RVSCI CORPORATE BOARD MEMBERS
Mary Jo Fassié is a former Roanoke City Public School French teacher, 1979-2015, and Chairman of St-Lô Sister Cities, 2004-2015. She has held many leadership positions on the state and local level in Alpha Delta Kappa. Mary Jo has an MA in French Literature from Indiana University. She has traveled widely in Europe, leading 5 Roanoke Sister City delegations to France. In April 2014, Mary Jo was recognized by the French government for promoting the French language and culture and named Knight in the Order of Academic Palms by the French government.
Bill Modica is Kisumu Chairman, serves on the Roanoke City Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and is a local real estate agent. He has served on the board of Local Colors and worked in East Africa with Virginia Tech’s student teacher program. Under his leadership, Kisumu Sister City has planted fruit trees in Kisumu, assisted with expenses at Bethel Home for Orphans and GLAC primary school, paid for AIDS education in Kenya and joined the City of Kisumu Urban Area Association. Bill has traveled to Kisumu, meeting with local leadership and exchanging ideas for cooperation.
Debra Boulé joined RVSCI in 2018 and later joined the St-Lô Sister Cities Executive Committee in March 2023. She moved to the Roanoke area in January 2017 before retiring from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. Debra has a BS in Computer Information Systems. She loves to travel and has been to Canada, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. She was part of the 2019 delegation to St-Lô to celebrate the 20th anniversary of twinning.
Bill Bestpitch, a former member of Roanoke City Council, served on the Budget and Personnel Committees and chaired the Legislative Committee. He represented the city on the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission and the Transportation Planning Organization. He received his BSW and MSW from VCU. During his long career as a social worker, he worked for the VA Department for Children, TAP, Blue Ridge Behavioral Health Care, Family Service of Roanoke Valley, Big Brothers Big Sisters of SW Virginia, and Creative Family Solutions. Bill is a community leader and with his wife, Sheri, has volunteered as a host family for RVSCI visitors.
RVSCI MEMBERS AT LARGE
John Makay holds a BS in Biology from VCU and an MA from Johns Hopkins. John taught military personnel in Germany and Egypt and for the Defense Department in Germany. In the US, he worked for Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Schools and Baltimore City Community College. He also served as the department head for the Division of Rehabilitation Services in Baltimore. Returning to Roanoke in 2009, John worked for Virginia Western CC as a grant specialist and has begun pro bono work for organizations in Roanoke.
David Trinkle, M.D., is a practicing geriatric psychiatrist, an associate clinical professor of psychiatric medicine and medical director of the Center for Healthy Aging at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. In 2006 he served as vice mayor of Roanoke and on the Roanoke City School Board for the 2003-06 terms. At Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, he serves as associate dean for community and culture and is responsible for community outreach and relations, international student electives, and assists in the development and implementation of the health systems science and interprofessional practice curricular domain. Dave has traveled to Florianópolis, Brazil.
Jeff Vick served as a U.S. diplomat on four continents over 25 years, including two tours in Poland. Serving in 10 countries abroad in the U.S. Army and the State Department, Jeff participated in many exchange programs in Russia, Chile, Uruguay, Poland, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom. In fact, participation in a military exchange with the Polish Army in Partnership for Peace in 1994 led Jeff to pursue a career in diplomacy. Jeff earned a MS in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University and a BA in English from Texas Tech University. In Roanoke, Jeff is an active member of the Kiwanis Club and the Unitarian Universalist Church.
Archie L. Freeman III, currently the Chief Academic Officer for Roanoke City Public Schools, previously served as Principal at Woodrow Wilson MS and at William Fleming HS. He holds a B.S. and M.A. from Virginia Tech where he is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Active in the community, he received the NAACP Youth Council Impactors of Excellence award in 2015 and was NAACP Roanoke Citizen of the Year for Education in 2018. An Associate Minister at Pilgrim Baptist Church, he assists in the music ministry, and is on the board of the Roanoke Boys and Girls Club.
Andreea Mihalache-O’Keef, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Roanoke College. A native of Romania, she holds a BA from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, an MA and PhD from Pennsylvania State University, and she completed postdoctoral work at Princeton University. She enjoys exploring the world both in a professional capacity—travelling with students, teaching courses on International Relations, and conducting research—and with her family. Since settling in Roanoke in 2010, she has learned the value and rewards of positive community engagement and she also discovered the joys of hiking, biking, and urban gardening.
As Director of Global Learning, Ramona, Kirsch is responsible for advancing global learning for Hollins University where she teaches two global-learning courses. Ramona has lived, worked, and studied abroad in over 40 countries. She has received three Fulbright awards (two to Austria and one to India) and has worked as a faculty member and/or administrator in institutions of higher education in California, Florida, and Missouri, as well as in NGOs promoting student global mobility. She has an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Management, an M.A. in History, and a B.A. in Letters. Ramona enjoys tennis, pickleball, singing, and yoga.