El Salvador: 2011-2013

Andrew has served on the board since 2019, and has served as president since January 2020.

He is an alumnus of the University of Illinois/Illinois State University with a Master's Degree focused on Community and Economic Development. He works currently as a Project Manager at watchLAB Market Research.

He is a die-hard Chicago sports fan, a lover of all things food-related, and a dedicated cat stepdad to Icarus and his girlfriend, Chris.

Peace Corps India 1969-1972

Chuck served in Peace Corps 84 India from 1969-1972. He stayed an extra year to finish agricultural work with the farmers of his village and he had some amazing friends that he just couldn’t leave yet. He now goes back to his village in Rajasthan, India practically every 5 years to reunite with friends and develop numerous projects with the government school there.

He has been the Service Learning Coordinator at North Shore Academy, an alternative school (k-12) in Highland Park for 18 years.  

Chuck is also a tennis and racquetball professional for the past 40 years and he ran clubs and taught both sports before starting his second career in teaching school.

He graduated University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana in Sociology. He was going to attend Northwestern University for graduate work but chose the Peace Corps instead and…... that is history.

He is married to Cary with 4 children (Brad, Holden, Dean, Mariana) and a granddaughter (Camilla)

Peace Corps Zambia, 2009-2011

Peace Corps Response Burkina Faso, 2016-2017

Meera served on the board of the Milwaukee Peace Corps Association after returning from Zambia and moving to Milwaukee, and is thrilled to be back in  Chicago and involved again in the Peace Corps community. 

Peace Corps Azerbaijan, 2010-2012

James served in Azerbaijan from 2010-2012 as a Community Economic Development volunteer specialized in micro-finance with emphasis on group farmers and women entrepreneurs. He has been on the CAPCA Board since 2013 and is also on the Board of Career Transitions Center of Chicago, an employment training and placement non-profit. James is currently the CFO for Haymarket Center,  Chicago's largest substance use and mental health treatment center. 

Prior to Haymarket, James was the Chief Accounting Officer for Heartland alliance, an international non-profit in Chicago focused on ending poverty. James' background is in public accounting with a CPA and an MBA from Loyola University.  

Leslie is originally from South Florida but is happy to call Chicago her new home (even during the winters). Leslie Alvarez served as a TEFL Volunteer in Ecuador from 2016-2018. She led multiple G.LO.W. camps around the country and facilitated many pieces of training for PCVs. 

She currently does Community Engagement work within the Midwest for UNICEF USA. 

Leslie is a lover of books, food, and travel. She is also a dog momma to Heidy, the sassiest of all chihuahua-mixes. 

Ryan Belville is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from East Timor (2004-2006). Ryan has been an educator in Chicago Public Schools for 15 years and an administrator at McAuliffe Elementary School since 2012. He serves as Treasurer on the Executive Board of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association (CPAA) and is pursuing a Ph.D. at Illinois State University.  

Colin served in Peace Corps Philippines for two years as a Children Youth and Family Sector Volunteer. He extended for a third year, serving in the Peace Corps Philippines office as a Volunteer Leader. He has traveled around the world teaching music, working in community development, and studying.

Colin has worked in youth development for the Chicago Botanic Garden, and recently returned from studying Climate Change and Global Sustainability with SIT Graduate Institute. He loves cheese, gin, gardening, and travel.  Colin is active in local politics and environmental advocacy.

Jill is currently serving on the CAPCA board and enjoys supporting the RPCV community in Chicago after working as a Peace Corps Recruiter for two years. In addition to CAPCA, Jill is a Board Member and the Grants Coordinator for Friends of Albania, a nonprofit providing small project assistance grants to communities in Albania.

She served at the Kavaje Directory of Public Health as a Health Extension Agent from 2013 to 2015 in Albania. Jill held positions on several committees as the Outdoor Ambassadors Camp Coordinator, Anti-trafficking in Persons Grants Coordinator, and the Volunteer Advisory Committee Whip. She also started the Kavaje Young Adults Center, wrote a popular blog that ended up going viral in Albania, and completed a cervical cancer training of trainers project. Now Jill currently works as Program Specialist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services supporting policy initiatives for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. She enjoys bike riding, hanging out with her cat Shpirti, and going on long walks with her dog Zemer.

B.S., Bus. Admin./Edu.,  Syracuse University, 1961

Peace Corps, Nigeria (secondary school teacher), 1962-64. 

MBA, Indiana University, 1966.

Ph.D., Economics., University of South Carolina, 1980, field research in Cameroon.

Assistant Director, African Studies Program, Indiana University, 1994-2001

Academic Coordinator, Program of African Studies, Northwestern University, 2001-2007

Retired, 2007

Joe currently resides in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, and is working to complete his master's degree in public policy from Northwestern University in June of 2022. In addition to studying, Joe works for an energy and utility nonprofit that advocates for Illinois consumers. During his time in the Peace Corps (2017-2019), Joe worked in the Andean town of Junín, Peru, where he taught environmental leadership alongside the Peruvian National Park Service, and supported educators in the local elementary, middle, and high schools. When not studying or working, he enjoys reading history books, running along the shores of Lake Michigan, and spending time with his family.

From Andrew's board application:

Hi CAPCA team, my name is Andrew Koch, RPCV Colombia '16-'18. I really enjoyed learning more about CAPCA and getting to know you all this evening at the telethon. I am a native of Springfield, IL, and current resident of Evanston where I attend the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.

I serve as Co-Executive Director of TCP Global, a community development and microloan affiliate of the NCPA (tcpglobal.peacecorpsconnect.org). I would love to get more involved with the Peace Corps community right here in Chicagoland. I hope to stay in Chicago upon graduating from Kellogg in June 2021.

From Megan's board application:
 

When my husband and I moved to Chicago after our service (Honduras 2010-2012), the number one form of support we found was CAPCA. It was through CAPCA and RPCVs that we found jobs, friends, and community. I've participated in many CAPCA events over the years, and now I'd like to contribute to that support network for others.

Julie Oh served In Nepal as a science teacher at an all-girls elementary school from 2000 to 2001. Due to family emergency back home she was only able to complete one year of her service. Serving in the Peace Corps has always been her dream and she plans to go back into service once she retires. Since returning from the Peace Corps, she has taught English in Korea, owned a business in Chicago for 17 years, flew as a flight attendant for Jetblue, and is a licensed Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices. She currently serves her community as the Deputy Assessor helping taxpayers with property tax issues and is also the president of her daughter’s Parent Teacher Association. During her free time, she loves to create art through sewing, baking, and pottery, travel as often as she can, and stay active cycling and snowboarding.

Clare is a lifelong Chicago resident, outside of her years at the University of Illinois- Champaign for undergraduate studies and two years as an Environmental Volunteer in the Chiriqui Highlands of Panama (2018-2020).

She currently works as an environmental scientist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, collaborating on Clean Water Act programs with the states and tribal nations of the Great Lakes region.