Meet the Team
Co-Editors: Betsy Ettorre & Sarah Fancy
Betsy Ettorre has lived abroad since 1972 and came out as lesbian in 1975. Betsy comes from Connecticut and did her graduate degree in the UK. She worked as a feminist academic in UK and Finland for a long time, and has been a member of DA since 2004 – in DA UK (2004-2016) and in DA Finland (2018 -- the present). She is an elected member (Member at Large) of the DA Finland Country Committee and of the DA LGBTQ+ Global Caucus. During her time abroad, she has witnessed many changes, both positive and negative, in the American political system. However, at present she is involved in helping to get the vote out for the forthcoming presidential election and maintaining a razor-sharp focus on unity, equality, human rights, dignity for all, election integrity, social and environmental justice, and unambiguous democracy. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she wants us to take back our rights -- rights that continue to be jeopardized by the current USA administration.
Originally from Rochester, Michigan, Sarah Fancy has lived abroad since 1992. Sarah studied German and English Literature at the University of Michigan, did a year abroad at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, and later earned an MBA in Global Management. Her career as a technical editor, translator, and knowledge manager spans almost 30 years and three countries: Ireland, Germany, and the US. Sarah took the winding path to coming out at 43, with a few diversions along the way. She has four children, ranging in ages from 22 to 11. When she met her now wife Kim (who is British) at an essential oil convention in London in 2015, planets collided and she knew what she (finally) needed to do. She joined Democrats Abroad when she moved to Galway in 2010, and was excited to visit the Obama “ancestral home” in Moneygall, Ireland of Barack Obama on his 50th birthday. Sarah is excited to be the co-editor of the new LGBTQ+ newsletter and is looking forward to working with the team.
Reporters At Large
Alex Colley Hart was born in Adelaide, South Australia and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended Indiana University, where he graduated in 2015 with a major in international studies and minors in business and political science. In 2019, Alex gained his American citizenship. He now lives in London, where he works as the Communications Manager for a startup renewable energy company. Outside the office, Alex provides consulting services for contemporary artists and art organizations. Alex joined Democrats Abroad UK in 2020 to participate in the presidential primaries and to connect with likeminded people while living in a new home.
Matthew Won Piker was born in Daegu, South Korea. Adopted at birth, he moved to the United States where he grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana. He holds degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (BS Architectural Studies) and the University of Cincinnati (Master of Architecture, Yates Scholar), graduating both times at the top of his class. Matthew moved to Paris in 2010 to pursue a career in architecture and design. A partner at TXKL Architectes Urbanistes, he collaborates on projects addressing inequality and social justice, both in France and abroad. He joined Democrats Abroad France in 2019, and recently became an at-large reporter for the DA LGBTQ+ Global Caucus. While Matthew considers France to be home, he refuses to order sweet popcorn at the movies.
Nathalie Stein, currently based in Denmark, is a nineteen-year-old student. She will begin studying literature at Aarhus University in the fall of 2020. Born in South Dakota to Danish parents and raised in Champaign, Illinois, she first moved to Denmark in 2019 after graduating high school, intending to stay only for one year. However, she fell in love with the country and its culture and is set on sticking around for the foreseeable future. As a member of the Democrats Abroad LGBT Caucus, she writes profiles for the monthly newsletter. She hopes to one day pursue a career in writing or journalism.
Christian Walker is a 29-year-old Los Angeles native who attended California State University Long Beach, where he obtained his BA in Journalism, with an emphasis on public relations. Currently, Christian attends Southern New Hampshire University, where he is pursuing his MBA with a concentration in public administration. While living in Los Angeles, he worked in the advertising industry for a few large media corporations. Alongside his work, he volunteered in several Democratic clubs: California Young Democrats Black Caucus, Young Democrats of America LGBTQIA+ Caucus, and the Black Los Angeles Young Democrats. Currently, Christian is living in London with his husband and working in the charity sector as a corporate partnerships executive.