Our Board

Brenda was a Health and Rural Development PCV in Sierra Leone, West Africa from 1986-88. She joined the PPCA not too long after I returned home, perhaps in 1990 or so—gosh! that’s 35 years +/- !! The organization has had its ups and downs in the past and over the decades, but has been (and is) thriving like no other group in the Pacific NW for years. Over the years, Brenda been the group’s president, the group’s secretary, and the group’s fundraising coordinator. She is also the summer camp-out organizer.

Calvin served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay from 2014 to 2016 as an agriculture volunteer, where he formed a committee that organized a community-wide development project to build improved cook stoves.

He moved to Oregon in 2017 with his Paraguayan dog ‘Jagua’ and has been working with nonprofits and local governments in the field of community economic development.

Calvin enjoys gardening, whitewater paddling, live music and traveling. He is excited to support the PPCA’s fundraising efforts especially towards the grants and refugee support programs.

Phyllis Shelton is an accountant specializing in nonprofits and churches.  She has been the Treasurer of PPCA for a few years now and is always looking to share her knowledge with others.  Fresh out of college with a business degree, Phyllis served as a small business sector volunteer in Honduras from 1986-1988, coaching women on creating income by making chocolate products out of locally grown cacao. She has been living in Portland since 1992.  Fun fact, Phyllis met her husband Tom DeMeo (also a PPCA board member) at the 2009 PPCA family campout  – when the first thing she did was collect money from him for overflow parking.

Brian served in Cameroon 2013-2015 as a Community Economic Development volunteer. After Peace Corps, Brian worked for a few startups in NYC and then moved to Salem to get his MBA at Willamette University. Brian has lived in Portland since 2021, now works as a Bank Examiner, and enjoys dog sitting for Tom and Phyllis in his spare time. Brian joined the PPCA board in 2023.

Bill Stein served as an agroforestry volunteer in Lawai Kaoura Alassane, Niger 1990-1993. Originally from South Carolina, he attended graduate school at Georgia Tech following his Peace Corps service. Since 1996 he has worked as a transportation modeler at Metro in Portland. Bill has had many leadership roles in Peace Corps organizations, from organizing the t-shirt order at the 1994 Atlanta Peace Corps conference to co-founding the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience to serving as PPCA’s President 2009-2012. Bill presently spends his weekends climbing, hiking, or nordic skiing, and he leads hikes and climbs for Mazamas. But mostly on weekdays, he’s led PPCA’s Book Club since 2010 and PPCA’s Grant Program since 2022.

Dylan Hinson served as an English teacher in Namibia Omufitu Wanauyala, Omusati, Namibia in 2016-2018. Now, he is the coleader of the Portland Chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and advocates for climate policy with the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers for Environmental Action. By day, Dylan helps scientists understand what it means when they hit a cell with lasers.

Gabriella Maertens is a native Oregonian. She served as a PE and English teacher in Niger from 1964 -66, married a Togolese and lived in Niger and Togo for 12 more years. Her three children were born in Niger. She returned to Oregon in 1978 and taught ESL at Madison High School until she retired in 1999 after 35 years as a teacher. Since retirement she has volunteered as an ESL teacher overseas and in the Portland area. She is the coordinator of the Salon Francophone group which currently meets on zoom on the second Monday of each month from 6:30 to 8:00.

Maranee ‘Mimi” Sanders served in Gaziantep, Turkey 1963-65 as a home economist teaching in villages,”Demonstrating making baby food in 4-H like classes for girls 10-teens”, and in a Girls Home Ec. High School.  She returned to U. of Utah to get an M.A. in Dance & Minor in Turkish.  She Taught at PSU, and as an artist in the schools teaching Mask Making inspired by legends around the world, and networking with International dancers in Portland,  presenting them in a series of concertsto get them started in our community.  She chairs our PC Writers group, where returnees can write about their peace corps experience in memoir, prose or poetry or any form.

Kevin Lenihan – RPCV Ghana 2010-13 – Originally from NC, I spent three years in Ghana working with beekeepers and serving as a PCVL. Along the way, I met my wife, Dawn (also a Ghana RPCV!), who inspired our move to her home state of Oregon. Now a proud Portland resident, I spend my time soaking up the PNW’s incredible nature, food, and music.