Full Basket Belize is a volunteer-run organization founded by a handful of former Peace Corps Volunteers and friends, and supported by the donations of generous souls like yourself. Most (but not all) of the board members volunteered, worked, vacationed, and/or lived in Belize at some point. Some of us still do.
Day-to-day operations are handled by the small group of dedicated volunteers. If you’d like to lend a hand, please contact us at jolink@fullbasketbelize.org. Thanks!!
FBB Board of Directors 2024-25
Ron Herring — President
Ron is a retired entrepreneur who now spends his time with providing opportunity for young people, supporting reef ecosystem programs, and nurturing entrepreneurs.
He developed St. George’s Caye Resort in Belize from 2010 to 2017, continues as a co-owner of Reef Adventures dive shop he founded in 2000 in San Pedro Town, and presides over Access to Opportunity, a non-profit organization.
Ron resides in the Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington area in the northwestern U.S.
Kristi Drexler — Vice President
Dr. Kristi Drexler served as a Peace Corps volunteer in San Ignacio and Belmopan, Belize, from 1997-1999 where her focus was environmental education. During her time as a PCV, she assisted with field research at Las Cuevas Research Station in the Chiquibul Forest (near Caracol) and helped train Conservation Officers in all district Forestry offices in environmental education, public speaking, and co-management of protected areas. Drexler regularly visits Belize and considers Belize (Cayo, especially) to be her second home.
Drexler has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership; her dissertation research examined agriculture extension education and community resilience from socio-ecological system impacts of forest, watershed, and climate changes on Maya milpa farmers in the Toledo District of Belize. Drexler previously earned a master’s degree in International Affairs/Latin America and Natural Resources Conservation. Drexler is an Assistant Professor at American Public University where she instructs college courses in Geography, Earth and Planetary Sustainability, Natural Resource Conservation, and Earth Systems History. Prior to that, she was an environment scientist in New Mexico. There, she founded the Belize Field School program and faculty-led International Programs at New Mexico State University where she directed field courses (mostly in Belize) ranging from wildlife science, marine ecology, agriculture, documentary film, and service learning. Drexler produced an award-winning film “Yochi” (filmed in Belize) in 2017. To learn more about Kristi, visit Interview with Kristi from 2018.
Madeleine Lyons — Secretary, Publicity Co-Chair
Madeleine Lyons is one of the newest members of Full Basket Belize. She has worked closely with other organizers and participants in various student scholarship competitions (domestic and international). She is located in Chicago and works as a case assistant at the Goldman Ismail law firm. Maddie was first introduced to FBB through Sarah Reynolds.
Jeffrey Cleveland — Treasurer
Jeffrey Cleveland served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Punta Gorda from 1997-1999 in Small Business Development. He taught the first business programs at the University (College) of Belize’s Toledo Campus during its first two start-up years and also developed and taught three Outreach Programs for the local business owners.
Following his return to the States, Jeffrey worked full-time at a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on substance abuse prevention. He retired professionally in 2011 and lives remotely on a mountain in North Central New Mexico. Jeffrey became involved in 2005 in starting up Full Basket Belize and over the years has served as Vice President, Newsletter Editor, General Director and Treasurer.
Jo Link — Scholarships Chair, Publicity Co-Chair
Jo Link is a retired math and computer science secondary school teacher. In 2000 she and her husband Bob joined the Peace Corps as Information Technology Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs). They spent two years in Belmopan, Belize, where Jo taught computer literacy to public school teachers and English to Spanish-speaking refugees from other Central American countries. In addition, Jo was co-editor of the PCV quarterly magazine, “Toucan Times,” and served as head of the Volunteer Advisory Council (VAC).
Jo and Bob live near Portland, Oregon, and enjoys spending time with their five grandchildren. She has served on the Full Basket Belize Board of Directors for the past several years as Communications Director, Scholarship Director, Elections Committee Chair, and President. To learn more about Jo and her work with Full Basket Belize, visit Interview with Jo from 2018.
Suzanne Haxer Toohey — Scholarships Vice Chair
Suzanne Haxer Toohey was as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Orange Walk Town, Belize, from 1999 – 2001. She served as a rural teacher trainer and computer teacher in one of the first IT projects for the Peace Corps.
Through Northern Arizona University she earned a Master’s degree in Bilingual/Multicultural Education. Suzanne sits on the Executive Board of the National Association of English Language Program Administrators, is a Past-President of Michigan TESOL, and is a member of the Michigan Department of Education Title III Advisory Council. Presently, she is Supervisor of the Instruction and Pedagogy Unit at Oakland Schools in Waterford, Michigan.
Brandon Kitagawa — Project Grants Co-Chair
Brandon Kitagawa served as a Peace Corps Volunteer working on environmental education and marine conservation at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve in Belize from 1999 to 2001. While living in Belize, Brandon gained an appreciation for the unique potential and challenges of development in Belize.
Brandon credits his time in Belize for directing him towards work that connects communities to public policy. He spent almost four years as a community organizer working with neighborhoods in Sacramento, California, and currently works on environmental health/public health policy related to asthma in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has volunteered with FBB since 2005 to help coordinate FBB’s grants program and has served on the Board of Directors since 2010.
Harry Bennett — Project Grants
Harry E. Bennett served as a Peace Corps Volunteer with his wife, Margaret, in San Jose Village, Toledo, Belize from 2002 to 2004. He worked in sustainable agriculture and rural community development programs. His projects included working with Mayan farmer cooperatives, developing a new village health post and working with village water system issues.
Harry has a degree in Business Administration and operated an organic farm in Central Kansas for 32 years before moving to Madison, WI, in 2011. Harry retired as Marketing Coordinator of the Kansas Organic Producers Association in 2015 and continues to work part time as a consultant. Harry has three daughters and four grandchildren that live in Madison. Harry is active in the RPCV’s Wisconsin-Madison group, in climate change work with 350 Madison, and refugee resettlement with Open Doors for Refugees. He enjoys gardening, bike riding, sailing on Lake Mendota, and playing with the grandkids.
Sue Noe — Project Grants Co-Chair
Sue Noe is an attorney in Boulder, CO, specializing in Native American law and indigenous peoples’ rights. As part of an international human rights advocacy course she took while completing a Masters in Law in Natural Resources and Environmental Law at the University of Denver, Sue spent the summer of 2001 in Belize working on a volunteer project with the National Garifuna Council. Although based in San Ignacio, Sue had the privilege to travel to each of the Garifuna communities, meeting with community members and learning about their issues. Subsequently, she led a service learning course bringing University of Denver students to Belize for one month.
Over the years, Sue has traveled to Belize frequently and continues to treasure her Belize family (the family of her mentor, the late Mr. Godsman Ellis) as well as her many friendships there.
Sue is employed as a Senior Staff Attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, the oldest and largest non-profit law firm in the United States representing Native American tribes and tribal organizations.
Tyrone Avila — Project Grants
Tyrone is originally from Punta Gorda, Belize, and migrated to the United States at the tender age of 16. Once he completed his secondary education, he attended St. John’s University in Queens, NY, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Business Administration. He went on to Columbia University to earn a master’s degree in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. He is now employed as a research administration professional/project manager/team lead for the Research Finance Operations Office at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.
Tyrone is grateful for the opportunity to have lived in both Belize and the United States. He grew up in a small community and now lives in a country with wider access to resources and opportunities. This experience has greatly influenced his perspective, one that has proven invaluable in our grants committee work.
Rachel Wagner — Member at Large
Rachel and her husband, Aaron, served together in the Peace Corps in Belize from 2004-2006. They lived in Bermudian Landing; Rachel worked with the women’s conservation group in charge of the Community Baboon Sanctuary. After service, they moved to Pennsylvania where Rachel earned a PhD in Environmental Engineering, and they had two children, Catherine and Thomas. The family moved a little way down the road in 2013, to Hollidaysburg, where they now live, when Rachel got her current job as a faculty member in Environmental Engineering at Saint Francis University.
Rachel first learned of FBB when looking for images to use in making her group’s Peace Corps t-shirt. A few years ago, she and Aaron gave Rachel’s parents the gift of a FBB scholarship donation, and she has helped in the scholar selection ever since. Now she’s ready to give her time as a board member, learning more about the group, and connecting back to beautiful Belize.
In her spare time, Rachel loves to read, hike, and garden.
Bryon Kohls — Assistant Treasurer
Bryon is a Project Director for a large power plant in Texas. He has a background in account/finance with an undergraduate degree in accounting (economics minor) and an MBA with a finance concentration. Bryon and his wife live in Tyler, Texas, and enjoy spending time with their three children and two grandchildren. They enjoy traveling and spending time in Belize. Both of them have volunteered on the Full Basket Belize scholarship committee for the past few years.
Tanya Matlaga — Member at Large, Impact Committee Chair
Tanya Hawley Matlaga served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Toledo District from 1999 until 2001. She worked for the Belize Zoo as an outreach educator and assisted the Rio Blanco Mayan Association with management of Rio Blanco National Park. While in Belize she also conducted research on amphibians in the Bladen Nature Reserve. She fell in love with the diverse cultures and people of Belize as well as the tropical forests and animals that inhabit them.
After leaving Belize, Tanya continued studying amphibians in Costa Rica and obtained her Ph.D. in Biology. She now teaches at Susquehanna University, a liberal arts school in central Pennsylvania. She is married and has twin daughters who are 12 years old, Lucia and Samara. Her family loves to travel when they are not busy taking care of their dog, cats, chickens and goats or “hunting” salamanders on their land in PA.
Tanya is excited to help FBB reach their goals.
Volunteers
Robin Mardeusz — Webmaster
Robin Mardeusz, international philanthropist-entrepreneur, is a founding member of Full Basket Belize. Robin’s service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in southern Belize (1999-2002) inspired him to pursue a career in international development. In the years since, Robin has focused his efforts on developing and strengthening national health systems in various developing countries including India, Ukraine, Pakistan, Cambodia, South Sudan and Mozambique.
To learn more about Robin and the founding of Full Basket Belize, visit Interview with Robin from 12/2019.
Sarah Reynolds — Legal Advisor
Sarah Reynolds served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Punta Gorda, Belize, from 2000 to 2002. Ms. Reynolds worked as a professor at the University of Belize – Toledo teaching courses for the University’s Natural Resource Management degree program. Ms. Reynolds also worked as a volunteer coordinator for the Belize Red Cross. Upon return from the Peace Corps, Ms. Reynolds attended law school at the University of Chicago. In 2003, she spent an additional summer in Belize City conducting legislation strategy research as a United Nations Development Program intern for Belize’s Coastal Zone Management Authority.
Ms. Reynolds is currently working as a litigator at Goldman Ismail in Chicago and serves as the FBB legal advisor.
Bob Link — Scholarship Advisor
Bob was a Peace Corps volunteer in Belize in the years 2000 to 2002, where he taught computer literacy to Belizean teachers along with his wife, Jo Link. Bob has a B.A. in mathematics and a Ph.D. in educational psychology.
After several years teaching at the university level, Bob changed careers in 1983 so that he could remain on the Big Island of Hawaii, where he lived for 30 years. He spent many years managing a computer network for astronomers at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, one of the world-class telescopes atop Mauna Kea, the 14,00 feet dormant volcano on the Big Island.
In 2004, Bob volunteered for 6 weeks at an orphanage for deaf children in Peru. His work there was included in a documentary film highlighting the benefits of volunteer vacations. In 2005, Bob was among the first and only group of Peace Corps Volunteers to serve in the U.S. via the Peace Corps Crisis Corps, now known as Peace Corps Response. His work consisted of helping people who were fleeing Hurricane Katrina to find housing and monetary resources.
Bob now resides near Portland, Oregon.
Barbara Romero — Belize Advisor
Barbara Romero was a Peace Corps volunteer in Belize in 1979. Her post was as a dental hygienist for the 23 primary schools and one secondary school in the Orange Walk District at the time.
She married a teacher from Orange Walk, and they have lived both in Arizona and the Orange Walk District over the years. They retired to Orange Walk in September 2012. They have three grown children and three grandchildren.
Full Basket Belize came onto Barbara’s radar through Facebook, and the organization and its people have impressed her over and over and more and more with their dedication and sensible action.
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updated 03/11/2024 jl