GVN Foundation Staff

Eliza Raymond

Eliza is GVN Foundation's Executive Director. She has ten years of experience studying, volunteering and working in the field of international development. Eliza’s Masters Degree focused on good practice in international volunteer programs, and involved researching a variety of different volunteer programs around the world. Following her studies, Eliza ran GVN’s volunteer programs in Peru for two years. She then returned to New Zealand where she has been working for the GVN Foundation several years. Eliza is British/French by nationality but calls Motueka (New Zealand) home. When not in the GVN office, Eliza is riding her bike, volunteering, lost, or planning her next trip.

Sarah Gwynn

Sarah is the Funds Development Coordinator for the GVN Foundation and is passionate about empowering communities. She is working to develop new fundraising initiatives that will bring in additional funding to assist GVN's partners. She is also helping us to grow our Eat So They Can campaign and our Gifts of Change program. While working at the GVN Foundation, Sarah is finishing her final year of studying in law, international relations and development studies. When she isn’t studying, Sarah is hanging out with friends and family, skiing, biking and dreaming about traveling the world once she has finished her studies.

Lauren McMahon

As our Media and Communications Co-ordinator, and keen trekker, this girl not only talks the talk, she walks the walk having conquered Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa as part of a GVN fundraising trek. Landing in New Zealand mid March 2007 after a little hop-skip-jump from Melbourne, Australia, her background is in environmental communications. Lauren is happiest climbing mountains, chasing rainbows, and seeing people live a fulfilling life with a big smile on their face. Stick your head in the GVN office and you will most likely see Lauren either sliding across the room on her swivel chair, peeling a piece of exotic fruit at her desk, or debating the comparative linguistics of footwear with her Kiwi, American, and South African buddies.

Courtney Montague

Courtney Co-Founded GVN Foundation and Eat So They Can and is dedicated to seeing GVN Foundation grow into a major agent of change in the international development community. Courtney’s favorite GVN Foundation event is Eat So They Can because she believes that it is much more than a fundraiser- it is a way to engage the global community in discussions about child poverty and a way to encourage communities around the world to help end extreme poverty. Courtney is GVN Foundation's representative to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and is on GVN Foundation's Board of Directors. Courtney loves to eat… write, read, hike, relax with friends and family and watch movies.