Spotlight on Summer Program Leaders Ryan Durkopp & Anne Nagy
What distinguishes VISIONS among teen community service programs is the longevity and high caliber of our summer leaders. We are blessed yearly with dozens of qualified applicants; the sheer volume makes the hiring process challenging, if not painstakingly time consuming. We speak to three work references for every applicant considered, asking over a dozen skills-focused questions. We ask even more questions of our applicants in their interviews in person, via telephone or Skype. Fortunately, the lengthy process is offset by an annual staff return rate of roughly 50%.
A characteristic shared by veteran VISIONS leaders is that they came to us primarily not “for travel and to see the world” but for their intentional attraction to our mission. Two exemplary leaders are Ryan Durkopp and Annie Nagy, VISIONS’ long-time Guadeloupe co-directors. In their own academic and professional pursuits each is amazing. Together, Ryan and Annie have delivered an impressive one-two punch as stewards of VISIONS Guadeloupe, marrying their PhD and professional pursuits with their ongoing commitment to VISIONS.
Ryan joined us in 2004, becoming program director the following season, and Annie joined his staff team that summer. They have forged deep ties to the Petite Anse community on Terre-de-Bas, one of the archipelago islands off the southern mainland that has been our home base since 2004.
Ryan and Annie met while Peace Corps Volunteers in Guinea, West Africa, after earning their Bachelors degrees (Ryan summa cum laude, Annie magna cum laude). Annie has completed all but her thesis for a Ph.D. in Physical Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh. Concurrently, she is in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Infectious Disease and Microbiology. She was recipient of an Andrew W. Mellon Predoctoral Fellowship, and an Albert Schweitzer Public Health Fellow which sent her to Gabon, Africa, to work improving mothers’ and infants’ health. Ryan is a Ph.D. candidate in Ethnomusicology, University of Pittsburgh. He is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship and an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in this pursuit.
