Meet our Staff

Tom Peden, Founder/Director of Programs

Tom Peden was born in northern Illinois. His first taste of travel and service learning came through a trip to Venezuela during his sophomore year in college. He credits the experience with changing his life by sparking a life-long passion for travel and experiencing different cultures. Before graduating with a teaching degree from Trinity International University, Tom took a second trip abroad, this time backpacking through Europe. 

As a teacher, Tom taught everything from English to technology and worked with middle school students and business professionals. In 1996, he left teaching for a job as a project manager for web-based projects with American Express. His strong cultural curiosity was fed by friendships with his new colleagues, mostly technology specialists from all over the world.

In the winter of 2002, Tom took a leap of faith, leaving his position at American Express to found World Endeavors. With a keen interest in social entrepreneurship, other cultures and making a difference in the world, Tom sees his work at World Endeavors as a way for him to kindle an excitement for meaningful travel in others. Tom enjoys seeing young people travel abroad for the first time and loves hearing what returned participants have learned or how they have made a contribution. Inspired by the energy and openness of all of World Endeavors’ participants, Tom hopes to continue learning about the world and sharing his experiences with others.

When he isn’t visiting women’s community projects in Tanzania or enjoying a sunrise in the Himalayas, Tom lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife, their new baby, and their dog Millie.

Jennifer Baldwin, Enrollment Advisor

Jennifer has enjoyed helping hundreds of participants travel abroad ever since World Endeavors started in 2002. Since then, she has visited many of the World Endeavors’ sites all over the world and has worked as both a participant advisor and in program development. Before World Endeavors, Jennifer attended DePaul University and the University of Minnesota and enjoyed a brief career in human resources for a technology company. Jennifer hopes to return soon to India, one of her favorite places.

 

 

Glenn Klapperich, Enrollment Manager

A childhood interest in archeology first exposed Glenn to the idea of international travel and cultural immersion.  Though Glenn's career choice changed, he still has a strong interest in traveling and experiencing other cultures, languages, and traditions.  Glenn is a graduate of Carroll College in Wisconsin, his home state.  To date, Glenn's favorite trip was to Germany and Austria, particularly the city of Munich.  The list of places he would like to visit in the future is too long to fit on this page.  Glenn processes applications and assists World Endeavors participants in preparing for their life-changing international experiences!

 

 

Lindsay Allen, Outreach Manager

Lindsay is originally from Minnesota but grew up in Hong Kong and Mexico City, leading to a lifelong interest in international travel.  She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Asian Studies, and has an MA in Spanish Translation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.  During college, Lindsay did a summer internship abroad in Beijing, China, and she has also studied abroad in both Portugal and Spain.  She enjoys running and spending time outside, and hopes to travel to Africa soon.   

 

Kamini LaRusso, Executive Assistant

Raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Kamini traveled to India every 3 years to visit her large, extended familyi n New Delhi, Agra, and Baroda. During high school she toured numerous cities in Spain and France as a violinist with her high school youth orchestra. While earning her bachelor's degree in music from Colby College, Kamini traveled to England and Mexico. During her Master's Degree at the University of Denver, she visited Canada and Jamaica. Fueled by these abroad experiences, Kamini is excited to join the World Endeavors mission and organization. She hopes to travel in the future with her husband and daughter to more parts of India, and other countries. 

 

 Janey Fell, Outreach Advisor

Janey grew up in Southeastern Wisconsin and recently graduated from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where she studied Spanish Studies and Management. Her love for Spanish led her to study abroad in Toledo, Spain, and she also extended her trip to include visiting France, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.  Janey recently spent several months in Costa Rica where she volunteered as an ESL teacher, painter, gardener, translator, and in any other way she could find to help. She hopes to explore South America in the near future.

 

Mallory Ericson, Enrollment Advisor

Mallory was born and raised in Minnesota. When she was a child, her family took numerous road trips around the country, which sparked her interest in travel. Mallory attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI where she graduated with a BA in International Affairs. During university, Mallory studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. She was able to explore the country and gained a greater interest in other countries and their cultures. Other than traveling, Mallory likes to camp, be outside, check out local art and music, and spend time with family and friends. Mallory would like to do some more traveling in the future and would like to visit Thailand, India, and all of Europe.

 

Herman Antonov, Accounting Assistant

Herman is from Kiev, Ukraine and has worked as an accounting assistant for World Endeavors since September 2007.  He has lived in the United States since 2004 and is a student at the University of Minnesota studying International Relations, Finance, and Management.  Herman enjoys playing basketball, spending time with his family, and traveling, and some of his favorite places that he has visited are the Black Sea and the Carpathian Mountains.  Herman speaks Ukrainian, Russian, and English. 

 

 

Jeff Torgerson, Video Editor

Jeff grew up in northern Minnesota where he enjoyed wakeboarding, swimming, and other outdoor sports. He moved to Minneapolis to study at the Institute of Production and Recording where he recently obtained a degree in audio for television and motion picture. Jeff has traveled to Australia, New Zealand, and Italy, and is interested in visiting Nepal and India. His main interests are music, church, and weightlifting. Jeff plans to one day design sound for major motion pictures.

 

Rachel Yoos, Enrollment Intern

Rachel is from Coon Rapids, MN and has her BA's in French and International Business Management from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. She has studied abroad in France and Cameroon and hopes to visit Guadeloupe and Martinique on her next trip. Rachel enjoys downhill skiing, snowboarding, traveling, swimming, and spending time with her family in her spare time.  

 

Mary Zoubek, Enrollment Intern

Mary was in born in Northern Wisconsin and has a BS in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.  In her senior year, she attended a German Study Tour class which gave her the opportunity to travel abroad for the first time.  She traveled to Berlin, Vienna, Munich, London, and Venice during the tour.  Following graduation, she spent a year teaching English in South Korea.  Mary enjoys working out, playing Frisbee and badminton, snowboarding, and visiting new places.  She hopes to return to South Korea as well as extend her short stay in Europe.   

 

Elise Peterson, Outreach Intern

Elise was born and raised in Minneapolis and is currently a pursuing a degree in Communications at Lake Forest college in Illinois. Last semester on a whim she decided to study abroad in Bangkok, Thailand where she attended Mahidol University and had the time of her life. There she studied Marketing in Asia and developed a passion for Thai culture, as well as a general love for learning and living abroad. Besides travel and marketing, Elise loves to play tennis and attempting to cook international dishes. She plans on graduating in the spring of 2011 and can’t wait to see what adventure she will end up on next.

 

Deepti Reddy, Outreach Intern

Deepti is a Philosophy student at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City. She was born in Australia and lived there until she was ten before moving to the United States. Her parents were both born and raised in India, and most of her family still lives there, so has been traveled regularly to India to visit them since she was a baby. Deepti has traveled to Italy, England, France, Switzerland, Singapore, and Puerto Rico. After college, Deepti hopes to travel extensively, either on her own or through the Peace Corps. 

 

Millie, Office Mascot

Millie has held the position of Office Mascot for over 5 years. She likes to have her tummy rubbed by the staff and visitors and is quite vocal – next time you call the office, you might be fortunate to hear her chime in. Though she hasn’t traveled out of the United States, she has been as far west as the Black Hills of South Dakota which, we must admit, is not too bad for a dog.