Board of Directors

Vice President of Programs and Advocacy:  Paula Allen, CVA
Woodside, CA  Pacific Region
Volunteer Program Manager - Historic Filoli Estate

Paula is the Volunteer Program Manager for Filoli, an historic house and garden, overseeing more than 500 volunteers placed in 12 departments across the property. Paula has a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Master’s degree in Museum Studies, and has been working in museum non-profits for 13 years. She achieved her Certification in Volunteer Administration in April of 2019 and immediately began looking for ways to connect with the wider volunteer management community outside of the Museum/Public Garden silo. Paula sits on the Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Task Force at Filoli, and prizes the opportunity to work with other management staff and the Board of Directors to advance inclusive and proactive practices at her organization. When not at work, Paula volunteers her Volgistics skills pro-bono to small local non-profits making the jump from excel spreadsheets to a Volgistics database, While she lived in the state of Washington Paula was a volunteer Master Food Preserver through the Clark County extension office, and still volunteers to teach canning and preserving seasonally to those who wish to learn.

  Vice President of Membership:  Cairn Reisch, CVA 
  Fargo, ND  Upper West Region
  Volunteer Services Project Manager,  National American Red Cross
 
  Cairn Reisch is a volunteer engagement professional with 6 years of experience in health-related government and nonprofit organizations. She has had the opportunity to join and participate with multiple local Volunteer Manager Professional Associations around the Midwest and Mountain Regions. This insight has shown the need for continued advocacy for the profession and availability of training's that AL!VE strives to provide.

  President of Marketing: Audrey Kidwell
  Tallahassee, FL  South East Region 
  Volunteer Generation Fund Program Manager,  Volunteer Florida

  Audrey Kidwell, Volunteer Florida, is the program manager for the Volunteer Generation Fund, a program increases the capacity of organizations to recruit, manage, support and retain skills-based volunteers to serve in high-value volunteer assignments. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso, West Africa. After returning to the United States, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the Butler Center for Volunteer Service and Leadership. Audrey has 10+ years working with recruiting and managing volunteers. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Southern Indiana and her Master’s (M.S.Ed) in Community & Social Change at the University of Miami.

BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE

  Kelli Crawford, CVA
  North Carolina, South Eastern Region
  Volunteer Coordinator and Curator of Collections, Greensboro Science Center

  A North Carolina native, Kelli earned a Bachelor's and a Master's in History with a focus on Museum Studies. She originally envisioned working in a history museum but was bitten by the volunteer management bug when she interned for the Greensboro Science Center.   When offered a full time position to stay on at the GSC after completing her Master's, she jumped at the chance because it meant continuing to work with the GSC volunteers.  Those volunteers trusted Kelli to lead them and they taught her a lot along the way. In seven years, she has grown the corps of volunteers by 300%, built a talented team in the Volunteer Office and doubled her budget. That growth has been a product of hard work from her staff and volunteers as well as advocacy for the volunteer management profession both within her organization and at a national level through her work on the Volunteer Management Committee with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. She is especially passionate about advocating for the profession because she remembers what it was like to be a new volunteer manager who struggled at the onset. Kelli wants to help new and veteran volunteer managers build on their successes, overcome their challenges and elevate the profession.   

 Allyson Drinnon, CVA 
 Americus, GA  South Eastern Region 
 Director, Volunteer Resource Center, Habitat for Humanity International

  Allyson Drinnon, CVA, is the Director of the Volunteer Resource Center with Habitat for Humanity International. Working towards “A world where everyone has a decent place to live”, she oversees a team that develops training and educational resource development for volunteer professionals. She joins other leaders serving on the Volunteer Groups Alliance Steering Committee to develop global partnerships that celebrate volunteerism as a means of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Her current work includes an organizational change initiative to increase opportunities for measurement and innovation. She is editor of the Voices section of the eVolunteerism Journal. Mrs. Drinnon is a graduate of Vanderbilt University with a degree in Psychology, and holds a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from the School for Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. She enjoys living in a rural community, is active in the downtown Main Street program and is a founding Board Member of the Furlow Charter School, a K-12 public charter school serving low- income students in her community. She is a member of the Grateful Threads quilting guild and enjoys working on projects with her two daughters.

Michele Epifani
Mantua, NJ Atlantic Region
Executive Director, Volunteer Center of South Jersey

Michele Epifani is dynamic leader with expertise in startup firms and nonprofit organizations making vision become reality by utilizing best practice strategies in operations, sales, marketing, development and planning. Michele currently serves as the Executive Director for the Volunteer Center of South Jersey, a nonprofit that connects South Jersey volunteers to quality opportunities to serve. Since joining the VCSJ in 2015, Michele has streamlined the volunteer match process by implementing new technologies to allow the center to grow and accommodate seven counties in South Jersey. Today over 3500 volunteers have registered on the site and continue to be connected to local nonprofits, while building their volunteer resume. In July of 2019, VCSJ launched the Nonprofit Institute to provide education through training and resources to local nonprofit agencies. VCSJ's focus continues to be in the nonprofit capacity building space. Additionally, the Volunteer Center is a premier partner with Rowan College of South Jersey and has recently become the campus Office on Volunteerism and Civic Engagement. Before entering the nonprofit realm in 2013, she held executive leadership positions within operations at several tech companies, both domestic and globally. Michele has also invested several years in Higher Education with Rowan University (South Jersey Technology Park at Rowan University and the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University).  
 
  Kayla Paulson
  Cedar Rapids, IA  Midwest Region   
  RSVP Director & Service Enterprise Trainer  United Way of East Central Iowa
  
  Kayla Paulson has spent the last six years fighting for more strategic and impactful volunteer engagement in her community, state, and nationally. During her tenure with United Way of East Central Iowa she has worked with over 75 local agencies, more than 500 senior volunteers, Iowa Commission on Volunteering & Service, Points of Light, and United Way Worldwide to help improve volunteer engagement practices.
Kayla Paulson has spent her professional career in marketing, training, community relations, and volunteer management both in the senior healthcare and nonprofit industries. She is an experienced trainer at state, regional, and national levels, delivering interactive and empowering workshops. She has taken 25 organizations in eastern Iowa through Service Enterprise, an organization change management program to effectively and efficiently leverage volunteers to deliver its social mission. She has served as President and Marketing & Communications Chair for Leaders in Volunteerism, Vice-Chair for RSVP Directors of Iowa Association, Walk to End Alzheimers Chair, Echo Hill PTO Hospitality Chair, Linn County Triad Board Member, Alburnett Community School District Foundation Board Member, United Way Worldwide Boomer Engagement, Service Enterprise Curriculum Design Team Member, LAP-AID Emergency Volunteer Center Core Team, and as a pro-bono volunteer for various nonprofits sharing her skills in volunteer management, strategic planning, training, marketing and communications.

Ashley Ramsdell
Memphis, TN - South East Region
Sr. Liaison, Field Support, Volunteer Program Operations

Ashley began working for ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital after completion of college in August of 2010. Since working at St. Jude, Ashley has served in several roles working directly with donors, staff and volunteers. Ashley has expertise in leading multi-million dollar revenue generating operations through national program development, fundraising, strategic planning, and improvement processes. In her current role, Ashley serves as the liaison to 38 Regional Fundraising Offices around the country related to volunteer management and engagement efforts. In this role, Ashley leads and drives the adoption of volunteer initiatives in the Field, in collaboration with a cross-divisional team to ensure the resource needs of remote offices are met. In addition, Ashley identifies and assesses trends related to volunteer engagement in Field Offices, and works with various departments at the National Executive Office to develop training and other resources to support staff and volunteer needs.

 Jennifer Thompson, CVA
 Broken Arrow, Oklahoma - South Central Region
 Volunteer Coordinator, LIFE Senior Services Tulsa OK
   
 I am a native Tulsan but have also lived in Colorado and San Francisco CA. I attended both Tulsa University School of Business and Tulsa Community College where I earned associates degrees in Applied Science/Physical Therapy and Human Services – Gerontology. I have been a volunteer all my life, in addition to working in the Volunteer Administration Field for the past 20 years. I earned the designation of a Certified Volunteer Administrator in 2007.  I have been an adjunct faculty member with Tulsa Community College, teaching volunteer management, as well as a faculty member for the former organization Volunteer Tulsa presenting the Volunteer Management Series in Northeastern Oklahoma. I have been an active advocate for the CVA designation, acted as a mentor for those perusing this designation. I am currently president of TulsALIVE, president Silver Hair Legislators, secretary of Broken Arrow Youth Baseball Organization. In addition I am active in Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce. Tri-Country Area Agency on Aging (legislative committee). I have been active on several other boards: former Volunteer Tulsa, Sara Hopes, Relay for Life just to mention a few. I am married, had two sons one living in Colorado and one deceased and one grandson.

 
AL!VE ASSOCIATION MANAGER

  Gretchen Jordan, CVA
  Davenport, Florida - South East Region
  Email the Manager
 Gretchen Jordan, CVA is the Association Manager who works with the Executive Committee and Board of Directors to prepare and deliver support to member services, the board of directors, and special projects.  Previous work experience includes management in the corporate, non-profit sector  and as a small business owner in addition to over twenty five years experience managing volunteer programs.   She is an active member of local and national volunteer manager associations and has presented on volunteer management issues on the local, state, and national level.  Gretchen earned her Certification in Volunteer Administration designation in 2000 and has a Bachelors degree in Community and Human Service from Empire State College.  Her skills are public speaking, management, customer service, leadership, and organization.  Gretchen and her husband live, work, & play in a 41' motor home and travel continuously in the United States & Canada.

Mailing Address for AL!VE:
77 Van Ness Avenue
Suite 101-1905
San Francisco, CA  94102
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