Our Vision
By 2030 we will be well-known for creating educational experiences that reach at least twice as many people as we do today. We will stand together to lead, act and inspire change in our communities to help build a more just and peaceful world.
Melissa Donohue Board Chair/President
Term Ending 2024
Melissa Donohue, Ed.D. is a financial education expert with extensive experience in curriculum design, research, and teaching across several multimedia formats including online, text, and classroom. She is a frequent speaker and writer on all aspects of financial literacy, wealth education, and economic empowerment. Melissa is the author of the book Financial Nutrition for Young Women: How (and Why) to Teach Girls About Money, a 2018 recipient of the Independent Publisher Book Award. She is the founder of Financial Nutrition, an organization focused on girls’ and women’s financial education and economic empowerment. Melissa was formerly the head of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s Family Wealth Education program, the winner of the 2017 MMI/Barron’s Industry Award for Investor Education. She has a Master’s Degree from Columbia University and a Doctoral Degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Melissa has been involved in CISV since 2010 as a parent and a Board Member of both the Springfield and New York chapters. She currently serves as the Chair of the Education Committee of the National Board, and is looking forward to working with all CISV members to strengthen the organization as the world comes back together.
Valerie Maurais
Term Ending 2024
Valerie is a retired high school Family and Consumer Science teacher of 19 years. She is presently working with elderly clients with home assistance. She has been a member of the Maine Chapter since 1989. She served in several board positions including being the president for 5 years. She directed and staffed 12 villages along with serving as a National Trainer for 5 years. Her national involvement continued as the National Village Chair to her most recent position as National Program Coordinator.
Valerie lives in Old Town Maine with her husband Owen and they have four grown children and one grandchild.
Jude Albukhari
Term Ending 2024
Jude Albukhari is a psychologist currently working with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. Her professional experience while obtaining her doctorate degree in psychology has allowed her the privilege of working with children, adolescents, and families from all walks of life.
Born and raised in Amman, Jordan, Jude’s first taste of CISV came as an 11-year-old Jordanian delegate attending a Village in Darmstadt, Germany. Since then, Jude has joined two different National Associations, participated in several international programs, and taken on various roles, including National Leadership Trainer and JB Advisor. Jude became a founding member and President of CISV Southern California before leaving the warmth of SoCal to move to the East Coast. Jude is excited to join the Board and actively work towards upholding CISV’s mission, particularly within the context of important societal issues, including accessibility, diversity, and equity.
Venkat Memula
Term Ending 2025
Madeline Collison
Term Ending 2025
Madeline has over twenty-five years of experience representing Colorado employees who have been subjected to unfair treatment in the workplace. She has dedicated her legal career to advocating for workers who have been mistreated by their employers. She graduated from Wellesley College and obtained her law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She has also been active in the Colorado attorney community and served on the boards of various bar associations and other non-profit organizations in Colorado.
Madeline joined the CISV Rocky Mountain Denver Chapter in 2005 when her four children started participating in CISV. Over the years, her children participated in twenty programs. Madeline credits CISV with teaching her young adult children how to be culturally competent global citizens. She has served as her Chapter’s President and helped plan multiple CISV programs. She has also served as the CISV USA National Risk Manager and as a member of the Chapter Development training team. Madeline is excited to serve on the CISV USA Board of Directors and looks forward to strengthening and expanding the organization so that more children can experience the wonderful world of CISV.
Arnold Miller
Term Ending 2026
Arnold served as CEO of one of the country’s largest independent school & camp photography companies for over twenty years, where he continues as Chairman of the Board. Prior to that he was a marketing executive for major New York advertising agencies and packaged consumer goods companies.
He has been vigorously involved with the CISV-NY chapter for over forty years as a parent, grandparent and board member. His proudest achievement has been the founding of the CISV Faces of New Your Mosaic Camp which has operated for thirteen years.
Arnold also serves on the board of Aaron Copland House and the Ethiopian School Readiness Initiative.
His interests include outdoor activities, world travel, raising chickens and goats and collecting old group photographs. Arnold grew up in Baltimore and is happily married with two sons and four grandchildren.
Sam Taussig

Jamila Daniel

Jamila is the founder of ‘Being Earthlings,’ a purpose-driven consulting company with a mission to ‘help beings thrive.’ Being Earthlings fulfills this mission through various avenues, including grant writing and fundraising strategy, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) consulting, as well as health and wellness initiatives. Fundraising work often focuses on international development, collaborating with partners for impacts in global agriculture, data and technology for development, global education, and more. As a certified yoga instructor, Jamila integrates the principles of yoga and wellness into all aspects of her work, promoting physical and mental well-being as essential components of personal and organizational growth. Trained in Systems Thinking Leadership, she has a unique approach to addressing complex challenges, ensuring that her impact is always strategic and sustainable.
Jamila became involved with CISV in 2017, staffing a Village in Turkey and currently serves as the Co-Director of CISV New York’s local Mosaic camp. She is dedicated to creating positive change and empowering individuals and communities to thrive and is honored to continue this work as a member of the Board.
Laura Ripberger – Executive Director
Laura Ripberger has been with CISV USA for 13 years, she was promoted to Executive Director eight years ago. She holds a certificate in non-profit management from the University of Illinois. Laura has completed the AFP Fundamentals of Fundraising course and is an EXCEL Leadership Training class graduate.
In her role as Executive Director she oversees all operational aspects of the organization and she is continually amazed and honored to work with the army of dedicated volunteers across the country.
Laura had the privilege of becoming a CISV mom when her son was selected by the Cincinnati Chapter to attend a Village in Mexico City. She has welcomed home stay participants from Guatemala, Mexico, and Spain. Both experiences cementing her passion for the mission of CISV to educate and inspire action for a more just and peaceful world.
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