Melinda Richards, Program Director
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Melinda is responsible for all Firefly programs in Russia. She manages staff, recruits and trains volunteers, and makes sure that each program stays on budget. Melinda also builds partnerships with like-minded organizations and government officials. Having spent a considerable amount of time in Russia and Ukraine, Melinda is fluent in Russian. Melinda joined Firefly after several years at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard. Additionally, she spent a year studying and working in Russia and was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ukraine for 16 months. With BA and MA degrees in Russian and an MPA degree (Master of Public Affairs) in International Child Welfare Policy, Melinda has a perfect blend of academics and experience.
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Svyatoslav (Slava) Vasilievich Dovbnya, |
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Slava, a pediatric neurologist, and Tanya, a clinical psychologist, have worked together in the field of early intervention for the past 15 years. They completed their postgraduate education in the EU and work throughout Russia and other post-Soviet countries disseminating best practices in child welfare. Slava and Tanya are often featured speakers at international child development conferences. They were scientific consultants for "The Road Home" (click to view excerpt) and "Early Relationships and Child Development," two documentary films about the importance of attachment and how to keep babies and toddlers with their birth families and out of orphanages. In 1998 Slava and Tanya co-founded the St. Petersburg Early Intervention Institute, one of Russia's pioneering centers for treating young children with developmental delays and disabilities. Currently they see individual clients, conduct evaluations and research, orchestrate project development and management, and provide training seminars for Firefly and other Russian and international organizations. |
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Tatiana (Tanya) Yurevna Morozova, |
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