Staff

Pedro Caba Asicona

Co-Founder and Advisory Director

Pedro, a Civil Engineer and Mayan culture specialist, grew up in Chajul, Quiché, Guatemala, with few educational opportunities. He was raised shining shoes, carrying firewood, and working in the fields. Through luck, sacrifice, and a lot of hard work he was able to complete a certificate in Mayan World Studies and a university degree in Civil Engineering at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala City. Pedro is the first person from Chajul to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree from a university. Pedro is LHI’s legal representative, and is responsible for government relations, legal compliance, and financial security in Guatemala.

 

 

Katie Morrow, MSW

Executive Director and Co-Founder

Katie grew up in California and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Community Studies from UCSC in 1998 when she was 18 years old. She subsequently traveled and worked around the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Katie went back to school to study social work with a focus on international communities, and graduated with her Master's in Social Work from San Jose State in 2002. She has spent much of the last seven years in Guatemala, and has long been working to relieve poverty by supporting sustainable community development, education, and human rights. Katie is responsible for all executive and operational functions in Chajul, including recruiting, training, and managing staff, developing, coordinating, and evaluating programs, fundraising and fiscal management, strategic planning, and developing partnerships.

 

Isabel Verónica Yat Tiu

Program Director

Verónica is from Chajul, and now resides in Nebaj with her husband and three children. Verónica is fluent in Spanish, two forms of Ixil, and Quiché. Through hard work, the help of a scholarship and sacrifice from her mother, Verónica counts herself as one of the very few lucky women from Chajul to go to university and become a professional. She grew up and went to primary school in Chajul and finished high school in Quetzaltenango with a focus as a bilingual secretary. She studied Business Administration at a university in Quiche. Verónica has extensive NGO experience as secretary, community organizer and case manager with Chajul’s health center, Con Tierra, Proyecto Ixil, and Save the Children. Verónica feels that it is important for her to return to Chajul and provide opportunities for her people. She believes that "with the support of the people, together we can work together on community development and make a real difference." Verónica is responsible for overseeing all of LHI’s programs, as well as local outreach within Chajul.

Laura Myers

International Coordinator

Laura comes to LHI with experience in educational access, youth programming, and community development. She has worked mostly in the field of domestic education, though has dabbled in international public health as well. Working for LHI provides her with the opportunity to combine her interests in educational access and international development. At LHI, Laura is the primary link between U.S. operations and the community of Chajul. She is responsible for program coordination and development, donor relations and communications, administrative support and volunteer coordination.

 

Edilma Magdalena Hernandez Ijóm

Local Coordinator

 

Edilma graduated in 2009 with a degree in Primary School Education from the Colegio Mixto La Sabiduría in San Juan Ostuncalco, Quetzaltenango. Edilma worked for a family throughout her time studying in high school in order to pay for her education, and has professional experience working with women and youth. Edilma is responsible for program support, attending to students’ needs, and local outreach in Chajul.

 

 

Christina Lacy

Program Associate

Christina Lacy is from Ashland, Oregon and graduated from Syracuse University in 2010 with bachelor degrees in Economics and International Relations.  She has studied in Ecuador and Chile and has taught English in both the United States and South America since 2008.  Before coming to Guatemala, Christina worked in Washington, DC for a non-profit magazine in their publishing and marketing departments.  She is responsible for general support on the ground in Chajul, program coordination and development, LHI communications and marketing, and volunteer coordination.

 

 

Lindsay Renaud

Operations Associate

Lindsay is primarily responsible for program evaluation, grant writing and fundraising, accounting, and general operations and systems management. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and Economics from McGill University of Montreal, Canada and recently completed a Master’s Degree in International Affairs focusing on International Trade Policy and International Development at Carleton University of Ottawa, Canada. Lindsay’s professional experience includes stints in the non-profit, government, and private sectors. Most recently, she worked in evaluation consulting and as a trade policy analyst.

 

 

Domingo Fernando Rivera Canay

Computer Instructor

 

Domingo is an engineer, and one of Chajul’s few residents with a university degree. He has worked for Agros, a development organization based in nearby Cotzal. He owes his career and his academic success to a series of scholarships in his youth, and is committed to giving back by supporting students in need. He is LHI’s computer instructor.

 

 

2011 LHI Student Council

LHI’s student council is elected annually, and is comprised of students who demonstrate strong leadership and initiative. The student council is responsible for communicating with the LHI student body, coordinating events and activities such as LHI’s annual graduation and trips, and acting as liaisons between students, their middle school and high schools, and LHI staff.

Boards

Guatemala Board of Directors

LHI's Guatemalan Board assists in the development of our community-directed programming.

Ana Concha Xinic Caba

Baltazar Laynez Ijóm

Juan Mateo Rivera

Juana Puente Pacheco

Martha Maria Munguia

Katie Morrow

Pedro Caba

U.S. Board of Directors

Jessica Sherman, President

Director of Special Initiatives, Global Greengrants Fund

Christie Leighton, Treasurer

Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, Reynolds Packaging Group

Lindsey Musen, Secretary

Development Manager, Boston Plan for Excellence/Boston Teacher Residency

Katie Morrow

Executive Director, Limitless Horizons Ixil

Molly Robbins

Kevin Saunders

Associate Counsel, ACCION International

Courtney Rebecca Wong

Program Coordinator, ReServe, Inc.