CVT Staff

Douglas A. Johnson, M.P.P.M.
Executive Director
Mr. Johnson has been a committed advocate of human rights since the 1970s, when he chaired the Infant Formula Action Coalition (INFACT). INFACT launched a boycott against the world’s largest food corporation, Nestle, to force it to change its marketing practices. As CVT’s executive director since 1988, He has led the organization through an important period of growth, as offices and treatment centers opened in St. Paul, Washington, D.C., Guinea and Sierra Leone. He has also pioneered the New Tactics in Human Rights project and the Tactical Mapping methodology.

Prior to joining CVT, Mr. Johnson also served as a consultant on strategic planning to human rights organizations in Latin America, as a consultant to UNICEF and the World Health Organization on an international marketing code for breast milk substitutes, and as director of the Third World Institute of the Newman Center. He was an original member of the OSCE Advisory Panel on the Prevention of Torture (established in 1998) and continues to serve on the panel.

Mr. Johnson holds a Masters in Public and Private Management (MPPM), School of Organization and Management, Yale University. He has also been an Associate Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies, Washington D.C. and Fellow of Albert Einstein Institute, Cambridge, Mass. He has received the Twin Cities International Citizen Award (1999), the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award (1982) and the Archbishop John Ireland Award for Distinguished Service to Justice (1981).

Ruth Barrett Rendler
Deputy Director
Ms. Barrett Rendler has dedicated her career to managing nonprofits and community organizations. After serving as the director of volunteer services at CVT, she was promoted to deputy director in 1999. In addition to her work at the center, she served as a board member for Amnesty International USA from 1999 to 2004

Prior to joining CVT, Ms. Barrett Rendler was the field director for a national lobbying organization focused on highway safety, as deputy director and then director of the Midwest region for Amnesty International, and as curator and volunteer coordinator of the Chicago Peace Museum. She also spent the summer of 1990 in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, overseeing students who aided asylum seekers incarcerated in INS detention facilities.

Ms. Barrett Rendler holds a Bachelors of Social Work from Manchester College.

Client Services Staff

Andrea Northwood, Ph.D., L.P.
Director of Client Services Program

Rosa E. Garcia-Peltoniemi, Ph.D., L.P.
Senior Consulting Clinician

Julie Aikoriegie, M.S.W., L.G.S.W.
Social Worker and Interpreter Coordinator

Eric Boone, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.
Psychotherapist

Wendy Diedrich
Client Services Coordinator

Lisa R. Ide, M.D.
Staff Physician

Sharyn Larson, R.N., B.S.N.
Nurse, Clinic Manager

Paul Orieny, Ph.D., L.M.F.T.
Psychotherapist

Emily Manaen
Client Services Coordinator & Receptionist

Erin Mehta, R.N.
Nurse and Clinic Manager

Eva Solomonson, M.S.W., L.I.S.W.
Social Worker and Healing Team Leader

In-Zu Tuan, M.D.
Psychiatrist

Abbey Weiss, Psy.D., L.P.
Psychologist


Client Services & Training Staff

Alison Beckman, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.
Clinical Social Worker and Trainer

Jean Choe, Ph.D., L.P.
Clinical Psychologist, Trainer, and Healing Team Leader

Evelyn C. Lennon, M.S.W., M.A.
Social Worker and Trainer

Heather Tracey, M.S.W., L.I.S.W.
Social Worker and Trainer

Training Staff

Carol White, M.A.
Manager of National Capacity-Building and Coordinator of Trauma Healing Initiative

Ann Lundberg
National Capacity-Building Project Coordinator

Jane Reilly, M.S., L.I.C.S.W.
New Neighbors/Hidden Scars Psychotherapist/Trainer and Coordinator of School Groups

Patricia Shannon, Ph.D., L.P.
Clinical Consultant
East Metro Project

International Services

Neal Porter, M.A., M.P.P.M.
Director of International Services

Kristin Dieng
International Capacity Building Project Coordinator

Edie Lewison, M.P.H.
International Services Program Coordinator

Erin Morgan, M.S., L.M.F.T.
International Programs Clinical Consultant

Linda Nielsen, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.
International Programs Consulting Clinician

Suzanne Pearl, J.D.
International Services Program Manager

Pamela Kriege Santoso
International Capacity-Building Project Manager

Jordan Staff

Joséphine Anthoine-Milhomme
Psychologist and Trainer

Muriel Genot
Psychotherapist and Trainer

Shirley Gillan
Psychotherapist and Trainer

Darrin Waller
Country Director

Democratic Republic of Congo Project

Carlos Aceves
Psychotherapist and Trainer

Alice Behrendt
Psychotherapist and Trainer

Joseph Dah
Field Coordinator

Elodie Hermant
Psychotherapist and Trainer

Maki Katoh
Country Director

Angela Keller
Psychotherapist and Trainer

 

Sierra Leone Project

Simone van der Kaaden
Country Director

Ann Wilhoite
Psychotherapist and Trainer

 

THI-Africa

Gabriele Marini
Psychotherapist and Trainer, Kenya Project

 

Technology Support

Denise Dreher
Information Systems Administrator

Mike Nation
Network Administrator

Technology and Integration

Ali Gharavi
Strategic Consultant, Technology and Integration

 

New Tactics in Human Rights Project

Nancy Pearson, M.S.W., L.I.S.W.
New Tactics Project Manager

Kristin Antin
New Tactics Online Community Builder

Research

Jon Hubbard, Ph.D., L.P.
Director of Research

Joan Othieno, Ph.D., M.A.
Evaluation Research Advisor

Greg Vinson, Ph.D., M.A.
Senior Research and Evaluation Manager

 

Public Policy Staff

Catherine Arrowood
Director of Washington Office

Volunteer Services Staff

Beth Wickum
Director of Volunteer Services

Administrative Staff

Joan Morss
Director of Administrative Services

Emily Sara Hassing
Receptionist

Martha Meier
Assistant to the Executive Director

Human Resources

Deb Ekeren, M.A., SPHR
Director of Human Resources

Finance Staff

Karla Wetherby, M.A.
Chief Financial Officer

Nancy Holladay
Grants Accountant

Janelle Reich
Grants Accountant

Ka Thao
Medical Billing Specialist & Accounting Assistant

 

Development Staff

Pete Dross
Director of Development and Policy

Ashley Bennett
Development Associate

Belma Demirovic
Development Officer and Project Specialist

Scott Hvizdos
Assistant Director of Development

Lori Stone
Manager of Special Initiatives

Amy-Jo Versolato, J.D.
Manager, Institutional Philanthropy

Communications

Holly Ziemer
Director of Communications

Elizabeth Condon, Esq.
Sr. Communications Manager

C.C. Strom
Communications Specialist

Interpreters

Berha Abraha
Tigrinya Interpreter

Fowsia Ali
Somali and Kiswahili Interpreter

Paul Amla
Amina and Ewe Interpreter

Senbeta Ayansa
Amharic and Oromo Interpreter

Timka Bostan
Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian Interpreter

Brigitte Chomilo
Pidgin English Interpreter

Bolo Diallo
Fulani and French Interpreter

Asmaa ElGhandour
Arabic Interpreter

Fatuma Fahnbulleh
Mandingo Interpreter

Alfred Fang
Aghem, Pidgin and French Interpreter

Gemechu Getachew
Oromo, Amharic Interpreter

Antonietta Giovanni
Tigrenya Interpreter

Faiza Hamid
Oromo/Amharic Interpreter

Khadija Hassan
Somali Intepreter

Jenny Hong
Cambodian (Khmer) Interpreter

Amara Kamara
Mandingo Interpreter

Suhair Khalil
Arabic Interpreter

Ishmael Komara
Mandingo Interpreter

Anthonia Kum
Aghem Interpreter

Diane Long
French Interpreter

Sovannhan Mak
Khmer Interpreter

Ivana Ninkovic
Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian Interpreter

Jana Ninkovic
Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian Interpreter

Hodan Nur
Somali Interpreter

Zabiti Omer
Oromo and Amharic Interpreter

Mimi Oo
Burmese Interpreter

Stela Osmancevic
Bosnian Interpreter

Hindolo Michael Pokawa
Krio Interpreter

Ibrahim Rddad
Arabic Interpreter

Hamdiya Sada Ali
Somali and Oromo Interpreter

Linda Scheller
Indonesian Interpreter

Padam Sharma
Nepali Interpreter

Khambay Sivognasy
Lao Interpreter

Laura Tiede
French Interpreter

Zemu Tuke
Oromo and Amharic Interpreter

Jill Vollmar
French Interpreter

Volunteer Staff

Carolyn Easton, MLS
Research Specialist

Anne Edmee-Carayon
French Interpreter

Vanca Schrunk
Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian Interpreter

 

Volunteer Physical and Occupational Therapists

Marianne Christiansen, O.T.

Mary Ann De Ruiter, P.T.

Gale Dockstader, P.T.

Laura Pizer, P.T., M.P.H.

Greg Santema, P.T.

Volunteer Massage Therapists

Mia Calhan
Massage Therapist

Bonnie Gibson
Certified Massage Therapist

Trish Kloeckl
Shiatsu Practitioner

Diane Long
Massage Therapist

Carol Nelson
Massage Therapist

Richard Perry
Massage Therapist

Sal Salerno
Shiatsu Practitioner