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 25 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, OR, USA. 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.
Waleska Santos
Guatemala Country 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.”
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 International Service Chair. 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.
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.