SHARE YOUR TIME AND TALENT!

Our chapter relies on a network of dedicated adult volunteers to help recruit and prepare young Volunteers for the Summer Program, and to govern our chapter. If you would like to donate your time and talent to the Boston Chapter, contact us.

 

Boston Chapter: Who We Are

 

Langdon Andrews, Outreach Co-Coordinator

While deployed as a Marine prior to college, Langdon visited six Latin American countries.  After receiving a BA in International Relations from Tufts, he studied Spanish in Oaxaca, Mexico and continued to travel to Mexico for business.  Presently, he is Vice President of Financial Institutions Marketing at Pannos Winzeler Marketing where he specializes in Community Financial Institutions. 

Stephanie Banos, Technology Coordinator

After first being introduced to the Spanish language when she was 14, Stephanie fell in love with the culture, the people, and pretty much anything else related to Spanish and Latin America. She has traveled to multiple countries and stayed in host homes as well. She has organized a volunteer trip to Quito, Ecuador and helped rebuild homes in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In the past, she has volunteered and worked for The Campus Kitchens Project, a nonprofit that uses local resources to provide healthy meals to low-income families, and Hospitality Homes, a nonprofit that provides host homes for families traveling to Boston for medical treatment. Currently, Stephanie is finishing her Spanish degree at the University of Massachusetts Boston and is excited to support an organization that really encourages youth to be world leaders.

Sigrid Bergenstein, Fundraising Coordinator

Sigrid, originally from Canada, is the mother of two veteran volunteers. She joined the board in 2002 as Recruitment Coordinator, and later served as Chapter President. She represented Boston Amigos on training trips to Nicaragua and Paraguay. She has an MA in Asian Studies from Stanford University.  She graduated in 2010 as a Nurse Practitioner and is employed by Boston's Community Medical Group, caring for adults with physical disabilities.

 

Natalya Betzig, Service Learning Coordatinor and Assistant Recruitment Coordinator

Natalya is thrilled to join the Boston Chapter board of directors as an Assistant Recruitment Coordinator and Service Learning Coordinator. Although Natalya never had the opportunity to serve as an AMIGOS volunteer, she is committed to youth development and cultural immersion, and believes that experiences abroad can have an incredible impact on leadership and cultural development for any young person. Natalya brings a fresh background in Youth Development, service learning, and Spanish Language to the Boston Chapter. She served as a Corps Member with City Year, Boston in 2010-2011, and has since committed herself to urban youth development in Boston. A resident of Somerville, Natalya currently works full time in Mission Park as a Youth Development Coordinator.

 

Daniel Cavazos, Assistant Treasurer

Daniel is a young professional working for a professional services firm. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in accounting science and a Master;s Degree in business administration with specialization in international business. Daniel had been involved with social development projects around the world for numerous years while living in Northern Mexico.  He is a firm believer in the empowerment of youth through first-hand relational experiences that Amigos provides through its different programs.

 

Lawrence Copley, Secretary

 Lawrence is a resident of Needham and a consulting engineer by profession.  He is the parent of two Vet Volunteers; One went to Michoacán, Mexico in 2007, and the other was in Nicaragua (2009) and the Dominican Republic (2010).  Having seen the growth in his two sons from the AMIGOS experience, he has experienced first hand the benefits for the volunteer. Having learned much about the program, Lawrence can see how it contributes to international understanding, and is very happy to help the AMIGOS organization.

 

Robin Cuthbert Lee, Paperwork and Recruitment Coordinator

A native Houstonian, Robin’s background includes volunteering in the Dominican Republic with Peace Corps and working as a Curatorial Research Assistant in the Arts of Africa and Oceania at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Robin has travelled widely throughout Central America and Mexico pursuing her interest in Pre-Columbian archaeology and material culture. She holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MA in the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas from the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom. Robin currently works with scholars in the History and Anthropology of Religion at Harvard Divinity School as a Faculty Assistant. She lives in Jamaica Plain with her husband, Matt, and their cat, Lady Puffnose.

 

Nicole Hubmann, Co-Training Director

Nicole moved to Boston in January 2012 and is excited to be a member of the training team.  Previously, she spent a year in Ayacucho, Peru, where she volunteered at FINCA Peru, a microfinance bank that focuses on lending to women. While in Peru, she also taught herself to surf and became a certified yoga instructor. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Family Social Science and a minor in Spanish.  She studied abroad in Toledo, Spain.  In her free time she enjoys spending time with friends, dancing, and playing ultimate frisbee.

 

Merek Johnson, Co-Training Director

Merek is the Co-Training Director for the Boston Chapter.

 

Eric Mankin, Parent Coordinator and Outreach Co-Coordinator

More information to follow.

 

 

 

Lori Manz, Vice President

Lori Manz is the current vice president and previously served as chapter parent coordinator. She has served on leadership boards of several community organizations and has been a member of the Boston Chapter board since 2008.  Lori is the mother of five children including two Boston Chapter vets.  Lori worked previously as a chemist leaving work to care for her children.

 

Kate McGrath, At-Large Board Member

Kate is a native of the Boston area, and first served with the Boston Chapter as a volunteer in Paraguay in 1999. Since then, she has always had a passion for Latin American culture and language, having studied International Relations and Spanish in college at the University of Delaware and traveling abroad to Peru and Spain. She presently works at ACCION, an international non-profit organization that works in the microfinance industry, where she is a member of the Communications team and is responsible for its volunteer program. In 2006, Kate returned to Amigos as a Project Supervisor in Oaxaca, Mexico and has since served as a board member of the Boston Chapter. She was the chapter's co-president from 2009-2011.

 

Mariah Nobrega, Alumni Coordinator

Mariah Nobrega joined the board in 2012.  Previously she served as a volunteer in Brazil in 1997.  Mariah graduated from NYU with a dual degree in Political Science and Latin American Studies. She is currently pursuing her MBA at Northeastern University, where she also works as Associate Director for Research Development Initiatives in the College of Engineering.  Mariah lives in Brookline with her husband and two children.

 

Wilda Perez, Board Training Liaison

Since graduating with a B.A. from Columbia University, Wilda has worked in both the private and public sectors, and has continuously demonstrated a commitment to social justice and international development that serves as the common thread throughout her professional experiences. Over the past few years, she has taken great efforts to supplement her traditional educational and work experiences with more unconventional learning opportunities. Wilda has traveled to, volunteered and/or worked in over 30 countries. Most recently, she has returned from a year of volunteering and studying in Bogota, Colombia, where her involvement with Afro-Colombian youth has greatly influenced the direction of her career. Wilda's future plans include to continuing her work in the development of youth through their involvement in the international community. With respect for other cultures and worldviews, and an expanded global consciousness, youth can understand the importance of just and collaborative international interactions, thus changing their lives and the world.

 

 Hannah Peters, Assistant Training Director

While Hannah is originally from Chicago, she currently lives and studies as a sophomore at Tufts University, double majoring in International Relations and Community Health.  She began working with AMIGOS in 2009, when she was a Volunteer in Nicaragua.  Hannah fell in love with all that AMIGOS had to offer after her first summer away, and became a Veteran Volunteer in Panama the following year (2010).  During the summer of 2012, she became even more involved in the AMIGOS world, and became a Project Supervisor on the new Costa Rica project.  While her AMIGOS summers have always been challenging, she says she returns feeling like she gained so much from the experiences she's had, and she's excited to bring her AMIGOS knowledge to training.

 

Flora Pirquet, MD, Medical Director

Flora assists the Chapter with its health and safety trainings and advises the AMIGOS organization on health and safety in the field. She is also an alumna of the AMIGOS program after serving in Nicaragua. She is a hospital-based pediatrician with a strong interest in infectious disease and tropical medicine. She prefers Central American and Caribbean food, but enjoys any type of fresh food. Flora also loves being outdoors in all weather with her dog.

 

Evan Roth-Howe, Assistant Fundraising Coordinator

After a few years of living, studying, and traveling in Mexico, Central America, India, and Southeast Asia, Evan came to Boston in 2007 to pursue a MA in Child Development at Tufts University.  He has been working with Cambridge-Somerville Early Intervention since then, providing therapy and support for infants and toddlers with developmental concerns.  Evan is fluent in Spanish.

 

Sarah Rubin, Assistant Fundraising Coordinator

Sarah, originally from Tucson, AZ, is passionate about empowering youth and fostering cross-cultural exchange. She has worked as a garden educator, a program coordinator at an environmental nonprofit, and an advocate for family farmers. Currently, she fundraises and recruits students for The Arava Institute. Sarah attended Oberlin college.

 

Amy Stewart, Treasurer

Amy Stewart has been on the Boston Board  since 2009.  She graduated with a BA in International Economic Development from Boston University, and currently works as a Principal Knowledge and Learning Specialist at ACCION International.  She lives in Cambridge, MA.

 

Nikki Stewart, Assistant Fundraising Coordinator

Nikki Stewart is the Director of Development at ZUMIX, an East Boston based nonprofit dedicated to building community and empowering youth through the arts.  She joined ZUMIX in 2009 as a n AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer and became a full-time staff member in August, 2010.  Nikki has worked with several nonprofit organizations in the Boston area in development and legal services capacities.  She holds a BS in Communications Studies with a Minor in Music Industry from Northeastern University and is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.