IREX
International Research & Exchanges Board

2005 Participant Biographies

Listed below are the biographies of Russian and American volunteers who participated in USRVI in 2005.

Russian Volunteers: HIV/AIDS Prevention and Awareness Program

Polina Balyaeva, Tomsk
Host Organization: Resource Center of Dallas, Dallas, TX
Polina Balayeva is the manager of special projects at the “Siberia-AIDS-Aid” Tomsk Regional Charitable Fund in Tomsk, where she has worked for almost 3 years. Within this position, Balayeva designs and implements outreach campaigns on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and drug addiction in the gay community and among commercial sex workers. One of the highlights of her experience at the Fund is organizing the conference “HIV/AIDS Treatment: Medical and Psychological Issues,” which brought together over 100 participants in 2004. Prior to her employment at the Fund, she volunteered at this organization, while also volunteering at the German House and the International Red Cross. Balyaeva graduated in 2002 from Bratsk Teachers’ College in Bratsk City and is educated as an English teacher.

Olga Fadeeva, Rostov-on-Don
Host Organization: Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, Tucson, AZ
Olga Fadeeva graduated from the Rostov State University with a major in psychology. She now works as an HIV/AIDS hotline consultant at the youth NGO “Youth Trust Phone Line,” an organization that provides urgent psychological help to the youth of Rostov-on-Don. Despite her young age, Fadeeva has already a lot of experience working and volunteering in the field of HIV/AIDS. From November 2001 until February 2002, she volunteered at the Rostov-based youth organization “Vihod” (“Exit”), where she organized and ran trainings on HIV/AIDS prevention. Then, in the summer of 2002, she worked as an administrative assistant at the psychological education center of the Department of Education of Rostov region and in the fall of 2004 she conducted public opinion poll for organization “Business Analytic” conducting interviews, doing research, and analyzing the data.

Elena Gonchar, Pskov
Host Organization: Utah AIDS Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT
Elena Gonchar is the head of prevention department at the AIDS Prevention and Treatment Center of Pskov, where she has worked since 2003. Her work involves organizing HIV/AIDS prevention activities in the city of Pskov and in Pskov region, including disseminating information, developing social advertisement, designing and implementing seminars and trainings on HIV/AIDS prevention, organizing pre- and post-testing consultations, and conducting consultations with people living with HIV/AIDS. She has experience working with many at-risk groups, but is especially competent working with youth. Gonchar graduated from Pskov Pedagogical University in 1994 with degrees in primary school teaching and psychology. In 2006, she earned an advanced degree in psychotherapy.

Arkady Grigoriev, Moscow
Host Organization: The Osborne Association, Brooklyn, NY
Arkady Grigoriev has been working as a trainer with the Moscow-based international non-governmental organization “AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW)” since December 2001, where his main responsibilities include developing and conducting trainings on health promotion and HIV/AIDS prevention in Russian prisons. The audience of his trainings includes prison medical staff and psychiatrists, security staff, teaching/training staff at the Ministry’s of Justice Department of Corrections, female and male inmates, and non-medical employees of the penal system. Grigoriev’s professional experience in HIV/AIDS began in 1996, when, after graduating from Moscow State Metallurgical Institute with a degree in technological ecology, he began working with the Moscow representation of the Dutch organization “Medicines sans Frontiers” (“Doctors without Borders”), where he conducted street consultations in health promotion and prevention of infectious diseases among intravenous drug users, gathered research information on this population, and assisted in evaluating this information.

Arkadiy Gyngazov, Tomsk
Host Organization: Resource Center of Dallas, Dallas, TX
Arkadiy Gyngazov is currently a student at the Tomsk Teacher Training Institute, where he is studying psychology and is due to receive a degree in 2006. Since 2003, Gyngazov has worked as project assistant at the “Siberia-AIDS-Aid” Tomsk Charitable Fund, where he assists with HIV/AIDS prevention outreach projects among the gay community and the community of commercial sex workers. He began his experience at the Fund in 1999 as a volunteer assisting in HIV/AIDS prevention trainings at local schools and participating in peer-to-peer counseling and training of volunteers. He also attended a number of seminars and trainings on various aspects of HIV/AIDS.

Timur Islamov, Naberezhnie Chelny
Host Organization: AIDS Action, Washington, DC
Timur Islamov is the founder and director of an NGO “Doverie Charitable Fund,” where his responsibilities include directing the Fund’s two major activities: first, organizing public campaigns and outreach using mass media to reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, and, second, providing support for people living with HIV/AIDS. As part of this support program, Islamov started a project titled “Life with HIV – Personal Experience,” the aim of which is to create links between people living with HIV/AIDS and the organizations supporting them, both in the United States and in Russia. In addition, he has been appointed as a director of organization “Nasledie Fund,” an NGO working with children.

Alexander Kurenkov, Ryazan
Host Organization: The Whitman-Walker Clinic, Washington, DC
Alexander Kurenkov is a co-owner of a medical center “Khoroshy Vrach” (Good Doctor) in Ryazan, where his responsibilities include management of the organization, delivering medical consultations, and delivering consultations on HIV/AIDS hotline. In addition, Kurenkov works as a neurologist at the neurology department of the Ryazan City Hospital #11. Prior to that, he also worked as a neurologist at a children’s hospital and another general hospital. In 2001, he delivered lectures on HIV/AIDS related issues in Ryazan schools. In 2004, Kurenkov traveled to the United States on a US government sponsored program, Community Connections. He has extensive education, professional and volunteer experience, especially in the field of medicine.

Elena Kuznetsova, Ulan-Ude
Host Organization: Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center, San Francisco, CA
Elena Kuznetsova is currently an instructor of hygiene at the Center for the Prevention and Treatment of AIDS and Infectious Diseases of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia. She has been working at this organization for three years and has been responsible for organizing and implementing lectures, roundtable discussions, and other events on HIV/AIDS prevention, discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, and other issues faced by youth in Buryatia. Within this position, she also gives consultations on HIV/AIDS to professionals working with students and prepares materials for other at risk groups, such as drug users and commercial sex workers. In addition, Kuznetsova is currently pursuing a degree in psychology, after receiving a degree in nursing in 2001. She hopes to become a school psychologist, specializing in the field of HIV/AIDS.

Daria Lapina, St. Petersburg
Host Organization: San Francisco AIDS Foundations, San Francisco, CA
Daria Lapina has been working as a psychologist and a trainer-consultant at the Charitable Foundation “Svecha” (Candle) in St. Petersburg since February of 2003. Within this position, Lapina is responsible for providing psychological support and consultations, developing and delivering trainings for personnel, and supervising other employees. Lapina is currently also a trainer-consultant with the training company “EBM Ltd” based in St. Petersburg, a volunteer for the all-Russian movement of people living with HIV/AIDS “FrontAIDS,” and federal scholarship program supported by Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation. She also serves as a general director of a travel agency for the disabled “Liberty.”

Natalia Lomonova, Togliatti
Host Organization: AIDS Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Natalia Lomonova has been working as a laboratory analyst at a local clinic since 1996, after receiving a degree in microbiology from Puschino University. She has also been working as an interpreter/translator and health education consultant at the organization “Parents against Drugs (PAD),” after receiving degree in international communication and translation in 2002.
At the ‘Parents against Drugs” organization she has had an opportunity to work on international projects with American and European NGOs; she also created and analyzed research questionnaires and surveys and developed outreach materials on HIV/AIDS prevention. Lomonova has a strong knowledge of the field of HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention and had an opportunity to travel to Belgium for an international conference on HIV/AIDS.

Violetta Makeeva, St. Petersburg
Host Organization: L.A. Shanti Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
Violetta Makeeva is an Educational Programs Coordinator with the St. Petersburg representation of the organization “Population Services Information (PSI),” a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that harnesses the vitality of the private sector to address the health problems of low-income and vulnerable populations in 70 developing countries. Her responsibilities at this organization include designing projects, negotiating with local government officials, public relations, development of informational materials, and conducting seminars and trainings on HIV/AIDS. Prior to PSI, Makeeva worked as a consultant at the Association of Psychological Consulting and as an educational psychologist at the Scientific-Methods Center of Educational Department of Kirovskiy District in St. Petersburg. She graduated in 2000 from St. Petersburg State University with a degree in psychology.

Irina Martynova, Cheboksary
Host Organization: Interfaith AIDS Ministry of Greater Connecticut, Danbury, CT
Irina Martynova holds a position of an assistant dean at the Department of Foreign Languages of the Chuvash Pedagogical University, where she teaches English and organizes extracurricular activities for the students of the department, including advising the student government and conducting trainings and seminars on HIV/AIDS. In October 2004, together with students, she founded NGO “Volunteer Association of Youth,” an organization that works with underprivileged children of Cheboksary region and educates them in healthy lifestyles and HIV/AIDS prevention. Martynova received a degree in English language teaching in 2001 from Chuvash Pedagogical University and worked as a teacher of English at this university for approximately one year, before being promoted to the assistant dean of the Department of Foreign Languages. In 2004, she also began volunteering at the Cheboksary branch of YMCA, working with children on HIV/AIDS prevention.

Alexander Matveev, Dmitrov
Host Organization: Interfaith AIDS Ministry of Greater Connecticut, Danbury, CT
Alexander Matveev has recently graduated from the State University of Trade and Economics with a degree in management. During his university career, he had an opportunity to volunteer for the Russian Farm Community Project and the youth organization “Youth Council.” His volunteer experience at the “Youth Council” included preparing and delivering lectures on HIV/AIDS prevention in schools of Dmitrov. In 2003, Matveev traveled to the United States to work at summer camps and to improve his English skills.

Olga Mironova, Nizhny Novgorod
Host Organization: AIDS Action, Washington, DC
Olga Mironova is currently studying at the Moscow representation of Manchester University, where she majors in social management and social work. She is also currently completing the grant she received in September 2003 from the Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program. Her responsibilities as a fellow of this program are to provide support at hospitals, conduct pre- and post-HIV test counseling, meeting with counselors, engaging in work to support women, and conducting one-on-one support for people living with HIV/AIDS. She is an experienced specialist in the field of psychiatry and HIV/AIDS related problems and recently finished her dissertation in the field HIV/ADS prevention.

Ildar Mustafin, Naberezhnie Chelny
Host Organization: L.A. Shanti Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
Ildar Mustafin is the co-founder and director of non-governmental organization “Kama+,” an organization for people living with HIV/AIDS in the town of Naberezhnye Chelny. He facilitates self-help groups for people living with HIV/AIDS and advocates for them with health care organizations. In addition, he lobbies on their behalf with local government representatives and serves as a liaison with the press on publications about HIV/AIDS. Mustafin is currently working on a project to link US and Russian organizations working with HIV/AIDS positive people. He began his volunteer experience in 2003, when he volunteered for an organization “Doverie” (“Trust”), where he organized groups for HIV-positive people and counseled drug addicts at local clinics. In 2004, he and several of his co-workers started a rehabilitation group for drug addicts, where he has been volunteering to this day.

Natalia Nikolayuk, Vaskovo
Host Organization: Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center, San Francisco, CA
Natalia Nikolayuk is currently studying psychology and social work at M.V. Lomonosov Pomor State University in Arkhangelsk. She has more than three years experience volunteering in the field of HIV/AIDS. Nikolayuk volunteers with the Arkhangelsk branch of the Russian Red Cross, where she is involved in developing and delivering seminars and trainings for youth on prevention of drug use and HIV/AIDS, fundraising, and organizing various other activities of the organization. Between September 2001 and May 2005, she volunteered with the Center for Social Help “Vertical” in Arkhangelsk, where she worked with prisoners in a youth prison, children from orphan houses, and the center for teenage drug abusers; she also wrote press releases, articles about the activities of the organization, and conducted research for the project “Analysis of the Situation of Homeless in Russia.”

Ruslana Ozerova, Tver
Host Organization: Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives for the US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
Ruslana Ozerova is a project manager at “Your Choice,” an NGO in Tver that is dedicated to HIV/AIDS prevention. A sociologist by training, Ozerova provides sociological support to the organization, including designing and maintaining databases and analyzing and designing questionnaires and surveys. She also coordinates the HIV/AIDS prevention projects for the organization and manages volunteers. Ozerova graduated from Saratov State University in 2000 with degrees in psychology and sociology, after which she volunteered at a number of organizations, including the Youth Committee of the Administration of Tver region, a governmental organization. In 2003-2004, Ozerova volunteered for a joint project between a local NGO “AIDSinfoshare” and the Institute of Health Policy Studies at the University of California in San Francisco. Using her background in sociology, she collected and analyzed data for this project from youth and other at risk groups in the area.

Maria Pomogaeva, Volgograd
Host Organization: Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center, San Francisco, CA
Maria Pomogaeva has been working with the all-Russian organization “The Russian Union of Youth” since 2001. She first began working at the organization as a volunteer and in January 2005 was promoted to trainer and coordinator of a program “Volunteer Corps of Health.” Her responsibilities include developing and promoting activities for volunteers in the field of HIV/AIDS, arranging summer camps for volunteers and youth, and developing short-term courses and seminars on HIV/AIDS and volunteering. From 2003 until 2005, Pomogaeva also volunteered on developing and leading trainings for volunteers on HIV/AIDS prevention in the cities of Volgograd, Samara, and Anapa. In 2003, she volunteered with the regional public organization “Fresh Wind” and arranged a festival of volunteers of the anti-drug programs. Educated as an English teacher, she is also currently teaching English at the Volgograd State University.

Marina Pryanichnikova, Moscow
Host Organization: The Osborne Association, Brooklyn, NY
Marina Pryanichnikova has been an assistant to the head of the Department of Prison Projects at the Moscow-based international NGO “AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW)” since 2002. She also works as a reporter for the newspaper “Dancing Klondike,” publishing house “One of the Best,” and web site www.dancemaze.ru. Previously, Pryanichnikova worked as marketing and advertising manager at the company “FinSovet” and a manager of Web Products Development Department of a Moscow-based company “E-Systems,” in addition to working as an office manager and a bookkeeper at a Joint Stock Company “YuSSA.” She received a graduate degree in Business Administration in 1998 from Moscow State Academy of Light Industry.

Marina Ryabkova, Yaroslavl
Host Organization: Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center, San Francisco, CA
Marina Ryabkova is currently working as a health educator and translator in the department of psychological and social counseling at the Yaroslavl Regional HIV-Prevention Center, where her main responsibilities include conducting baseline and follow-up health and risk assessment interviews, HIV/AIDS prevention education sessions, and training and preparing participants to serve as project recruiters. Since 2002, she has worked on a project “From Friend to Friend,” aimed as working with drug users in Yaroslavl. Before joining the Prevention Center in 2002, Ryabkova worked as a teacher of English at Yaroslavl Secondary Specialized School. She graduated in 2000 from Yaroslavl State Teacher Training University with a degree in foreign languages.

Dmitry Sigalov, St.-Petersburg
Host Organization: Utah AIDS Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT
Dmitry Sigalov has been working as a social worker and psychologist since October 2003 at St. Petersburg non-governmental organization “Stellit,” where his responsibilities include outreach work, providing psychological consultations, and negotiating contracts with medical institutions. He also develops questionnaires for psychological and social research. Prior to his work at “Stellit” he worked at the Drug Rehabilitation Center and provided psychological consultations and support to the clients, as well as arranged leisure and cultural activities for youth. Sigalov received a degree in psychology from St. Petersburg State University in 2004, and is currently pursuing graduate degree in this field.

Tatiana Tangisheva, St. Petersburg
Host Organization: San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, CA
Tatiana Tangisheva has been working as a psychologist at the AIDS Center in St. Petersburg since April 2004, were her main responsibility is providing individual and family counseling. Tangisheva is a trained psychologist, with a degree in psychology from St. Petersburg State University, in addition to a certificate in clinical psychology from the Medical Academy of Continuing Education in St. Petersburg. She began working in the field of HIV/AIDS in November 2003, when she joined a program “Professional Orientation, Education, and Help in Socializing HIV-Infected Drug Users.” Her main responsibilities within this program included motivating patients for treatment, patient rehabilitation, crisis consulting, pre- and post-test consultations, and working with relatives. Throughout her professional and volunteer career, she gained extensive experience in working with hotlines as a psychological consultant.

Alexey Trevogin, Cherepovets
Host Organization: Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center, San Francisco, CA
Since 2002 Alexey Trevogin has worked as the director of public relations for NGO “Center of Psychological Technologies” in Cherepovets, Russia. In this position his responsibilities include coordination of public awareness campaigns and events on HIV/AIDS prevention, recruitment and management of volunteers, and implementation of the USAID funded project “Protect Yourself,” aimed at HIV/AIDS prevention among the marginalized populations of Russian society. Trevogin’s work has contributed to the increase of public awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region.

Elena Trotsyuk, Tver
Host Organization: Interfaith AIDS Ministry of Greater Connecticut, Danbury, CT
Elena Trotsyuk currently works at the Tver-based NGO “Your Choice.” She has been with this organization since 2002 and has been serving as a program coordinator of educational programs for youth. Her responsibilities in this position include developing and delivering trainings for volunteers on HIV/AIDS related issues, organizing seminars and activities on HIV/AIDS prevention for youth, providing psychological consultations on HIV/AIDS issues, and working on a hotline. Trotsyuk graduated from Tver State University with a degree in psychology in 1998. Immediately after graduation, she began working as a psychologist at the Psychological Diagnosis Clinic of Tver Regional Department, where she evaluated psychological characteristics of individuals and their professional compliance and provided psychological help and counseling for policemen in stressful situations.

Anna Vinogradova, St. Petersburg
Host Organization: Family Health International, Arlington, VA
Anna Vinogradova is currently working as a dentist at the Medical Academy of St. Petersburg and is volunteering with a local NGO “AIDS.Statistics.Health,” where she serves on the editorial board of the organization’s journal and represents the organization at meetings with other NGOs working in the field of HIV/AIDS. She also volunteers at the Swedish-Russian HIV/AIDS joint venture “SIDS St. Petersburg AIDS Center,” where she counsels pregnant women who are HIV positive and also provides them with dental services. From 1999 until 2001, Vinogradova worked as a nurse at the Center for AIDS and Infectious Diseases in St. Petersburg, while pursuing degree in dentistry. After receiving her degree from Pavlov Medical University in St. Petersburg, she participated in a two-months internship at the Manchester University Dental Hospital in Manchester, England and then in a year-long internship at the Medical Academy of Postgraduate Studies in St. Petersburg. Vinogradova has extensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia and has produced a number of publications in this field, as well as publications on the field of dentistry.

Yulia Vorokhova, St. Petersburg
Host Organization: Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, Tucson, AZ
Yulia Vorokhova is currently a recreation activity coordinator and PR manager at St. Petersburg non-governmental organization “Doctors to Children of the World.” Her main responsibilities at this organization include promoting the organization and its programs, creating advertisement programs, and preparing educational materials for teens about health issues, particularly the prevention of HIV/AIDS and STDs. Prior to this, Vorokhina worked at a number of St. Petersburg NGOs, including the Red Cross and the Humanitarian Action Foundation, where she was involved in developing and implementing HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns for street children. From 1998 until 2000 she worked as a social worker with the St. Petersburg branch of “Medicines du Monde.” Vorokhova holds a degree in Social Technologies from the Academy of Service and Economics in St. Petersburg.

Tatiana Zavarzina, Izhevsk
Host Organization: Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center, San Francisco, CA
Tatiana Zavarzina has worked as a doctor in the laboratory of AIDS and Hepatitis at the Udmurt Republic’s Hemotransfusion Station in Izhevsk since 2000. Zavarzina has an extensive medical experience and is very informed about the medical aspect of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. She uses her knowledge to give lectures to other health professionals on the issues related to HIV/AIDS. In addition to her medical degree from Izhevsk State Medical Academy, she holds a BA in English. She also studied Internet technology in India for two months. In 2001, she also received a certificate in AIDS and Opportunistic Infections from the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education.

Russian Volunteers: Historic and Cultural Preservation (HCP) Program

Anna Belyaeva, Kurovskoe
Host Organization: Preservation Dallas, Dallas, TX
Anna Belyaeva is currently a postgraduate student at the Moscow State Regional University, where she studies physical training and rehabilitation. Her experience in cultural and historic preservation includes founding a non-governmental organization “Villa,” the purpose of which is to preserve the culture and history of Starovo, a small village in the Orehovo-Zuevsky region of Russia. In addition, the organization seeks to preserve the dialects, customs, and traditions of other small villages in Russia. In the capacity of this work, Belyaeva interviews residents of small villages and gathers the data for her current book on the preservation of local cultures and dialects.

Olga Laskina, St. Petersburg
Host Organization: Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (AHPP), Little Rock, AR
Olga Laskina currently works as a coordinator of international youth programs at a St. Petersburg organization “Mir Tesen,” where she coordinates international youth volunteer projects. After receiving degree in history from Lobachevsky State University in Nizhny Novgorod in 2003, she worked at St. Petersburg University of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Laskina, has extensive experience volunteering in the field of cultural and historic preservation, including working on restoration of sites damaged or destroyed during World War II, participating in an archaeological expedition, and assisting in the reconstruction and commemorating celebration of the Borodino battle site. In her current position as a program coordinator at “Mir Tesen,” she has also initiated volunteer projects in cultural and historic preservation for Russian youth.

Dmitry Munkozhapov, Ulan-Ude
Host Organization: The Jekyll Island Museum, Jekyll Island, GA
Dmitry Munkozhapov is a leading specialist at the Ministry of Culture and Mass Communication of the Republic of Buryatia, where he works in the department of analysis, financing, and regional communication. The department’s main responsibilities are monitoring libraries and museums, interregional and international communication, production of analytical reports, and creation and implementation of new programs in the Republic of Buryatia. Munkozhapov received a degree in history from Byryat State University in Ulan-Ude in 2004. During his academic career, he participated in and led a number of archaeological expeditions and assisted with restoration of archaeological monuments in the republic of Buryatia. In addition, he was involved in charitable rock concerts intended to raise funds for the preservation of Lake Baikal and the surrounding area.

Ariuna Radnayeva, Ulan-Ude
Host Organization: Preservation Dallas, Dallas, TX
Ariuna Radnayeva is an instructor of English and German languages at East Siberian State Technological University. Prior to this, she served as a guide and interpreter at the “Russian World” organization in Ulan Ude. Radnayeva received a degree in foreign languages from Buryat State University in 2004, and is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration from Buryat branch of Tomsk State University. Her volunteer experience includes projects in ecological, cultural, and historic preservation. In March 2005, she designed the ecological project “Baikal’s Heritage” for the Siberian Center of Eurasian Projects and in August 2004, she volunteered for the ethnic festival “Lake People” organized by the Ministry of Culture.

Igor Semenov, St. Petersburg
Host Organization: Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (AHPP), Little Rock, AR
Igor Semenov is an assistant professor at the department of history at the St. Petersburg State University, where he began working after graduating from this university with a degree in ethnology and anthropology in April 2004. From January until July 2004, he was involved in monitoring the ethno-cultural situation in the Sebezh district in Pskov region, including conducting research on local culture, social institutions, and ethnic identity, in an attempt to assess the prospect of developing an ethno-ecologic park in the area. In 2004, he also served on the organizing committee of the “Field Ethnographic Research” Conference, which brought together field experts from various NIS countries. Semenov is currently working on the project aimed at preservation of the Kimzha village in the Arkhangelsk region.

Marina Shcherbakova, Vladivostok
Host Organization: The Jekyll Island Museum, Jekyll Island, GA
Marina Shcherbakova is a senior curator at the International Exhibition Center of Arseniev Primorsky State United Museum, where she has worked since March 2003. In this capacity, she prepares and conducts educational and international programs aimed at educating the general population and visitors about the culture and history of Vladivostok. She also has been involved in a number of projects illustrating the history and culture of China, Korea, Japan, and the United States at the museum. Shcherbakova received a degree in linguistics and intercultural communication from Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service, in additional to a degree in management from the Far East Professional Training Institute.

Denis Tormosov, Kargopol
Host Organization: Preservation Dallas, Dallas, TX
Denis Tormosov works at the Kargopol State Museum of History, Architecture and Arts in Kargopol, where he is involved in the project aimed at reconstructing and restoring architectural monuments and cultural landscapes in Kargopol and Kargopol region. Tormosov received a degree in architecture from Moscow State University of Land Use in 1995. His professional and academic experience in preservation of cultural and historic landmarks has been enhanced by his volunteer work in this field. He has volunteered for projects aimed to preserve cultural and historic sites and landscapes of the Kenozero National Park and projects dedicated to future development of Kargopol and the surrounding area.

American Volunteers: HIV/AIDS Prevention and Awareness Program

Tiffany Burd, Houston, TX
Host Organization: HIV/AIDS Center at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia
Tiffany Burd is an assistant for community affairs development at Latin American Broadcasting, Inc. In summer 2002, she first volunteered overseas, traveling to Bucharest, Romania to provide educational and HIV/AIDS awareness activities for children at a group home and out-service center. Burd serves on the board of Cherish Our Children International, and, in spring 2004, she visited Belgrade, Serbia and three Romanian cities to assess the organization’s HIV/AIDS programs for youth. Burd graduated from Baylor University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Medicine Psychology.

Megan Buskey, Westlake, OH
Host Organization: Regional Public Organization Siberian Initiative, Barnaul, Altaiski Krai
Megan Buskey spent 2005 as a Fulbright Research Fellow in Kyiv, studying the region’s recent political history while volunteering to provide services to youth infected with HIV and organizing a lecture series to educate the public about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Ukraine. She has previously volunteered as a literacy tutor for adult learners in Chicago and has worked as an editor for several publications. She plans to pursue further graduate study focusing on the problems in post-communist Europe, especially the spread of HIV/AIDS. Buskey completed her B.A. in English literature at the University of Chicago in 2004 and holds a certificate in Advanced Ukrainian from Ivan Franko University of L’viv.

Kathryn Daley, Arlington, VA
Host Organization: HELG Foundation, Ulianovsk, Russia
Kathryn Daley is completing her M.A. in International Affairs from American University. As an undergraduate at Denison University, Daley organized community outreach, service and fundraising events for Delta Gamma Fraternity. Daley gained international experience by living in France for six months, where she volunteered at the U.S. Embassy and participated in language exchanges. After college, she served as a community outreach volunteer for the Polaris Project in Washington, DC, educating college students and community groups about human trafficking and ways to prevent the practice.

Annalise Erkkinen, Providence, RI
Host Organization: PSI International, Samara, Russia
Annalise Erkinnen worked in Kyiv as an elementary school teacher for the British-American School. She has been active in community service since high school, when she helped found Youth in Action, a non-profit organization that mobilizes teenage students to facilitate HIV/AIDS awareness programs for their peers. In summer 2003, Erkkinen expanded her development work internationally by interning for the Russian Orphan Opportunity Fund in Moscow after spending a semester at Yaroslav State University. Erkikinen earned her undergraduate degree in Russian and European studies from Middleberry College in January 2005.

Emily Feder, New York, NY
Host Organization: Regional Public Organization Siberian Initiative, Barnaul, Altaiski Krai
Emily Feder works for the International Rescue Committee Refugee Resettlement Office in New York City as a Community and Resource Development Manager. In addition to her community outreach responsibilities, she supervises 200 volunteers to teach health and English literacy and to help HIV positive refugees adjust to life in America. The USRVI exchange offered Feder an opportunity to return to the roots of her community service career; in high school, her first major volunteer project was to work for a summer in Russian and Swedish orphanages. Feder continued her international service work in 2003 when she moved to Zagreb, Croatia for seven months to work with non-profit groups that advocated for refugees, women and children. She has worked for several publications and would like to become a journalist. She received her B.A. in English from Macalaster College in St. Paul, MN in 2002.

Tracey Frasch, San Francisco, CA
Host Organization: Medical Association of Chapaevsk, Chapaevsk, Russia
Tracey Frasch has demonstrated her commitment to helping those with HIV/AIDS since college, when she volunteered with ActionAIDS to provide direct services for an infected person and served on the AIDS Task Force of Philadelphia Community Health Alternatives, finding at-risk community members and educating them about HIV/AIDS prevention. After graduating in 1998, she worked as a case manager for welfare recipients living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, she brought her expertise to Turkmenistan, where she educated doctors, nurses and women about health issues, especially STDs and HIV/AIDS. Currently, Frasch is the Operations Coordinator for AYUSA international, where she assists international and American exchange students. Frasch holds a B.A. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Lucy Hartmeister, Charlotte, NC
Host Organization: HIV/AIDS Center at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia
Lucy Hartmeister has recently completed an M.A. program in Communications from the University of North Carolina. She has been actively utilizing media to educate the public about HIV/AIDS since she was a teenager, when she co-wrote a drama encouraging safe sex. She has since volunteered as an outreach prevention educator for Urban Ministries and worked pro bono to design brochures and educational videos promoting HIV awareness. Hartmeister worked as a trainer from 1997 until 2002, integrating presentations with multimedia. Her career goal is to use the power of media to communicate health information to a broad audience. Hartmeister received a B.A. in Communication from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 1997.

Amy Holdaway, Rockville, MD
Host Organization: Medical Assosiation of Chapaevsk, Chapaevsk, Russia
Amy Holdaway is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Public Health from George Washington University. She has previously lived in Russia; taking time from her undergraduate work at Brigham Young University, she spent 18 months as a volunteer service missionary in Ekaterinburg. There, she ran public health projects, including the launch of an anti-drug themed puppet show for at-risk children. Upon her return to Utah, she served as a Research Assistant at Brigham Young University, studying the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Holdaway synthesized her practical international volunteer experience with her academic studies of the epidemic when she assisted Latter Day Saints Charities in the production of an HIV/AIDS awareness program for West Africa. She received her B.A. in International Development in 2003.

Peter Iversen, Appleton, WI
Host Organization: Regional Public Organization Siberian Initiative, Barnaul, Altaiski Krai
Peter Iversen’s academic interest in Eurasia was fueled by an exchange semester at Russia’s Kurgan State University in winter 2002. He has recently earned a Bachelors of Arts in Russian Studies and Government from Lawrence University, completing a culminating research paper on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Russian Federation. As an undergraduate, he interned at a sexual assault crisis center, a community service center, and the Boys and Girls Club. An active volunteer, Iversen used his position as president of his fraternity to organize a campus-wide lecture on HIV/AIDS awareness and to raise money for a local AIDS Resource Center.

Bonnie Keith, Hopewell, VA
Host Organization: PSI International, St. Petersburg, Russia
Bonnie Kieth completed her Masters in Public Health at the University of North Carolina in 2005. As she builds her career in international reproductive health, she has undertaken numerous volunteer and professional activities in community service and HIV/AIDS prevention. Kieth worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer from 2001 to 2003 and spent her last year with the organization serving as a testing and counseling health educator for the National AIDS Fund. While a graduate student, she interned in Thailand for the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women. Kieth graduated from James Madison University in 2000 with a double major in Geography and International Affairs.

Katherine Klein, Sparta, MI
Host Organization: The Union of Youth Window to the Future, Glazov, Republic of Udmurtia
Katherine Klien is a Spanish language and special education teacher. She plans on incorporating her experiences as a USRVI volunteer into her lessons, bringing home to her students both the vibrancy of Russian culture and the threat posed by HIV/AIDS around the world. Outside of the classroom, Klein is an active volunteer who has focused her efforts on HIV/AIDS awareness programs. Her volunteer work has previously taken her to the Dominican Republic and Ghana, where she helped staff an orphanage and taught Spanish, respectively. Klein graduated from Central Michigan University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Education.

Tamara Kowalski, Oakland, CA
Host Organization: The Union of Youth Window to the Future, Glazov, Republic of Udmurtia
Tamara Kowalski currently oversees projects in Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine as a Program Manager at the Center for Safe Energy. She first visited Russia to study at the State University of Novosibirsk in summer 1995 and has since focused her career on civil society development in the former Soviet Union. In 1997, she began taking courses towards a graduate degree focusing on Russia and the Former Soviet Union at the University of London. During her time at the university, she spent five months working for the Moscow Times. After completing her Masters work, Kowalski worked for the Institute for Social Action and Renewal in Eurasia (ISAR), an NGO which promotes safe environmental practices in the former Soviet Union. She currently volunteers as a translator for Biointensive for Russia, an organization working on mini-farming initiatives.

Jeremy Latta, Santa Cruz, CA
Host Organization: “There’s An Opinion” Research Center, Chelyabinsk, Russia
Jeremy Latta is a Program Representative for the English Language and International Programs Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has previously worked for the Sonomo County Family YMCA as Assistant Director of their childcare program and served as Site Director for the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department at Natural Bridges Elementary School. Latta volunteers at a women’s center as a group facilitator for boys who have been affected by domestic violence. Latta received a B.A. in Philosophy and Education in June, 2001.

Meghan MacKrell, Little Rock, AK
Host Organization: Stop SPID Sever (“Stop Aids in the North”), Vologda, Russia
In 2005 Meghan MacKrell earned an M.A. in Central Eurasian Studies from Indiana University, where she previously completed a Masters of Information Science. She currently serves as the Webmaster of the Kinsey Institute, which promotes interdisciplinary research and scholarship in reproductive health and behavior. MacKrell was able to synthesize her technical skills and cultural interest in Eurasia by working as a Librarian at Baku State University for the academic year beginning August 2003. While in Azerbaijan, she volunteered as a Library Consultant for the U.S. Embassy and served as an election monitor for OSCE. MacKrell earned a B.A. in Scandinavian Languages and Literature from the University of Washington.

William Nash, Ann Arbor, MI
Host Organization: “There’s An Opinion” Research Center, Chelyabinsk, Russia
William Nash is an Academic Services Assistant at the University of Michigan International Center. In addition to his efforts for international students at the university, he volunteers for Jewish Family Services as an English teacher for Russian-speaking immigrants. Nash first gained an interest in Eurasia and education while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lugansk, Ukraine. There, he taught English at the Aquamarine Educational Corporation and designed HIV/AIDS awareness camps. In 2001, Nash earned a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan.

Aaron Norman, New Brighton, MN
Host Organization: PSI International, Samara, Russia
Aaron Norman is a Masters of Public Health Candidate at the University of Minnesota. He concurrently works on the Newborn and Child Screening staff for the Minnesota Department of Health. He previously worked as a nursing assistant at Bethany Good Samaritan and a Laboratory and X-Ray assistant at Brainer Medical Center. In 2004, Norman first volunteered outside the United States when he ran three English emersion camps in Poland over the summer. Norman received a B.S. in Biology from Northwestern College in 2002.

Yiming Roberts, Alexandria, VA
Host Organization: HELG Foundation, Ulyanovsk, Russia
Yiming Roberts is a consultant for TheCapitol.Net, a legislative and communications training company. She previously served as an English teacher in Taipei, Taiwan. Roberts is an outreach volunteer for the Whitman Walker Clinic’s man2man program, which provides safe sex education, HIV/AIDS prevention activities, and support groups for the gay community of Washington, DC. In summer 1997, she participated in an international service program in Costa Rica, leading a two-month community sanitation and dental hygiene project in the town of Ostional. Roberts graduated from the College of Wooster in 2003 with a degree in International Relations and a minor in Chinese.

Erin Spencer, New Orleans, LA
Host Organization: HIV/AIDS Center at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia
Erin Spencer is a graduate student at Tulane University School of Public Health. In addition to her primary studies, she is a research assistant for the Rwanda Child-Headed Household Project. Spencer got her first opportunity to interact with Russian culture in high school, when her parents hosted several Eurasian exchange students. Since 1998, she has participated in and led annual volunteer trips at Moscow-area orphanages. Spencer has also spent several summers volunteering full-time for the Adoption Health Services unit at a children’s hospital in Ohio. Her volunteer experience reflects a professional focus on orphans and vulnerable children. Spencer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2003.

Rebecca Sullivan, York, PA
Host Organization: Stop SPID Sever (“Stop Aids in the North”), Vologda, Russia
In May, Rebecca Sullivan graduated from Reed College with a degree in Russian Literature. She has been active in public health since high school, when she served as a peer educator for the York, Pennsylvania HIV Outreach Prevention and Education (HOPE) initiative. She has studied in Russia, at Smolny College in St. Petersburg, and was an active participant in the Reed College Russian Language House. During her final year in college, Sullivan volunteered for Russian Oregon Social Services as an in-home English tutor for a recent immigrant.

Heather Whitehead, Washington, DC
Host Organization: HELG Foundation, Ulyanovsk, Russia
Heather Whitehead recently completed her Masters degree at John Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies, concentrating on International Development and Russian & Eurasian Studies. Before attending graduate school, she worked as a consultant for Accenture. While pursuing her graduate degree, Whitehead has worked with IREX as a trainer in the Tashkent, Uzbekistan field office and as an intern in the Washington, DC, home office. Whitehead is an active volunteer and has served as a member of the Hopkins Emergency Response Unit, in which she lead public health seminars and provided emergency medical services. Whitehead earned a B.A. in International Relations and Spanish from John Hopkins University in 2001.

Carissa Williams, Kula, HI
Host Organization: PSI International, St. Petersburg, Russia
Carissa Williams is a case manager for adults recovering from serious mental illness at Mental Health Kokua. She previously worked as a marketing coordinator and manager of Joan Rivers Worldwide, a New York–based jewelry business. Williams volunteered for AIDS Action Collective while in college, organizing students and leading outreach efforts. She has also served as a facilitator of women’s groups at The Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES) and a GED tutor at the Neutral Zone, a safe haven for at-risk youth. Williams earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science with a Public Health concentration at Hampshire College in 1999.

American Volunteers: Historic and Cultural Preservation (HCP) Program

Dillon Case, Bainbridge Island, WA
Host Organization: Yaroslavl Regional Public Organization of the Russian Union of Youth, Yaroslavl, Russia
Dillon Case graduated from the University of Washington this June with a B.A. in Political Science. At the university, he volunteered to be a facilitator for the DIALOGUE Project, a student-led initiative to encourage international understanding in the university community and the city of Seattle. He also served as an Assistant Program Officer for the World Affairs Council, providing logistical support and data analysis for their international visitors program. He has sought to encounter and learn from a diverse array of cultures through his work and studies in Peru, West Africa, Scandinavia and the Czech Republic.

Douglas Dyer, Washington, DC
Host Organization: Kazan Institute of Archeology, Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan
Douglas Dyer recently completed a nonproliferation graduate fellowship at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he supported Department of Energy programs to update sensitive Russian nuclear sites. He has been an active promoter of service and community development since he interned for youth groups at the American Friends Service Committee and the Seattle Young People’s Project. He has since earned a Masters Degree in Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies at the University of Washington, where he edited the Treadgold Papers, an academic journal focusing on urgent political, cultural and security issues in the region.

Kristine Kohlmeier, Omaha, NE
Host Organization: Kazan Institute of Archeology, Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan
Kristine Kohlmeier came to USRVI shortly after the conclusion of her tenure as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan. She first became involved in international service when she helped her university host Japanese students on month-long cultural exchanges. She also volunteered to assist Afghan teachers studying the US education system and served as an English tutor for international students. Kohlmeier was excited to use her background in education as an English teacher in rural Uzbekistan. While there, she broadened her interests, as she became an active volunteer with a nearby mountain nature reserve. Kohlmeier increased their public education capacity, designing a web site for the park and arranging for an American scholar to visit while helping the staff create a visitor center and museum attractive to both local families and eco-tourists. In 2003, she graduated from University of Nebraska – Omaha with a degree in International Relations.

Alexander Pasternack, New York, NY
Host Organization: Ecological Union Laboratory for Active Tourism, Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia
Alexander Pasternack is an Associate Editor for Let’s Go Publications’ Eastern European travel guide. Although his studies focused on history and literature, he spent much of his free time at his university promoting environmental conservation and leading grassroots campaign to promote ecological awareness. Pasternack’s undergraduate volunteerism built on his previous volunteer efforts at food banks, the Ronald McDonald house for critically ill children, and the YMCA. He earned a B.A. from Harvard University in May 2005.

Melissa Prager, Claremont, CA
Host Organization: Ecological Union Laboratory for Active Tourism, Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia
Melissa Prager has worked as a grassroots campaign organizer since January 2004. Although her recent experience has been primarily political, Prager’s passion for education stretches back to her adolescence, when she taught Sunday school for younger children at her synagogue. Since then she has continued to be an active community volunteer, while her collegiate study of Russian exposed her to the cultures of the former Soviet Union. She has since blended her interests by teaching English to Russian-speaking Israelis, working for a publishing house which produces Russian-language editions of Jewish texts, and teaching introductory Russian to community college students.

John Walkoe, Overland Park, KS
Host Organization: Ecological Union Laboratory for Active Tourism, Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia
John Walkoe is a self-employed Information Technology consultant who has completed numerous projects to digitally restore degraded photographs and data. His career has focused on technical skills, but he also gained an in-depth understanding of Russian culture and history by studying and living there for three years. During that time, he traveled throughout the country extensively, exploring regional differences in language use, town culture, and economic activity. Walkoe earned a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University in 1997.

Caroline Wisler, Boulder, CO
Host Organization: Yaroslavl Regional Public Organization of the Russian Union of Youth, Yaroslavl, Russia
Caroline Wisler currently pursues her Masters degree in Landscape Archaeology at the University of Bristol. She has sought to live and learn abroad since high school, when she participated in an environmental education program in the Bahamas. During her undergraduate studies at Hamilton College, she was able to live and travel in Europe, studying archaeology, folklore and philosophy. Her main academic interests are archaeology and culture, but she has also been an active volunteer for a variety of projects, including working on an ESL education project for Serbian women in New York and organizing college students to perform community service during their Spring Breaks.

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