Samantha (Sam) Temple joined the RPCVs of Colorado Board as Vice President in May 2022 and became President in January 2023. She served alongside her husband in Tanzania from 2012–2014 as an Environment, Education, and Sustainable Agriculture Volunteer. Since returning, she has lived in Denver and stays closely connected to East Africa through her work as Co-Founder and Director of the East Africa Fund, where she partners with local NGOs to strengthen the third sector and promote local ownership in development. Sam is also a researcher, lecturer, and PhD candidate at the University of Colorado Denver studying USAID policy and teaching courses in nonprofit management and international development. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration and is completing her PhD in Public Affairs. When not working, she enjoys gardening with her two-year-old son, Simon.
Savanna Berezniak joined the RPCV Board as Vice President in March 2023. She served as an Education Volunteer in Madagascar from 2010–2012 and later returned to Colorado, where she worked in education for eight years until the birth of her son. In 2023, she completed a Peace Corps Virtual Service Project, supporting a Cameroonian NGO as a social media consultant. Savanna is currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Project Management at CSU Global, which she expects will eventually become an MBA. She enjoys hiking, gardening, snowboarding, and spending as much time as possible with her family.
Sarah LaBounty joined the RPCVs of Colorado Board as Secretary in December 2023 after serving with her husband in Romania from 2011–2013 as a Teacher Trainer and English as a Foreign Language Teacher. She recently helped pass legislation granting in-state tuition eligibility to all RPCVs in Colorado and is now supporting similar efforts in other states. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, camping, and spending time with loved ones.
Randy Monson has served as both Treasurer and Membership Chair since 2008 and acts as liaison to the Fort Collins RPCV community. He served as a TEFL teacher in Côte d’Ivoire from 1978–1980, where he once crafted lesson plans featuring imagined conversations between Bob Marley and Muhammad Ali. Randy maintains an extensive African music collection, though he no longer dances to disco, and currently works as CFO of Envirofit International, a social enterprise focused on clean cookstove development and distribution.
Niza Volair has been active in the RPCV community since moving to Denver in 2016, previously serving as Events Chairperson and Denver Metro Regional Representative. They organize monthly happy hours along with special events such as dinners, yoga classes, storytelling nights, trivia competitions, summer picnics, and holiday gatherings. Niza works in engineering management and earned a Master’s in Computer Science in 2023. They enjoy using technology to build community and stay active through yoga, climbing, paddle boarding, concerts, dancing, and making art—plus occasional naps with their two tuxedo cats. Niza loves welcoming new members into the RPCV community.
Mike Rueb joined the Board in 2024 as Webmaster. He served in Botswana from 2015–2017 as a Local Government Capacity Building Volunteer, during which he opened an adolescent sexual health center in his village of Mabutsane to support HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. After a brief stop in Antarctica, Mike relocated from Boulder to Denver, where he now lives. He serves on the Board of Directors for Penguins International, focusing on conservation and education, and works in digital marketing with experience supporting national conservation nonprofits such as Trust for Public Land and the National Wildlife Federation.
Kristen Conrad joined the RPCVs of Colorado Board in March 2024 as the representative for North Metro Denver and Boulder. She served in Madagascar from 2013–2015 as an Education Volunteer and met her RPCV husband (Tanzania) at the 2017 Peace Corps Connect Conference. Kristen moved to Denver in 2018 after five years working with the International Rescue Committee and in refugee resettlement. She currently works for the education technology company 2U/edX, focusing on career outcomes and employer engagement for tech boot camp graduates, while also volunteering with IRC Denver’s Employment Team. She enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and learning languages, and hopes to take her two-year-old son, Sage, on a trip to Africa in 2025!
Ellen McKamey joined the RPCVs of Colorado Board in 2023 and represents the Northern Colorado leadership group. She served as a special education teacher trainer in Belize from 2011–2013 and has since worked and volunteered internationally, from studying chimpanzee behavior in South Africa to backpacking across Southeast Asia and supporting schools in India working with autistic students. Ellen holds a master’s degree in sustainable living and previously coordinated international therapy services in Belize. She moved to Fort Collins in 2020 to partner with Keys 4 Autism, helping non-speaking individuals communicate through alternative methods.
James Spiers joined the Board in 2024 as Advocacy Chair. Originally from Aurora, Illinois, he served in Moldova from 2018–2020 as a Community and Economic Development Volunteer. After his service, he earned a Master of Public Policy from Duke University with a concentration in Social Policy, specializing in housing policy and advocating for increased support for the unhoused at both state and local levels. James is excited to advance collective advocacy goals and strengthen the Peace Corps program.
Rebecca Buxton joined the RPCVs of Colorado Board as Southern Colorado Representative in January 2025. She served in Moldova from 2017–2019 as a Community Organization Development Volunteer, working to restore the local library and other vital institutions affected by war. Rebecca now works with the USDA Forest Service in Business Operations, focusing on building sustainable partnerships with tribes and local communities. She enjoys skiing, rafting, traveling, learning languages, and gardening with her husband.
