The Lisle board is composed of volunteers elected by the membership at the annual meeting. Lisle holds meetings yearly in the spring and fall. For details contact the Lisle Office at office@lisleinternational.org.
A. Gail Bier
BROOKLYN, NY
♦♦ Treasurer
Gail’s international interests began in Seattle during her youth, expanded with studies in demography and migration research, and included 16 years of work and life abroad, collaborating with the Fulbright Commission. In the US, Gail assisted universities in Massachusetts, Ohio, Louisiana, Tennessee, Minnesota, and New York to develop international education programs. Currently residing in Brooklyn, New York, Gail enjoys the city’s cultural diversity, canoeing, exploring, reading, and spending time with friends.
Barbara Bratton
Leander, Texas
In 1995, after her recent divorce, Barbara was asked by family friends, Walt and Betty Ligon, to join an organization’s board that aligned with her passion for travel and desire to make an impact. Joining the board in 1996, she traveled to Costa Rica on a Lisle program in 1998 and became President. She later served as Treasurer from 2001 onwards, with the Lisle Office located at her CPA office in Leander, Texas.
Betsy Birdwell
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
♦♦ Secretary
In 1997, Betsy discovered Lisle while seeking a cultural experience in Bali. Following participation in the 2002 Turkey program, she was invited to join the board, where she has served as both member and associate for many years. With a career in international education, Betsy recently retired from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.
James Burke
AUBURN, WASHINGTON
♦♦ Vice President
James was introduced to Lisle by Bill Kinney during their Peace Corps service in Mali, West Africa. In 2006, he applied for a Lisle Seed Grant to support his new international non-profit aimed at assisting teachers and students with technology in Jamaica. Residing in the Seattle area, James works as a pre-engineering teacher for the Bellevue School District.
Lindora Howard-Diawara
Columbus, Ohio
Lindora, a women’s rights, peace, and development practitioner with 15 years of field experience, was introduced to Lisle in 2015 while studying at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Initially an Associate Member, she later served as a part-time Program Manager before working with Mercy Corps in Mali. Now back on the Board, Lindora is eager to contribute to Lisle’s mission.
Jon Findley
San Diego, California
Jon’s involvement with Lisle dates back to 1964 when his sister recommended a unit in Washington, DC. Since then, he has participated in over ten units in the US and Scandinavia, along with serving on the Board of Directors and the Seed Grant Review Committee. Now retired in California, Jon actively engages in environmental issues at various levels, including international spheres.
Anne Hayner
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA
♦♦President
Anne’s connection to Lisle originates from her father, Norman Hayner, an epidemiologist who was active with Lisle in the 1940s and ’50s. Since 1987, Anne has worked with international students and alumni at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Her current focus is on supporting a professional peace-building network among Kroc alumni. Anne’s academic background includes studies in languages, culture, religion, and peace studies, with significant time spent living in France, Germany, Israel, and Ireland.
Bill Kinney
Chicago, Illionis
Bill, the grand-nephew of Uncle Si Baldwin, Lisle’s founder, has been a longstanding member of the Lisle Board, serving in various capacities including president. He has actively participated in and facilitated Lisle experiences in locations such as New York, Bali, India, Jamaica, and Chicago. Bill resides and works in Chicago, Illinois.
Mark Kinney
Presque Isle, Michigan
♦♦ Executive Director
Mark, a professor emeritus of education at the University of Toledo, has been a dedicated member of the Lisle Board since 1983, serving as President in 1984 and later as Executive Director. He has led numerous Lisle Units, including those in Bali, Japan, Mexico, Uganda, and the Lisle Elderhostel programs at the University of Toledo. Mark’s familial ties to Lisle run deep, as his uncle and aunt, Si and Edna Baldwin, were the parents of Lisle.
Smita Patel
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
Smita, employed at a non-profit education news organization, became connected with Lisle after the Mountain Children’s Foundation, which she and her cousins established in the Indian Himalaya, received a Lisle seed grant in 2005. Impressed by Lisle’s vision and the inspiring individuals she encountered, she joined the board and later served as president.
Dania Straughan
NOTRE DAME, INDIANA
Dania was invited by Anne Hayner, while working as a staff member at the Notre Dame Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, to support Lisle International. With a lifelong interest in intercultural exchange and cross-cultural communication stemming from her experience as a multicultural foreign service dependent, Dania has been enthusiastic about supporting Lisle’s mission and promoting projects aimed at fostering intercultural awareness globally.
Shaban Varajab
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA
Shaban, hailing from Kakamega, Kenya, leads 42 Changemakers, a youth-led non-profit he founded in 2008 to empower at-risk Kenyan youth. He holds an M.A. from the Kroc Institute at Notre Dame and is pursuing a second M.A. in Public Administration at Indiana University. With over 5 years of experience in local and international non-profits in the USA, Kenya, and the Philippines, Shaban currently serves on the technical advisory board for Rural Women Peace Link.
LISLE ASSOCIATE BOARD MEMBERS
Sharada Nayak
NEW DELHI, INDIA
Milena Petrova
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Marty Tillman
Washington, D.c.
Beth Bader
SALUDA, VIRGINIA
Dianne Brause
Sulphur Springs, Ohio | global nomad
Christian Cirhigiri
Ghent, Belgium
Leyla Wilken
Seattle, WASHINGton
LISLE STAFF
Ruth Assi
Program Manager | Fort Worth, Texas