digital magazine, and newsletter content. He enjoys producing and editing short documentaries that showcase the NPCA’s Community Fund, advocacy efforts, and Global Reentry program. Orrin served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador 2014–16 and again as Peace Corps Response in Mexico 2017–18. He currently lives in Chicago, and he is happy to report that he has met and interviewed Jeff Goldblum in person.

Molly O’Brien comes to NPCA after completing her M.A. in Public Service/Nonprofit Administration at Marquette University in 2020. She was the recipient of the Trinity Fellowship, a competitive program focused on social and economic justice, and she worked at Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity providing programmatic support for homeowners. Molly was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Trang, Thailand 2016–18 and in Karak, Jordan 2014–15. Since her return from the Peace Corps, she has been active in the RPCV community, previously serving on the board of the Milwaukee Peace Corps Association as their membership coordinator. Prior to Peace Corps she earned a B.A. in history and communications from Loyola University Chicago. She resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she enjoys spending as much time outdoors as possible.

Jonathan Pearson works with NPCA members and other supporters to advance policies to expand, improve and embolden the Peace Corps, and promote opportunities for international service (including the Service World initiative). He also engages with advocates on other key global issues that impact the lives of people and communities in countries where Peace Corps volunteers served.

Jonathan coordinates the annual National Day of Action in Support of the Peace Corps each March, when RPCVs go to Capitol Hill to speak directly with policy-makers as others who can’t come to Washington phone and email their lawmakers. He regularly writes blogs and updates throughout the year to keep the Peace Corps Community informed about advocacy opportunities.

Prior to NPCA, Jonathan worked voluntarily and contractually to assist with the formation of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Following his Peace Corps service, he worked 5 years as Program Coordinator for Maryland Save Our Streams in Glen Burnie, MD, leading a number of watershed-based community organizing projects. A long-time member of Amnesty International, he joined the staff of AIUSA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Office in 1997. He served in several positions, including Regional Deputy Director and Director.

Jonathan served in the Peace Corps on Lamotrek Atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia as a teacher and community development worker. Prior to joining the Peace Corps, he worked for seven years as a reporter, newscaster, News Director and talk show host for WINY Radio in Putnam.

A native of Connecticut, Jonathan graduated cum laude from Boston College, majoring in communications and political science.

Kathleen Sebastian began as NPCA Affiliate Group Program Manager in February 2023 and previously worked with NPCA’s Emergency Response Network and Public Health – Seattle & King County as a Covid-19 contact tracer and resource coordinator. She brings decades of experience working in nonprofit, private, and public sectors across multiple industries, focused on marketing, business development, and project management.

After graduating from The College of William and Mary with an A.B. in Modern Languages, Kathleen left for her Peace Corps assignment as a health education volunteer in West Africa (Benin, 1975-1977), training primary school teachers to deliver a new national curriculum of lessons on nutrition, personal hygiene, and disease prevention. A poster in the Cotonou Peace Corps office was the inspiration for earning an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, followed by jobs in international marketing in manufacturing and service industries. Kathleen spent 11 years with PATH, managing health projects throughout Asian and Africa, including serving as field representative in Kenya from 1990 to1994. She later worked for the State of Washington International Trade Division and spent 12 years in business development for leading national law firms. Among her varied work experiences, Kathleen particularly enjoyed starting and running a company to train and consult in cross-cultural communication and business etiquette.

Kathleen is in her second term as president of SEAPAX (Seattle Area Peace Corps Association), and she formerly served as Membership Chair and Communications Chair. Previously, she held executive positions on the boards of the World Trade Club, Mountaineers Climbing Committee, and Green Lake Crew Rowing Advisory Council.

Kathleen has summited numerous volcanic peaks and climbs in the U.S., East Africa, and Mexico. Taking advantage of the accessibility of another favorite Pacific Northwest sport, she has now traded in her rope, rack, and climbing shoes for a rowing shell and a pair of sculling oars.

Evangelina Sundgrenz is a Marketing and Communications professional with experience as a program and project manager in the private, tech, non-profit, and government sectors. Sundgrenz previously managed the NPCA Emergency Response Network program for Covid Pandemic Relief, partnering with Seattle and King County Public Health that utilized the cultural and multilingual capacity of returned peace corps volunteers.  Sundgrenz has been active in the Returned Peace Corps Community, previously serving on the boards of the Seattle Area Peace Corps Association in Washington, the West Cascade Peace Corps Association in Oregon, and as a member of the Bay Area Peace Corps Association in California. She served in Uzbekistan from 2000 to 2001 and has a B.A. in International Relations, a B.A. in Spanish, and an M.A. in Humanities and Leadership. When she's not working, she volunteers as an advisor in adult education, working with refugees and Immigrants, and enjoys paddleboarding, rockhounding in the great Pacific Northwest, and creating new adventures. She lives in the Seattle Area.