Guatemala Staff

National Team

Tamalyn Spring Jackson Gutierrez

Guatemala Country Director
From: USA

Tamalyn was born in Georgia and moved to Guatemala with her parents at the age of 11. Her parents were missionaries, and she worked alongside them with the children in the local market, as well as in rural areas of the country.  As a teenager, Tamalyn met John and Dave Huebsch in Antigua, and she served as interpreter for the first Common Hope surgical team.

She graduated from Wesleyan College with a BA in International Relations, then returned to Guatemala and joined Hospitality staff in 1999. She became the Director of Hospitality at Common Hope in 2000, and within a year was asked to be the Antigua Site Director.

She started what is her current role of Country Director in the summer of 2006 and in this role she is enjoying putting together and supporting a team of Guatemalan leadership to run the operations and programs in Guatemala. Common Hope is a place that is about relationships—with affiliated families, donors, and staff—and Tamalyn especially enjoys watching staff build relationships and accomplish amazing things every day on behalf of the affiliated families we partner with.

Renato Westby

Director of New Hope Village
From: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Location: New Hope Village

Renato was born in Guatemala and orphaned at age five. He was then adopted by a couple in the United States. After graduating from St. John's University with a degree in political science, he decided to devote the next stage of his life to Guatemala and its people. In 1996, he returned to Guatemala as a full-time volunteer with Common Hope and worked with home construction, stoves, eyeglasses, and computers.

As Director of New Hope Site, he now oversees the education programs, construction and development of the village.  He is also very involved in community development and the construction of New Hope School.

Renato lives in Guatemala with his family.

Sandra Ortiz

Antigua Site Director
From: Quetzaltenango 
Location: Antigua

Sandra arrived at Common Hope in July 2002 to work as a psychologist at the Antigua site. Two years later Sandra became Director of Psychology, and in January 2008 she was appointed the Antigua Site Director.

Sandra has a graduate degree in Social Psychology and Political Violence.  After graduating she worked in a variety of areas focusing on child advocacy before joining Common Hope where she helped her department monitor the mental health of our affiliated children and families, encouraging them to develop confidence, compassion and organizational skills.

Sandra is now responsible for oversight of the Healthcare, Education, Housing, and Family Development departments at the Antigua site. Working for Common Hope is an honor,” Sandra says.  “It fulfills me completely.” 

Sandra lives in Guatemala City with her three sons.  She is also an immensely proud grandmother. 

Jeff Barnes

Director of Strategic Planning
From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Location: Guatemala

Jeff came to Common Hope in February 2001 to oversee the construction of New Hope Village, and since July 2003 has served as Director of Strategic Planning.  In that capacity he works with staff in both Guatemala and the U.S. to identify goals, opportunities, and the means to achieve them.  He also manages special projects, such as construction of the New Hope School and the policy restructuring initiative.

Fittingly, his own arrival in Central America came as the result of a combination of careful planning and a natural disaster.  Hurricane Mitch struck during the week he was taking his oral exam for an MA degree in Central American economic history and development.  Recognizing a hint when he saw it, he moved to Honduras, where he spent a year and half as a volunteer working with a reconstruction and community development project.  In a previous life he was an Account Manager for an advertising agency.

Rosalina Ramos

Director of Donor Relations
From: Antigua, Guatemala
Location: Antigua

When Rosalina was young, she was able to attend school because she was affiliated with an international sponsorship program.  She came to work with Common Hope in 1991 and in 1994, Rosi traveled to the United States to speak about her experiences working with us in Guatemala.

Though she has worked in many capacities at Common Hope, she is currently the director of the Sponsorship and Hospitality areas.  Rosalina says, "During my time of working at Common Hope I have grown as a woman and as a professional."  Her dream is to finish her university degree in business administration.  She is married and has a family.

Lisa Hetzel

Human Resources Director
From: Oak Park, Illinois
Location: Antigua

Lisa has been with Common Hope since 2003. The Human Resources Department serves as a connection between Common Hope’s employees and administration in Guatemala, looking out for the well-being of both entities. Lisa manages the hiring, orientation, training and benefits of employees. She also oversees Common Hope’s compliance with Guatemalan labor law and other government requirements. Lisa says she enjoys the diverse challenges of her work and the opportunity to learn from each of Common Hope’s talented employees.

Before working with Common Hope, Lisa earned a degree in Sociology from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, and worked as a statistician at the U.S. Census Bureau.

Pablo Cermeño

IT Director
From: Guatemala City
Location: Antigua & New Hope Sites

Pablo arrived at Common Hope as the IT Director in February 2006.  He is responsible for the computer and telephone systems and the cell phones at both Antigua and New Hope sites.  Prior to his arrival here, Pablo spent eleven years working in systems with a large non-profit in Guatemala. 

Of his work Pablo states that of course he loves working with the technology, but above that he enjoys the opportunity he has at Common Hope to feel connected with the families we serve.  From his office at the Family Development Center he is able to see the work going on all around him, as the families arrive daily for social work meetings, medical appointment, support groups or educational classes. Pablo graduated from the University of Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala City.

Josué E. Sicán
Operations Director
 
From: Antigua
Location: Antigua & New Hope

Josué has a wide range of responsibilities, including supervision of the construction, kitchen, maintenance, transport, cleaning and security areas at both Antigua and New Hope sites.  Prior to joining the Common Hope team in 2004, Josué worked as an engineering assistant on a variety of housing programs.  He was able to put some of those skills to good use supervising the construction of the new preschool wing of New Hope School.

Josué says he loves the opportunity his work has given him to learn and apply his knowledge to such a wide variety of areas.  As his own home town is amongst the villages served by Common Hope it is also special to him to be able to support his own neighbors.  He emphasizes the importance to him that his staff understand their importance and contribution to Common Hope’s mission.

Josué is also studying part time at University, his goal being to complete the remaining 1.5 years needed for a degree in Architecture.

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Antigua Leadership

Dr. Alvaro Pineda

Clinic Director
From: Guatemala City
Location: Antigua

Dr. Alvaro Pineda, or Al, as he encourages people to call him, became the Clinic Director in October of 2005.  At first he was reluctant to accept this full-time position because he wanted to savor retirement and “have fun.”  But now he says he is really enjoying his work as he feels useful, and “It gives me the opportunity to pay back the cost of eight years of medical education at the country’s financed university.”

He is originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala where he lived for the first 28 years of his life. After finishing his medical degree he moved to Minnesota, where he spent 37 years at the Mayo Clinic. In addition to seeing patients, Dr. Pineda has spent much of his time establishing goals for the clinic and managing the budget and staff.

As well as working as the Clinic Director, Dr. Pineda is also on the board of directors at University Francisco Marroquin Medical School in Guatemala City.  He lives in Antigua and has three children and three granddaughters who all live in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area.

Alma Marroquin

Social Work Director
From: Chimaltenango
Locaton: Antigua

Alma oversees the staff in her department, assigns families to social workers, and manages the information about the families we serve. She coordinates the work of the social workers with other service departments within Common Hope, as well as with other organizations. She also coordinates the involvement of other professionals who assist the social workers with difficult family situations.

Alma came to Common Hope in 1995 through an acquaintance who was also a social worker. Her next big goal is to complete her university degree in social work and go on to study human resource management.  Alma lives with her family in Antigua.

Mario Raul Ramos

Director Housing and Appropriate Technology
From: Antigua, Guatemala
Location: Antigua

Mario began working with Common Hope in 1999 as a social worker.  After five years, he was asked to serve as Director of Housing and Appropriate Technology. In this position, he coordinates and supervises house construction, building materials, and stove installation.

Mario coordinates his work with other departments, such as Hospitality and Social Work, to ensure that families are aware of the opportunities that exist to improve their living conditions.

Prior to working with Common Hope, Mario worked as a teacher and as a social worker. He currently lives with his family in a nearby village.  He enjoys working at Common Hope, and appreciates the holistic approach the organization adopts to help the entire family.

Maribel Duarte

Director of Education

From: Antigua
Location: Antigua

Maribel became the new Director of Education in April 2007.  Born in Antigua, Guatemala, Maribel joins us with a degree in social work from the University of Rafael Landivar, and over 10 years experience of working with non-profits, including four years as a director of a small project in the highlands. 

Maribel is responsible for the supervision, monitoring and evaluation of the programs offered by the education department in Antigua.  She says she is impressed by the wide variety of programs that Common Hope offers affiliated families and the good communication that exists between the different departments.

Maribel lives in a village near Antigua.

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New Hope Village Leadership

Mynor Lemus

Assistant Director
From: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Location: New Hope Village

Formerly the director of New Hope School, Mynor was promoted to the position of Assistant Director of Programs at New Hope in April 2008.  He now assists with the oversight of the New Hope primary school, scholarship and social work programs.  

Mynor has a degree in psychology and an MA degree in education. Prior to working at New Hope, he taught philosophy and psychology at the university level.  He enjoys the freedom and creativity of his job at New Hope and is happy to have the opportunity to serve his country through education.

Mynor has worked at Common Hope since 2003. He is married and has one child.

Fernando Rabanales

Education Coordinator
From: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Location: New Hope Village

Prior to working at New Hope, Fernando worked as a teacher for mentally handicapped children. He has also worked with various development projects in rural areas with adult education, community organization, and health promotion. He is responsible for after-school activities, the library, summer school, and junior and senior high school scholarship programs. He says he likes his job because it allows him to realize his dream of constructing a better future for Guatemala.

Fernando lives in Guatemala City with his grandmother, mother, aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He has a daughter that he adopted when she was three years old. Without a doubt, he says, his family is his greatest treasure.

Leonel Siu

Social Work Coordinator for New Hope Site

From: Guatemala City
Location: New Hope Village

Leonel’s work focuses on helping both primary and secondary school students overcome the hurdles that can intervene with their schooling.  He works to connect New Hope’s families and students with counseling and other external services, like medical specialists. 

Leonel graduated from Guatemala’s University of San Carlos with a psychology degree, and prior to his arrival at New Hope he worked as a career counselor for the Children’s Villages Association SOS, a network of early childhood centers.

He started working at New Hope in June 2006 and says he enjoys the direct contact he has with people, as well as the opportunity to work with other organizations who share the goal of helping children, youth and families. Leonel is passionate about psychology and says his next big goal is to further his studies with either a Masters or Doctorate degree.

San Rafael

Rocio Gonzalez

San Rafael Site Coordinator
From: Mexico
Location: San Rafael Satellite / Antigua

Rocio first became involved with Common Hope in 2001 when she joined the Antigua site Social Work department.  She spent the next four years both monitoring the progress of affiliated families and utilizing her law degree to provide legal advice in an accessible manner to them.
 
In 2005, Rocio returned to Mexico before coming back to Common Hope in 2007.  Upon her return she initially worked as an external consultant, helping to guide the New Hope community through the process of becoming a Homeowner’s Association.  In August 2007, Rocio was appointed Coordinator for Common Hope’s first satellite, in the village of San Rafael el Arado.  Her new role entails establishing a working relationship between the community and Common Hope, and coordinating the work of our social work and sponsorship staff in the village.   “It’s very important for me to believe in what I’m doing,” says Rocio.  “I truly enjoy working directly with people and the opportunity I have here to give them hope.”

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