Staff

Sara Lamson Nathan

President & CEO

Sara Nathan is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Amigos de las Américas, a nonprofit organization that empowers lifelong leaders who share responsibility for our global community.

For two decades, Sara’s work has centered on building educational experiences and hands-on learning opportunities for students across the Americas. Prior to serving as CEO, Sara served as Managing Director of Programs. Her major achievements in this role were launching year-round programs, including the Gap Program for high school graduates, opening AMIGOS programs to hundreds of students from Latin America, and the securing our first federal grant award for binational exchanges and programming for youth across the Americas.

As CEO, Sara has focused on growing the impact of AMIGOS through program innovation and systems modernization. The organization has established year-round staffing throughout the Americas, built a marketing program for increased visibility, established a regional staff presence in four other cities in the U.S., and doubled annual fundraising. Under her leadership, AMIGOS has achieved record enrollment and is poised for continued growth.

Prior to AMIGOS, Sara served as the Vice Chair of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Overseeing Operations, she facilitated research initiatives and dialogue between students, academics, thought leaders, and government officials throughout the Western Hemisphere. Key initiatives included the U.S.-Mexico Futures Forum and the publication of the Berkeley Review of Latin American Studies.

Sara earned her M.S. in International Development from the London School of Economics as well as a B.S. in Conservation and Resource Studies and a B.A in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of California, Berkeley.

Faraz Paliwala

Chief Financial Officer

Jenny Claycombe

Managing Director of Development

Jenny joined AMIGOS in October 2017 and is ecstatic to be part of such an amazing organization. Though she never participated in AMIGOS, she has traveled widely throughout Latin America for study abroad in college and in a previous role as an International Admissions Counselor at a university in Georgia.

Jenny is passionate about the work of AMIGOS and nonprofits in general. She completed an Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Administration and wants to help more people become involved with nonprofits — as donors, volunteers or in any way that they desire!

Bucket List Items: Travel to every continent, have a farm (well, maybe just some chickens and a goat).

Katherine Conway

Managing Director of Programs

Katherine re-joins Amigos from her position as a Program Manager at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) where she managed a portfolio of democracy, governance, human rights, and youth leadership programs in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Katherine is a long time Amiga, participating as a volunteer in Paraguay in 2002, supervisor in Honduras in 2004, and Project Director in Honduras in 2009/2010, and Peru in 2011. Katherine also worked at the AMIGOS headquarters in Houston helping to envision the initial youth ambassador program, and most recently served as a Training Director for the Washington, DC Chapter from 2016-2018. Additionally, Katherine holds a BA in International Relations from Tufts University and a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at the same university.

Katherine is a lover of all things rock climbing, cats, and coffee.

April Hearne

Managing Director of Operations

April is a native Houstonian, marketer, and veteran Amiga.

In 2008, she participated in AMIGOS in Guanajuato, Mexico. At Colorado College, she majored in Sociology and continued her Latin American travels in Ecuador and Cuba. An avid backpacker, she spent a month in the backcountry on three separate occasions. 

April is excited to use digital marketing and new technologies to get the word out about the power of AMIGOS programs.

Alex Murillo

Managing Director of Enrollment

Alex comes to AMIGOS with ten years of experience leading growth teams for both non-profit and startup organizations. From leading the family recruitment and engagement strategy for a rapidly scaling elementary school network, to creating and refining the supply-side onboarding strategy for an EdTech marketplace company, Alex has thrived at mission-driven organizations during periods of rapid growth.

Originally from Costa Rica, Alex’s family moved to the U.S. when he was 5 years old. Growing up Alex spent summers with family in Costa Rica, he studied abroad in India during undergrad, worked as a sustainable tour leader for 4 years in Central America and Mexico after he graduated, and then studied abroad in Hong Kong while working on his Masters’ degree. These opportunities gave him an appreciation for the broad worldview that proximity to people with different lived experiences provides and makes him so excited to join AMIGOS and help introduce young people to the formative experiences we offer.

Caroline Patel

Managing Director of Chapter Operations

Caroline first joined AMIGOS in 2009 as a volunteer from the Houston Chapter. After that first summer, she stayed involved with the organization in a variety of ways, serving as a two-time volunteer, a three-time project staff member, a member of the HQ Programs team, and as part of the Houston Chapter Board.

She returned to the organization in 2022 after pursuing her graduate degree. Caroline is excited to work in collaboration with our local chapter leaders, and she loves to see the way that AMIGOS inspires people across the Americas to get involved in their communities.

Outside of work, you can find her baking bread, listening to audiobooks, or exploring Texas State Parks.

Lauren Antosz

Chapter Operations Manager

AMIGOS was the first opportunity Lauren took advantage of to travel internationally. Little did she know that it would solidify her interest in cultural exchange and community development! During her time at the University of Notre Dame, she continued to read, listen, examine, and dialogue about the processes for understanding individual and societal change in both local and international contexts. Through her study abroad experience, an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Grant, and later, the U.S. Student Fulbright Program, Lauren worked with a non-profit organization in Santiago, Chile to research and improve health and education programs for adolescent mothers.

Upon her return to the U.S., she continued to stay involved in the international education industry, supporting Exchange Visitors while in the U.S. on their J-1 Summer Work and Travel visas. Now based in Chicago, she supports the AMIGOS chapter network as it provides mentorship, builds community, and empowers local students. As a Cohort Director she is thrilled to support her students as they embark on the first ever virtual program from AMIGOS!

Kayla Bilger

Fund Development Special Projects Associate

Kayla is from Tyrone, a very small Pennsylvania town, and has always had a streak for adventure and curiosity. As a first-generation student, attending Allegheny College was an invaluable opportunity for her to learn and grow. Although she was undecided about her major, she knew she loved language-learning and wanted to strengthen her Spanish skills. This eventually led to a degree in International Studies and Spanish, and the opportunity to spend a semester studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her study abroad experience was transformative and taught her the importance of cultural immersion.

After graduating, she wanted to gain meaningful experience and knowledge through service and applied to AmeriCorps. Kayla joined AMIGOS for her year of service, gaining new skills and perspective. In her free time, Kayla loves to cook and bake, spend time outdoors, and hang out with her cat.

Elizabeth Bonilla

Administrative Assistant

Elizabeth Bonilla joined the AMIGOS organization in 1998, bringing with her experience in customer service and administrative skills after working several years as a Receptionist/Office Manager for an auto dealership. Though not an AMIGOS alum she had always hoped to be part of an organization that truly cared about social change and community development, so when the position at AMIGOS became available she took it. Through the years she has assisted several of the different departments in the organization and now is primarily involved in assisting the programs department with many different types of projects.  She has experienced first- hand the organizational growth and truly hopes that her children will also get the opportunity and privilege to one day be able to participate in one of the many great programs that AMIGOS has to offer.

Top of her bucket list: Win the lottery.

Annie Borgeson

Admissions Manager

Having seen the impact of cross-cultural immersion first-hand, Annie is thrilled to be a part of the AMIGOS team providing opportunities to youth throughout the Americas for authentic immersion. Prior to joining AMIGOS, Annie lived in Ecuador for three years where she first served as a volunteer Program Director in a local community center and later managed and supported international adolescents participating in a gap year program in the Andean region of Ecuador. She understands both the tremendous personal growth but also deep challenges that emerge from cross-cultural experiences and is excited to bring these insights to the Admissions Team in supporting volunteers and their families. Bilingual in both English and Spanish, she loves connecting with new people and cultures.

In her free time, Annie enjoys whipping up some new recipes, exercising and staying active – be it going on long walks, playing in her women’s soccer league or practicing her bachata steps on the dance floor, and visiting family and friends both near and far.

Krista Boscoe

Senior Director of Enrollment

Krista is from San Francisco and lives there now with her family across from Ocean Beach.

As soon as she heard about AMIGOS in her freshman year, she wanted to go. She waited impatiently until she was 16 and then headed to Mexico in 1982 to work in latrine construction. To this day, she walks by bags of concrete at Home Depot with a well-trained desire to get some water and start mixing. The following summer, she went to Ecuador on a rabies vaccination campaign. While studying Sociology at UCSC, she returned to Ecuador in 1985 as field staff and then went back to Mexico in 1987 as the project director in Michoacan.

After college, she moved to Washington DC for two years. Her life took an unexpected turn when she moved to Seoul ,South Korea for three months that became five years. Asia was a true revelation to her and she loved every moment. When she returned to the US, she came back to San Francisco to work in International Education. She is thrilled to come full circle and be back with AMIGOS on the west coast.

Top of Krista’s bucket list: Hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain with her husband (though he does not know that yet).

Ashley Bryant

Program Coordinator

Ashley is originally from Cypress, Texas, but moved to Denver when she was 10 years old. Since then, she has been searching high and low for all the best spots around Colorado by backpacking, camping, skiing, snowshoeing, and much more! She just graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in International Affairs and minors in Business and Spanish. Her passion for the Americas stemmed from her frustration of knowing so little about her own Mexican heritage and not being able to speak Spanish like many of her family members. As a result, she has dedicated the past seven years to learning the language and exploring different cultures. In addition to traveling around Mexico, she spent a semester on a cultural immersion program in Buenos Aires, Argentina hunting down the best alfajor, empanada, and cup of coffee in the country. Before starting her last semester at CU Boulder, she interned for WorldDenver, a globally-focused non-profit organization. During her time there, she worked on the International Visitor Leadership Program team, which gave her experience in facilitating cross-cultural exchange and showed her even more about what Colorado has to offer. During her year in AmeriCorps, Ashley served AMIGOS helping Colorado youth discover the importance of leadership, service, and global citizenship.

Nicol Chinchilla

Country Coordinator

Originally from Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica, Nicol considers herself a change-maker, passionate about contributing to the development of rural communities while also helping to preserve their essence of traditional living. In 2016, Nicol received her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Business & Nonprofit Management from Earlham College, with focuses in Environmental Politics and Women’s Empowerment. During her time at Earlham, Nicol had the opportunity to attend Semester at Sea, a 4-months program that travels to 12 countries around the world.

Nicol began with AMIGOS as a Project Supervisor in Chimborazo, Ecuador and in 2017 Nicol was the Project Director for the Matagalpa, Nicaragua Project. For the last two years Nicol has worked with indigenous and farming community-based organizations in Central America providing capacity building training. Nicol is also committed to social entrepreneurship and during her free time enjoys working with women entrepreneurs guiding them towards their own paths of leadership.

Michael Cook

Senior Program Coordinator

Michael was first diagnosed with wanderlust at a very young age when he would travel from snowy Wisconsin to Colombia to visit his mom’s side of the family. He cherished the summers that he would spend in South America and they fostered a yearning for adventure and the unknown!

Michael graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he received his B.S. in Zoology and Conservation Biology with a focus in Global Health. He continued exploring the world by studying abroad in the Dominican Republic and working abroad in Italy. After his graduation, Michael did what seemed most logical and joined the United States Peace Corps. He spent 2 years in a small, mountainous community in the southern highlands of Madagascar working as a health volunteer. He focused his projects on nutrition, latrine building, and ways to engage the students of the village in their own health. His experience with the leadership and ambition of Malagasy students committed him to a career in furthering education and cross-cultural opportunities for youth across borders.

In his free time, Michael loves cheering on the Badgers, exploring national parks, watching Disney movies in different languages, and a good game of Catan.

Sebastián Cruz

Youth Ambassadors Program Coordinator

Sebastián lives in Cali, Colombia. He is a young leader with ten years of experience in social impact, leadership, peace-building, and education. He is an alumnus of the U.S. Department of State’s Youth Ambassadors Program, an experience that changed his life in 2011 and allowed him to step out of his comfort zone. He is a student of social communication and journalism at Universidad del Valle. Through the YMCA Colombia has led multiple immersion programs with children, young people, and teachers alongside the Ministry of Education and the U.S Embassy.

In his free time, he enjoys hiking, getting to know other cultures, volunteering, and watching movies or series.

Sebastián vive en Cali, Colombia. Es un líder joven con diez años de experiencia en impacto social, liderazgo, construcción de paz y educación. Es ex-becario del Programa Jóvenes Embajadores del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU., una experiencia que en el 2011 cambió su vida y le permitió salir de su zona de confort. Es estudiante de comunicación social y periodismo en la Universidad del Valle. A través de la YMCA Colombia ha liderado múltiples programas de inmersión con niños, jóvenes y maestros junto con el Ministerio de Educación y la Embajada de los Estados Unidos.

En su tiempo libre le gusta ir de excursión, conocer otras culturas, ser voluntario y ver películas o series.

Pablo Davila

Program Coordinator

Pablo Martín Dávila Jácome is an economist who graduated from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. During the last three years, he has worked with civil society organizations both in his home country (Ecuador) and internationally. For two consecutive years he has held leadership positions with AMIGOS where he has directed community development projects in the Americas (Panama and Dominican Republic).

Within these roles Pablo has specialized in the design, implementation, financing, and evaluation of social projects aimed to solve current problems such as gender inequality and environmental degradation.

In turn, Pablo had the opportunity to represent his country at the United Nations working for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (Humanitarian Funds) in Geneva, Switzerland. Within this role, Pablo served as a project officer, evaluating direct assistance initiatives for victims of torture, slavery, sexual and gender-based violence worldwide.

Top of his bucket list: Start his own social entrepreneurship, travel around the world.

Camila De Mendoza

Senior Youth Ambassadors Program Coordinator

Camila is from Bogotá, Colombia, she joined Junior Achievement Colombia in August 2017 and now she is working with the Youth Ambassadors Program in Colombia. Camila graduated from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá as a sociologist with emphasis on history. She is passionate about international development, education and youth leadership. That’s why she loves her job with Youth Ambassadors, because she can witness youth empowerment through cultural exchange and community development.  In her free time, you can find her wandering around looking for new places to eat.

Charlotte Doughty

Bay Area Outreach Coordinator

Charlotte grew up in Houston, Texas where she first joined AMIGOS as a volunteer in Paraguay in 2015. The experience solidified her interest in travel, the Spanish language, and cross-cultural exchange. She went on to major in journalism and Latin American studies at The University of Texas at Austin and continued to travel throughout Latin America during college, including a semester in Santiago, Chile. In between semesters, she worked at a summer camp in Northern California which brought her love for youth development to the Bay Area.

Charlotte loves talking about all things AMIGOS and is so excited to connect with future volunteers and inspire more students to participate in a life-changing AMIGOS summer!

Jacque Perna Fuller

Data Manager

Jacque joined AMIGOS in 2001 as the Executive Assistant to the President. As Data Manager, she now maintains AMIGOS’ information database. Jacque graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Houston with a BS in Anthropology. She was fortunate to be able to spend the 1990s traveling and living in several countries throughout the world, experiencing many different cultures.

Favorite travel memory: Living in the jungle of Borneo being serenaded by gibbons each morning.

Abbie Gittinger

Controller

Abbie is a five-time Amiga, first volunteering with the organization in Panama and the Dominican Republic and then working as a staff member in Paraguay, Nicaragua, and Ecuador during summer breaks throughout college. After graduating from Rockhurst University with dual degrees in Nonprofit Management and Psychology, Abbie began working at a domestic violence agency in Kansas City. In 2016, she joined the AMIGOS team full time as the Regional Director for Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. In 2018, Abbie transitioned to the Finance Department where she now works as the Senior Accountant. In her free time, you can find Abbie running with her dogs or playing sand volleyball.

Laura Gomez Quintero

Digital Marketing Coordinator

Laura is originally from Colombia/Venezuela and lived in Mexico City prior to moving to Houston in 2014. She graduated from Trinity University with a B.A. in Communications and International Studies, and has previously assisted media, editorial, and PR/marketing teams with communications efforts in English, Spanish and Portuguese. She enjoys camping and exploring Texas State Parks, traveling to Latin America’s vibrant cities and towns, and learning more about different countries, cultures, and languages by watching travel shows and documentaries. Laura is excited to join our team and spread the word about AMIGOS and the inspiring experiences our young leaders are partaking in.

Top of her bucket list: Travel to Brazil once again (where she studied abroad in college) and explore the Northeast region of the country with her family.

Allison Gordon

Human Resources and Administration Manager

Allison eats, sleeps, and breathes human resources. Recruiting and training are her specialties and she is working on obtaining her professional HR Certification. Partnering with hiring managers to find the best and brightest diverse top talent for an organization is the highlight of her day. She enjoys getting to know everyone in the room and has a knack for forming lasting relationships, both personal and professional.

Prior to working in HR Ms. Gordon was an Elementary Special Education Teacher in the Five Points neighborhood in Northeast Denver. It was then she realized the importance of diversity and how having diverse talent can enrich and benefit everyone not just children in schools. From there she has made it her mission to work with organizations to execute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives as well as innovate their HR systems and processes.

Ms. Gordon is a proud graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. She enjoyed the warm weather in Florida and is excited to relocate to Houston. She also received her Master’s of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University and hopes to one day own her own consulting company.

In her spare time, Ms. Gordon enjoys indulging in outdoor life from hiking to skiing. She also enjoys spending time with her family and traveling the world learning about new cultures. A few of her dream travel destinations for the future include South Africa, Belize, and Australia.

Zyro Honty

Training Manager

Born and raised in Uruguay, Zyro got to know AMIGOS while working for a partner agency back at home, where he had been managing several programs for youth and children since he was 19. In 2016 he served as Project Supervisor in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, and came back to AMIGOS in 2020 to work with the Community Impact Project. After working as Program Coordinator for a few months, Zyro served as Project Director for the 2021 Monteverde & Costa Atlantica project in Costa Rica. He assumed the role of Training Manager in September 2021.

He has also lived in New Zealand, Paraguay, and Mexico, where he developed different hobbies like snowboarding, scuba diving, salsa dancing, photography, and videography.

Andrianna Johnson

Donor Research and Database Specialist

Andrianna was born and raised in Northwest Indiana where she graduated from Purdue University Northwest with a B.A. in Communication and a concentration in Public Relations. She discovered her passion for communication during her freshman speech class. For many, public speaking can be an intimidating thing, but for Andrianna, it was as natural as breathing. Throughout her college career, she utilized her expertise to help local nonprofits improve their external and internal communication practices (social media, communication audit, press releases, crisis plan, etc.) She was also the editor-in-chief for the university’s newspaper, “The Pioneer.” After graduating during the height of the pandemic, she expanded her impact by working with nonprofits dedicated to helping underserved youth in Chicago. Her experience with donor stewardship, gift tracking, and fundraising campaigns allowed her to cultivate a love for development. While still in the early stages of her career, she decided to broaden her horizons by relocating to Houston, TX, where she learned about the life-changing opportunities offered by AMIGOS. Andrianna is excited to be a part of the AMIGOS team and hopes to further advance its mission of impacting the youth, ultimately inspiring the next generation of leaders.

In her spare time, Andrianna enjoys cooking, singing, and sewing. While there is an endless list of places she would love to travel to, the number one place on her list is rather simple – visit a sunflower field.

Danya Kachkou

Admissions Officer

As someone passionate about education and travel, Danya is very excited to be a part of the AMIGOS team and to work with incoming AMIGOS volunteers! Originally from Irvine, California, Danya moved to Houston to attend Rice University, where she graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and Policy Studies. During her time at Rice, Danya had opportunities to study abroad and to work with different nonprofit organizations across Houston, which affirmed her interest in working in education and multicultural learning. In her free time, she likes exploring Houston’s food scene, writing, and planning her next trip! On the top of her bucket list is exploring different regions of Colombia, the country where her mom is from.

Jordan Kelsey

Program Manager

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Jordan has spent most of his adult life in education. After graduating from The Ohio State University, he moved to Tlaxcala, Mexico, to teach English at a poly-technical university. This is where he deepened his love for cross-cultural collaboration, international travel, and chilaquiles verdes. Upon his return to the U.S., he moved to St. Louis to teach high school Spanish, and he completed a masters of education program at University of Missouri, St. Louis. He is most proud of his work with The Show Me Costa Rica Project, a program in St. Louis which helps make study-abroad programs more accessible to inner-city youth. In his free time, he enjoys weightlifting, trivia, dancing, and seeking out new experiences in his quest to live life to its fullest potential.

Taylor Martin Phillips

Board and Policy Manager, Office of the CEO

Danielle Mulack

Senior Manager of National Outreach & Partnerships

Danielle joins AMIGOS with more than 10 years of experience leading strategic change and capacity-building initiatives within non-profit and public service organizations. She began her career in the international arena – as an AMIGOS volunteer in Ecuador, a Peace Corps Volunteer and then Volunteer Coordinator in the Dominican Republic, and a consultant to grassroots organizations in India and Sri Lanka – focusing primarily on community economic development and youth development projects. She was then inspired to be of service to youth and families in her own community and transitioned to leadership roles within hunger relief, homeless services, and girls leadership development organizations in the United States.

Danielle is thrilled to come full circle and rediscover her passion for the AMIGOS mission of offering young people transformative leadership development, community service, and cultural immersion experiences. She played a leadership role within the AMIGOS San Diego Chapter during the pandemic in educating schools and families about new AMIGOS program models and adjusting San Diego Chapter operations accordingly. She is excited to join AMIGOS full time and work with schools to expand access to AMIGOS programs and grow the number of volunteers becoming empowered to make positive change in the world.

Danielle has a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School focused on political and economic development and strategic management of public service organizations.

David W. McKay

IT Systems Manager

David is a fifth-generation Texan and was raised in Lindale, TX. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University. He has worked in the for-profit and non-profit arenas in IT, finance, and management. He is excited to be at AMIGOS to support the incredible work that is being done through its staff and volunteers.

Top of Bucket List: To compose a Bucket List.

Jocelyn Ortuno

AmeriCorps VISTA Alumni Engagement Associate

Jocelyn was born and raised in Houston, TX. She graduated from the University of Houston – Downtown with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Communications. During her last year of school, she got involved with a non-profit organization before joining AMIGOS. Since then, she knew she wanted to continue making a change to communities, gain new experiences, new skills, and is excited to join AMIGOS team.

Jocelyn has so far visited amazing cities such as Orlando, New Orleans, Chicago, and Denver. She would love to continue traveling more places and she also enjoys listening to music, doing fun activities indoors and outdoors. Most of all, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Florencia Renart

Youth Ambassadors Program Coordinator

Flor has known AMIGOS since being a participant in the Youth Ambassadors program in 2013. The program impacted her personally as she learned about leadership and community development by implementing her community project in the border between Uruguay and Brazil. Apart from this, she rejoined AMIGOS as a Project Supervisor twice, in Nicaragua 2015 and Panamá 2017. In February 2019 she was selected as the YA coordinator for Uruguay. Her favorite part of the job is guiding youth and supporting them during the program.

She is finishing her major in international relations. Flor is a big fan of alternative music from South America and during her free time she likes going for walks and taking pictures of street art.

Nadine Snyder

AmeriCorps VISTA Outreach Associate

Nadine is from Walnut Creek, California. Growing up she was always passionate about human rights and the environment which led her earning a bachelor’s of science in environmental studies and public policy at Gettysburg College. In college, Nadine was very active in student government and campus sustainability issues. She also had the opportunity to study abroad in Stone Town, Zanzibar. This opportunity taught her the importance of interacting with people of varying backgrounds.

After graduation, Nadine knew she wanted to do a year of service with Americorps before going to graduate school or pursuing a career. She wanted to work for a nonprofit that promoted sustainability and cultural understanding. AMIGOS embodies both of those values, so she is thrilled to be working with them for the next year.

Elizabeth Spruell

Director of Health and Safety

Elizabeth is a longtime lover of AMIGOS! She began her AMIGOSexperience serving as a volunteer in Intibucá, Honduras in 1999 and then in Dajabon, Dominican Republic in 2000. During the summers of 2001 and 2002 she worked as a full-time staff member of the On-Call System and from 2004-2005 served as the correspondent volunteer administrator. She took a long break from full time AMIGOS work to start a family and pursue other life passions, but she never really got away from AMIGOS as she did part time work in the summers of 2003–2019 helping to take calls for the 24 hour On Call System. For the last 14 years, Elizabeth has taught a Fertility Awareness method to over 900 couples and women and has traveled extensively to 7 countries training teachers and physicians in a natural approach to woman’s gynecologic health, fertility and reproduction.

Elizabeth is excited to be back at AMIGOS in this new role and looks forward to new adventures in life. As a travel junkie, Elizabeth hopes to explore every continent at least once with her three daughters and to continue to experience the richness and light of cultural diversity and to bask in the beauty of our world. Things she could never live without- her passport, her 3 daughters, her faith, sunsets, and peanut butter.

Sam Waters

Donor Relations Manager

Born in Houston and raised in Cypress, Sam is a native Texan. However, he began his transformation into a citizen of the world at 16 during a summer youth ambassadorship in six European countries through the organization People to People and at 17 during a week spring-break trip to Italy with his then Latin instructor through the organization EF Tours. He continued that metamorphosis next by majoring in International Relations at the College of Wooster in Ohio and studying and living abroad in Cameroon for three and a half months through the organization SIT.

While stationed at the health clinic TOMAGWA in Tomball, Texas as their Legacy Society Development Specialist through the federal program AmeriCorps VISTA, Sam gave back to his Texas community the year after obtaining his undergraduate degree. With AMIGOS, he is excited to develop his fundraising and donor stewardship skills further and grow even more into the global citizen he wants to be.

Sam enjoys bonding with his dogs, studying French, and singing covers in his spare time. Top of Sam’s Bucket list: Hear U2 live!

Lily Young

Marketing Director

Lily is passionate about social change and the power of youth to impact their world. Her enthusiasm for meaningful travel began in high school, when she lived with a family in Mexico for a Spanish immersion program. Since then, she practiced her Argentine accent while studying abroad, ate innumerable salteñas in Bolivia, met the president of Colombia, and swam in the deep waters of Guatemala’s Lake Atitlán. She studied international development at SOAS, University of London, where she completed her Master’s degree. Lily is excited to bring new Amigos into the fold so they can have amazing experiences through leadership and service in Latin America. A lover of parades and dances, Lily has been to Carnaval in Oruro, Bolivia and Barranquilla, Colombia – next on the list is Brazil!