| P e a c e a n d U n d e r s t a n d i n g |
Connie Ross, Tech Support Volunteer
Education: Occupation: United States Peace Corps volunteer: Vanuatu: 2016-17 - Within the Ministry of Education, I researched the country's tertiary education system and with the aid of eight ministry members, wrote the concept for Vanuatu to start their own national university. PCV - Thailand: 2015. Teacher training PCV - Georgia: 2014. within the non-government organization serving the Internally Displaced Population (IDP), helping them understand good governance, and provided occupational transition for better quality of life. PCV - Georgia: 2011-13. Within the Samtredia Governmental Information center, aided staff to build viable outreach programs for community. Boxhill College Kuwait: 2010. Directed the English foundation program at this all-women's technical college. Dean of the college of Design Industry at Emily Griffith Technical College: 2007-2009. Adult education program management, occupational forecasting, program development. | NGO Experience: My Peace Corps service is essentially NGO-like, so I believe I have had a lot of experience in the not- for-profit realm. In referring back to the operations of the board, and the director's role description, in assessment of my skills and experience, I believe I can make several contributions Skills: I first became a Servas member in 1995. At that time, I circumnavigated the world for nine months with my (then) seven-year-old son. I have experienced first-hand how we as travelers/hosts build world peace through our personal contact with others in different lands. We stayed with Servas hosts in Nepal, New Zealand and Australia. In each place, my son attended a local school along with the child host. We were welcomed and celebrated, and it was truly an unbelievable time in our lives. In 2011, my dream of living and working overseas came true when I became a Peace Corps Volunteer. I completed three assignments within three different countries between 2011 and 2017, learning and becoming fluent in the local language in order to better understand the culture. I feel confident that I can commit to three years as a board member of Servas. I look forward to engaging with other board members and contributing to the success of Servas International. After returning to the United States, I became a board member of the Milwaukee Peace Corps Association in 2021. I volunteered as the events coordinator for the organization. My role ended when I returned to my home in Denver, Colorado in July 2022. I am now ready to utilize my skills for Servas in the role of Community Outreach, particularly in Event planning or Member services with new members. | Ideas: It would be great if Servas could have a designated phone app, to make Servas attractive to the population that has come to rely of this type of technology. I believe that those persons in their middle travel years, are ready to leave the couch surfing world for the vetted organization of Servas. I believe our efforts in serving this population would help us to grow our membership. |
Connie M. Ross