Kathy Lynch
Isla Founder & Executive Director
Kathy works at the intersection of education, global development, and social-entrepreneurship, blending her skills and experience to generate sustainable long-term development outcomes. Kathy's international education experience includes study in Ireland, Germany, and the UK, all of which have informed her work in education abroad management positions at the University of Kentucky and Colorado State University. Her experience with sustainable international development began when she served in the Peace Corps in Mali. For two years, she lived in the village of N’Kourala in southern Mali and worked in the agriculture sector, integrating her support of food production with interventions with water, forestry, and health sector programs to advance community development through Peace Corps’ African Food Systems Initiative (AFSI). Through a World Bank ruralization program, Kathy introduced agricultural and appropriate technology techniques to elementary and high school students which led to a continuing education program that included women and farmers in innovative farming and health programs being offered at the school.
Kathy went on to work on the Cochran Fellowship Program’s Poland and Hungary desk at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. She coordinated in-country training programs and U.S. study-tours targeted to private agribusiness professionals, bankers, farmers, cooperatives, and other clients focused on the business skills necessary to work effectively in the new market economy. Next, she served for four years as Country Director of ACDI/VOCA’s Agribusiness Exchange Program, resident in Warsaw, Poland. As her family began to expand, Kathy shifted gears and earned her certification as a Montessori teacher. She went on to serve in a variety of positions, including teacher, mentor, board member, and eventually Director - with schools in Bulgaria, Kosovo, and the United States.
In 2007, Kathy founded Isla, marrying her interests in international education and global development. Over a two-year period, she steered Isla towards a merger with the Foundation for Community Development and Empowerment (FCDE), expanding both the learning and development outcomes. She is delighted to return to return to Isla to provide leadership and growth at an important stage of the organization’s evolution. Kathy holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and an international teaching diploma from Montessori Center International in London, U.K. Kathy may be reached at kathy@isla-serve.org.
Kathy went on to work on the Cochran Fellowship Program’s Poland and Hungary desk at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. She coordinated in-country training programs and U.S. study-tours targeted to private agribusiness professionals, bankers, farmers, cooperatives, and other clients focused on the business skills necessary to work effectively in the new market economy. Next, she served for four years as Country Director of ACDI/VOCA’s Agribusiness Exchange Program, resident in Warsaw, Poland. As her family began to expand, Kathy shifted gears and earned her certification as a Montessori teacher. She went on to serve in a variety of positions, including teacher, mentor, board member, and eventually Director - with schools in Bulgaria, Kosovo, and the United States.
In 2007, Kathy founded Isla, marrying her interests in international education and global development. Over a two-year period, she steered Isla towards a merger with the Foundation for Community Development and Empowerment (FCDE), expanding both the learning and development outcomes. She is delighted to return to return to Isla to provide leadership and growth at an important stage of the organization’s evolution. Kathy holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and an international teaching diploma from Montessori Center International in London, U.K. Kathy may be reached at kathy@isla-serve.org.
Era van Toorn
Program Coordinator
Era is our passionate Program Coordinator responsible for Isla internship program development, host partner organization coordination, and support to our Isla Interns throughout the lifecycle of their experience. Era was born and raised in the Netherlands. Era landed in Prishtina to complete a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Public Policy & Governance and Peace & Conflict Studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT-Kosovo). Era first joined Isla as an intern in the Isla-Kosovo office where she was a driving force behind Isla's communications and social media marketing. She also provided programmatic and logistical support to our program and international interns.
Era has a keen interest in Kosovar culture and exchanging cross-cultural perspectives in general in a variety of topics. She enjoys cooking, nature, animals, art, traveling, trying local wines and beer around the world, and tries her best to be environmentally friendly.
Era has a keen interest in Kosovar culture and exchanging cross-cultural perspectives in general in a variety of topics. She enjoys cooking, nature, animals, art, traveling, trying local wines and beer around the world, and tries her best to be environmentally friendly.
Carl Hammerdorfer
Global Development Advisor
Carl is a valuable advisor to Isla. He discovered his love for global development working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali. In the subsequent 30 years, Carl has led USAID-funded programs in Poland, the Baltics, Kenya, and Kosovo. He was also Chief of Party on a USDA-funded SME investment project in Tanzania and served as Peace Corps Country Director in Bulgaria. Carl’s expertise and interests range from higher-education management to entrepreneurship, SME finance, agriculture/agribusiness, cooperatives, and youth development. Carl has held a number of international positions, including water sanitation consultant in Cote d'Ivoire; VOCA Country Director in Warsaw, Poland; Peace Corps Country Director in Sofia, Bulgaria; SEAF's Chief of Party of Kasi Agriventure investment project; and most recently, World Learning's Chief of Party of US-AID's Transformational Leadership Program and Global Communities Up to Youth Project in Prishtina, Kosovo. In addition to his international work, periodic stints in the United States have allowed Carl to pursue other professional interests:
- Seven years building and leading an Impact MBA in global sustainable entrepreneurship at Colorado State University, earning a #2 global ranking for impact.
- Building an incubator for nationwide purchasing cooperatives in the drywall, roofing, tools and fasteners, and leasing industries.
- Entrepreneurial ventures in advertising, charter air, web-based procurement, and digital afterlife.
Morea Zherka
Marketing Coordinator
Morea graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology (AUK) in Kosovo with a double major in Management & Entrepreneurship and Graphic Design & Multimedia, and a minor in English, Morea is a highly enthusiastic, ecstatic even, graphic designer and illustrator, with a driven passion for character design, a good product packaging and presentation freak, and highly skilled in optimizing design for social media and UI/UX design.
As a Marketing Coordinator, she continuously seeks to achieve perfection, while appreciating and finding beauty in imperfection. She is thrilled by challenges and loves working on diverse projects as she can utilize her skills in many different areas. On the side, she is a self-proclaimed “food connoisseur”, who will try any type of food at least once; an open book, friendly, and forever open to new possibilities and experiences; overall, a bundle of joy with high levels of adrenaline more often than not."
As a Marketing Coordinator, she continuously seeks to achieve perfection, while appreciating and finding beauty in imperfection. She is thrilled by challenges and loves working on diverse projects as she can utilize her skills in many different areas. On the side, she is a self-proclaimed “food connoisseur”, who will try any type of food at least once; an open book, friendly, and forever open to new possibilities and experiences; overall, a bundle of joy with high levels of adrenaline more often than not."
