About
The National Museum and Center for Service
History
The National Museum and Center for Service began as a vision of Congressman Brian Baird. While in Congress, Brian traveled to some very difficult parts of the world, from war zones, disaster areas, and places with unimaginable human suffering. Yet no matter how hard the conditions, no matter the challenge or risk, they always found Americans putting themselves on the line to help others. Sometimes they were from official agencies of our government, sometimes they were with established organizations large or small, and sometimes they were just individuals who felt a calling to make a difference.
We have all seen examples of this, and know people who deserve to be recognized for their contributions to the community.
Just as we find it appropriate, even necessary, to honor the service and sacrifice of our men and women in the military, we should also find a way, and have places, to honor those who serve without uniforms or weapons. Because that spirit of service is just as fundamental to our nation and who we are as a people, just as vital to our democracy, and just as important to how others in the world view America.
That is why it is long past time to establish the National Museum and Center for Service. A place in our Nation’s Capital to celebrate and inspire service in all its forms from the founding of the nation to the present day.
Meet the team
Akhtar Badshah, Vice Chair,
Board of Directors
Akhtar Badshah was the Senior Director of Microsoft Citizenship and Public Affairs, where he administered the company’s global community investment and employee programs. Badshah taught architecture and urban development at MIT and is a published author, artist, and an acclaimed international speaker. He is the founder and Chief Catalyst of Catalytic Innovators Group, a consulting practice focused on accelerating social impact through catalytic innovation.
Badshah is a Distinguished Practitioner and Associate Teaching Faculty at the University of Washington, School of Business (Bothell Campus) and Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. His new book Purpose Mindset: How Microsoft Inspires its Employees and Alumni to Change the World, is published by Harper Collins Leadership and is also a Microsoft Alumni Network imprint.
Brian Baird, Chair, Board of Directors
Brian Baird, founder and Chair of the NMCFS, served for twelve years in the United States House of Representatives (WA-3, 1999-2011). He holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wyoming, practiced clinically for twenty years, has written three books, served as a university president, and was an advisor to the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
During his time in office Congressman Baird frequently visited with members of the armed forces and with organizations and individuals doing other forms of service work in his district and overseas. He has witnessed first hand the commitment, generosity and sacrifices of countless Americans who put service over self to better their communities, the nation and the world.
Board of Directors
Monica Holman Evans,
Board of Directors
Monica Homan Evans is the Executive Director of the DC Board of Elections (BOE) and previously served at their Senior Policy Advisor. She oversees elections operations and policy implementation within the District of Columbia.
Ms. Evans previously served as the Deputy Director of AmeriCorps at the Corporation for National and Community Service. She developed and implemented methodologies for managing national service programs with diverse funding streams, constituencies, and delivery mechanisms.
Ms. Evans began her professional career as a Senior Program Associate with the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Service. She provided oversight of Maryland's AmeriCorps programs and coordinated the service streams in Maryland. She provided technical assistance to non-profits and higher education institutions that received grants to operate AmeriCorps national service programs and served as the liaison between the Office of the Attorney General and the Governor's Commission on Service.
Ms. Evans holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia.
May O'Brien,
Board of Directors
May Yoneyama O’Brien has been a member of the Washington, DC Rotary Club since 2007 and serves as co-chair of the International Service Committee, overseeing the club’s international humanitarian grants program. Now retired, she spent most of her professional life as a government relations professional, specializing in international trade.
Actively involved in her community, May has received many awards and recognition for her service work. In 2021-22, she was named DC Club’s Rotarian of the Year, as well as Outstanding Rotarian for Rotary District 7620 (DC/MD). She was appointed D7620 District International Service Chair, 2020-23, and serves on the D7620 District Environment Committee. In 2010-11, she was honor as Rotarian of the Year for her program work on the first Rotary International Water Summit in Washington, DC and in Paris. She has served on the DC club’s Board of Directors twice, on numerous club committees and is a member of the President’s Club and the Paul Harris Society.
May served on the Legislative Planning Committee for Americans for the Arts, representing the National Dance Association, on the Smithsonian’s Freer/Sackler Galleries Friends Council and is a volunteer for the National Symphony Orchestra Volunteer Council (formerly Women’s Committee). She is an active member of The Art League and Human Rights Educators USA where she supports the annual Ed O’Brien Human Rights Educators Awards, in honor of her late husband.
Advisory Committee
Putnam Barber
Putnam Barber taught graduate courses about nonprofit organizations at both Seattle University and the University of Washington. Formerly, he was staff director for the Washington State Centennial Commission and a Senior Consultant to Idealist.org, an international resource for potential volunteers and job-seekers interested in working with nonprofits.
Currently, he is a senior adviser to the Nancy Bell Evans Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the University of Washington, and is a non-lawyer participant in the Washington State Bar Association’s committee drafting a comprehensive revision of the state’s Nonprofit Corporation Act. He has been the book review editor of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and an adviser to the American Law Institute's project to develop a restatement of the Law of Charitable Nonprofit Organizations.
William C. Basl
Bill Basl, a White House appointee, served as the Director of AmeriCorps State and National at the Corporation for National and Community Service from 2012-16. Bill began his national service career as a VISTA volunteer in 1970, helping migrant farm workers in Washington establish their own businesses. He also served as a VISTA leader from 1971-72. In this role, he helped form a regional legal services network. In 1983, Bill founded the Washington Service Corps, the first statewide youth service initiative in the nation designed to address priority local education and human service needs. Basl also founded the nation's first veterans' corps in 2010 and is noted for establishing a collaborative regional network to provide AmeriCorps training across the Pacific Northwest. In 1993 he was called upon by the Governor to create the WA Commission for National and Community Service which continues to be the state entity receiving federal and local funding that has enabled thousands of individuals to serve as AmeriCorps members. He provided a vision for service and volunteerism serving in this capacity as a staff person to three Washington Governors from 1993 until his White House appointment in 2012. He is a past chair and board member of the American Association of State Service Commissions and was selected by the White House as a Champion of Change – Service Innovator in 2011.
Julie Budkowski
Julie has over 15 years of experience in education and non-profit management, and has spent her career empowering change through the development and growth of innovative programs. She received her Masters in Education from Griffith University and Certificate in Change Management from Cornell University.
As Director of Programs with WE Charity, she partnered with educators, district leaders, state departments of education to implement the experiential service learning program in over 4000 schools across the west coast. She now serves as the Global Operations Director with Future of Fish. In her spare time, Julie consults for mission driven organizations supporting education, youth development and the environment.
Jennifer Butte-Dahl
Two decades of international assignments have placed Jennifer throughout the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. She has worked in the U.S. Department of State and on Capitol Hill as a senior advisor to U.S government officials and high-level presidential envoys.
More recently, Jen founded a graduate program at the University of Washington and launched a multi-million dollar public-private initiative harnessing global connectivity to build relationships between young people in the U.S., Middle East and North Africa. She serves on the advisory council of the Stevens Initiative and as an affiliate faculty member at the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies. Jen is currently a Director at The Tembo Group, a social impact advisory firm.
Marlene Chen
Marlene Chen is project manager at Olson Kundig, where she has helped groups large and small express their missions in built form – from large organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Tillamook and Microsoft, to private residential and commercial clients.
Equal parts listener and educator, all the while, Marlene keeps the bigger picture in mind, balancing the concerns of budget, schedule, client needs and design goals. In all of her leadership roles, as in her design work, Marlene is committed to contributing to something greater than herself. As she puts it, “I’m drawn to Robert K. Greenleaf’s idea of servant leadership – being in service of the people you work for, but also being in service of the work itself.”
Jason Hatch
Jason Hatch is a retired Army officer and former diplomat in sub-Saharan Africa. He served 24 years in the military and held many leadership positions, commanding a Company in a Tank Battalion for the invasion of Iraq and subsequently serving as a military attaché for eight years in various African countries. Upon retirement, he founded a consulting group and focused on human trafficking, disaster resilience, and international development.
He has earned multiple degrees and certificates (Indiana University - Bloomington, the University of Wyoming, Georgetown University, and MIT). Jason is a proud AmeriCorps alum, having completed his service year with Virginia State Parks in 2018. His commitment to service continues as a member of the National Alumni Chapter Steering Committee for the Service Year Alliance.
Jin In
Jin In is the author of upcoming book Girl Power, and founder of For Girls GLocal Leadership (4GGL). Her life's mission is to awaken the world about today’s most powerful force for change—empowered girls, transforming the world. Jin immigrated to the U.S. as a young girl and met her life’s mentor who taught her through community service and social justice action that she—an immigrant raised by a widow—can change the world. Her childhood training became her way of life.
Called by the Bush administration to serve our nation's girls in the wake of 9/11, Jin’s extensive experience includes work with both Democratic and Republican Administrations, UN Agencies, grassroots and global organizations, serving and uplifting over 10 million girls, worldwide. For her extraordinary dedication to service, Jin was honored as the youngest recipient of the Spirit of Trinity University Alumni Award.
Susan Judkins
Susan Judkins has extensive service as a local elected official and nonprofit volunteer in Iowa, complementing her career as an economic and community developer. She has founded and led economic and leadership development programs at the county and state levels, launched the successful Vision Iowa program while with the Iowa Department of Economic Development, and advocated on behalf of the Iowa League of Cities and Rebuild Iowa Office before moving into the project design world.
She is currently Client Development Director for RDG Planning and Design and is elected to the Clive city council. Her decades of community service include current roles as president of Watershed Management Authorities of Iowa, Vice Chair of the Polk County Homeless Coordinating Council and coordinator of a new Iowa Climate Assessment.
Michael Lee
Michael Lee began his media career in 1982 at KTVX 4 Utah, the ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City. Over the next 15 years he worked in various aspects of the production industry including, graphics, lighting, audio, cinematography, directing, producing and editing.
He started his own video production business in 1997 establishing Fast Forward Productions. He’s created broadcast shows, web videos, corporate image pieces, broadcast commercials, music videos and more. Michael has worked on award winning campaigns for the National Ability Center, Boys & Girls Club, United Way of Salt Lake, Utah Food Bank, Utah Museum of Natural History, and many others.
Arjun Mandadi
Arjun Mandadi is currently a Sophomore at a public high school in Issaquah, Washington, who strives to start a career in politics. Heavily involved in the scouting program, he currently holds the highest leadership position a scout can hold which teaches him valuable skills that he applies to his life. He is also currently on his grade's executive board, serving as a treasurer. Alongside being a leader, he aspires to spend his time serving his community.
Arjun is a young man with aspirations in learning the political processes and systems as he is deeply interested in contributing to a positive change. He cares deeply about the environment, and advocates for equality for all - hoping one day he can be a catalyst for change. He is excited to join the NMCFS team to help with youth engagement.
Linda Mathes
Linda is the Former Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region and now serves as Special Advisor for the Bipartisan Leadership Project (BLP) that equips public servants and a new generation of leaders with fundamental skills necessary to work collaboratively for the common good. She leads the BLP’s partnership with the Political Leadership Academy at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. She also leads the community Working Group assisting Fairfax County Public Schools in creating the John Lewis Leadership Program to prepare young people for public service and leadership roles. Linda serves as Executive Mentor for the Global Good Fund, a member of the International Women’s Forum-DC, Institute for Sustainable Development board and on the Innovative Peacebuilding International board.
Linda received her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University and her Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She is a graduate of the FBI Citizens’ Academy and Partners in Organizational Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Linda and her husband live in Washington, DC.
Joel Meyers
Joel Meyers is the Director of Communications for Global Washington, a membership organization that supports over 150 nonprofits working across the globe. For over 18 years Joel was co-owner and director of Fuse IQ, a digital solutions company providing services to over 250 nonprofit organizations, locally, nationally and globally - including the United Nations Development Programme, UN Women, ACLU, United Way, Goodwill, The Art Institute of Chicago, University of Washington, and YWCA.
He is on the board of directors for Sahar | Education for Afghan Girls, and is co-founder and President of the Board for Basa Village Foundation USA, supporting rural villages in Nepal. Joel is also on the Design School Advisory Board of Lake Washington Institute of Technology.
Bob Ness
Bob Ness, principal of Ness Consulting, has worked internationally for 30 years with a focus on strategic planning, creativity, innovation, executive development, conflict transformation, and organization development. Bob has done leadership development with US State Department sponsored groups, directed international conferences, and directed or hosted official delegations from many countries.
Bob has deep roots in working with volunteer service programs, including all federal programs (VISTA, Peace Corps, etc.) Bob co-founded of the Global Leadership Forum and is a former Board Chair of Leadership Tomorrow. Trained as a counseling psychologist, Bob has also studied sociology, negotiations, and leadership education. Bob is currently a Trustee of the Peg and Rick Young Foundation.
Patricia Ochs
Patricia Ochs is currently the Program Manager for Congress to Campus at the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC). She was previously in the Air Force Reserves as a Health Services Manager, the Marketing and Communications Lead for two rural hospitals in Eastern Iowa, the Founder of ‘Sergeant Sender’, a personalized care package service for US troops overseas, and a Senate Intern on Capitol Hill. She also volunteered for the Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters, St. Luke’s Hospital, Boys and Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity, and the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance.
Patricia graduated summa cum laude with a Master’s in Strategic Leadership from Mount Mercy University. She is passionate about leaving the world in a better place through public service and being a role model to her two little girls, Mia and Sophia.
David Owens
David Owens is recently retired from World Vision, a Christian international NGO working in nearly 100 countries around the globe. During his 12 years’ there, David served in various roles: Vice President of Corporate Engagement, Chief Development Officer and National Director for Institutional Foundation Partnerships.
Prior to World Vision, David amassed a 27-year private sector career in marketing, advertising, and sales management with major corporations in the financial services, wireless telephony and advertising industries, David holds an MBA from the University of Washington and a BA in Classical Studies from Stanford University. He and his wife recently relocated to Edmonds, WA to tag team on their fourth major remodeling adventure.
Maria Nelly Pavisich
Maria Nelly Pavisich sees herself as a global citizen. Native from Brazil, she is also a Bolivian, Croatian, and U.S. citizen. Drawing on 25 years of experience in international development and humanitarian relief organizations, she brings her expertise in capacity building, governance knowledge, policymaking, program management, human resources management, leadership development and communications.
Throughout her career in international development, she worked for the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other multi-lateral organizations in various consulting, mid-level and advisory roles. As a Rotarian, she has served in various leadership roles, such as club president, board director and international service chair and advisor.
Ashley Sawyer
Ashley Sawyer is a recent graduate from The London School of Economics & Political Science with an MSc in Development Studies; she also holds a BA in International Studies from the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies.
Her academic expertise concerns international development and human rights, but she is also deeply interested in poverty alleviation, diplomacy, women’s empowerment and overall empowerment projects that assist marginalized communities. She seeks to have a life-long career dedicated to international affairs and service.
Noreen Singh
Noreen Singh is a current senior at California State University, Stanislaus studying psychology, where she is focusing on child development and clinical psychology. She has been a part of Multiplying Good for over 7 years. She is also the NMCFS chair on Multiplying Good's Think Big Team. Her love and passion for service and volunteerism is illuminated in all aspects of her life. She is very passionate about education, mental health, diversity, and advocating equality for minority groups. She strives to empower and inspire others to make a change in their community and accomplish their goals and dreams no matter what may come. She is thrilled to join the NMCFS team!
Nancy Ward
Nancy Ward is Vice President of the World Justice Project (WJP), following more than a decade as a founding staff member of the organization. As Chief Engagement Officer from 2011-2019, she held primary responsibility for the organization’s global network of change agents, convenings, and programs working to strengthen the rule of law.
Nancy is a professional project manager with over 25 years of experience in international peace and development, including at K&L Gates, the United Nations Foundation, the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, and Women in International Security. She is the Chair-Elect of the Board of Trustees of Seattle Repertory Theater,), on the Directors Council of GALvanize USA and is an active investor in youth empowerment and community-based agriculture organizations.
Rebecca Wilson
Rebecca Wilson’s professional and community work focus on her passion for furthering education, volunteerism and healthy communities. Professionally, Rebecca is the Director of Advancement at a K-5 independent school in Seattle. Her entrepreneurial side also has several ventures supporting her passions including education placement consulting and event management. A Washington State native, Rebecca holds a B.A. in Psychology and Communication from Western Washington University, a Master's Certificate in Organizational Change and Leadership from Hawaii Pacific University and a Master's of Education Degree in Educational Policy and Leadership from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is also a 2010 graduate of the Leadership Tomorrow Seattle program.
Rebecca's civic involvement mirrors her professional work. She currently serves as a member and Past President of the Burke Museum Association Board of Directors, Founder and Past President of the Seattle Children's Color Me Happy Guild, sustaining member and Past President of the Junior League of Seattle, member of the Seattle Repertory Theater board of trustees and a member of the advisory board of the National Museum and Center for Service. Rebecca has also held volunteer leadership roles with the Sanctuary Art Center, YMCA of Greater Seattle, The Ruby Room, YMCA of the USA, Seattle Works, Girls on the Run and the Seattle Center Advisory Commission.
In her free time, Rebecca enjoys running, golf, tennis and cheering on the Seahawks and Mariners.