Alexander Woods, Director of Program and Training

He joined the Peace Corps Masters International Program combined with a Masters in International Development from Virginia Tech. He served as a Municipal Development Volunteer in Macedonia from 2003 to 2005 and completed the masters program in 2006. He returned to Macedonia after graduate school and found employment in private public universities before accepting a 15-month contract as the Education Office Director at USAID Macedonia.

Alexander returns to the Peace Corps as a Director of Programming & Training in Romania. He is very excited to bring his development experience and PCV background to the job in Bucharest. Alexander, his wife, and their ten-month old son, enjoy biking, travel, sunny beach time, and exploring the world of culinary diversity.

Marius Tomescu, Training Manager

“I started working with Peace Corps in 1998 as a host for a volunteer. I was a Language Instructor for one year and TEFL Program Assistant for five years. Now I’m PCRO’s Training Manager. I am responsible for operations of our ten-week Pre-Service Training program (PST) and In-Service programs throughout the volunteers’ service. I have a BA in English and Romanian but I also studied Economics, French, Theology and Philosophy. I like Classical music, mainly Mozart, and Tai Ji Quan (Chinese Martial Art).”

Manuela Lapadat, Technical Trainer

“I am responsible for several aspects of training at PST and other training programs. I work closely with the program managers to develop cross-sector training, community-based practicums, and background on Romania.”

“I joined Peace Corps Romania in 2002 and have enjoyed very much being in this dynamic and achievement oriented organization. It is working and learning at the same time; it is meeting people from different cultures and sharing and exchanging ideas. I’m a certified trainer in strategy development and I have an MA in Public Policies through a Georgetown University program developed in partnership with University of Bucharest.”

Krisztina Pinter, Language & Cross-Cultural Specialist

“I became an English teacher in 1997 when I graduated university. I’ve been teaching English and Romanian since then both to adults and children. At the same time, I am a translator and interpreter of English and Hungarian, the latter being my “mother” tongue. I am also a tutor. I like soul music, American theatre, to be busy and to work with people.”

Mirela Marinescu, TEFL Program Manager

“My responsibility is the management of the TEFL program, meaning broadly, identifying viable placements for TEFL volunteers, participating in training incoming volunteers, providing on going support to volunteers and their schools and monitoring and evaluating the TEFL project. With a BA degree in English and Romanian, and prior teaching experience, I have a very good understanding of the system and of the challenging, yet highly rewarding job, that teachers have. I started working with Peace Corps many years ago and can say myself that it’s the ‘toughest job I’ll ever love’ and the longest so far. I worked as a language instructor in 1997, then as a TEFL Program Assistant for a year and finally as a Program Manager.”

Laura Botezatu, TEFL Program Manager

Laura started working for the Peace Corps in Romania while a student at the University of Bucharest. She then responded to a part-time Receptionist position ad and two years after she took on full-time responsibility of this position. She moved on to Program Assistant and Program Manager with TEFL in 2007 and has, ever since, been involved in selecting sites for TEFL Volunteers and deciding their assignments. Laura’s responsibilities are also comprised of maintaining contact with the Ministry of Education, Local County Inspectorates and project partners, as well as monitoring and evaluating the work of the Volunteers in schools. Laura has previously worked as an Interpreter and enjoys music and reading, drums, old cities, horses and photography.

Raluca Anichitoaie, TEFL Program Assistant

My main responsibility is to offer support to the Programming and Training team in managing all aspects of Peace Corps Volunteer Life cycle. I assist the Program managers in maintaining contact with volunteers, schools and PC partners and also fulfill administrative tasks related to site identification and development, training documentation/materials and Volunteer Reporting.

I hold a BA in Political Science and a Masters degree in Journalism. In 2009, I studied at the University of Florence and right after my return I joined the OSCE temporary mission in Romania as a Media analyst assistant. Working for Peace Corps Romania has been so far the most fulfilling job that I could ever wish for!