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!

Mariana Apkarian Ramos

Social Impact Accelerator Coordinator

Maia Apkarian is from Montevideo, Uruguay. She is a multi-tasker by nature, and loves to develop social projects that combine her passions for education, sustainability and gastronomy. She studied Anthropology and Political Science in the Netherlands, and has experience working in communications, public relations, and designing experiential education programs for youth from all over the world. Maia has been developing humanitarian projects around the world mentoring, monitoring and supporting high school aged youth in Uruguay, USA, and Israel with the United World Colleges (UWC) for over 8 years. Her focus has been to create spaces for youth to explore their purpose and develop leadership skills through experience.

Katy Art

AmeriCorps VISTA Outreach Associate

Growing up in San Francisco, California, Katy was first involved with AMIGOS in 2016 traveling to Cocle, Panama on a project focusing on environmental sustainability. Inspired and energized by the programs, fellow participants, organization values, and the communities she connected with, she returned the year after with the SF Chapter training team to support the new class of participants. This experience influenced her continued participation in community-oriented work serving underrepresented communities and statewide environmental activism throughout her studies at the University of California Santa Cruz. After graduating with a double degree in Environmental Studies and Anthropology with a minor in Global Environmental Justice, she served an AmeriCorps year with City Year in Seattle, WA working in underserved schools and empowering students. She is excited to be back in the Bay Area for the food, city parks, views, and returning to the communities she knows and loves.

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, Recruitment and Community

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).

Vanessa Cadena

Gap Coordinator

My name is Vanessa Cadena, I am very excited to start this adventure with AMIGOS since it is the first time that I will work with the organization, just as it is the first time that I will live in Cuenca since I am from Quito. I have a Major in Political Science and International Relations and I am currently finishing my master’s degree in International Cooperation with a focus on the creation of development projects. Personally, I really like working with NGOs, and fortunately, I have had the opportunity to do so in recent years, especially those that are dedicated to community development, which I consider my passion. Without a doubt, serving others has had a great impact on me, and has helped me to be the person I am today, and I am also pleased to know that I can motivate other people to do the same. I really like to travel, learn languages, and meet new places and people; which makes me excited to move to a new city. I hope that this new experience with AMIGOS will allow me to continue growing both personally and professionally.

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.

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.

Carolina Diaz

Gap Coordinator

My name is Carolina Diaz and I am from Ambato Ecuador, but 6 years ago I moved to Quito where I did a major in Applied Linguistics and a minor in Teaching Languages. After graduating in 2021 I was able to work as a project coordinator for La Sierra and this year is not an exception. I recently had the chance to participate in a 10-month international volunteering program in France. Here I worked organizing different activities to support asylum seekers and homeless people. I also facilitated discussions in high schools to raise awareness about the social challenges in the country. I am motivated by service and optimism. Also, I am passionate about education, politics, languages, and food. I like to believe that little actions, if well addressed, can have a great impact on people’s lives and in the development of a community.

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.

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.

Devin Mack

Ecuador Country Coordinator

Devin is a proud Mainer who grew up on Mount Desert Island. Her first experience with cross-cultural exchange was during a three-week service program in Ecuador during high school, which led to her decision to study Spanish/Latin American Studies at American University in Washington, DC. Devin worked as a contractor for the U.S. Department of State where she supported foreign assistance programs related to law enforcement, criminal justice, conflict and stabilization, atrocities prevention, and counterterrorism. After almost 10 years as a Washingtonian, Devin moved to Ecuador in December 2016 to teach English at a public school and conduct research as a Global Engagement Fellow with WorldTeach. This experience solidified her passion for international education and community-driven development. In Ecuador, Devin has trained, supervised, mentored, and supported volunteer English teachers, interns, and a Virtual Peace Corps volunteer; taught English in person and online and developed curriculum materials; and coordinated study abroad programs. With AMIGOS, Devin has worked as a Senior Program Assistant during two Youth Ambassadors virtual exchanges in summer 2021 and as an On-Call Specialist during summer 2022. She is passionate about facilitating engaging (and fun!) workshops and dinámicas with participants and is excited to work with in-person programs again after two years of remote work! In her free time, Devin loves to travel, walk by one of Cuenca’s rivers, continue her search for the best empanada in the city, watch travel or food documentaries, and spend time with family and friends.

Taylor Martin Phillips

Board and Policy Manager, Office of the CEO

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.

Manuela Mina

Panama Country Coordinator

Originally from Ecuador, Manuela had her first cross-cultural experience back in 2010. She fell in love with traveling and meeting new people and getting immersed in new cultures. She studied International Relations and studied abroad in Prague for a few months. She is passionate about human rights, gender equality, and afro-descendant rights, and thanks to that interest she has engaged in activism of these social issues.

Manuela started her journey with AMIGOS in 2019, when she was a Mentor for the Youth Ambassadors Program in Ecuador, it was an excellent opportunity to guide participants and help them strengthen their leadership skills. Then, she worked for two years as the coordinator of the same program, in her home country. In February she stepped in as Project Director in Panama, and after switching roles for a few months, in July 2022 she assumed the role of Panama Country Coordinator. Manuela is happy to continue exploring the country and running meaningful programs for volunteers.

In her free time, she loves to challenge herself with new sports and outdoor adventures. She trains CrossFit and enjoys spending her time discovering new beaches, rivers, and lagoons.

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.

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.

Emma Reagan

Texas Outreach Manager

Growing up in Houston, Texas, Emma first became involved with AMIGOS in 2015 as a volunteer in Cotopaxi, Ecuador. This experience influenced her to take a gap year before college, where she lived in Bolivia for a year with Rotary International. From there, Emma studied International Relations, with a focus on Latin America and Culture, Media, and the Arts, and Business Spanish at the University of Texas at Austin, graduating mid-pandemic in December of 2020. She worked as a Program Assistant for the 2021 Youth Ambassadors Program and is ecstatic for her return to the Houston Chapter as the Texas Outreach Manager.

Emma has been inspired by the AMIGOS mission of providing community-first service and immersion since her time in Ecuador. She participated as a fellow with the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy during her time at UT Austin and worked with survivors of human trafficking in her former role with Refugee Services of Texas. She hopes to encourage more youth to explore the path towards building a global community of tolerance, inclusion, and service for others.

In her free time, you can find Emma tending to her many plant babies, visiting art museums, and trying new restaurants in Houston. At the top of her current bucket list is returning to Edinburgh, Scotland, where she studied abroad in college.

Florencia Renart

Gap Director

My name is Flor Renart and I am Uruguayan. I started my journey with AMIGOS in 2013 when I was a participant in the Youth Ambassadors Program, then I experienced the adventures of being a project supervisor in the Summer Programs of Nicaragua 2015 and Panama 2017. At the beginning of 2019 I got the job of my teenage dreams: being the coordinator of Youth Ambassadors in Uruguay.

A little more about me is that I studied International Relations at the University of the Republic of Uruguay, and now I’m finishing an online postgraduate degree in project management with FUNIBER Foundation. On the other hand, I love taking photos with my phone, I’m a fan of indie music from the Río de la Plata and I dream of getting to know as much about Latin America as possible.

Anesha Saunders

AmeriCorps VISTA Storytelling Associate

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.

Kip Van Hecke

Gap Coordinator

My name is Kip, and I’m writing this from Panama, where I’m the Project Director for the Panama Valle y Veraguas project! A little bit about me: I am from Minnesota, USA, and recently graduated from Wellesley College with majors in Political Science and Latin American Studies.

I am passionate about intercultural learning, cooking, travel, and animals! I have worked for AMIGOS before this summer and 2019 in Cuenca, so I’m really excited to return. A fun fact about me is that, in addition to Spanish and English, I also speak Portuguese! I love to cook, like I said, and learn about different food cultures around the world. So excited to meet you all!

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!