Our Team

ยินดีต้อนรับ or yin-dee dton rap (Welcome!)

If you are reading this, you must have connection to Rotary or one of our team members (or you accidentally surfed in trying to find travel information on Thailand), but you probably do not know all of us (or maybe even the purpose of Group Study Exchange). Therefore, before you begin reading the minute details of our lives in Thailand in March 2008, I thought you might want to know a little about us.

Group Study Exchange is a Rotary International program designed to promote cultural understanding and world harmony. Four non-Rotarian young professionals and one Rotarian group leader (that's us) are selected to travel to a different country for a month. During this trip, they stay in homes of members of the hosting Rotary District and visit businesses, schools, and clubs to share information, ideas, and stories. In 2008, our group from District 6460, which encompasses much of the western half of the state of Illinois, is embarking on an exciting journey to Thailand.

So here's a little about us ...

Roger Dornaus, of Peoria, is our fearless leader. Roger works in real estate and has been a member of the Peoria Rotary club for over 20 years. He and his wife have two children and two granddaughters.

Peter Cole, of Macomb, is the only other male on the trip. He is a history professor at Western Illinois University. Originally from southern Florida, he earned degrees at Columbia University in New York City and Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Peter is a vegan and loves outdoor activities.

Wendy Adams, of Alton, teaches elementary school in Edwardsville where she also earned her undergraduate and master's degree from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. She has a 16-year-old daughter who is involved in many extracurricular activities.

Jamie Hemken, of Edwardsville, teaches secondary English at Edwardsville. Jamie also graduated from Southern Ilinois University in Edwardsville, earning her undergraduate and master's degrees there. She is married and has two children.

Heather Seely, of Jacksonville, currently works for a daily newspaper as a copy editor/designer but also has a background in education. She attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina as an undergraduate and later earned a master's in New York City. A life-long learner, she will be entering law school in the fall.

Please check back to this site often to read updates on our experiences in Thailand. Will Peter fall off a rock while climbing? Will Heather's extreme height amaze and confuse the Thai people? Will Roger find inner peace in a Buddhist temple and relocate his whole family? I'm sure the suspense is killing us all.