Global Volunteers staff are some of the most dedicated and resourceful people on Planet Earth! Read about their commitment to service, admiration for volunteers and what motivates them to give their best to make every service program the best experience for all involved.
This January, Dr. Mindy Lull joined Global Volunteers as the Director of Domestic Programs and RCP Research. She brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team that will enhance our ability to achieve our goal to help children reach their full potential. As the Director of Domestic Programs, Mindy will be responsible for […]
Olga Storozhenko has a story to tell. She is currently Global Volunteers Poland team leader, having joined the staff in 2022. But she came to Global Volunteers in a most unusual and unfortunate manner. After Ukraine was invaded by Russia in February 2022, Olga fled her homeland and settled in the small city of Siedlce, […]
Diego Acosta was born in Arequipa, in the south of Peru. At age three, his family moved to Lima, where he was raised and attended school. He became Global Volunteers’ team leader in 2022, after serving as our English translator for four years. In cooperation with our community partners in Peru, Diego leads all teams serving at Sagrada […]
James Puati and his wife, Debi, both New Zealand-born-and-raised Cook Islanders, moved to their ancestral home of Rarotonga in 2003 with their two children, Samantha and Jordan, to immerse their family in their Cook Islands heritage. Now with three grandchildren (mokopuna) and extended family on the island, they retain ties with their birth country through friends and […]
Stephen Raja Chinnappan was born and raised in Bangalore, India. He joined Global Volunteers in 2001 after serving as a free-time tour guide for volunteers in Chennai. After being promoted to Country Manager, Stephen led volunteer teams until the India program was suspended in 2018 and the Nepal program began. Stephen also provides service program […]
Volunteer Team Leader Lucy Heegaard (left) began volunteering with Global Volunteers in 2015 in St. Lucia. She then served in Poland in 2017 and went through Team Leader Training later that same year. She has also updated her training twice since then — in December 2019 and April 2022. She served in Cuba in 2018 […]
Volunteer Team Leader LaVerne Lewis first served with Global Volunteers in 2012 in Tanzania and then went on to serve in China and in Greece. She attended Team Leader Training in 2018 and then led her first team to Cuba in 2019. She attended Team Leader Training in April 2022 as well and is leading […]
Volunteer Team Leader Virginia (Ginny) Giffin began volunteering with Global Volunteers in 2008 in Ecuador and then in Poland in 2009. She went through Team Leader Training with Global Volunteers in 2009 and has since led eight teams: one in Minnesota, two in West Virginia, four in Montana, and one in Cuba. Ginny was a […]
Volunteer Team Leader Louise Mollick (second from right) began volunteering with Global Volunteers in 2015 and has served as a team member or Volunteer Team Leader four times in Cuba and once each in India, Montana, Tanzania, and Vietnam. In this first-person story Louise describes how she was forever changed when serving on her first […]
Volunteer Team Leader Michael Harris first served with Global Volunteers in 2016 with his daughter, Alyssa. He immediately sought out additional ways to stay involved with Global Volunteers and attended Team Leader Training that same year. He has since led teams in Montana every summer (except during the COVID pandemic). Mike is a retired educator […]