The current FOA Board of Directors is composed of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who have served in Albania. There are currently two current Peace Corps Albania Volunteers in-country who act as the liaisons for communication between FOA and Albania.


Current Board Members

Jacqueline Labrador - President

Durres, Albania - 2015-2017

Durres, Albania - 2015-2017

Currently living in Minsk, Belarus

Currently living in Minsk, Belarus

Jacqueline served in the Community Economic Development sector from 2015 to 2017 at the Regional Directorate of Social Services, the Civil Society Development Center (CSDC) in Durres, and managed Albanian Model United Nations. During her service, she developed Durres' first digital community media platform for youth, mentored girls in developing android applications, coordinated field visits and trainings for youth in digital media and literacy, and assisted with multiple NGO's with media visibility. She currently works for UNICEF in Belarus. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her boyfriend and cat Qofte-Frikadel'ka, exploring and experiencing the culture of her temporary home in Minsk. Jacqueline is part of Friends of Albania because she wants to continue to contribute to the development of Albania and stay connected to a place that shaped who she is today.


Alison Bregstein, Vice President

Korça, Albania - 2015-2017

Korça, Albania - 2015-2017

Currently living in New York City, New York

Currently living in New York City, New York

Alison served in the Community Organizational Development sector from 2015 to 2017 at the Regional Development Agency, (ARZh) in Korça. She assisted her colleagues in filling and managing a small business incubator as well as helping them advocate for villages outside of the city with the municipality. During her service, she also sat on the Small Grants Committee and was passionate about helping other volunteers bring their projects to life. She currently runs her own successful consulting business in NYC. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends, traveling and continuing to volunteer in a variety of ways. Alison is part of Friends of Albania because she wants to continue to stay connected to a place that is very important to her.


Kyle Roberts - Treasurer

Fier, Albania - 2012-2014, Tirana 2014-2015

Fier, Albania - 2012-2014, Tirana 2014-2015

Currently living in Montana

Currently living in Montana

Kyle served as Friends of Albania President from 2017 to 2019. In the Peace Corps, Kyle served as a Community & Organization Development volunteer at the Bashkia Fier, USAID Planning & Local Governance Project, and Albanian-American Development Foundation from 2012 to 2015. Today he manages the planning department of a small city in Montana and lives just over an hour’s drive from Glacier National Park in the beautiful northwestern part of the state. Some of Kyle’s hobbies include long-distance cycling, traveling, and birding. Kyle is part of the Friends of Albania board because he wants to continue serving Albania. He also wants to contribute to the development of Albania, and keep the Peace Corps spirit alive.


Dennis Dias - Secretary

Korçë, Albania - 2011-2013

Korçë, Albania - 2011-2013

Currently living in New York City, New York

Currently living in New York City, New York

Dennis served in Korçë, Albania from 2011 to 2013 as an English education volunteer. During his service, Dennis taught English language courses at the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the Fan S. Noli University, Preca College, the public library, and primary schools in surrounding villages of Dersnik and Qatrom. Dennis contributed to several youth leadership initiatives and received a grant from Friends of Albania to help fund foreign language libraries at primary schools in Dersnik and Polenë. Currently, Dennis lives in New York where he works as a special education teacher for the New York City Department of Education. He enjoys history, books, Internet technology, nature, and urban exploration.


Jill Conway - Grants Coordinator

Kavaje, Albania - 2013-2015

Kavaje, Albania - 2013-2015

Currently living in Chicago, Illinois

Currently living in Chicago, Illinois

Jill served at the Kavaje Directory of Public Health as a Health Extension Agent from 2013 to 2015. Jill held positions on several committees as the Outdoor Ambassadors Camp Coordinator, Anti-trafficking in Persons Grants Coordinator, and the Volunteer Advisory Committee Whip. She also started the Kavaje Young Adults Center, wrote a popular blog that ended up going viral in Albania, and completed a cervical cancer training of trainers project. Now Jill currently works as Program Specialist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services supporting policy initiatives for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. She enjoys bike riding, hanging out with her cat Shpirti, and kayaking. Jill is part of the Friends of Albania board because she is passionate about supporting current Peace Corps volunteers implement sustainable projects in their communities. She also enjoys remaining in contact with Albania, a place she considers her second home.


Brenna Mickey - Web Design & Social Media Chair

Bajram Curri, Albania - 2011-2013

Bajram Curri, Albania - 2011-2013

Currently living in Raleigh, North Carolina

Currently living in Raleigh, North Carolina

Brenna lived in Bajram Curri, Albania from 2011-2013 as a Community Development volunteer during her service. She worked as a designer in the municipality to create an online presence for the town, started a youth basketball league and created marketing collateral to help develop tourism infrastructure. She also was awarded two grants by Friends of Albania that funded equipment for their basketball league, as well as a mobile library that traveled to remote villages in the Tropoja region. She's been back to Albania twice since finishing her service. Brenna currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina where she works as a product user experience designer in the ed-tech space and moonlights as a high school girls basketball coach. She enjoys hiking with her dog, freelance design work, and IPAs.


Joyce Wolf - Newsletter and Social Media Chair

Delvine, Albania - 2012-2014

Delvine, Albania - 2012-2014

Currently living in Taipei, Taiwan

Currently living in Taipei, Taiwan

Joyce served as a English Education volunteer with G15 from 2012 - 2014. She focused on youth development within and outside of Delvine. Throughout the course of her two years, she headed up Model United Nations, Outdoor Ambassadors and volunteering at the local convent. She took part in a handful of national events where she helped to coordinate engaging activities for students. She was particularly fond of organizing Write On! Albania and quadrupled the number of submissions from 300 - 1300. Her other favorite project was being a camp counselor for Kampi Pa Emer for 3 consecutive summers. Joyce currently lives in Taipei, Taiwan and teaches English at a kindergarten. She loves attending weekly board game meet-ups, dance/acro/yoga classes and has taken up hiking and exploring Taiwan’s beautiful nature. She was inspired to join Friends of Albania because she wants to give back to Shqiperia and she’s looking forward to continuing her service as a RPVC.


Will Burchell - Fundraising and Membership

Roskovec, Albania - 2015-2017

Roskovec, Albania - 2015-2017

Currently living in New York, New York

Currently living in New York, New York

Will Burchell was a Community Economic Development volunteer in Bashkia Roskovec from 2015 to 2017. While there he worked with municipality staff as an advisor and professional skills trainer. Much of his time was spent with the community youth. Being around so many bright and talented young people in his town fostered his optimism for the future of the country and the work that PCVs are doing. Will lives and works in New York City and enjoys cooking, traveling, and exploring the city. He is excited to keep his connection to Albania strong as a board member for Friends of Albania, and enjoys the role it plays in funding the efforts of current volunteers.


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Katie McBride - PCV Liaison
Katie is a currently serving Community Development Volunteer in the Kruja Bashkia. Her current work in the municipality is focused on Tourism Development and the new EU desk, as well as coordinating projects with NGO’s and the Regional Development Agency of the Tirane-Diber-Durres region. Originally from Colorado, Katie’s hobbies include swimming and kayaking and she hopes to learn a thing or two about photography during her free time in Albania. She decided to apply to be a Friends of Albania Liaison because she wants to actively participate in her PC Albania community, as well as her local Albanian one and enjoys the idea of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and current Peace Corps Volunteers connecting to continue positive projects in the country they all love.


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Ari Cooper - PCV Liaison

Ari is a currently serving Community Organizational Development Volunteer working in the Gramsh Bashkia. His current work in the municipality is focused on EU Projects and Tourism Development. Outside of the municipality, he works with afterschool youth clubs including the Gramsh Youth Council and the Junior Achievement class. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Ari enjoys traveling around Albania and hiking its diverse terrains and playing soccer with the locals. He applied to be a Friends of Albania Liaison because he wants to help build the capacity of volunteers to create strong and sustainable community-driven projects.


Founding & Previous Board Members

Friends of Albania was created in 2009 by Group 10 Peace Corps Volunteers as they left Albania with a collective feeling to continue the Peace Corps experience.  This interest to create FOA was sparked by a desire to remember experiences, speak Albanian and connect with others who are interested in this special part of the world. 

Founding Members: Paul Mastin, Katie Mastin, Dan McGinley, Marisa Bowersox, Kenji Yamada, Chuck Schroeder, Bill Trunk

Previous Board Members: Juliet Kosarzychi, Adam Kirk, Kendra Bruce, Alex Moskaluk, Karen Price, Will Bevins, Laura Hammett, Rebecca Mueller, Larry Koziarz, Emily Franchett, Daniel Shibley, Casey Loving