Alongide Kramden’s full-time staff, and Mark Dibner, Kramden’s Chairman, the following Volunteers serve to round out Kramden’s Management Team. They donate their time and effort to collectively accomplish the organization’s daily operations, community outreach efforts, marketing strategies and computer refurbishing program, sharing their professional expertise and leadership during events. We view the members of the Volunteer Management Team as an integral part of Kramden’s efforts, and continue to be inspired by their dedication and commitment.
Jason Ricker and Jim Whitten
David Barclay is a volunteer member of Kramden’s Technology Team. David is originally from South Florida and has been in the Triangle area since July 2007. He works as a Senior Technical Support Engineer for a software company and has been working with computers since the 1980s. He began volunteering with Kramden in April of 2008 as a way to share his skills and meet interesting people. In his spare time he enjoys mountain biking and fly fishing. dbarclay@kramden.org
Mike Bianca is a volunteer member of Kramden’s Technology Team. After a somewhat nomadic upbringing Mike received his BFA from the University of Illinois in Theatre Audio Technology and Design while working 3 part-time jobs and building/repairing PC’s on the side. After 8 years as an independent tech and 2 years with Geek Squad, he moved to RTP in April 2010 and is currently a contractor for IBM doing remote, phone, and email support. Mike is a regular Wednesday work night fixture and can be found most nights salvaging laptop parts and assembling working machines for the Laptop University and the warehouse sales. mbianca@kramden.org
Emilie Condon is Kramden’s School Liaison. Emilie assists with school outreach efforts and serves as a liaison between Kramden and school administrators. econdon@kramden.org
Andrew Damon is part of Kramden’s Surplus Sales. Andrew is originally from Bennington, VT and currently works at Agilent Technologies in Cary as a technical writer in the marketing department. Andrew feels volunteering at Kramden is a unique and profound opportunity because his wife is a public school teacher and he sees, through her, the tremendous impact technology can have on underprivileged children. He is a vegetarian and loves the veggie pizza and lo mein served at Kramden’s Wednesday Work Nights. Outside of work and Kramden, Andrew loves walking his dog Bear with his wife, enjoys tearing apart computers, and is a spirited, but disgruntled, fan of Cleveland sports teams and the Carolina Hurricanes. adamon@kramden.org
Elaine Dibner is a volunteer member and provides HR guidance to the Management Team as well as administrative support to the front office since her retirement in 2010. Her BA, in Behavioral Management, was from Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio. Elaine had been in the insurance industry for 34 years starting with 12 years of P&C claims management. Her last 22 years incorporated operations, HR, and recruiting for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network in Raleigh. Elaine has also been donating platelets through The American Red Cross in Durham since 1999. She is one of Kramden’s earliest volunteers and one of its least technologically adept; proving the theory that there is a place for anyone who wants to help! edibner@kramden.org
David Jimenez heads up Kramden’s Warehouse Team. David is originally from Charlotte and moved to the Triangle area to attend NC State University to study Computer Science. He has more than a decade of experience at various IT firms and enjoys home brewing. David started volunteering at Kramden in July of 2011. djimenez@kramden.org
Sam Kim is a volunteer member of Kramden’s Technology Team. Originally from Southern California, Sam brings 20 years of business development and project management experiences to Kramden. Sam consults for the pharmaceutical industry with special emphasis on ophthalmology and phase 3 Asian trials. While Sam understands biotechnology and clinical pharmacology, he is an IT guy at heart. He loves to tinker with gadgets, especially laptops. He is also an avid reader and is very proud of the fact that he actually read James Joyce’s Ulysses. Per Sam, it was the most potent night time sleeping aid. Sam is always looking for good books to read and welcomes your suggestions. skim@kramden.org
Blake Prenatt is a volunteer member of Kramden’s Technology Team. Blake has been volunteering with Kramden since 2007 and was a catalyst for the Kramden website redesign. He graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Information Systems, and is currently a Software Developer at Contactology. When Blake is not at Kramden, he likes to play basketball, video games and cook. bprenatt@kramden.org
Jason Ricker is a volunteer member of Kramden’s Technology Team and the Surplus Sales Team. Jason was born and raised in Charleston, SC and works at Avery Engineering as an IT Support Specialist. He began volunteering with Kramden 3 years ago after reading an inspiring article about KI in the Herald Sun. He holds a BS in Computer Science from College of Charleston, is an avid outdoorsman, a UNC Tarheels fan, and loves spending time with his dog “Lemur.” jricker@kramden.org
Don Rowe is a volunteer member of Kramden’s Technology Team. Originally from New York City, Don earned his Bachelors at City University of New York then lived in Connecticut for 30 years before moving to the Triangle area in August 2006. Over his extensive IT career, he has served as a consultant in a variety of roles for insurance, banking, agriscience, education, and non-profit organizations. He began volunteering with Kramden in January of 2009 as a way to give back to the community. “As a parent and IT professional, I recognize the need for the whole system (K-12) to integrate technology into the learning process, so children will be able to compete on a level playing field.” His involvement has expanded to mentoring new volunteers and assisting Kramden with process improvements. In his spare time he and his wife enjoy exploring the many diverse cultural events the Triangle has to offer. drowe@kramden.org
Sam Shaver has been volunteering with Kramden since February of 2009. Born and raised in North Carolina, he has a degree in Chemistry from UNC-Chapel Hill and has 30 years of pharmaceutical industry experience ranging from bench organic chemistry to project management. Sam is currently pursuing the entrepreneur side of pharma while Kramden allows him to “tear apart stuff and put it back together for a good cause while validating my deep-seated geekiness”. Basketball and snow skiing help to keep him young. sshaver@kramden.org
JC Tiglao is a volunteer member of Kramden’s Technology Team. He is in the electronics and semiconductor field with over 12 years’ experience. He started volunteering in 2010 and is currently one of Kramden’s LCD monitor repair specialists. jctiglao@kramden.org
Don Ward is a volunteer member of Kramden’s Technology Team. Don has been an enthusiastic volunteer with Kramden since June 2008. He is a graduate in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech (B.E.E.) and Stanford (M.S.E.E., Ph.D.). Don spent 25 years in Silicon Valley doing scientific programming and has been working on computers since 1970. He enjoys his time at Kramden because it gives him a chance to learn more about computers and to put his skills to good use. In his spare time, Don has fun messing with shortwave radios, and repairing old tube-type radios. He and his wife are bridge players and love spending time doing genealogical research. dward@kramden.org
Tricia Weston is a volunteer member of Kramden’s team and its Social Media Manager. Tricia is a marketing and new media professional whose 20 year career has been shaped by working with some of the tech industry’s most innovative companies, such as Intel and Microsoft. Managing a wide variety of clients and projects, she has worked in all forms of advertising and marketing; from trade shows and print advertising to multimedia and internet, from public relations to corporate collateral. She currently helps local companies and non-profits find ways to grow their business through marketing, advertising, public relations, events and social media. She’s a self-styled techy who loves staying up to date on trends and developments in new media. tweston@kramden.org
Jim Whitten is a volunteer member of Kramden’s Technology Team and a longtime, loyal Kramden volunteer. Recently Jim took on an additional leadership role within Kramden’s newest program, Laptop University where he provides essential technical oversight and guidance. Jim has worked as a Product Manager for Cisco Systems for the last 8 years and has spent 34 years in the Data Communications and IP Networking industries specializing in Network Management Systems. jwhitten@kramden.org
Maria Hopper is a volunteer member of Kramden’s Grant team, working on grant writing and research. She has a Bachelors in Chemistry, a Masters in Nutrition and certificates in grant writing. She worked for IBM in semiconductor development and manufacturing prior to taking some time out of the workforce while raising her kids. She ran a gluten-free baking business and does contract grant writing. She is enjoying putting her skills to work for a good cause at Kramden. Maria enjoys cooking, gardening and hiking in her spare time. mhopper@kramden.org
Though not part of the Management Team, the following volunteers generously offer their time and service to fulfilling Kramden’s mission:
Jackie Morris is part of Kramden’s Sales Team. Jackie graduated from California State University at Fullerton with a BA in Finance. She earned an MS from California State University in Los Angeles in Psychology. Jackie’s background includes working for non-profits in clinical and program management roles. jmorris@kramden.org
Jeanette Stephenson is an administrative volunteer. Jeanette is originally from Washington State and was a licensed civil engineer for 14 years before moving to Virginia following her husband’s job. She spent 2 years serving on the board and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Fredericksburg, Virginia. When her family relocated to North Carolina, Jeanette was looking for new volunteer opportunities and discovered the Kramden Institute. She has been volunteering with Kramden since January of 2007. When Jeanette is not at Kramden, she can be found playing tennis, volunteering with her church or helping out at her daughter’s school.jstephenson@kramden.org
The following volunteers are all important members of the Kramden team and have been designated Super Geeks. These individuals are experts at the Kramden refurbishing process and act as leaders during volunteer events.
Joe Mozes, one of Kramden's Super Geeks
- Chuck Crew
- Zack Kinlaw
- David Krabacher
- Harry Lambert
- David Langmeyer
- Won-Kyoo Lee
- Joe Mozes
- Anish Patel
- Kathryn Rees
- Mark Schnee
- Dave Young
- Diane Dunlap
- Reinhard Amsinck
- Peter Janca
- Frank Adamek
- Jason Douglas
- Alex Chon
- Peter Kreuser
- Erla Beegle
- Todd Bowes
- Nathan Davis
- Jon Jackson
- Sai Cheemalapati
- Steve Bank
- Judi Bank
