Sister Communities of San Ramón

Staff

Zenelia Icabalceta, San Ramon Director

Zenelia Icabalceta is a native of Matagalpa, the biggest city near San Ramón, where she lives with her husband and 3 children.  Her favorite part about being the Director of Comunidades Hermanas is the Rural School Partnerships program where she gets to work with the kids, teachers and families in the rural communities!  Zenelia holds a University degree in Business Administration and Accounting and has almost 10 years of experience working for international development organizations in her beloved country of Nicaragua.

Sarah Montgomery, Executive Director

Sarah is a sustainable development practitioner with over ten years of non-profit experience. Before arriving in Durham, Sarah worked as the Manager of Community Outreach and Education for a community based non-profit in Queens, NY. From 2007-2009, Sarah served as the Field Director for a youth development NGO based in Nicaragua. She oversaw academic reinforcement, after-school enrichment, community education/life skills, and environmental education programming for over 150 young people. Sarah holds a BA in Social Thought and Political Economy (STPEC) and Spanish from UMASS-Amherst, as well as an MA in International Affairs from the New School University. Sarah lives with her husband and energetic toddler son.

Robin Barth, Development & Operations Associate

Robin Barth has worked with small non profits in the areas of fundraising and program development. She spent several months as a volunteer consultant in Uganda working with a vocational school to increase their financial stability. Robin’s prior work was at medical schools and teaching hospitals managing grants and department finances. She enjoys the creativity and challenges small non profits bring and the reward in having a direct impact to help fulfill an organization’s mission. Robin serves on the board of her kayak club, takes botany and gardening classes and likes hiking in the mountains.

Mary Jose Navarro, In-country Ecotourism Leader

Mary Jose joins SCSRN for the 2013 Eco-tours season. After finishing her studies in International Development and Tourism in Spain she decided to apply her knowledge by joining our internship program in San Ramón. With the aim of learning how sustainable development works and how this practice can be a tool for community development, she took her backpack and made her way to Nicaragua! Maria Jose supports Zenelia with different tasks in the office and is our full-time group coordinator and interpreter. She loves travelling and discovering new cultures.

Electra Jarvis, U.S.-based Ecotourism Intern

Electra visited San Ramon and La Finca Esperanza Verde in the spring of 2007 on a community service trip and as a eco-tourist. Five years later, she has enthusiastically returned to work with SCSRN. Electra studied in the Levermore Global Scholars program at Adelphi University. Through the program, a strong emphasis was placed on relating her major and minor studies to a global context, and focused on non-profit management and empowerment. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a Environmental Studies Minor. She assisted with administrative work for the non-profit organization freeDimensional. She also held a Public Relations position with the Latin American Student Organization on campus.

Becky Jepson, U.S.-based Program Assistant Intern

Becky Jepson was so influenced by her 2009 service trip to San Ramon and La Finca Esperanza Verde that she is currently pursuing a degree in Spanish and Global Studies with a Women’s studies minor at UNC Chapel Hill.  Within her Global Studies major, Becky focuses on Latin American and Transnational cultures and is curious to see how the idea of Sister Communities interacts with these fields. Becky is joining SCSRN as a summer intern eager to learn how a nonprofit works and how she can continue to contribute to the communities who helped her find her path in education.

PARTNER ORGANIZATION IN SAN RAMÓN
EL COMITÉ

BOARD OF DIRECTORS