Staff
Dr. Britt Yamamoto, Executive Director
Britt has long found great
inspiration and support from people who engage life with a passion that
comes from unbridled curiosity, a sharp and critical intellect, and a
rich sense of humor. In this way, it could be said that he was drawn to
iLEAP in search of more friends. As someone who has worked in and
around the nonprofit sector for over a decade as a board member,
program manager, volunteer and director, and been entrenched in the
Academy for even longer, Britt has witnessed his share of terribly
important--but uninspired, ineffective and utterly
humorless--initiatives. For him, iLEAP is an opportunity to think
creatively about the relationship between personal growth and social change and to push ourselves to work in collaboration with one another and rigorously engage the challenges
of life while, at the same time, not take ourselves too seriously.
Possible? iLEAP wouldn't be iLEAP if he didn't believe it to be so.
Not to disregard
convention, Britt holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the University
of Michigan in English Literature, a Master of Science (M.S.) from the
University of California at Davis in Community Development, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
in Geography from the University of Washington where he specialized in
development studies, critical perspectives on service and civil
society, and the political ecology of food and agriculture. He is a Core Faculty member in
the Center
for Creative Change at Antioch University, Seattle and a Senior Program Advisor in the University of Washington Department of Global Health International Training and Education Center on HIV (I-TECH). He has extensive international experience in Asia and
Latin America, been a Fulbright Fellow to Japan, and the recipient of a
number of awards, including, being a Diversity Scholar of the Adult Higher Education Alliance, the University of Washington 's Excellence
in Teaching Award, and the highly prestigious and ultra competitive
'Nice Papa' award from a Japanese mothering magazine.
Kierstyn Hunter, Program Coordinator
Kierstyn took her first international trip when she
was six to what was then known as West Germany. This trip began a
stamp-fest in her passport and she has been hooked on travel ever
since. Growing up in a family that valued other countries and the
excitement of the globe's cultures, Kierstyn has taken a simple love of
travel and made it more than just a holiday hobby. She comes to iLEAP
with a passion for global education done globally. Having experienced
intensely personal education programs based on experiential learning,
she believes that there is more to learning than only classroom study
in one's own country.
Kierstyn holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Global Studies with a
concentration in Social Work from Friends World College, Long Island
University. While earning this degree she studied in London, England
and Heredia, Costa Rica. Upon finishing her studies, Kierstyn remained
in London to work in social work for a while. She returned to the
United States and has recently completed her Master's
(M.A.) degree from Antioch University, Seattle in Whole Systems
Design, focusing on cultural sustainability and global pluralism.
She also holds certificates in Teaching English as a Foreign
Language (TEFL), Integrated Skills for Sustainable Change, and Systems
Thinking and Design. Kierstyn and her boyfriend, Devin, currently live
in Seattle with their dog, the fine lady Stout.
Ram Raj Pokhrel, International Programs Advisor
Ram as been
working for more than 12 years with different communities of rural
Nepal. In addition to his duties with iLEAP, he is also the Project Manager and founding member of the
the Rural Youth Development Program SAHAMATI, a national level NGO
committed for equitable development. In 2003, Ram was awarded SAHAMATI's Personality
of the Year in recognition of his contribution to its institutional
development. Ram is a recent graduate of iLEAP's International Fellowship program and has remained in Seattle to advise and support iLEAP's
programs and operations, combining his skills and experience from
Nepal with his new understandings of American civil society and
grassroots development. He also holds a certificate in
Rural Leadership Development from the Asian Rural Institute in Japan.
Peter Zdrojewski, Program Associate
Peter grew up immersed in the colorful pages of National Geographic and Travel. In the process, he fostered an unbridled curiosity for what was beyond his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. After a trip to Fiji when he was 16, Peter quickly learned that international experience could be so much more than stories and photos. The experience becomes a complement, if not supplement, to the conventional learning found within the confines of a classroom.
Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Environmental Studies with a minor in Religious Studies from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. While pursuing his degree on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, Peter continued to learn the benefits of studying abroad while in the Caribbean, West Africa, and Micronesia. After school, he continued to follow his love of marine education and conservation as a scuba instructor and research assistant in the Caribbean, Madagascar, and Hawai'i. Peter currently lives in Seattle and is working toward his Masters degree (M.A.) from Antioch University Seattle in Environment and Community, focusing on sustainability and education through experiential learning.
Jenny Calhoun, Program Associate
email Jenny
Jenny’s fascination with
culture began at a very early age. She was born and raised in
Seattle, but her family took yearly trips to Mexico to visit her great-grandmother.
Little did she know at the time that those experiences would have such
a profound influence on her life and shape her future interests and
passions. As a result, in her early twenties she and her young
daughter moved to Mexico, where they lived for six years. Living
in Mexico opened her mind and heart to the value of diverse perspectives
and ways of engaging with others and the world.
Jenny holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Geography with a concentration in Urban, Social and Political Geography from the University of Washington. Her Geography studies helped her make better sense of her experiences in Mexico and understand the global context that influenced them. She is currently working toward her Master of Arts (M.A.) at Antioch University Seattle in Organizational Psychology, focusing on cross-cultural and community dialogues that promote equality, honor diverse perspectives, and generate shared meaning. She also holds a certificate in Integrated Skills for Sustainable Change.
Christi Berner, International Programs Intern
Christi Berner is a recent graduate from Pacific Lutheran University. Growing up in Idaho, this invaluable and progressive liberal arts education opened her eyes to new avenues to explore. In a course studying human rights and development in Namibia during 2006, her passion for the international field led her to seek a degree in Political Science. To gain a deeper understanding of the global community, she spent a semester with the School for International Training in South Africa. While there, she interned with a grass-roots activist organization for the rights and protection of refugee and asylum-seekers in Cape Town. With this foundation, her future goals involve making contacts locally in the Seattle area, pursuing fellowship and scholarship opportunities to continue her education, studying foreign languages, and begin to focus on specific ways to serve and connect with people to become an effective leader with a deep understanding of poverty and rights violations. Long-term goals involve facilitating dialogue among diverse cultures for increasing cultural understanding and working for the UN, either in the Development Program, or for the High Commissioner for Refugees.
Zora Penberg, International Programs Intern
email Zora 
Zora Penberg is excited to
join the iLEAP team. She has just moved to Seattle, and expects
to finish her undergraduate degree from the Evergreen State College
by the end of the year. Her focus has been on Community Studies and
Psychology. She has studied and lived abroad extensively. As a
two-year-old living in Guangzhou, she marched alongside university students
hoping to bring democratic reforms to China. Born in New York City,
she spent most of her childhood in Vancouver, Canada. Social justice
and peace have been important themes in her studies. She learned Spanish
and worked for Habitat for Humanity in Guatemala. In India, she
researched the political economy of the nation, learned classical Orissi
dance, and discovered its use as a tool for social change. Teaching
at La Cambalacha in Guatemala opened her eyes to how art educates and
empowers marginalized citizens by stimulating dialogue and strengthening
their community ties. She is excited to be bringing everything she’s
learned abroad back home with her work at iLEAP.
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