Hugh Brown

Hugh’s interest in working overseas started in high school, thanks to the JFK inspiration, resulting in Peace Corps service soon after getting married, in Gujarat, India.   He and Lynne recently returned to their interest in international development with work on numerous GV trips.  Now retired, his career was in city management, having worked for several cities in Colorado and as a city manager in Oregon.  He is active in their historic downtown Denver neighborhood, enjoys the adventures of two granddaughters in Denver, visiting two grandsons in Seattle, yard work, and rooting for the Colorado Rockies.  Now looking forward to the first visit to Africa and joining another great GV group!

Lynne Brown

Lynne, raised in Iowa, joined the Peace Corps upon college graduation, serving with her husband Hugh in Gujarat, India.  After returning they settled in Colorado.  While raising their two children Lynne volunteered extensively for the League of Women Voters and local, city-wide, and state PTAs in Denver and Oregon. When children started college Lynne worked at a large community school as the volunteer/public relations coordinator, then for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, retiring in 2011 after 17 years with Habitat.  She has enjoyed nine GV trips (Belfast, Jordan, India, Cambodia, Paraguay, Honduras, Guatemala, Hungary, Portugal), works on neighborhood issues, is active at church, serves on the Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and relishes her time with grandchildren in Denver and Seattle. When not volunteering she enjoys reading, swimming, biking, baking. She is looking forward to her first trip to Africa and building with a new GV team! 

Laura Miehls

I've always loved adventure travel and am now blending it with volunteering. I travel a lot for work and have averaged 100K+ miles the last couple of years (just need to figure out where to use all the frequent flier miles). In addition to volunteering with Habitat Global Village (Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mongolia, Alaska, Bulgaria, South Africa), I've participated in local Habitat day builds in the Detroit area. For the last 20+ years I've been involved in a local warming center during the cold Michigan winters to prevent the homeless from freezing to death on the streets. In addition to my wanderlust, hobbies include photography, travel, golf, reading, movies, and being a Michigan Master Gardener.  I have been testing voluntourism with Habitat and a few other global organizations as I plan for retirement.   I am a lifelong resident of Michigan and love my four seasons (yes --- including the snow).  Looking forward to meeting all of you. 

Kimberly Murphy

I was born in Maine and am living in exile in the suburbs of Washington, DC. I came to DC to attend college and met my husband just a few weeks after graduation. Any plans to move back to Maine were quickly changed. I think that was a good decision on my part, because we have been married for more than 20 years. While we do not have children, we do have two very spoiled parrotlets, Ovi and Pia, that complete our family. I am an IT Professional by training and am the IT Director for a non-profit organization. My real passion however is travel. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel throughout the United States (only 3 states left to visit), and Europe. My most recent international travel has included trips to Argentina, Turkey and Nepal. I was on a HFH Global Village build in Nepal and it was a life-changing experience for me. I am excited to be participating in another build in Zambia. Because I am desk jockey during the week, I like to spend my free time outside hiking, kayaking and gardening. I am also an avid sports fan, and am especially vocal about Green Bay Packer Football and Washington Capitals Hockey.

Kavitha Chunchu

Hello fellow Volunteers!

Zambia will be my first Global Village experience with Habitat for Humanity. I am so excited to be part of a team of people working with the local community to create something special.  I work as a Family Medicine physician for a great group north of the Seattle area. I have a passion for travel and adventure. When I am not working, you can usually find me looking at a map planning my next trip! Looking forward to learning new things and meeting new people on this adventure!

 

Dr. Claudia Schrader

Hi I'm Claudia.  I hate flying but I love to travel and I love Habitat even more.  I am excited about joining the Global Village build in Zambia!!!  This will be my ninth build.  I've had awesome GV experiences in Brasil, El Salvador, Vietnam, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia and Bali.   I was born and raised on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but I've called NYC my home for the last 25 years or so.  When I'm not building with Habitat, volunteering with my sorority, zip lining or whitewater rafting; you can find me watching reruns of Law & Order or murder mysteries on the ID channel. I also moonlight as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bronx Community College of The City University of New York. I am looking forward to building and making a difference in Zambia and to having an awesome experience with this team.

Lynne & Roger Vaughan

  

         Lynne is mostly retired from project management, grant writing, education design, and curriculum development. She has not retired from baking, reading, biking, walking, gardening, mothering/grand mothering, volunteering, and being grateful for a wonderful life.

           Roger, formerly a  teacher,  also worked remodeling homes, as a plumber,  and as a property manager.   Since retiring in ‘04 he has volunteered with several organizations here and abroad, discovering the joys of Habitat builds near our home in Napa California and with Lynne in Mongolia, Alaska . and South Africa.

          We have two children, ages 41and 27, and two grandchildren, Ray, age 9 and Anya, age 5 .  The picture is of us in 2013, on a BV build in Mongolia., and no, those were not our work clothes and hard hats. 

          Travel has long been our passion.  Our recent discovery of combining it with GV builds has both enriched and recommitted us to seeing and interacting with people everywhere.   This  Zambia build will be  Roger’s 6^6h trip to Africa, and Lynne’s fourth.   

Elmaree Newson

After working 40yrs. as a teacher,  then high school guidance counselor, I retired a few years ago.   Now I take yoga and Pilates classes, volunteer weekly at a local Healing Touch Center, and am an avid member of two Toastmasters clubs.

I have two adult sons, neither is married yet….so no grandchildren to babysit or coo over – regretfully.   Still hoping…

I enjoy international travel and experiencing other cultures.  Zambia will be my 13^th GV trip – others have included Vietnam, Fiji, Argentina, Nepal and South Africa.

Strictly pleasure trips have been to Kenya, Dubai, Cuba, Tibet, and Egypt among others.  

L-O-V-E  traveling…meeting the GV families…and teammates who enjoy the HFH work.