Wendy Shapiro

(by Tess Robeson June 2026) 

“Kindness is the most important attribute.”

Wendy Shapiro ably leads the Lisbon Speakers Series, which has recently undergone a changeover to the History Lovers Talk – Lisbon. With her co-leads, Wendy coordinates the logistics for the monthly event.

Wendy was born in Long Island, New York, but grew up in San Diego, California. She studied Business Information and Computer Systems at the University of San Francisco and worked in the IT industry for 18 years.

“It wasn’t enough,” reflected Wendy. She wanted to do more with her life. “I travelled overseas for the first time when I was in my 40s,” said Wendy, “and I loved being abroad.” At 42 she joined the US Peace Corps, where she taught English to university students in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. “It was an invigorating environment, and I loved it!” Wendy’s two-year assignment was extended to almost four years.  

Her work in Ukraine was the start of an international career for Wendy. She wanted to understand how to improve her students' critical and creative thinking skills and completed a master’s degree in Creativity and Innovation at the University of Malta. 

Wendy next worked as an International Project Manager with the United Nations Development Programme, managing a youth civic engagement project. Based in Kyiv, she worked with the UNDP project for three years. “Ukraine feels like home to me,” she shared.

Wendy had a brief stint as Director of Iraqi Youth Summer Camps in Kirkuk, Iraq, after which she went back to UNDP and served as UN Volunteers Programme Officer. She managed the volunteer program in Jakarta, Indonesia, for nearly two years.

Wendy then received an offer to work for the Peace Corps as a staff member, as the Director of Programming and Training. Her work in international development and youth empowerment and capacity building equipped her for the role. “I worked with the local staff to train volunteers in cross-cultural skills, job skills, local language, and to find places for them to live and work in local communities,” said Wendy. “I worked not just with volunteers but with local people at all levels – we met with everyday villagers one day and were meeting with ministers the next. It was an amazing job!” Wendy worked in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for four years and in Timor-Leste for three-and-a-half years.

At the end of 2017, Wendy and a friend from Peace Corps Ukraine decided to buy an apartment in Lisbon together. “I retired in 2021 and moved here permanently,” said Wendy.

She adopted a dog in 2022, “my first dog, and she’s adorable!” Her dog is called Kikas, “short for Frederica. She’s a mini Podengo terrier, a Portuguese breed, and she’s extraordinarily social.”

In 2025 Wendy and her friend bought a bigger place in the Picoas area of Lisbon. “We are having fun getting it fixed up and furnished.” 

What is Wendy up to these days? She reads mysteries, fantasy, and World War II history. “I went to both Spies tours, in Lisbon and in Estoril,” referring to the tours that had been coordinated by IWP. She likes to spend time in the kitchen – “I learned to cook after 60” – and counts butterscotch brownies and Basque cheesecake among her favourite things to bake. She also does strength training and joined a gym, participating in Pilates and water aerobics classes. 

Wendy believes kindness is the most important attribute a person could have. She describes herself as “thoughtful, fairly quiet, intense at times.” Said Wendy, “I have lived in eight different countries, most of them after the age of 40. I like exploring, but I also like being home.”