SEAPAX

It’s time to cast your vote!

March 8, 2013 by Aileen

Elections for the 2013-2014 SEAPAX Board are now open. Members may vote any time from now until 5pm, Friday, March 29th. You may cast one ballot during the voting period, all subsequent ballots will be voided and not counted in the final tally. The new Board will take office on April 1st. Show your support for SEAPAX by participating in this election. Candidates biographies are available for review here.

When you are ready to vote, go to the Election Ballot and follow the instructions on the ballot for casting your vote.

To cast a ballot and for your vote to be counted, you must be a paid SEAPAX member. If you are not yet a SEAPAX member or need to renew your membership, sign up today and mail-in your membership form to us before the end of the election period (please send us an email that you are sending your membership form in the next 3 weeks).

If you have any questions about the ballot or how to vote, please email board@seapax.org

Thank you for your participation SEAPAX

2013-2014 Board Candidate Biographies

March 8, 2013 by Aileen

Thank you to everyone that nominated someone (or themselves)! We are looking forward to a fun and exciting year to come. Below are the Board Candidate biographies. Please refer to these biographies when voting.

President
Simone LaPray
Ukraine, 2006-2011

Simone LaPray has been nominated by the SEAPAX Board to serve as President for the upcoming year. For the past year, she has served as a At -Large Board Member and as Chair of the Grants Committee. Simone LaPray completed her PC service in Ukraine from 2006-2011. Though her primary assignment was TEFL, she had the opportunity to work on health, community development and youth programs. She hopes to sustain and build upon the amazing work of SEAPAX by helping to expand the SEAPAX membership base, foster the relationship with local NGOs/satellite RPCV groups (Bellingham and Olympia) and serve as a steward to the RPCV community.

Vice President
Lillian Baer
Cote d’Ivoire, 1966-1968

Lillian brings a wealth of experience with Peace Corps and non-profit management to SEAPAX. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cote d’Ivoire (1966-1968), worked at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC and later filled various staff positions for Peace Corps in Senegal, Gambia and Niger (1974-1979). She co-founded and ran Africa Consultants International/Baobab Center, a training and resource center in Dakar, Senegal from 1984-2006. Lillian looks forward to continuing her work with the growing RPCV network in the Seattle area and encouraging involvement from RPCVs of every background.

Treasurer
Carey Homan
Ukraine, 2008-2010

Not only would serving on the SEAPAX board provide me with the opportunity to become a more active member, but it would also give me the opportunity to give back to SEAPAX. I believe that I would be an excellent treasurer and I ask that you please consider me for the position. I have received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting and I am currently working as a CPA at a boutique accounting firm in Redmond. As treasurer, I could use my educational background and professional skills to benefit the organization.

Secretary
Dina Davis
Paraguay, 2009 -2011

Dina has the time and energy to support SEAPAX by functioning as the Board Secretary, a position in which she has served by appointment since October 2012.

Dina served in Paraguay working for a small town city hall in Municipal Services Development. She worked with city hall employees to improve their technical skills and created maps at all scales of the region, city and neighborhoods for the use of the mayor and the citizens. She also drew plans for various projects in the community and organized a summer camp for elementary students.

She is a licensed Landscape Architect with many years of experience in site planning and project development. She loves designing using AutoCAD software and is learning Adobe Illustrator and advanced Photoshop.

At Large Board Member
Joana Ramos
Brazil 1973-1975

Joana served in Rio de Janeiro as a nutrition educator . She has been involved in the leadership of a number of domestic and international community-based organizations, including the original Seattle RPCV group and the former Friends of Brasil. In recent years she has been active in SEAPAX in various roles, including as Chair of the 50th Peace Corps Anniversary Committee. Joana is an independent health policy consultant, and also a community organization specialist who assists nonprofit groups with program and management services. She is a founding member of the Washington State Coalition for Language Access and serves as a Board member and Chair of its Healthcare Committee. Joana looks forward to re-joining the SEAPAX Board to help continue its work with RPCVs and the greater community.

At Large Board Member
Shahida Shahrir
Morocco, 2005-2007

Serving as an At-Large member of the SEAPAX Board and Events Coordinator, I organized happy hours, a presidential debate viewing party, salsa night, and AIDS 5K run–raising $543 for the Life Long AIDS Alliance. In collaboration with One World Now!, an organization dedicated to creating the next generation of world leaders and fostering multi-cultural awareness, I am coordinating a series of RPCV-lead “third goal” presentations to high school juniors in the Seattle area. It has been an enriching to share my Peace Corps experience with RPCVs and the general public alike and to work towards expanding SEAPAX reach. I hope to continue this work the next year by being re-elected to the At-Large position.

My two years in Morocco serving as a Maternal and Child Health volunteer (2005-2007) were some of the most challenging, exhilarating and transformative of my life. The personal growth and camaraderie I discovered with my fellow volunteers was something I sought post-service, and have found amongst the members of the SEAPAX community. I hope to create more opportunities in which we can all build upon the energy, diversity and spirit of social responsibility already alive in the SEAPAX network and celebrate our shared experiences through our many social and service events.

At Large Board Member
Jaron Reed
Guatemala, 2010-2012

I grew up in Edmonds, and after earning a degree from Arizona State University, I completed my Peace Corps service in Guatemala. Next year, I hope to start a Masters of Public Health program at the University of Washington.

I am interested in being an At-large board member, and specifically taking on duties as the Service Events Chairperson. I’m very involved with Seattle service and community events; I am an employee and at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center with the Biobehavioral Health Disparities Lab, and Seattle Aquarium Volunteer.

Currently, I’m also involved with the University of Washington Department of Computer Science & Engineering to develop an on-line platform for Peace Corps to use in the field with infrastructure projects. We are in the process of getting more PCV/RPCV feedback for the project, and I think that this could be an exciting opportunity to engage Seattle-area RPCVs with a new phase in Peace Corps history – the Innovation Challenge.

Mostly, I think that engaging the RPCV community is one of the biggest areas of potential growth for Peace Corps as an organization. I’d like to help connect Seattle RPCVs to another stage of service – it will be fun!

2013 Board Nominations

February 11, 2013 by seapax

Call for Nominations for SEAPAX Board Elections!

Now is the time to nominate candidates–yourself included–for SEAPAX board positions. The requirements to be eligible to be on the board are a paid membership to SEAPAX, an active interest in SEAPAX and commitment to working as team to help the SEAPAX community thrive. All candidates and interested SEAPAX members are invited to contact current board members about the duties and responsibilities of specific positions and what it’s like to be on a board.

We’d love to have you consider yourselves for a position on the board this year. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to any current (or past) board member directly. In general, SEAPAX is a collaborative group, and this is not a competitive election process. Ideally, we’d like to be able to get a sense of who was interested in what positions and then match up names and roles accordingly, and then post it on the official ballot as discussed.

Board Nomination Guidelines

Nominations will be accepted until February 28.
All candidates must have their 2013 dues paid. To renew your membership click here for the membership form–please mail in your form and $15.00 check to the address indicated.
Submit nominations via email to board@seapax.org.

• Name
• Email address and phone number
• PC Country(ies) and Years of Service
• If you are nominating someone else, please include your name and contact info.
• Brief statement of interest: why you are interested, which particular board position you seek, and what background you would bring to the position and board
• An optional biography or resume can also be submitted

• President
• Vice President
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• At-large Board Members (3)
• Membership Coordinator

• Newsletter Editor
• Social Events Chairperson
• Service Events Chairperson
• Speaker’s Bureau Chairperson
• Grants Committee Chairperson
• Book Club Chairperson

Becoming an officer or committee chair is a commitment that can be both rewarding and fun. Candidates for all positions need to be able to devote a minimum of a few hours a month (more when working on special projects) for a 12-month period, April 2013 – March 2014.

The election period will begin Monday, March 4 via electronic ballots, and the election period will close Sunday, March 24, 2012, at 5pm. To cast a ballot, you must also be a paid SEAPAX member. If you are not yet a SEAPAX member or need to renew your membership, sign up today and mail-in your membership form. The board (and committee chairs) will be announced at the end of March and will take office on April 1, 2013.

If you have any questions, please contact us at board@seapax.org

SEAPAX is Seeking New Board Members

January 24, 2013 by seapax pres

Do you know someone who is interested in serving on the SEAPAX Board? If so, please come to our next Board Meeting, which will include a chance to “meet the candidates” and learn more about opportunities with SEAPAX on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 4 pm. If you are interested in running for a position on the board or simply want to learn more about what the board is up to, we hope to see you there!

Can’t make it to the meeting? Nominations will be accepted at board@seapax.org through early March (exact date TBD) and the term is from April 1, 2013 – March 30, 2014.

Sunday, Jan. 27
4 to 4:45 p.m.
Seattle Public Library – University Branch
5009 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105

Annual SEAPAX Holiday Party and Potluck on Saturday, Dec 15

December 10, 2012 by seapax pres

Get Your International Calendars Now

December 10, 2012 by seapax pres

Hi fellow SEAPAXers,

As you may know, each year SEAPAX sells International Calendars as a
fundraiser for our Grants Program that supports Washington-based PCV
projects in developing countries, as well SEAPAX member-sponsored projects here in our home community. The calendars include beautiful photos of people from around the world, international holiday information on each date, anecdotes, recipes, and more. The 2013 calendar features the following countries where Peace Corps volunteers have served: Nepal, Agentina, Gabon, Romania, Botswana, Pakistan, Mali, Indonesia, Ghana, Czech Republic, Peru, and China. The calendars are produced each year by the RPCVs of Wisconsin.

Calendars are only $10 each for RPCVs ($12 to general public), plus
shipping if ordered by mail. We often sell out by early Dec, so let me
know now if you’d like to order one (or several). Great gifts for the
holidays for family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues! Checks can be
made payable to SEAPAX. You can pay by check or cash if you are picking
them up in person, please pay by check if ordering by mail.

Thank you,

Jennifer (Samnick) Baugh
Togo ’02-’04
jensamnick (at) gmail (dot) com

SEAPAX Winter Events

November 16, 2012 by seapax pres

Please email pres@seapax.org with any questions or suggestions for upcoming events. We look forward to seeing you soon!