Welcome New Employees!
Andy Jenkins was backpacking through Southeast Asia when his eyes were opened to the plight of refugees when he came upon a refugee camp on the border of Thailand and Myanmar. He immediately altereed his plans and spent the following weeks volunteering with an NGO in and around the camps. Profoundly influenced by the experience, Andrew left his career teaching at a univeristy in Beijing, CHina and returned to the U.S. to learn more about the refugee resettlement process and mobilize international support for refugees and displaced persons. He is working as the Volunteer Coordinator.
Peter Newbegin worked as a custom picture framer for 12 years before joining the IRC. After volunteering as a Family Mentor and Casework Assistant for the IRC in our Okaland, CA resettlement office, he took a position as Volunteer Coordinator and In-kind donations manager. Peter joined IRCTucson as an Employment Coordinator in October of 2009.
Stacy Patrick graduated in 2007 from the College of Charleston and has been spreading good Southern charm throughout the world ever since. She has lived, worked and studied in Argentina, Thailand and India and traveled extensively throughout North and South America, Asia and Europe. When she is not working with refugees, Stacy can be found salsa dancing in the Catalina Mountains.
Brittany Schilling graduated in May from Xavier University in Cincinnati, receiving her B.A. in International Business, with a concentration in English and Spanish. Her interest in international work stemmed from her leadership within collegiate mult-cultural groups, such as the Filipino and South Asian Society. Prior to joining the IRC Tucson, Brittany spent time working for organizations such as The Global Center of Cincinnati, YMCA and United Way. Formally an IRC Tucson volunteer, Brittany now serves as Development Associate, with the hopes of strengthening refugee resources and opportunities, as well as community partnerships.
Diane Stuart began her career in Birmingham, England in the field of computer database design. Before returning to the U.S. in 1980, Diane and her husband traveled for a year throughout South and North America, finishing the journey in San Francisco. Since then, Diane successfully developed and operated 2 espresso shops and a custom home construction company. In 2005, the Stuarts moved to Tucson to enjoy a more "simple" and "warm" lifestyle. Starting as a volunteer in 2008, Diane quickly realized that refugee resettlement was her new "calling" and now enjoys the privilege of working with refugees, helping them to acculturate to the American work environment.
Melissa Wieters holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts. She has spent the last ten years supporting the Tucson nonprofit community as a volunteer, fundraising professional and consultant. Melissa was first introduced to IRC Tucson in 2007 when she began searching for ways to become more involved in the international human rights movement. After taking some time off from the organization to raise her new baby boy, she has returned to IRC Tucson as the Development Manager responsible for fundraising and public relations.
