Bloomington Worldwide Friendship, Inc.

Harriet Kulis, co-president
harriet.kulis@bloomingtonworldwidefriendship.org

Following college, Harriet Kulis spent four years in the Peace Corps in the Philippines. Most of her life was previously spent in Chicago, Illinois where she worked with insurance companies with international actvities. Locally, Ms. Kulis has served as the Vice President of the Bloomington Newcomers Club and is currently the Vice President for the Bloomington Garden Club. She has been involved with BWF since 2003. As co-president of BWF, she hopes to encourage more Bloomington residents to meet international students and discover the similarities that can unite us all.

Hiromi Sumiyoshi, co-president
hiromi.sumiyoshi@bloomingtonworldwidefriendship.org

Hiromi Sumiyoshi is originally from Osaka, Japan and previously lived in Ohio and North Carolina before coming to Bloomington. She taught Japanese language and culture courses and worked as a Director of International Student and Scholar Services. She has traveled to the UK, Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, China and South Korea. Ms. Sumiyoshi has been involved with BWF for two years. Since both her personal and professional interests are in international education, she wants to continue being involved in the lives of international students in Bloomington.

Pat Surra, treasurer
treasurer@bloomingtonworldwidefriendship.org

Shirley Fitzgibbons, Secretary
secretary@bloomingtonworldwidefriendship.org

Originally from New York, Ms. Fitzgibbons attended college at SUNY/Oswego, Syracuse University and Rutgers University. Her career background includes teaching at public schools and a working as a reference librarian at a small college. Eventually this career led her to Indiana University to teach in the School of Library and Information Science. She is involved with the Middle Way House and is a CASA volunteer. She has been actively involved with Bloomington Worldwide Friendship since 2000 through many activities including participating in the matching program, planning the annual picnic and now serving as the secretary.

Yolanda Treviño, director

Yolanda Treviño, earned her PhD in higher education from Indiana University in 2004. She also holds an MS from Northern Illinois University and a BA from Baylor University in Texas. Currently, she works as an assistant dean at the Indiana University Graduate School in Bloomington. She is the director for the IU Midwest Crossroads Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, is responsible for diversity-building fellowships, and serves as the ombudsperson for the Graduate and Professional Student Organization, the official graduate student government for Indiana University.

Treviño is actively involved in her local community and serves, or has served, on the board of directors of the following organizations: Bloomington Worldwide Friendship, IU Latino Faculty and Staff Council, IU Credit Union, Bloomington Rotary Club and Middle Way House Inc. She has also traveled to the following countries: Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, England, France, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco and Switzerland. Her involvement with Bloomington Worldwide Friendship stems from her philosophy that goodwill and better understanding happens one person at a time.

Mary DePew, director

Kate Kroll, director

Ms. Kroll has been involved with Bloomington Worldwide Friendship for nearly 40 years. She has lived in Maryland and Indiana most of her life and lived in England on a six-month sabbatical. She enjoys traveling and has been to Scotland, England, France, Austria, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand. Kroll and her husband continue to host international students because of their passion for getting to know students from around the world.

Kathleen Ryan, director

Ms. Ryan has a degree in Education which she used in her career and many other activities. She has been a substitute teacher, a volunteer in classrooms and continues to teach Religious Education at St. Charles Catholic Church in Bloomington. Ms. Ryan is involved with the Volunteers in Medicine clinic and provides care to animals from the local animal shelter. She enjoys traveling and has had the opportunity to travel to many places around the world. She has been involved with Bloomington Worldwide Friendship for five years. Her daughter was her original inspiration for joining BWF. She was involved with her daughter’s college life and thought that it would be wonderful to give international students a connection in the community to share their college with as well.