About Us - Meet the staff
Please contact the staff at (503) 335-8202 or e-mail info@jvcnorthwest.org with any questions, comments, or for more information about Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) Northwest!
DANIELLE BASTIEN, Area Director
Danielle was born in San Francisco and grew up in Marin County, California. After studying History, Math, and Faith, Peace, & Justice at Boston College, she traveled to Anchorage, Alaska to become a Jesuit Volunteer (JV). She served at Covenant House Alaska in the Community Services Center as a case manager for homeless and at-risk youth, focusing on assisting youth find employment, obtain their GED, and access resources and support. She then moved to Portland, Oregon for a second year as a JV and served at Rose Haven, a community and intervention center for women in transition. Last year she had the pleasure of accompanying the JV communities in Boise, Idaho, as well as Omak and Spokane, Washington. She is excited to continue her journey on staff as the Area Director for the Anchorage, Bethel, Juneau, and Sitka, Alaska communities.
MEGAN BELL, Area Director 
Megan is excited to make it back to the Northwest and continue her journey in social justice, spirituality, simplicity, and community as an Area Director for JVC Northwest! A “valley girl” at heart, she was born and raised amongst the diversity, sun, and busy hum of Los Angeles, California (in the San Fernando Valley). Having dabbled in service and social justice in high school, she found herself a new home for college at the University of Portland. There she studied Social Work, was an active member of the UP community life, and fell in love with Portland, Ore. After college, she followed a call to the values of JVC and a call to experience culture hands-on and had the opportunity to join JVC. She found herself at Xavier High School in Chuuk, Micronesia for two years where she taught English and literature, coached basketball and track, and was able to just be and learn every day. Upon arrival home, she was very fortunate to become the west recruiter for JVC. She traveled around the west coast sharing and processing her experience living with and through the values of JVC to different universities and people. Now, taking the idea of being “ruined for life” seriously, she's delighted to join the JVC Northwest community as an Area Director.
DIANE BLANKENSHIP, Business Coordinator
Diane was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and lived there until she was a freshman in high school when her familymoved to North Dakota. She graduated from high school in North Dakota and came to college at the University of Portland, where she met her future husband, Larry. They were married after her junior year. Together they have five children and three grandchildren, all of whom live close to them. Diane's position at JVC Northwest for the last 3 years has been and continues to be challenging, both in stretching boundaries and using many of her skills. She does a myriad of tasks including bookkeeping, ordering supplies, updating the database, orienting new employees to the office and doing most of the human resource paperwork. She shares that it continues to be a great place to work.
ANTHONY DELORENZO, Area Director
Anthony will be returning for his second year as an Area Director with Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest. One of the most formative aspects of his eight years of Jesuit education was his commitment to several social justice courses and organizations. It was those times spent with the marginalized in college that moved him to become a JV after graduation. On the east coast he was placed in Newark, NJ where he was involved in the beautification of the city through the creation and maintenance of several community gardens. He then moved to Portland, OR where he committed to a second year of service, this time through Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest. In Portland he organized and led weekend immersion experiences focused on poverty and homelessness for high school and college students. When he’s not working, he can be found growing food in one of the urban farms he’s a part of, finding new ways to bake fresh bread, and making poorly supported claims that Washington, his home, is the greatest state. Anthony is the Area Director for the Tacoma, Grays Harbor, Portland Morris, and Gresham communities.
SUSAN FOSTER, Area Director
Having grown up in the Portland area I am excited to be back in my home town and working in the JVC office! After graduating from Oregon State University I began my journey with JVC as a volunteer in New York City working as a teaching assistant. Wanting to continue in a commitment to service and to continue exploring JVC values I signed on for a second year working at St. Labre in Ashland, MT. Since my volunteer years, I have spent time doing graduate work in Environmental Education and living and working in Seattle, WA.
TOM FRIEBERG, EnCorps Coordinator & Development Officer
Tom Frieberg, coordinator of our new Jesuit Volunteer EnCorps program, has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 1998. He served for 10 years as the director of the Moreau Center for Service and Leadership at the University of Portland, and most recently was the volunteer coordinator for Legacy Hospice Services. Tom is passionate about helping women and men to discover and develop their gifts in order to serve the world and the church. In the late 1980’s and early 90’s he was co-director of the Claretian Volunteers and Lay Missionaries (based in Chicago, with communities in the eastern and midwestern U.S. and Guatemala). He has also worked as a parish and campus minister in the diocese of Albany, NY.
Tom was born in Albany, NY in 1961, the year that Pope John XXIII issued his encyclical Christianity and Social Progress, the first Freedom Riders boarded southbound Greyhound buses in Washington, DC, The Beatles signed Brian Epstein as their manager, and the Peace Corps began (five years after JVC Northwest, we might add). He lives in Vancouver, WA with his wife, Sue. They have two children, Joe (22) and Emma (19).
JEANNE HASTER, Executive Director
Jeanne is in her eighth year with JVC Northwest as Executive Director. Her Jesuit Volunteer journey began in 1981-82 when she was a JV in Fort Worth, TX working with undocumented workers, families and women at a Latino community center. Her husband and she were support people for a San Antonio JV Community and she served very briefly on the JVC: South Board of Directors. Her life has been changed by many years of living, working with and learning from Indigenous people in Guatemala and Australia and refugees from Central America and around the world; earning two masters degrees in the Theologies of Justice and Peace from Maryknoll School of Theology in New York; and teaching - all ages from junior high social studies to post graduate theology courses. JVC Northwest is part of the transformation needed in our world and Jeanne is excited to be a part of it!
JESS HERINGER , Area Director 
Jess grew up in Big Sky country with four younger brothers in Billings, Mont. She studied philosophy and international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame and became interested in social justice through relationships she developed while working with youth at the South Bend Juvenile Correctional Facility and the Farm of the Child, a rural orphanage in Honduras. After graduation, she moved to Chicago to join MercyWorks, a postgraduate service community dedicated to youth-care work at Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. Her volunteer year had a profound effect on her life, leading her to continue working in community service-learning and eventually pursue a Masters of Divinity. After serving as a pastoral minister in a hospital, parish, and hospitality center during my studies, she hopes to bring her passion for connecting social justice to spirituality as she joins the JVC Northwest team. Rain or shine, she enjoys drinking coffee, running, re-reading her favorite book, Brother's Karamazov, and spending time with her family in Montana.
MELISSA LAFAYETTE, Business Assistant
Melissa LaFayette grew up in Wenatchee, WA and graduated from Gonzaga University with a degree in business administration, with marketing and international business concentrations. She then moved to Baltimore, Maryland and worked with at-risk youth as a Jesuit Volunteer at the St. Frances Academy Community Center. After JVC, Melissa moved to Tanzania and spent five months coordinating volunteers and playing with kids at a children’s home and outreach center. After a year and a half away from the mountains and beauty of the Northwest, Melissa moved to Portland and is excited to be working as the business assistant!
BONNIE LENNEMAN, Area Director
The first 18 years of Bonnie's life were spent growing up on a farm in Corunna, Michigan, which is located near the middle of the palm if one uses the "handy" (haha, get it?) map that all Michiganders carry with them. From there, she attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, where she developed a love for social justice, English literature, and fried cheese curds. It was Bonnie's service learning and study abroad experience in Cape Town, South Africa that fueled her desire to work for structural change and ultimately led her to serve with JVC Northwest. As the Advocacy Coordinator at Lifelong AIDS Alliance in Seattle, WA, Bonnie helped coordinate a city-wide anti-hunger campaign, facilitated grassroots community advocacy meetings, and co-coordinated the organization’s state-wide AIDS Awareness and Action Day. Not finding it possible to part with the majestic beauty of the Pacific Northwest, Bonnie then moved to Portland, OR as a second-year JV at Kateri Park Apartments, where she provided case management, resident services, and educational enrichment for the refugee families living there. Bonnie is absolutely thrilled to begin her time at JVC Northwest as the Area Director for the Seattle Cherry Abbey, Seattle Mercy, and Portland Morris communities.
MARTHA MCELLIGOTT, Administrative Assistant
A native Oregonian and sister of a former JV, Mary Pat McElligott (Nome, Alaska. 1976 to 1978), graduated from the University of Portland with a bachelor's degree in social work with minors in gerontology and theology. She comes to JVC Northwest with a history of working with the frail, elderly, disabled and low-income populations. When not at work, she enjoys reading cookbooks, cooking, sewing, engaging in outdoor activities and being involved in the kids' school. She and her husband try to keep up with their very active children, Zach and Zoey.
SARAH MCCLURE, Administrative Assistant for AmeriCorps
Born and raised in southeast Michigan, Sarah found her passion for social and environmental justice early by watching inspiring adults around her engage with the community. After graduating with a degree in International Relations from the James Madison College at Michigan State University, Sarah spent a semester working with women imprisoned for drug trafficking in Ayacucho, Perú. Sarah next spent a year with the Northwest Service Academy- Mt. Adams Center, leading backcountry trail crews as an AmeriCorps volunteer. Eventually, her adventures brought her to Portland, OR, where she promptly fell in love with the city and decided to move. Sarah’s interests include contemporary dance, hiking, reading fiction, sustainable living, and most of all growing, cooking, and eating food. She is thrilled to be involved with the work of JVC Northwest.
LEAH NUSSE, Recruitment and Marketing Manager
Leah was first introduced to Jesuit spirituality while pursuing her undergraduate degree in Public Relations at Gonzaga University. The Jesuit values instilled in her through college sparked her interest in service and inspired her to spend one year as an AmeriCorps volunteer, doing public relations work for a nonprofit family center in Spokane, Wash. She has worked with college students at the University of Portland, serving in different roles for both the Office of Residence Life and the Office of Career Services. In her spare time, Leah can be found entertaining her 2-year-old son, Joey, relaxing over a cup of strong coffee with her husband John, or exploring the great outdoors. She enjoys getting to know the individuals who are curious about life as a Jesuit Volunteer and hopes to connect many more people to this wonderful program in the future!
JULIA PETERS, Lead Area Director
Julia was born and raised in the flatlands of the Midwest, in the great state of Michigan. It was while studying at Valparaiso University that a committed desire to live a life of service took root. After a year working with youth in the inner city of Baltimore and a year as a dorm director, she joined JVC Northwest and ventured to Juneau, AK serving folks who have developmental disabilities followed by a year in Portland, OR sharing life with those experiencing homelessness. Julia then worked at a men's residential drug and alcohol treatment center for four years. Her interests include cooking and crafting, her cats Mowgli and Ena, learning to live more sustainably, biking, gardening, theater, and game nights. She is thrilled to be involved in the life-transforming work of JVC Northwest!
LIZ PURDY, Outreach and Events Coordinator
Liz grew up in the great Northwest city of Seattle, Wash. and was introduced to the Jesuits when begining college at Gonzaga University. While at Gonzaga, Liz became an avid basketball fan, studied English and Religious Studies, and developed a passion for social justice and all things Jesuit. Since graduation she has worked two summers at Grand Teton National Park, lived in intentional community with refugees teaching English, and served as a JV in Sitka, Alaska working with domestic violence survivors. Liz loves the outdoors, drinking coffee with friends, traveling, and having adventures. She's excited to be to be a part of the JVC Northwest team in Portland!
EMILY RUEF, Recruiter 
Emily was born and grew up in the wonderful city of Dayton, Ohio. She then went on to attend Saint Louis University, where she earned her degree in middle school education. Besides working at various on-campus jobs and playing club soccer, she participated in many social justice activities both on campus and in the wider St. Louis community, including coaching at KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now). Upon completing her half victory lap and graduating in four and a half years, she returned to Dayton to substitute teach for six months. During her first year of JVC Northwest (’09-10), she was the Emergency Services Coordinator at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Northeast Portland, where she assisted with emergency food, rental, and utility needs. Her second year of JVC Northwest (’10-11) took her to the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Ashland, Montana. Here she served as a substitute teacher, tutor, and volleyball coach at St. Labre Indian Catholic High School. She is honored and excited to be the recruiter and accompany others as they explore what JVC Northwest might mean for them in their adventures. When not talking about JVC Northwest, she also loves learning guitar and singing, playing Cranium, exploring the bulk aisle at Whole Foods, laughing loudly, and hanging out with her six-year-old nephew, Jacob.
CLARISSA SCHOENBERG, AmeriCorps Coordinator
Originally from the east coast, Clarissa was a JV in Alaska in the 1970s and then joined the JVC staff in the capacities of Office Manager and Alaska Area Director. She has a Masters Degree in Counseling, and has worked as a high school counselor. Before coming full circle and returning to the JVC Northwest staff as the AmeriCorps Coordinator, Clarissa spent 12 years with L’Arche (faith based communities for people with and without developmental disabilities), as Community Leader of the L’Arche community in Portland, and as Operations and Projects Coordinator for L’Arche USA, where she managed an AmeriCorps grant. She is an avid walker, reader and knitter.
ELIZABETH SKURDAHL, Development Coordinator
Elizabeth recently graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in International Relations and a minor in Peace and Justice Studies. While living in San Diego, she volunteered at an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico and at the Southern Sudanese Community Center helping Sudanese immigrants transition to life in the United States. Elizabeth's studies and volunteer opportunities allowed her to develop a strong dedication to achieving social justice and equity, and she welcomes the opportunity to work toward this end at JVC Northwest. Previously, she has worked as an intern at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice in San Diego and at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. As a native of Portland, she is happy to be able to return home to Oregon.
