Svetlana
We are pleased to introduce our Ukrainian Eastern Rinok co-founder, Svetlana Maiurenko Malenfant. She is 29 years old and lived in the ancient and beautiful city of Chernigov in northern Ukraine. Armed with her doctorate degree in Regional Economics, Sveta is Eastern Rinok’s Ukrainian business and cultural expert. Sveta likes running and yoga and believes that a healthy lifestyle is the way to a good soul. She loves to travel and her dream is to travel around the world and try different cuisines. Svetlana also enjoys cooking and her favorite meal is Ukrainian borsch. Nothing is better than this traditional meal. She likes listening to music and her favorite musicians are Coldplay, John Mayer and Jason Mraz. In her opinion, music should be performed with live instruments, not with electronics and computers. Svetlana likes English music because she is fond of the English language. Sveta is not only a founding member of the Eastern Rinok project but the proud owner of the Etsy shop, Ukrainian Flags. Her shop was opened to share Ukrainian traditions with people around the world.
Ashley
Ashley served as a Community Development volunteer in Sumy, Ukraine. She was part of the 45th group of volunteers in Ukraine, and she worked with the non-governmental organization Kalinowe Grono. She also taught English clubs in the community and was co-director of the Camp EXCITE English language camp. Prior to joining the Peace Corps, Ashley worked in higher education. She has a BA in Journalism from Marquette University and a MEd in Student Affairs Administration from Clemson University. Ashley grew up in Wisconsin, loves cheese, and is a proud supporter of her favorite baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers.
A Group 41 Returned Peace Corps volunteer originally from northern California, Eastern Rinok co-founder Stuart King lived in the Danube port city of Izmail, Odessa Oblast, while as a Peace Corps volunteer. Stuart spent most of his time working with local partners to address collective needs through networking, advising, and grant writing. He is extremely excited to have helped launch the Eastern Rinok project, fully believing the skills and talents of Ukrainian artists will be well received by the global community. His interests include reading, exercise, photography, and travel. Stuart’s project roles includes helping guide Ukrainian entrepreneurs as they begin their new online business adventure, as well as aid in strategic development of the project as a whole.
David
Always thinking one, two, three steps down the line, Group 41 Returned Peace Corps volunteer and Eastern Rinok co-founder David Malenfant keeps things moving with his fresh ideas and positive attitude. A proud Northeasterner, David worked in the cold of Sumy, Sums’ka Oblast while working for the Center for European Initiatives to help promote European standards in Ukraine. With a background in business management, David is constantly looking forward to helping members of Eastern Rinok open and manage online businesses. A gifted musician himself, David understands the value and reward of hard work combined with creativity. David’s project roles include strategic development of the program and client counselor.
Eastern Rinok / Истерн Рынок 