Our Team

Our Team

ProWorld is unique

ProWorld is unique. Our staff lives year-round at our sites, and we commit ourselves to projects that benefit the communities where we live. Many of the ProWorld staff began as ProWorld Volunteers themselves. Their experiences were so impactful that they decided to join us as employees. 

Richard Webb

Founder and President

Born in Lima, Peru, Richard Webb holds a B.A. in History from Vassar College and a MBA with a focus on social enterprise from Oxford University.  Following his undergraduate studies, Richard enjoyed a brief career as a professional soccer player in Hong Kong, after which he began to pursue his interest in grassroots development work with Visions Service Adventures, a summer community service program for teens.  As a recruiter for Visions he witnessed firsthand Visions’ model of utilizing volunteers to meet development needs of poverty-stricken communities, which helped to shape the vision and model upon which Richard first incorporated ProPeru in 1998.  
 
In the spring of 2000, Richard led the first group of ProPeru volunteers, a group of graduate students from the University of Pittsburg.  In 2003, ProPeru changed its name to ProWorld, after the expansion of volunteer programs into Belize.  ProWorld now has operations and offices in seven countries, matching both individual volunteers and university groups with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
 
Keenly interested in the potential for effective development work with volunteer participation, Richard has served on the executive committee of the International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) and is a regular presenter on volunteer travel at NAFSA.  In addition, as the co-founder of The ProWorld Foundation, a non-profit organization that works in conjunction with the existing ProWorld enterprise, Richard also seeks to push the bounds of what is possible through private and civil sector collaboration. Specifically, Richard is focusing on an alliance between these sectors to generate carbon credits for fuel-efficient stoves being installed by volunteers in Peru.
 
Over the past decade ProWorld has injected millions of dollars into local economies and facilitated thousands of cross-cultural experiences for Americans and foreign communities.  Through ProWorld, Richard is committed to demonstrating that individuals traveling abroad can cultivate enormous good will while engaging in and financing valuable small scale development projects.  In 2010, Richard’s efforts to increase American citizen engagement in international affairs were recognized by the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, which selected him as one of the recipients of its 2010 National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy.
 
Still learning every day, Richard enjoys being inspired by the ProWorld team and the individuals in the communities in which it operates. Spending between four and five months a year on the project sites, Richard enjoys the additional perks of his work such as the opportunity to practice photography and get his hands dirty at the work sites. 
 

Aspen Felt

Program Manager

Aspen Felt grew up in Southwestern Colorado and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for nearly 10 years. She holds a BA in French from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an MA in International Education from the School for International Training in Vermont. When she was in high school Aspen was an exchange student in France, an experience that fueled her love of cultural exchange and international education. She has lived extensively in France and Paraguay and travels to Spain whenever possible to spend time with her family.

Aspen has worked with Intrax since 2005, first on the J-1 Work Travel and Internship programs and then with the AYUSA high school division. One of the highlights of her career was working on the U.S. Department of State’s Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program, which brings youth from predominantly Muslim countries to the U.S. for an Academic year. 

Since joining the ProWorld team in August of 2011, Aspen continues to be very excited about using her experience to help provide meaningful, cultural learning experiences to students and adults, while collaborating with communities.

 

Jonny Roman

Director of Programming

 Jonny Roman grew up in southern Connecticut and attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He taught English for a year in Andalucia, Spain, then attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he received his B.A. in Social Thought and Political Economy (STPEC). 

 Jonny interned with ProWorld in the Fall of 2004, nurturing his love of the Spanish language and his desire to travel. He quickly fell in love with the Peruvian highlands and development work, jumping at the chance to intern with ProWorld in Peru that following summer. 
 
Jonny was quickly promoted to a full-time position as a Student Affairs Coordinator for the Cusco semester and NGO internship programs. In December 2006, Jonny moved to Belize to work at the ProWorld offices in San Ignacio, later becoming the Belize Country Director. He returned to Peru two years later as Regional Director of Latin American Programs and is now the Director of Programming for all ProWorld locations. Jonny currently lives in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Adam Saks

Director of Custom Programs

 

Adam Saks was born and raised in Northwest New Jersey and holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies and East Asian History from Brown University. His senior project was a human rights film series focusing on Latin American cinema and portrayals of social justice. After graduating from Brown, Adam worked as a broadcast journalist in New Jersey.
 
In the summer of 2002 Adam volunteered with ProWorld in Urubamba, Peru, working at Radio La Salle and reconstructing a playground at a government-funded school.  The experience profoundly affected him, and he wanted to find a way back to Peru.  He got the chance in 2006 when he joined ProWorld in Peru as a full-time staff member, working in marketing and recruitment.  In 2008, Adam moved to the ProWorld office in Oaxaca, Mexico to lead the team of university relations advisors. Adam now directs ProWorld’s customized group programs and recently moved to San Francisco, California. He enjoys reading, writing, movies, hiking, and good food.

 

Mike Brennan

Manager of Custom Programs

 Mike Brennan grew up in the Boston area and attended Connecticut College.  He studied in Barcelona, Spain, and interned in Asuncion, Paraguay before graduating with his B.A. in Anthropology.  Mike then moved to London, England and received a MSc. for his graduate studies focused on urban space, geography and the environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Mike has a passion for traveling, working, studying and living abroad.  He has worked hard to bring his enthuasiam to others, and most recently worked to develop and manage experiential learning programs for high school and university students in the U.S. and abroad.  Mike facilitated cross-cultural international leadership programs with Envision EMI as the in-country director for both China and Eastern Europe.  In addition, he has spent time in the Caribbean as a volunteer.

Mike and his wife now live in the Charlotte, NC Area where Mike manages ProWorld's customized group programs.  Mike enjoys the outdoors, gardening, road tripping and good reggae and bluegrass music. 

Elsie Storm

Sales and Marketing Manager

Elsie Storm grew up in northern Minnesota, skiing in the winters and swimming in the land of 10,000 lakes in the summers. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Duluth with a B.A. in Communication and minors in Psychology and Business Administration. After graduation, she worked as a ski instructor and horticulturist until she moved to Missouri to work at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. While she loved working at the medical school, living in rural Missouri wasn’t exciting enough for her, so she decided to be adventurous and intern in Belize through ProWorld. 

After she completed her internship in Belize, she moved to Minneapolis where she worked for the University of Minnesota, keeping in close contact with her friends in Belize and the ProWorld staff. When she was offered a job with ProWorld in the spring of 2009, she thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to continue her love of travel, adventure and development work. Elsie is currently a traveling nomad and has worked out of our offices in Mexico, Belize, Peru and the United States. In her spare time, she enjoys having spontaneous adventures, skiing in fresh powder, swimming in local watering holes, jamming to music while playing the viola, and sharing in contagious laughter with friends and family.  Elsie currently lives in Oaxaca, Mexico. 

Program Advisors

Oaxaca Team

Bienvenidos from Oaxaca, Mexico! Left to right you will find our amazing ProWorld Program Advisors:

Hope Viers, Blaze Chase, Teresa Todoroff, Elanna Mariniello, and Brian Waldron. The five of us (plus Brynn Utela, not pictured) make up the Sales Team based at the ProWorld office in Oaxaca. We spend our days advising students and other participants about all things ProWorld. We have all been on ProWorld projects and are really excited to share our stories from the field. When we're not busy at work, we're taking Spanish classes, going for hikes in the mountains, cooking delicious food, relaxing outside or surfing on the beach. We also partake in a monthly Volunteer Impact projects together at one of the ProWorld sites; whether it’s cleaning up a recycling center, building a new roof for a school or simply interacting with the communities we serve, it’s a great way to give back to ProWorld.
 

Sarah Whitman

University Relations Advisor - Mid-Atlantic United States

Sarah is originally from Haddon Heights, New Jersey.  She attended Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, earning her Bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish. While in college, she studied abroad in Spain and Costa Rica and realized her passion for travel and adventure.  Sarah went on to earn her Master’s degree in Higher Education from The University of Pennsylvania, focusing on international higher education.  After graduating, Sarah worked at Bryn Mawr College’s Office of International Programs and also worked as a summer camp instructor in Philadelphia.

 
When she was offered a job with ProWorld, Sarah jumped at the opportunity to travel and talk to students about how they can make a difference internationally.  She spends the academic year as a domestic ProWorld representative in the northeastern United States, and her summers at one of ProWorld’s seven sites abroad.  When she’s not busy spreading the ProWorld love all along the East Coast, Sarah enjoys reading, singing, baking scones to enjoy alongside her vast tea collection, and writing old-fashioned snail mail to friends and family.  She is also the proud owner of a bookshelf’s worth of different editions of Anne of Green Gables.

 

Nicole Andrewin

ProWorld Country Director, Belize

 

Nicole grew up in Florida and later attended the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. Nicole was always interested in Belize as a child and at the age of twenty traveled to Belize to work on an organic farm in a remote Kekchi Mayan village, where she learned about sustainability and traditional Mayan culture.
After five years in Belize, Nicole got married and moved along the coast to Gale’s Point, the only traditional Creole village left in Belize, where her daughter Indira was born. In the village, Nicole was a very active member of the local conservation team, working to protect the native Hawksbill turtle and manatee populations. Dedicated to preserving the local culture, she also volunteered countless hours in the village council and helped run a drum school.
 
In 2005 she left Gale’s Point and moved to San Ignacio in search of better education for her daughter. Nicole has worked with many medical teams and volunteer groups over the past 15 years in Belize. In 2006, Nicole joined ProWorld as a project coordinator and is now the Belize Country Director based in Punta Gorda.

 

Judy Durkin

ProWorld Country Director, Brazil

Judy Durkin was born in São Paulo, Brazil, where she spent two thirds of her life.  She then moved to Washington, D.C., to attend George Washington University, where she obtained a B.A. in International Affairs, specializing in the Latin American region. She returned to Brazil for a semester in Salvador where she volunteered in a social documentary project called Rhythmic Uprising and worked with a local theater group. Judy then returned to Washington and worked as a travel agent in an academic group travel company. After two years, she finally gave in to her itch for international volunteering and joined the Peace Corps. Assigned to the Cape Verde Islands, she worked for two years as an education volunteer.

Judy believes in the power of social change through grassroots efforts and is committed to making the most of international volunteers' experiences in Salvador, Brazil. She joined ProWorld in the beginning of 2011. 

Chanchal Sinha

ProWorld Country Director, India

Chanchal was born in a small place called Barkuhi in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Having completed his High School from Board of Secondary Education, Madhya Pradesh, Chanchal completed his graduation from St.Aloysius College, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh, India). During his school days, he excelled in athletics and won many prizes. He also used to play badminton in the Officers’ Club during school vacations, forming a deadly doubles combination with his brother.

Chanchal then went on to complete his Masters in Social Work from Indore School of Social Work and started working at a local English daily before his results were declared. After a lackluster first few days, he quickly realized he was destined for a job in the social sector.

Having started with CASA (Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action), Chanchal worked with organizations like CRY- Child Rights & You, Oxfam, Save the Children, and Room To Read (to name few), and also with corporate foundations like GMR Varalakshmi Foundation (of GMR Group). He was also associated for short periods with Projects Abroad, Bharti Foundation (of Bharti Group) and Community-The Youth Collective. 

Married to a school teacher, Chanchal and his wife are blessed with a son.

Diana Rayas

ProWorld Country Director, Mexico

Diana Rayas was born in Mexico City.  She graduated with honors from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey with a degree in marketing and strategic planning.

 Leaving her home in Mexico, she looked to gain different experiences and explore other cultures.  First, she moved to Michigan for a couple of years where she studied in a community college, enjoying the small city life in Kalamazoo and adapting to the long winters by skiing.  From there, Diana moved to Barcelona, Spain where she received a postgraduate degree in Ecotourism, walked the “Camino de Santiago”, and traveled around Europe funded by designing and knitting an original line of scarves.  

The last several years she has enjoyed the laid back life in Oaxaca with her family.  She has developed and facilitated Ecotourism workshops with indigenous communities and through a local NGO.  Diana is motivated to continue to develop sustainable community projects while offering volunteering opportunities for participants as she joins the ProWorld Mexico team in 2011.

Milagro Montufar

ProWorld Country Director, Peru

Milagro was born in Cusco, Peru in 1965 where she completed her primary and secondary studies and pursued a degree in Economics at the Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco, later completing her studies at the Universidad Particular Andina del Cusco and graduating with the title Certified Public Accountant. 
 
After graduating, she began working for a variety of public and private institutions, which included serving as Director of the Charity Pharmacies of Cusco. Milagro also worked as a supplies and logistics specialist and Administrative Director for the Municipality of Urubamba before joining ProWorld as the company’s accountant in 2005. In mid-2009, Milagro became Administrative Director of ProWorld in Peru and earlier this year became the Peru Country Director based in Cusco.
 
Milagro is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Administration with a focus on Tourism at La Universidad San Antonio Abad del Cusco.

Eliza Wethey

Program Specialist, San Jose, Costa Rica

Eliza was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. She holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies and Anthropology from Tulane University as well as a Master's in Anthropology and Development from the London School of Economics.

While at Tulane, Eliza studied abroad with ProWorld in Urubamba, Peru and fell in love with Peruvian culture. During her study abroad with ProWorld, she participated in the cleaner-burning stoves project, studied women's and men's roles in the community of Chicón, and worked at a women's shelter in Urubamba. After finding her passion for Latin American culture, she returned to Peru at every possible opportunity. Eliza completed her senior thesis in Chinchero and worked in Cusco for 18 months with the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco and the Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano after finishing college.
 
After working at Oxfam America for about 16 months on their programs in South America, Eliza hoped to return to Latin America and was excited to find a position at ProWorld in the fall of 2008 as a Project Coordinator in Urubamba.  In August 2009 she moved to Cusco to serve as the Cusco Site Coordinator where she oversaw the growth of Cusco's programs until November 2011 when she made the move to Central America to set up new sites in Panama and the Dominican Republic as well as oversee the ProWorld semester programs. 
 

Stephanie Kraemer

Princeton Bridge Year Coordinator

 Stephanie Kraemer grew up just outside of Boston, Massachusetts and graduated from Skidmore College with a Bachelor's degree in Social Work.  She spent her junior year studing in Madrid, Spain which sparked a passion for international issues and the Spanish language.  As a result, she joined the Peace Corps in El Salvador from 2003-2005. 

Upon completion of her volunteer service, Steph moved into a Program Manager position for a new Youth Development Program of Peace Corps El Salvador, where she stayed for four years.  By the end of her six years in El Salvador, Steph was absolutely covinced that her personal and professional paths would always include bicultural living, international development work, volunteer service exchanges and Latin American culture.

Upon leaving El Salvador, Steph enrolled in a Master's degree program in Service, Leadership and Management with a focus in Non-Profit Management at the School for International Training in Vermont.  She now loves living and working in the Sacred Valley while coordinating the Princeton Bridge Year program.

David Jackson

ProWorld Country Director, Thailand

 David Jackson was born in the U.K. but attended college at the University of Colorado at Boulder, earning a B.A. in Sociology.  He first travelled to Thailand in 2003, immediately falling in love with the country and the Thai people.  

After teaching English in Bangkok for two years, he decided to volunteer for Burmese refugees living along the Thai-Burma border, which eventually became a full time job working to create higher educational opportunities for Burmese.  David speaks fluent Thai and continues to volunteer for a variety of Thai organizations.  
 
David enjoys designing websites, reading about culture and history, and learning about Thailand.  He became the ProWorld Country Director for Thailand in April, 2009.

Anabel Soto

ProWorld Country Director, Costa Rica

Anabel Soto is a native Costa Rican and from an early age decided to broaden her horizons by travelling extensively throughout Europe, China, USA, Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin American, as well as her own country (which she proudly enjoys sharing with others).

As a young adult she developed a keen interest in volunteer work.  A member for several years of Partners of the Americas, she was actively involved in the Oregon – Costa Rica partnership supporting programs for high risk children, domestic violence, family planning, unwed adolescent mothers and gifted children. During that time she also co-founded The “Asociacion Conservacionista Yiski” – a nonprofit volunteer organization constituted for the defense, improvement and protection of the environment.

While continuing her involvement in various volunteer projects, Anabel was employed as Administrative Director and Research Assistant by the Organization of American States (OAS) in a multinational educational research center in Costa Rica.  She also worked as an Office Manager by Bain & Company at their regional office in San José.  Her experience as International Communications Manager at the Costa Rican Language Academy, has allowed her to interact with students and volunteers from all parts of the world.  In March of 2011, Anabel became the Program Manager of ProWorld Costa Rica and is excited to continue with a range of volunteers in the international community.
 

  • 29,000
    Trees Planted
  • 10
    Countries
  • 5,100
    ProWorld Volunteers
  • 22
    Schools Constructed
  • 6,100
    Stoves Installed
  • 18,450
    Patients Treated
  • 4
    Centers Built
  • $7,100,000
    Capital Injected
  • 860,000
    Service Hours