The IYWT Team
ED PIEKARCZYK - FOUNDER
In 1969, after serving in Vietnam, Ed went to work for the airlines, where he worked in both LAX and SFO and eventually became the Station Manager in Lake Tahoe, CA. Then after a bout of quadriplegia, (Gullian-Barre syndrome) he came to It’s Your World—Travel in 1980. In 1984, Ed purchased IYWT from the previous owners, with the intention of making this agency a reliable resource focusing on Rotary Youth Exchange and Rotarian volunteers. In 2001, Ed began the ‘on line’ version of the agency for 24/7 access by students/parents and Rotarians. So, for almost 40 years, Ed had been increasing the size of his family with every new student and Rotarian. Sadly, Ed passed away in Jan. 2024, and the IYWT Team is committed to continuing Ed’s legacy, as he wished.
Charles "Charlie" KoCher - Office manager
Charlie has been involved in Rotary Youth Exchange since he first joined Rotary in 1980. But his experience with youth exchange goes back even further -- to the 1960s when his parents started hosting foreign students. Over the years, Charlie has been host brother, host dad many times over, anxious father when his own children went on exchange, student counselor, youth exchange chair, and board member of support programs both in the Pacific Northwest and across North America. Like so many who are involved in youth exchange, Charlie hopes that his involvement is creating peace -- one teenager at a time.
Countries 2024: Denmark, Peru
Contact info: charlie@iywt.com - 206-328-0625
SHANNON McHUTCHISON - EXCHANGE COACH
Global connection was instilled into Shannon from a young age. As a military child, she traveled with her family to many places, including much of Europe. While living abroad, she even began preschool in an authentic German Kindergarten! Her love of travel and tourism was further cultivated while growing up in Alaska and working there as a tour guide for several summers. Shannon went on to work at People to People Student Ambassador Programs. She has traveled extensively for recreation and business while raising her children to be globally-minded citizens. By joining the IYWT Team and working with Rotary Youth Exchange, Shannon hopes to continue developing a legacy of exploring horizons and expanding potential.
Countries 2024: Australia, Belgium, Chile, Ecuador, Finland, France, Italy, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, & South Korea
Contact info: shannon@iywt.com - 206-747-3388
Holly D. Hayes - ticketing & EXCHANGE COACH
I joined the IYWT team in April 2020, bringing with me more than 25 years of travel industry experience. I spent 13 years with STA Travel, 8 of which working directly with IYWT as a student travel supplier. Much of my travel experience is intertwined with my experience working with students through my 28 years as an international wrestling referee and through my current role as a high school wrestling coach.
There is a world out there full of adventure and intrigue. Together with Rotary Youth Exchange, we hope to ensure that our students have everything needed to start their adventure in travel.............and in life!
Countries 2024: Austria, Germany
& Short-term Students
Contact info: hdhayes@iywt.com - 206-242-1969
Aaron scheible - EXCHANGE COACH
From a young age, travel was instilled into Aaron by going on road trips around the US, as well as visiting Mexico and Canada with his family. His love for travel led him to the Rotary Youth Exchange Program where he lived in a small town called Humberto Primo in Argentina from 2015-2016. Aaron describes his exchange year as life-changing in the best way possible and says “…it changed my outlook on life and what I want to do in the future…”
Aaron has since lived in 7 countries, visited 30+, and has graduated college in Belgium with an International Tourism and Leisure degree.
He is hoping that his degree and personal experience with RYE can be insightful and help new students have the same life-changing experience he had.
Countries 2024: Argentina, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Paraguay, Sweden, Norway,The Netherlands, & Taiwan
Contact info: aaron@iywt.com
ANNA YEAGER - EXCHANGE COACH
Being brought up in a multicultural household, Anna has a good understanding of what a positive impact an intercultural experience can have on us. She moved from Hungary to the United States for high school and then to Belgium for college. An Erasmus exchange in Peru/Spain and an internship in Malta further developed her interest in living abroad. Since obtaining her Bachelor's degree in International Tourism and Leisure, she has been busy exploring Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.
Anna hopes her experience with daily life outside of her cultural norms will aid her in successfully preparing students for the best year of their teens!
Countries 2024: Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Croatia, Hungary, India, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, Czech Republic & Thailand
Contact info: anna@iywt.com
KYLE BARNES - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
E-mail: kyle@seattlesoftwaresolutions.com
GENERAL INQUIRIES
E-mail: info@iywt.com
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