Meet Our Staff!

Melinda Samis
Director / European Programs Manager
Melinda founded International Summerstays (now ANDEO) 26 years ago in Portland, Oregon.  She was a high school exchange student to Australia, speaks Spanish, and has hosted many students from South America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
Memorable experience abroad: being in a small village in France on September 11, 2001 and having all the neighbors stop by to extend their heartfelt wishes for my country.

Patty Hayashi
Assistant Director / Asian Programs Manager
Patty has worked at Andeo since 1994.  She has a B.A. in Japanese Studies and lived in Japan for 8 years, including one year with a great host family in Tokyo. She has also stayed with families in Mexico, France and Germany.
Memorable experience abroad:  celebrating New Year’s Eve with thousands of kimono-clad Japanese at Suwa-jinja, the main shrine in Nagasaki.

Helen Lawrence
Program Coordinator for American School Groups Abroad
Helen Lawrence taught high school Spanish for 28 years, including 18 years at Lincoln High School in Portland. She has traveled, worked, and studied in Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, and Argentina.
Memorable experience abroad: being lucky enough to visit mystical Machu Picchu twice in one lifetime!

Reno J. Tibke
Program Coordinator for inbound College and University programs
Reno has worked extensively with students and teachers from Central and Eastern Asia and the Middle East.  While studying and traveling in Japan he lived with host families and in an international student community. He has also traveled to China & Costa Rica.  Reno has a B.A. in Sociology and minors in Asian Studies and Japanese - he likes the language so much he teaches it in his spare time!

Kellie Irish
Program Coordinator for American high school students abroad
Kellie lived in Japan for four years – one year with a wonderful host family.  She has a BA in East Asian Languages and Cultures with Japanese.  Her love of culture and adventure has taken her to 22 countries on 4 continents.
Memorable experiences abroad: relaxing in a Japanese hot spring during a snowfall after a long day of snowboarding; watching the sunrise in the Serengeti.

Haley Heinz
Program Coordinator for Inbound College and University programs
Majoring in Cultural Anthropology led Haley Heinz to experience Greece for a semester, teach English in Japan for a year and spend summers working with students in Cambridge, England. She also worked with international students in Austin, Texas before returning home to Portland.
Memorable experience abroad: watching a breathtaking sunset in Udaipur, India while sipping a steaming chai.

Florence Becot
Volunteer French Intern and Program Assistant for all programs
Florence has been an exchange student for a year in the US twice, first in high school when she was 16 and lived with a host family, then as a university student where she majored in International business and minored in Spanish. In France, Florence volunteered for an exchange program for five years and was a tutor for 15 Chinese students at university.
Memorable experience abroad: skiing a double Black Diamond on a great powder day at Mt. Baker with her two American roommates.

Emma Silverman
Program and Homestay Placement Coordinator
Emma was lucky enough to grow up traveling, hosting and doing home exchanges. An exchange to Portland led her to move here after graduating from college with a double major in Studio Art and Gender Studies. Memorable Travel Experiences: Dancing around the rocks of Stonehenge at sunset, and eating fondue with a view of the Alhambra.

Masumi Lint
Asian Programs Assistant
Masumi received her B.A. in International Relations from Shizuoka Prefectural University in Japan, and recently graduated with her M.A. in TESOL from the University of Idaho. She has visited several countries in Europe and enjoyed two homestay experiences in England. She also shared a homestay in Idaho for one year with housemates from China and Saudi Arabia!

Andrea Bailey
Outbound Programs Assistant
Andrea speaks French, Spanish, Italian, and German, and has tested her language skills while traveling around Western Europe, especially during her stays with French host families. She graduated with an M.A. in Applied Cultural Sciences, and spent a study abroad trimester in New Zealand. Memorable experience abroad: "Participating in a Te Huinga, the annual gathering of Maori students in Auckland - and skydiving from 12,000 feet over the sparkling Lake Taupo.”

Paulene Paredes
Program and Homestay Placement Coordinator
Paulene has always had a deep passion for travel and working with youth. She grew up in Sequim, WA where her family began hosting students from Japan and Norway when she was a freshman in high school. She has visited Mexico, Puerto Rico and Peru, where she stayed with a host family for three weeks. She studied at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA and she is currently studying Spanish. Most memorable travel moment: Hiking to the top of Wayna Picchu (the peak behind Machu Picchu) and staring at the awe-inspiring, magical city below.

Michael Blodgett
Program Assistant for Inbound College & University Programs
Mike has been fortunate enough to enjoy the benefits of the host family experience first-hand by staying with over 80 families throughout the world. He has a B.A. in International Studies with a minor in Japanese. He lived, studied, and worked in Japan for 3 1/2 years. His travels have taken him to 20 countries on five continents.
Memorable experience abroad:  visiting a friend’s family on Mfangano Island, Kenya in Lake Victoria.

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