The Yearn Team

Victoria, a native of Russia, is an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University and the president and a co-founder of the Yearn Foundation. Victoria volunteered to help Russian orphans while living in Russia and continues to be involved in improving lives of orphans. She began developing Yearn back in 2004 with Brent and participated in the “Students for Children” fundraisers. She earned a bachelor degree in International Relations and French at BYU and double masters in Language Acquisition and TESOL at BYU. She currently lives in Provo, Utah with her husband Jeff and two kids. She enjoys reading about art, international politics, financial investments and children’s’ development. She likes trying anything ethnic, traveling, playing tennis, and running.

Alexandra is a native of Vladivostok, Russia. For over five years she worked firsthand with orphans in many projects in the orphanages of the Russian Far East. She worked as a volunteer and also as an interpreter for such organizations as “Mothers of Utah for the Children of Russia”. She helped in international adoptions processes, medical equipment purchasing, teaching self-development classes at orphanages, and other projects while still in Russia. Along with Brent, Victoria and Jeremy, she participated in the “Students for Children” fundraisers at Brigham Young University. Alexandra earned her bachelor degree in Psychology, with emphasis on Child Development at BYU and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Language Acquisition at BYU. She teachers the beginning and intermediate Russian classes at BYU and works for an international company Agel as a conference translator. She is also a working actress and a member of Utah Actors. Alexandra currently resides in Salt Lake City, UT with her husband and a two year-old daughter. She enjoys running in competitive relay races, playing sports, dancing, travelling, studying languages, classical music, geography and history, and reading masterpieces of world literature.

Ryan works in the oil and gas industry as an account manager for Baker Hughes’s artificial lift division. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Russian. Ryan has worked with Yearn since its inception in 2004. He was on the original team that created the “Students for Children” fundraiser through which he met his wife Arina. He currently resides in Alaska with his wife and two daughters. Ryan enjoys reading, hiking, building websites, and learning about the latest trends in technology. One of his goals is to help Russia develop its natural resources. In the future, he and his family plan to work and live in Russia.

Arina is a native of Yekaterinburg, Russia. She graduated from Sverdlovsk Music College in Violin Performance and Teaching, and earned a bachelor degree in International Relations from BYU. She has worked as an interpreter and program coordinator for infectious disease and youth environmental programs within the Northern Forum, an international organization consisting of regional governments from eight northern countries including Russia. Arina participated in the first two “Students for Children” fundraisers, during which she met her future husband Ryan. Currently, she is a stay-at-home mother of two beautiful daughters. She is preparing to enter a master’s program at UAA with the goal to teach Russian as a second language at the university level and/or Alaskan Russian Elementary Immersion program. Arina enjoys reading, crafts, music, tennis, hiking, and politics.

Jaron, a co-founder of Yearn, is from Seattle and loves his guitar. His dedication to providing opportunities for Russian orphans began while residing for two years in the Russian Far East. Subsequent summers of volunteering abroad solidified his commitment to a career serving those who have limited opportunities and are less-fortunate in the privileges of the world. Over the past few years, he has joined forces with Brent, Jeff, Victoria, and others to tackle the issues of orphans in Russia through Yearn. Jaron continues to work with Interaction, a Transnistrian-based Moldovan NGO dedicated to the fight against human trafficking. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a major in Russian and a minor in International Development.

Jeff is an operations manager for General Electric’s aircraft engine division, and is currently working in Wichita, KS. After spending two years in Russia, he returned to college at the University of Southern California and completed a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering. He is a co-founder of Yearn and feels passionately about the plight of Russia’s orphan population. He has volunteered in several overseas humanitarian projects, and most recently returned from an internship with an anti-human trafficking organization in Moldova. Jeff enjoys traveling, reading, skiing, water polo, soccer, and is an obsessed fan of USC Trojan Football.

Jeremy has his hand in several non-profits and business ventures. He finds it hard to turn down involvement in a good cause or business idea. Jeremy worked first hand with orphans on a two year service mission to Ekaterinburg, Russia. Upon returning, he took the reigns for Brigham Young University’s ‘Students For Children’ fundraiser for Russian orphans and has a special place in his heart for Yearn’s mission [should link to new Yearn Mission sub-page]. Jeremy earned a bachelor’s degree in Russian and Business at BYU and plans to pursue an International MBA in the coming future. He has rich experience in social work and involvement with Russia. He currently resides in Kaysville, Utah. His hobbies include trying new foods, making up songs, traveling, tennis and languages.

Chris has been actively engaged with several non-profits and organizations combating homelessness, including shelters, missions, and urban redevelopment programs from downtown Philadelphia to the Russian Far East. Chris’s philosophy includes incorporating world-class business practices into the non-profit sector along with a lot of “roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty” work. While living and working in Russian for two years, Chris saw the desperate circumstances many of the youth face, and believes that much good can come from a group of innovative, motivated individuals. Chris received his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania where he was a Wharton Entrepreneurial Program Fellow and a member of the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative. Apart from helping to push the envelope forward in the tech industry, Chris also enjoys golfing, waterskiing, web design, home automation, and chasing his two boys.

Brent is founder for Yearn and co-founder for Fresh Consulting and Cloud Surfing. He began developing Yearn with Victoria Baird and friends back in 2004 after returning from living in Eastern Siberia for two years. He later interned with MiraMed, a Russian non-profit in Moscow, visiting orphanages with Russian psychologists and learning the ins and outs of non-profit work. Along the way he has met amazing people who have helped build Yearn (everyone above and more!). He currently is an MBA student at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, a Deloitte Consulting Edge Innovation Fellow and graduated from Brigham Young University with a double major in entrepreneurship and Russian. Brent enjoys skiing, golfing, playing soccer and staying on top of the emerging web. Read Brent’s personal blog: Small Hinges or follow him on Twitter @BrentDance.