StoveTeam Staff
Shelby Kardas
Executive Director Contact Shelby
Shelby joined StoveTeam in September 2019 and has a long history as a non-profit leader spanning over 20 years. For 10 years she worked as Vice President, Administration & Development at World Oregon (formally the World Affairs Council of Oregon), a prominent international education organization in Portland. She left World Oregon to follow her passion and build a fundraising and strategic planning consulting practice where for 5 years she helped numerous small to large-size non-profits grow and thrive. Immediately before joining StoveTeam, she lived in Cuenca, Ecuador for one year with her high school daughter where they volunteered and studied Spanish. Shelby also lived and worked in multiple cities in France for 5 years in the late ’90s and speaks fluent French. Shelby received an MBA from Thunderbird, School of Global Management, and a BA with a double major in Political Science and French from Portland State University.
Mike hatfield
Director Monitoring & Evaluation Contact Mike
Mike has worked in stove design, production, and dissemination since 1998 with Aprovecho Research Center. He has coordinated stove technology and testing trainings throughout Central America, South American, Africa, and Asia. He is co-designer of the popular “Justa” griddle stove that has been disseminated throughout Central and South America in the hundreds of thousands. Mike’s design and testing skills have benefited hundreds of agencies and organizations worldwide, including Asia regional Cookstove Program, CARE, Development Alternatives, Enterprise Works, the Shell Foundation, Trees, Water & People, US Environmental Protection Agency, USAID, and the World Health Organization. Mike worked in India in the development of the first mass produced single pot rocket stove that has been now mass manufactured in the hundreds of thousands. Mike received his BS undergraduate from Willamette University and quickly entered into the Appropriate Technology and stove field which has now become his life’s work.
Alex Eaton
Central America Regional Director Contact Alex
Alex is a traveler and humanitarian by nature, and seeks to connect with people around the globe and learn about their cultures. He is a North Carolina native but comes from a diverse background which makes him feel at home anywhere in the world. He served in Peace Corps Ukraine from 2010 to 2013 as an English Teacher, continued his teaching career for five years in Almaty, Kazakhstan and thus speaks a handful of languages. He holds an MA in Sustainability of Natural Resources from Virginia Tech and has an affinity for helping others!
Waleska Santos
Guatemala Operations Director
Waleska joined StoveTeam in September of 2021 as Guatemala Operation Director. Before joining StoveTeam she worked as a Spanish Teacher for over 14 years and as a manager of 2 hotels in Antigua. She also volunteered extensively helping deaf people learn skills to find jobs and teaching reading and writing skills through an organization called Conalfa.
As Guatemala Operations Director, Waleska applies her extensive organizational and people skills to manage the complexities of our Guatemala field project including coordinating schedules and logistics for stovebuilders, managing the supply chain, organizing training and community stakeholder visits, and acting as liaison to ensure the constant flow of information to USA headquarters. “I love working with StoveTeam because I always wanted to help the people of Guatemala to improve their lives. Working with StoveTeam allows me to work with all kinds of different people and to put my skill to work on a project that I believe in.”
Tina Talbot
Administration/Business Manager
Tina has a background in social work, public health and human resources, and has worked with a variety of small and large organizations. Through the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health in Vancouver, Canada, she contributed to research and publications on girls’ and women’s health. As well, she has contributed to research studies on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and traumatic brain injury at the University of Washington in Seattle. During the course of her career, she has acquired a number of administrative and management skills, which happily brought her to StoveTeam in January 2023. Tina has a BA in English and a Masters in Social Work from Florida State University. She lives in Portland, OR, and enjoys outdoor activities, music, gardening, knitting and spending time with her family.
Emily Cupo
Development & Communications Director
Emily is a nonprofit professional who brings international experience in donor engagement, program development, and project management to StoveTeam International. In her past role as Program/Executive Director of a small non-profit working in South Africa, she developed and managed WASH projects and female empowerment programs in schools in rural South Africa, as well as managed donor engagement, grant-writing, and fundraising within the US and South Africa. Emily is a Rotarian of the Portland New Generations Rotary Club and serves as their current Club President. In 2021, Emily received a Paul Harris Fellow Award for her outstanding service in Rotary. With a love of cultures and a passion for international aid, Emily holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Temple University and she is honored to work for an organization that changes the lives of families and individuals throughout Central America.
Nancy Hughes
Founder of StoveTeam International
Nancy Hughes is a graduate of Whitman College, the mother of three and the grandmother of four. Prior to establishing StoveTeam International, she was a stay-at-home mom.
In 2003, while participating in a medical mission in Guatemala, she met Irma, a young woman whose hands had been burned shut after falling into an open cooking fire. Wanting to help, she started a small Rotary Club project that morphed into an effective international charity that has helped develop local factories to produce life-saving, fuel-efficient cookstoves in the developing world. The Ecocina stoves, designed by StoveTeam, reduce wood usage by 50% and carbon emissions and particulate matter by over 86%. They reduce both burns and respiratory illnesses.
In the twenty years since StoveTeam International’s inception, 82,000 stoves were produced and distributed and they have improved the lives of more than half a million individuals in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico. Nancy is a CNN Hero, a Rotary White House Champion of Change, an American Mother of Achievement, the recipient of the prestigious International Purpose Prize, the Bending Toward Justice Award, a Whitman Alumna of Merit, a member of both the Oregon and Idaho International Women’s Forums and a recipient of the Atlantic Philanthropies’ International Purpose Prize, awarded to individuals over 60 who have made a difference in the world. For her work establishing StoveTeam she was one of only 100 in the world to receive the 2009 Rotary Service Above Self Award. Her work has been featured in National Geographic, the Rotarian, Forbes and on PBS Newshour.
Board of Directors
Kim Forrest
Board Chair
Kim joined StoveTeam’s Board in 2018 after serving on staff as the organization's Programs and Volunteer Manager for 2 years. Prior to joining StoveTeam, Kim had been living, working, and studying Anthropology and Archaeology in Guatemala and Mexico since 2009, through which she developed an interest in helping solve the social and environmental challenges facing Latin American communities. During her time working at StoveTeam, she worked with StoveTeam factories and supporters on business development, grant writing, research, and volunteer trips. She currently works professionally as the Marketing Director for her family's company in Eugene, FORREST Technical Coatings. Kim holds a B.A. in History from Whitman College and a Masters in Anthropological Studies of Mexico and Mesoamerica from the Universidad de las Americas-Puebla (UDLAP) in Mexico.
Susie Andrist
Director
Susie was born and raised in the Chicago area. After graduating with a BS from the University of Illinois, she moved to Oregon in 1970 when the educational project with which she was working moved there. Working with that project involved training teachers in the use of unique teaching practices; she also became a co-author of grade-school-level reading programs and went on to publish 6 different programs that have been successful in the marketplace for as long as 47 years (including revisions). She became a Rotarian in 2008 so as to assist StoveTeam International in acquiring Rotary grants, and served as her club’s president in 2017-18. She has been a StoveTeam board member since 2008 when StoveTeam became a nonprofit and has participated in 13 volunteer work trips to Latin America over the years.
Ginger Chinn
Director
Ginger Chinn serves as the vice president of public policy and government affairs at the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce in Salt Lake City, Utah. At the Chamber, she coordinates with critical stakeholders on emerging policy issues and works with local and federal lawmakers on getting bills through the legislative process. She works to build strong relationships with members, the community, and elected officials.
Prior to her role at the Salt Lake Chamber, she served as the managing director for urban and rural business services for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. As managing director, Chinn directed a strategic growth plan for Utah’s industry cluster program and manages GOED’s rural programs. Additionally, Chinn oversaw GOED’s business services including Utah’s Business Resource Centers and the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC).
Chinn was previously the vice president of external engagement and economic development at the Davis Technical College (DTC). In this role, she directed several areas including Custom Fit training and operations at the Davis and Morgan County Business Resource Centers.
Chinn has served on many organizational boards including the Utah Advanced Materials Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI), Davis Education Foundation, and the Lakeview Hospital Board. She served as an honorary commander under Major General Stacey Hawkins at Hill Air Force Base.
Chinn graduated from Boise State University earning a degree in social sciences. She also earned a master’s degree from Colorado State University in organizational leadership.
Alex Tait
Director
Based in Portland Oregon, Alex Tait is currently the Chief Compliance Officer for Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of Avangrid, Inc. which is one of the leading renewable energy developers in the United States. Originally from the United Kingdom, Alex has held several leadership roles within the international utility and renewable sectors in areas such as corporate strategy, compliance and sustainability. Previously, Alex was a member of the Board of Advisors for eight years at the World Affairs Council of Oregon.
Alex graduated from the University of Aberdeen, earning a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, has an MBA from the Edinburgh Business School and attended the executive development program at the Wharton Business School. He is a certified compliance and ethics professional and a non practicing certified internal auditor.
Walt Meyer
Director
Walt Meyer is an environmental engineer and works for West Yost Associates in Eugene, Oregon. He specializes in planning and design of drinking water and wastewater treatment systems for communities in Oregon. He is an expert in water quality planning and advises cities and districts on their long term water quality compliance strategies.
He has participated in several Stove Team International studies on the performance of wood stoves including the studies in San Jose de Las Lagrimas in Honduras and El Tigre in Mexico. He also served in the Peace Corps in Queretaro, Mexico, working with the Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Electroquímica as an environmental engineer.
Heidi Groot
Director
Heidi Groot is the General Manager Human Resources, Midstream for Chevron Corporation, based in San Ramon, California. She is responsible for oversight of the HR function activities for Supply and Trade, Shipping and Power and Pipeline businesses and is a member of the HR Management Team and Executive Women’s Group. Since joining Chevron in 2002, Heidi has held leadership positions of increasing responsibility in California, Florida, Nigeria, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Argentina. She is fluent in Spanish. Heidi joined the StoveTeam board in 2022, motivated by the opportunity to apply her experience in human resources, organizational capability and coaching to support STI’s focus on health, the environment and improving lives and communities.
A native of Southern California, Heidi graduated from University of California, San Diego, with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Dual Major in English and Spanish Literature. Heidi obtained an International MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, in Glendale, Arizona.
Rich Goldstein
Director
Rich Goldstein brings to StoveTeam a diverse background spanning manufacturing (both domestic and international), jewelry design, software development, healthcare, and integrative health. He has worked with large enterprises, as well as smaller businesses. Primarily his work has been in the private sector, with some experience in both non-profit and public sector organizations. He has spent time in Asia, Europe and Central America, where he was introduced to StoveTeam in 2019.
Having attained a Masters degree in Public Health, Rich has dedicated a significant portion of the past 25 years to exploring health-supportive behaviors that individuals can adopt independently of healthcare and medical interventions. He has managed a medical practice in California and worked for the public health department in Austin, Texas, focusing on health informatics.
Rich is deeply committed to enhancing healthcare, with a particular emphasis on individual health and well-being. He firmly believes that systemic change is necessary to address the complexities inherent in the healthcare landscape. Moreover, he strives to ensure that a person-centered and compassionate approach is effectively implemented, regardless of socioeconomic status or constraints.