Team

Nicola Dino served in Ecuador as a rural public health volunteer from 1994–1997 and the rural public health trainer, Ecuador in 1999. Nicola was accepted into the Peace Corps Fellows Program at Illinois State University and graduated in 2001 with a master’s degree in economic and community development. She is a registered nurse and retired in 2015. Her nursing career spanned almost 50 years and her last job was working in community health with the nationally known best practices program, The Nurse Family Partnership. Nicola brings to the Committee for a Museum of the Peace Corps Experience her intense belief that we need to educate our young people on the value of understanding other cultures and the importance of serving others for the betterment of all. After seeing the artifacts from the countries served and hearing the stories of living in another culture, she believes others especially our youth will be inspired to look at cultural diversity and service as a powerful humanistic approach to promoting world peace.

Patricia A. Wand (Peace Corps Volunteer, Colombia 1963-1965, staff 1969) co-chairs the Committee for a Museum of the Peace Corps Experience and serves on the returned Peace Corps Volunteers Oral History Archives Project leadership team. She is a member of Friends of Colombia Board and was a director on the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) Board for eight years, two as vice-chair. Ms. Wand is a member of the Management and Marketing Standing Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA). She serves as Endowment Trustee for the American Library Association and as advisor and former Trustee for Antioch University New England. Ms. Wand was dean of libraries at Zayed University (UAE) and University Librarian at American University, Washington DC. She held library positions at University of Oregon, Columbia University, Staten Island Community College (CUNY) and Wittenberg University (Ohio). She has taught on the secondary and tertiary levels. Degrees include • BA (cum laude), Seattle University • MAT, Antioch Graduate School • MILS, University of Michigan Amongst honors and awards, Ms. Wand received the Distinguished Service Award from the District of Columbia Library Association; Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Michigan, School of Information; and a Fulbright Senior Lecture Award to Ecuador. Ms. Wand teaches, lectures, researches and publishes in the fields of international development, libraries and information policy, marketing and advocacy. Recent publications focus on the role of libraries and information centers in socioeconomic development.

Dr. Peter Van Deekle's Peace Corps experience began during his high school years as a volunteer at the new agency’s central office. Following his college graduation, he served for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran, from 1968-1970, teaching English as a Second Language. Peter Van Deekle has been a member of Operations Subcommittee for the Committee for the Museum of Peace Corps Experience since September 2016. Before joining the project, he served as Associate Provost at Roger Williams University (RWU) and later as its Dean of University Libraries. He also served as a Commissioner for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). For over twenty years he managed collegiate honors programs at Susquehanna University and at Roger Williams, often conducting external reviews for peer institutions. He has had extensive academic building design and renovation experience, overseeing total library renovations and expansions at Susquehanna, Wheaton College (MA), and RWU. He holds and Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Information Science from Drexel University, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Temple University. Dr. Deekle has been an active reviewer of higher education institutions for both NEASC and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. He also serves as a graduate professional program accreditor for the American Library Association. Since 2015 Peter Deekle has been Editor of Community News for the National Peace Corps Association’s WorldView magazine. He also chairs the Advocacy and Communications Subcommittee of the Peace Corps Community for Refugees. Dr. Deekle reviews current publications of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers for the Peace Corps Writers program.

R. Michael Haviland Denver, Colorado RPCV Colombia, 1962-1964, Youth Education and Recreation Athenaeum of Ohio, Philosophy, AB, 1961 University of Pittsburgh, MBA, 1970 University of Massachusetts, Ed. D 1973 My entire professional career has been in the area of international development and education. My professional positions have included assignments with Peace Corps Washington, as Deputy Director, Office of Volunteer Service; University of Massachusetts, Director of the Uganda Women's Secondary School Project; USAID, Educational Consultant in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador; Director, Latin American Council, Grand Rapids, MI; Grand Valley State University, Director of International Studies, Colorado School of Mines. Director of International Studies; and the Institute of International Education, New York, Director of the Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey North-South Fellowship Program. My International social novel, "Arcadia by Haviland" is available on Amazon. I play tennis, golf and travel extensively.

Deborah Stewart Manget Atlanta, Georgia RPCV in St. Lucia 1978-79, Teacher Director, Conyers-Rockdale Library System (1989-2012) Librarian, Georgia Piedmont Technical College (currently) Master’s in library science, Emory University Bachelors in Textiles, University of Georgia Experience organizing collections, selecting and using collections software, and developing policies Experience in children’s and young adult library services, student research and public reference assistance Owner representative (between Library Board and Architect/Construction Company) for designing and building the Nancy Guinn Library in 1990-1992 and a complete renovation in 2008-2011 Textiles knowledge and expertise

Judith Madden-Sturges heard John Kennedy speak at the University of Michigan on October 14, 1960. He stressed how all Americans needed to contribute more than just two years of service to their country to assure the survival of a free society. Later, Judith joined the Peace Corps and relocated to Cusco, Peru (1964-65), assisting local craftsmen in developing markets for their extraordinary hand-crafted textiles and art objects. Upon returning to the United States, Judith was trained by IBM System Engineers in systems analysis and design and computer programming. Subsequently Judith worked in marketing, product planning, research and development, on several unique computer systems including the first desktop windows-like computer and minicomputer compiler development at VIATRON, and team leadership of six programming professionals for operating system design at INFOREX. Judith also has experience building radar systems at MITRE, financial systems for American Express and communication systems for Digital Corporation. In 1991Judith acquired an MS in Biotechnology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Fulfilling a dream, she went to work on the Human Genome project at Genomics Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Judith also taught Logo to small children at a Montessori school, Lexington, MA., Biology at Middlesex Community College and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Judith also taught Computer Science at Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA. Judith has an AB in History of Art from the University of Michigan (1966) which is the basis for her Peace Corps artifact collection. She has had an interest in museums of all kinds since age eleven when her parents first took her to the Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut.

Ron Myers Brush Prairie, Washington RPCV Malaysia 1972 through 1974, group 39 Taught Kimia & Fizik in secondary schools Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Washington State University Masters from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Taught high school science in Richland and Kennewick, WA Taught science subjects in American Samoa Community College Taught science subjects at Warner Pacific College, Portland, OR Since 2000 has worked to promote a museum of the Peace Corps experience.

John Rude served in Ethiopia (1962-1964) after he graduated from Whitworth University in Spokane, WA. He discovered his passion for teaching and returned after his Peace Corps service to complete a Master of Arts in Teaching at Oberlin College in Ohio. Later he entered a Ph.D. program at University of Oregon, receiving his degree in 1972. After a brief period as advisor to the Governor of Oregon, he began a long career in teaching, writing and community college fundraising. For many years he wrote grants for a college in Salem, Oregon, then in 1992 he became a national consultant. In 2000 he moved to the Los Angeles Community College District, where he raised $100,000,000 in grants over the next 15 years. Now retired, he still teaches English in East Los Angeles, and maintains contact with former students and volunteers with whom he served.

Bill Saphir was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Northeast Thailand from 1967 to 1970 serving in Group XXI: Malaria Eradication. He has been a CMPCE board member since January 2006, Treasurer since May 2015, and a member of the Operations Subcommittee since September 2016. Bill is a change management consultant and Founder and Principal of Gemstone Innovations, LLC which focuses on providing Demand Planning solutions to reduce operating costs for Hospitals in their Supply Chain; and assists independent contracted driver entrepreneurs in the Gig Economy to achieve their maximum potential. He has a BS from the University of Wisconsin—Madison (History); a MA from The University of Chicago (Education); and a MBA from Loyola University Chicago. Bill lives in West Linn (a suburb of Portland) Oregon with his wife Lynne and dog Jazzy. He is the proud father of 3 children and 6 grandchildren.

Johan Severtson served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, West Africa, from 1964-1966, between his undergraduate and graduate degrees. There he worked for the Minister of Culture to establish a national museum of art. Since then, he has been active in AIGA, National Endowment for the Arts in Design, Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), and American Institute of Architects (AIA), and was instrumental in the creation of the Graphic Design Educators Association. His work with the Corcoran has included curatorial work with numerous Design exhibitions. Mr. Severtson is Program Head of the Design program at the Corcoran College of Art Design at George, Washington University in Washington, D.C. A designer and design educator with over 30 years of professional experience, he is Co-Director of the Design Information Alliance, a non-profit organization established to locate and document information for design research. Mr. Severtson earned a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Design from Yale University, a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A., abd) in Art from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art and Art History from the University of Minnesota. Mr. Severtson’s work has been published nationally and internationally in exhibition publications for the Institute of Contemporary Art,London, Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Yale Center for British Art.

Susan Severtson spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa, 1964-1966. There she taught English and Domestic Science, and assisted the Minister of Culture in the compilation of a National Dance Troup, working as costume consultant. She is trained as a librarian (University of Chicago), and has thirty years of information publishing experience. She spent 8 years as President of Chadwyck-Healey academic publishers, and has compiled over 30 major academic collections and databases. Her experience in administration, sales, marketing, and editorial activities in the electronic publishing business provides her with an insight to the technical challenges of curatorial work in the arts and design field as well as a good grasp of the world of design information dissemination. She spent two years working with Documents Compass, a non-profit organization, established with the purpose of providing guidance to documentary editors entering the digital age. She successfully applied for and received over $1.2 million in grant funding in the first two years of operation. In partnership with her husband, she has established the Design Information Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a database/portal which will identify, archive and make freely available resources for the study and practice of design in multiple disciplines. Susan is currently working as a Real Estate Agent with Compass in the Washington, DC metro area.