Nonprofit Leader Undertakes Ambitious Strategic Growth Plan
HOUSTON (May 11, 2007)– Emily Untermeyer, Executive Director/President of
Amigos de las Américas (AMIGOS), announced an ambitious Strategic Growth Plan
that will double the annual number of high school and college students involved
in AMIGOS’ leadership and international service programs.
“We firmly believe this is the
perfect time to expand participation of youth in meaningful civic engagement
throughout the Americas,”
said Untermeyer, who has served as Executive Director/President of AMIGOS since
1998. “Our motive is simple – the world
needs more globally minded, self-confident, and community-oriented youth, and
AMIGOS is one of the best-established and most respected avenues for instilling
the requisite skills and perspectives to achieve that vision,” she explained.
AMIGOS is an international
non-profit organization that annually provides training, leadership and civic
engagement opportunities for more than 700 young people from throughout the United States. Known as AMIGOS Volunteers and their
supervising Project Staff, the youth spend up to two months living and working
with more than 250 rural communities in Latin America
to address local youth engagement, health and environmental issues.
In the realm of strategic
planning, AMIGOS stands apart from the nonprofit mainstream with the importance
it places on strategic planning and program results, without such mandates from
outside funders. AMIGOS recently
embarked upon a five-year business planning process that will continually move
forward through the organization’s 50th anniversary in 2014.
“We place great value on the quality of the training,
leadership and personal growth opportunities AMIGOS provides to youth and on
the relevance of our programs to our partner agencies and host communities in Latin America,” Untermeyer noted. “To ensure organizational resources,
capabilities and decisions are in alignment with strategic growth goals, measuring
results is important to us.”
Untermeyer’s long history with
AMIGOS and strategic planning makes her well-suited for the tasks at hand. She
first became active with AMIGOS while a high school student in Houston,
serving as a Volunteer in Guatemala
in 1969 and in Colombia
in 1970. When she graduated from high school in 1971, she served as the first
female on AMIGOS Project Staff, an important milestone in AMIGOS history.
Her Project Staff experience
spanned 1971 – 73, with service in Nicaragua
and Paraguay.
In 1991 - 96, Emily once again became active with AMIGOS by serving on the
International Board of Directors. She was honored by AMIGOS in 1996 with the
Veteran Service Award.
Like many AMIGOS participants,
Untermeyer’s academic and career choices were greatly influenced by her early
AMIGOS experiences. Through AMIGOS, she discovered her love for public health
and public service. Untermeyer graduated from The University of Texas at Austin
(Bachelor of Arts, Latin American Studies) and the University
of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill (Master of Public Health, Health Behavior and Health
Education).
Prior to her current position,
Untermeyer worked in Austin, Texas,
where she held numerous leadership positions in health and human services with
the State of Texas,
all with a focus on planning and outcomes. She served eight years as the
Executive Director of the Texas Cancer Council, a highly acclaimed state agency
responsible for the Texas Cancer Plan and promoting collaborative planning and
program development. In the 1980s, she worked as a Health Policy Analyst for
the Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, and as the Executive
Director of the landmark Legislative Task Force on AIDS.
