Officers & Board

President

Chris Elsner

Chris Elsner served as an Education Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-10. He was a Paul D. Coverdell Fellow at the University of Arizona from 2011-2013 while getting his Master of Public Administration degree. He's worked at UArizona off and on since then and currently coordinates the Peace Corps Prep Program on campus.
Chris met his wife Lexie - a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer - while serving in Ukraine and proposed to her at the Peace Corps fair on campus in 2014. They have two children: seven year old Elena and four year old Jack.
Chris is a former board member of Tucson Young Professionals and served as Vice President of the board from 2018-2020. He was a SARSEF board member from 2019-2020. Chris has been a member of the Desert Doves off and on since 2011. He enjoys meditation, yoga, listening to podcasts, computer games,Dungeons and Dragons, and reading.

Vice President

Lorel Donaghey

Lorel has lived and worked all over the world since serving as a small business development volunteer in PC1 Uzbekistan 92-95. She has served on RPVC boards in Austin and Tucson and worked in int’l development and refugee resettlement before retiring early.

Treasurer

Eric Dresser

Eric grew up in Oklahoma and studied Architectural Design and Architectural Engineering at Oklahoma State University. He started his career in Tulsa, Oklahoma and outside of work and school, Eric spent time volunteering at Reading Partners, ASTEK (architecture students teaching elementary kids), and various bridge competitions.
Those experiences led him to becoming an Education Volunteer in Guinea, West Africa from 2017-2019. He taught math to 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th grade classes at a middle school in the Dalaba prefecture of the mountainous central region of Mamou. Aside from his primary project, secondary projects largely included objectives aimed at malaria, girls’ empowerment, and literacy improvement.
Eric moved to Tucson in 2022 with his partner Rachael and their two dogs (Bailo and Annie Oakley). He has been working as a structural engineer at PK Associates, is an avid NBA Thunder and Liverpool F.C. fan, and has fallen hard and fast in love with southern Arizona.

Secretary

Susan Petrus

Susan served as a Community Agriculture volunteer working with coffee farmers in the Dominican Republic from 1992-94.
Her career after Peace Corps has been focused on architecture and commercial construction. As a registered Architect, Susan worked in San Francisco and Seattle before settling in Tucson in 1998. As co-owner of a commercial construction company for the past 24 years, Susan enjoyed managing projects for the City, County, school districts and many local non-profit agencies.
Susan enjoys volunteering at the Tucson Village Farm, gardening, hiking, bicycling and reading. She's mom to two wonderful young adult kids and married to Tom Kittle.

Social Committee Chair

Nick Bisley

Nick grew up in rural northern Wisconsin and obtained a bachelor’s degree in environmental conservation from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. He served in Peace Corps Zambia from 2010-2012, as a rural aquaculture extension agent. Most of the days were spent working with local farmers to develop earthen fishponds to produce tilapia and bream fish. Other activities included developing and presenting aquaculture training for Zambian prisoners, working with local orphanages to develop fishponds and gather resources, and participating in HIV/AIDS awareness events with community counterparts.
Upon completion of his Peace Corps service, Nick began working in the field of agronomy; specifically potato variety development. This led him into pursuing a career in remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He moved to Tucson in 2018 and became a Coverdell Fellow, at the University of Arizona, finishing the program in 2020 and obtaining a master’s degree in GIS Technology. In his free time Nick enjoys many activities such as golf, hiking, biking, making pottery, traveling, SCUBA diving, trying to keep outdoor plants alive, and grilling out in the back yard with his dog Sunny.

Communications Committee Chair

Brennen O'Donnel

Brennen is an RPCV who served in Mexico from 2016-2018 as an Environmental Education and Community Outreach Volunteer. He primarily worked with the Sustainable Schools program in the state of Queretaro to form organic gardens, environmental tech projects, and eco-clubs in schools. He also managed an English as a second language creative writing competition for students in Mexico called Write-On!
Brennen was a Coverdell Fellow at the U of A in 2018-2019 and received his Master’s in Public Administration. Brennen loves living in Tucson and enjoys spending time at Saguaro National Park East near to where he lives on the east side. In his free time, he loves going to trivia nights, movies, and sporting events. He also like to read and is active in the Tucson Book Spot Club.

Service Committee Chair

Vacant

Position Descriptions

President

- Hours of responsibility per month: 5-15
- Eligibility: RPCV; paid membership to the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Southern Arizona and the National Peace Corps Association
- Term: One-year term
- Responsibilities:
  - Organize and preside at officer meetings and general meetings;
  - oversee all activities of the organization including planning and publicity of Desert Doves meetings, service projects and event; prepare general meeting and officer meeting agendas;
  - support other Desert Doves officers and committee members as needed;
  - liaise between Desert Doves, University of Arizona Peace Corps Fellows, and the Tucson community;
  - PCPP selection committee - review and present projects for vote by the general membership;
  - Check and respond to messages within the group email account;
  - Serve as the organization’s official representation with the National Peace Corps Association;
  - Prepare annual activity report for the National Peace Corps Association;
  - Signer on account at the Vantage West Credit Union.
- Recommended skills / experience:
  - Prior nonprofit board experience, ideally in an executive role;
  - Prior leadership experience;
  - Familiarity with event and volunteer management;
  - Familiarity or experience with nonprofit management;
  - Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Vice President

- Hours of responsibility per month: 2-15
- Eligibility: RPCV; paid membership to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Southern Arizona
- Term: One-year term
- Responsibilities:
  - Attend and participate in all officer and general meetings;
  - Plan logistics for and coordinate volunteers for the 4th Avenue Merchants Association Street Fair fundraise;
  - Coordinate other fund raising activities to benefit PCPP and other charitable giving;
  - PCPP selection committee - review and present projects for vote by the general membership;
  - Co-coordinate Desert Doves events, t-shirts, etc.;
  - Most of the year, only requires 1-2 hours per month but during winter and spring street fair, may require 2-4 hours per week; Assume duties of president, when necessary.
- Recommended skills / experience:
  - Prior nonprofit board experience;
  - Prior leadership experience;
  - Familiarity with event and volunteer management.

Treasurer

- Treasurer
- Hours of responsibility per month: 2-10
- Eligibility: RPCV; paid membership to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Southern Arizona and the National Peace Corps Association
- Term: One-year term
- Responsibilities:
  - Attend all officer and general meetings;
  - Maintain and report on Desert Doves finances;
  - Plan logistics for and coordinate RPCV International calendar sales;
  - Prepare annual income and expenditures report for the National Peace Corps Association;
  - Signer on account at the Vantage West Credit Union;
  - Determine Peace Corps Partnership Project funding availability;
  - Make PCPP donations on the Peace Corps website;
  - Responsible for completing the form 990 (via the e-postcard) by 15 May of each year;
  - Organize funding techniques that will aid in the long-term sustainability of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Southern Arizona;
  - Responsible for the rented Post Office box.
- Recommended skills / experience:
  - Familiarity with excel and/or google sheets;
  - Familiarity with accounting and financial reporting;
  - Experience preparing financial statements (assets & liabilities, balance sheet, profit & loss, etc.).

Secretary

- Hours of responsibility per month: 2-10
- Eligibility: RPCV; paid membership to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Southern Arizona
- Term: One-year term
- Responsibilities:
  - Attend all officer and general meetings;
  - Record general meeting and officer meeting minutes;
  - Distribute minutes to members via email and the Desert Doves website;
  - Maintain group email account and respond to pertinent emails in coordination with president;
  - Maintain and report on Desert Doves membership;
  - Responsible for a second key to the Post Office Box rental;
  - Checks mail if the Treasurer is out of town for an extended period of time;
  - Monitor Doves annual operating calendar including deadlines for annual memberships, 501c3, etc.;
  - Coordinate annual NPCA membership renewal and activity report; Coordinate Desert Doves annual report.
- Recommended skills / experience:
  - Familiarity with google drive and google docs;
  - Excellent written communication skills;
  - Experience with graphic design;
  - Excellent organizational skills.

Social Committee Chair

- Hours of responsibility per month: 3-5
- Eligibility: RPCV; paid membership to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Southern Arizona
- Term: One year
- Responsibilities:
  - Attend all officer and general meetings;
  - Plan logistics for and coordinate bi-monthly Ethnic Dinners / social events;
  - Prepare social event announcements for Desert Doves communications such as the newsletter, the website, and the Facebook page.
- Recommended skills / experience:
  - Familiarity with event planning and management;
  - Familiarity with local venues.

Communications Committee Chair

- Hours of responsibility per month: 3-5
- Eligibility: RPCV; paid membership to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Southern Arizona
- Term: One year
- Responsibilities:
  - Attend all officer and general meetings;
  - Publishes bi-monthly newsletter with news and features;
  - Assure that accurate and timely information is gathered regularly and put onto the newsletter's pages;
  - Monitor and post announcements to Desert Doves Facebook page.
- Recommended skills / experience:
  - Familiarity with email communications tools;
  - Excellent written communication skills;
  - Experience with graphic design;
  - Prior publishing experience;
  - Familiarity with website content creation and maintenance.

Service Committee Chair

- Hours of responsibility per month: 2-10
- Eligibility: RPCV; paid membership to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Southern Arizona
- Term: One year
- Responsibilities:
  - Attend all officer and general meetings;
  - Organize and implement community service and educational events;
  - Prepare community service event announcements for Desert Doves communications;
  - Establish and sustain community connections and resources for Doves service projects;
  - Assist Peace Corps Partnership Programs at UArizona in the planning and execution of Peace Corps Week;
  - Assist the Vice-President in preparation for the 4th Avenue Merchants’ Association Street Fair;
  - Assist the social committee as needed.
- Recommended skills / experience:
  - Familiarity with local nonprofit organizations;
  - Familiarity with volunteer management.

Officers and Committee Chairs can be reached through the email address rpcvtucson@gmail.com

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