Board of Directors
Heather Heckel
Executive DirectorHeather has been interested in education since she began her career working with public housing communities and teaching at-risk youth in middle school. Today, she is an Assistant Professor at American University where she teaches courses on sustainable development with the Washington Semester Program. In recent years, Heather has had the opportunity to visit and learn from education and community development projects in Ghana, Niger, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, China, and Ecuador.
Katie Wood
Katie Wood is a project manager with Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers. Katie has worked as a consultant for non-profit organizations and for social service organizations focused on the rights of women and children both domestically and internationally. Katie has a degree in international studies with an emphasis on African development from American University. She studied abroad in Ghana and Kenya.
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Kaila Drayton
Treasurer and Multimedia Coordinator Kaila is Operations Manager at the National Wildlife Federation. Previously she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama, where she worked on community development, sustainable agriculture, and helped a local primary school establish a garden program. Kaila has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration. Kaila is a part-time professional photographer and provides photography assistance and training to Engage Globally and our community partners. Her photography can be found at: www.kailadrayton.smugmug.com
Kara Vanderkamp
Kara is the founder and Executive Director of Remember Niger, a non-profit organization that supports community led, education efforts in Niger. She started Remember Niger after working for the Presbyterian Church in Niger and Kenya for several years. Kara began her career as a primary school teacher in Chicago. |
Aleah Myers
Social Media CoordinatorAleah is a high school science teacher in Washington, DC. Her background includes environmental and health education, community outreach, and communications. Aleah has spent time in Ghana, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic learning about education and sustainable development. Aleah is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Education at Johns Hopkins University.
Gil Ruiz
Gil Ruiz works for Kirsten Gillibrand, United States Senator for New York. He grew up in California and Las Vegas, and graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Medical Humanities. Gil founded an annual health fair in Waco, Texas, and has led trips to Costa Rica to work with rural schools. He loves (and blogs about) Arsenal Football Club and anything soccer-related.
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