About ~ Current Officers 2008

President ~ Kathleen

Kathleen served in Jordan from 2000 to 2002, and lived in both Irbid and in Gharandal, Tafileh as a youth/community development volunteer. After returning for a brief stint in her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, she moved to DC in 2003 for a job in international development project management with Chemonics International, where she is today. She has managed a number of USAID projects in Egypt, Jordan, the West Bank, and Morocco, and now works in project monitoring and evaluation, work which has brought her back to Jordan more than once. She has enjoyed working with Friends of Jordan since its inception because it enables her to stay connected to the country and its RPCVs, to continue to support development in Jordan , and to help build an organization that will link RPCVs together for years to come.

Vice-President ~ David

David served as an environmental volunteer with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in Azraq, Jordan from 1998-200 (J-2). His work on water and wetlands conservation sparked his interest in water management, and since returning to the States he has worked as a hydraulic engineer, consultant and finished a PhD degree in water resources management. He currently works as an assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering at Utah State University. David came to Friends of Jordan with a keen interest to continue volunteer service related to Jordan, served as program coordinator for several years and is excited, as vice president, to help expand the web of members, better involve members in FOJ activities and support the other officers in their efforts. 

Treasurer ~ Rose   

Rose has been with Friends of Jordan since its incorporation in 2004 and is one of its founders. She was part of the second group in Jordan (1998 – 2000) and worked as an environmental volunteer, first in many of the nature preserves around the country (most notably Wadi Rum) and then in Amman with nonprofit development. Her experiences in Peace Corps influenced her decision to work more closely with people, and she is now working within the environmental policy development sector. Rose’s connection to Peace Corps and Jordan remain important aspects to her life, and she has been participating in the National Peace Corps Association as well as regional groups since her return. Missing a more direct connection to Jordan, she was integral in the inception of Friends of Jordan and has been actively involved in its development ever since. She feels a group like this has a lot to give to current Peace Corps Jordan Volunteers and other projects in Jordan and to realize the ever-important goal of bridging understanding between different cultures. 

Membership Coordinator ~ Rebecca

Program Coordinator ~ Reef

Reef was born in Jordan and has lived there till he was 7, at that time he moved with his family to Dubai. Reef moved to the United States when he was 18, and completed his undergrad in Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. After graduating, he worked for a couple of years and is now back in school completing an MBA at American University in Washington DC. Amongst other responsibilities, as Program Coordinator Reef handle's the Small Grant Applications. Reef joined Friends of Jordan because he believes in the extraordinary mutual benefit that both Jordanians and Americans would reap be working together to help improve Jordan.  

Newsletter Editor ~ Andrea

Andrea is a new addition to the Friends of Jordan and recently became a member in 2007. Andrea was a part of the third group of volunteers (J3) to serve in Jordan. She was based in the capital city, Amman, and served as a community development volunteer primarily working at the Al-Amal Cancer Center (now known as the King Hussein Cancer Center) involving herself with a variety of health projects. Since returning to the states, Andrea has earned a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education from the University of Minnesota and has been working with immigrants and refugees in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to develop public health education and prevention programs. Andrea maintains a close connection to Jordan through her husband and family, and wishes to re-establish a connection to Peace Corps Jordan through the Friends of Jordan.

Fundraising Coordinator ~ Naureen

Naureen served as part of the seventh group of volunteers (2004-2006) in the north of Jordan as a teacher in a girls' public high school. She also taught conversation classes in Yarmouk University and the Pioneers Center of Beni Kenana for gifted students. She is currently a student at Georgetown University pursuing a joint degree in Masters of Science in Foreign Service and Law.

Secretary ~ Jennifer 

While researching her options of becoming a Peace Corps volunteer, Jennifer came across an opportunity to work for PC in Jordan as a language and cultural facilitator. She ended up working with Peace Corps Jordan for two training sessions in 2004, with the first PCVs to re-enter the country. In 2006, Jennifer moved to the states and worked for a domestic violence shelter, and then moved to DC to work on a Hurricane Katrina project. Being Jordanian-American and having worked with PC, Jennifer found that getting involved with Friends of Jordan is a great opportunity to serve both worlds.

Webmaster ~ Josh

Josh served as a PCV Jordan in 2004 with the J7 group. He was a TEFL volunteer in the southern village of Al-Rajif, which served as an ideal launching pad for his 25 visits to Petra with friends and volunteers. Josh returned to Missouri after wrapping up his service and worked with the City of Independence Health Department as a Pandemic Flu Planner for a year and half, until he recently moved to DC. He is currently the communications director with Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and is taking Arabic lessons so someday he can actually read an Arabic newspaper. Josh loved his time in Jordan and is counting the days until he can return to visit family and friends. In the meantime, he is excited to be working with Friends of Jordan and keeping his connection strong.