The Museum of the Peace Corps Experience (MPCE) is pleased to welcome Erin Coyne to its Board of Directors.
A Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Ryazan, Russia from 1996 to 1999, Erin brings more than two decades of international nonprofit leadership, program management, higher education, and institutional fundraising experience. She currently serves as Institutional Giving Officer at Seacology, where she oversees all aspects of grants management, helping secure support for conservation partnerships with island communities around the world.
Erin describes her career as “rather circuitous,” but says every step traces back to her Peace Corps service.
Erin with fellow RPCVs and host family members in Vladimir, Russia during pre-service training in 1996.
After serving two years as an English teacher in Ryazan, Erin extended her service for a third year as an NGO Development Volunteer at the Ryazan Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired. There, she first developed the grant writing and nonprofit management skills that continue to shape her career today.
Following Peace Corps, Erin earned a master’s degree in Russian and East European Studies from Georgetown University before joining Project Harmony International in Kyiv, Ukraine, where she managed the Community Connections Program. Three years later, she transferred to Yerevan, Armenia, overseeing both the Armenian School Connectivity Program and the ZANG Legal Socialization Program, helping strengthen educational opportunities and civic engagement across the region.
Returning to the United States, Erin completed both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of California, Berkeley, where she also taught Russian language and undergraduate writing. She later returned to nonprofit leadership as a program manager for Global Healing before joining Seacology, where she now manages foundation partnerships and institutional grants—bringing her career full circle to skills first learned as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
As a member of the Board of Directors, Erin will also serve on the Development Committee, where she will help establish the Museum’s institutional grants strategy and build a comprehensive grants program. Her expertise in foundation relations, proposal development, grants management, and nonprofit sustainability will help strengthen the Museum’s capacity to preserve and share the stories of Peace Corps service through exhibitions, educational initiatives, collections stewardship, and public engagement.
“Peace Corps shaped both my personal life and my professional career,” said Coyne. “Every role I’ve held since my service has, in some way, grown from the experiences and values I developed as a volunteer in Russia. I’m honored to join the Museum’s Board and excited to help build the fundraising capacity that will ensure these stories continue to inspire future generations.”
Angie Harris, Board Vice President and Chair of the Museum’s Development Committee, welcomed Erin’s appointment.
“As the Museum enters an exciting new phase of growth, expanding our institutional grants program is one of our highest priorities,” Harris said. “Erin brings exceptional experience in foundation fundraising, strategic partnerships, and nonprofit leadership. We are grateful to welcome her to both the Board and the Development Committee, where she will play a key role in building the grants strategy that will support future exhibitions, educational initiatives, and the long-term preservation of the Peace Corps story.”
Erin racing with dragon boat team in the San Francisco Bay area, 2026.
Erin racing with dragon boat team in the San Francisco Bay area, 2026.
When she’s not writing grants, Erin enjoys dragon boat paddling, travel, snorkeling, macramé, online chess, and baton twirling.
Please join us in welcoming Erin Coyne to the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience Board of Directors. Connect with Erin Coyne on Linkedin and follow the Museum for updates on our progress.
