Staff
e–mail: Lee Shainis
Lee is co-founder of Intercambio and author of "What Every Immigrant Needs to Know", a publication that is being used by 180 organizations in 40 states. Lee has helped Intercambio spread its model throughout the country, raise over $3,500,000, train 3,000 volunteer teachers, and provide English classes to over 6,000 immigrant adults since its inception in 2001. Lee's prior experience includes the development of a volunteer program at a psychiatric treatment center, supervising of an afterschool program, mentoring developmentally challenged individuals and facilitating writing workshops for prison inmates.
Lee has a BA in Business Administration from the University of Michigan. Lee has received the Boulder Daily Camera Pacesetter award in Education, the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the University of Michigan's School of Business, the Community Action Programs Multicultural award, and the 2010 Boulder County Gold People's Choice Award for Best Activist/Community Champion. You can read more at Lee's Blog.
e–mail: Shawn Camden
Shawn is the co-founder of Intercambio Boulder and our first affiliate in Denver www.intercambiodenver.org
He works and maintains contact with organizations and individuals that want to either share or implement components of the Intercambio model in their community. He also helps oversee the development of our own English as a Second Language curriculum as well as our Financial skills and Starting a Business curriculum.
Shawn is also President of the Spanish Institute, a company that offers Spanish courses, cooking courses and study abroad opportunities. He is owner of a Mexican restaurant in Boulder called Restaurante 100% Mexicano. He is the lead singer in a Boulder band called Los Cheesies. He is a founding board member for a new international non-profit called Education Center International www.edcenterintl.org. He loves teaching fun dance aerobics for Intercambio and singing opera and Elvis songs.
e–mail: Susan Corbett
Susan Corbett has joined the Intercambio team as Development Director after volunteering as a teacher with Intercambio since 2004. Susan began her community development career in 1976 as a Peace Corps Volunteer, working in a health clinic in Liberia, West Africa. In 1979, she joined Save the Children Federation as a program coordinator for cooperative and small business projects in Burkina Faso. In 1982, Susan returned to the States to work in drug and alcohol prevention for runaway youth in San Diego, CA. Susan moved to Boulder with her husband and 2 small children in 1991 and worked for the Boulder County Prevention Connection, building healthy communities. She has served on the Boards of Directors for Planned Parenthood, Blue Sky Bridge, Emergency Family Assistance Association, Boulder Valley Women's Health Center, and Solar Cookers International.
Susan has traveled to over 40 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Caribbean, and Central and North America. She holds a BA in International Relations from Scripps College, an MA in Cross Cultural Management from World Learning, School for International Training, and is currently working toward her Certificate in Fund Raising Management from the Fund Raising School, Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
e–mail: Kathy Damas
Kathy began her association with Intercambio as a volunteer teacher in 2008 and was hired as part-time Office Manager a few months later. She is responsible for keeping the office organized and supporting Lee in day-to-day operational tasks. She has worked as an office manager in both the private and public sectors for many years. Kathy is a native of Boulder and has lived in or traveled through all but two U.S. states. She has also traveled to Australia, Norway, and central Europe. She has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder which she utilized as a plant biologist for 14 years.
e–mail: Jenny Desmond
Jenny joined Intercambio in early 2010 as the Assistant Program Coordinator for Boulder and Lafayette. Jenny, who graduated from Wheaton College (IL) with a B.A. in Spanish and a minor in Human Needs and Global Resources, spent a semester studying in Costa Rica and a six month internship in Nicaragua working with an NGO in public health. In 1995, Jenny returned to Boulder County determined to pay off her college debt and get back to Latin America as quickly as possible. Fifteen years later, she's still here and her career has taken her through various roles, including working at the Boulder County Jail, Lakewood Police Department and Moving to End Sexual Assault. She is currently working on her Master's degree at Regis University in Leadership for Nonprofits. She is excited to be at Intercambio where her "Latin American soul" can be fulfilled.
e–mail: Kristine Edwards
Kristine left Minnesota for college in Pennsylvania, where she earned a degree in International Business and minored in Spanish. An inherent joie de vivre and penchant for all things global fueled trips abroad, including living in Spain, teaching in Honduras, and tsunami relief volunteering in Thailand. She moved to Boulder in 2006 and - thirsting for unique culture - worked in marketing for the luxury travel company, Asia Transpacific Journeys.
Kristine first found Intercambio in early 2010 and volunteered her time to help edit, develop and market Intercambio's revenue-generating publication, What Every Immigrant Needs to Know. She was integral in developing a streamlined database to track revenue and sales, which resulted in a 50% increase in efficiency. As an employee, she is excited to be part of the Intercambio team and is responsible for all things marketing.
e–mail: Rachel Fuchs
Rachel is a Boulder native and has traveled throughout Central America. Before joining Intercambio, Rachel served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica with the Community Economic Development program. In Costa Rica, she worked with locals on planning income-generating projects as well as on developing the skill-sets necessary to personal and community advancement. She has experience in adult English education in both formal and non-formal settings-domestically and abroad. Rachel studied Economics and Public Policy at The University of Chicago where she was involved in local community issues facing immigrants.
e–mail: Norma Fuentes
Norma works with all of our students in the Longmont area. Her job is to assure that they are evaluated, assessed, and receive the best English classes possible. She first got involved with Intercambio as a volunteer in 2006 and then started classes with us in 2007. She joined our staff in 2008. Norma is from Chihuahua, Mexico, and has lived in the United States for fourteen years. She brings lots of community experience to Intercambio, having worked with Head Start and the Family Literacy Program. Her passions and positive attitude contribute every day in helping and teaching our community.
e–mail: Debbie Goldman
Debbie grew up in Colorado, and then attended college at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she earned a BS in Spanish and Linguistics. After college she moved to Brazil, and in the almost thirty years she spent there, she taught English in a variety of settings to both adults and children. She was a coordinator at a large Brazilian/American binational center and has taught in schools and one-to-one. Debbie has also co-authored two English as a Foreign Language textbooks, and trained teachers in several countries. She recently completed her MA in TESOL.
Having lived as an immigrant, and experienced the struggle to learn a new language and culture first-hand, Debbie is eager to help others facing the same challenges.
e–mail: Raquel Habib
When Raquel learned of Intercambio's goal of fostering cross-cultural relationships and creating a more accepting and integrated community, she knew she wanted to be a part of it. For eight years before moving to Boulder Raquel lived at Satchidananda Ashram (a.k.a. "Yogaville") in Buckingham, VA., a place where people of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds live together harmoniously and with the understanding that while we may differ on the surface, at our essence we are the same. There she served as the Programs Coordinator, organizing and overseeing weekend and weeklong programs and retreats. She is certified to teach Integral Yoga Hatha at the beginner through advanced levels and Stress Management, where the Yoga practices are adapted to teach in corporations, schools and hospitals. Raquel grew up in Bogota, Colombia. She received a B.S. in Communication from Northeastern University, Boston, Ma. Raquel joined Intercambio in early 2011 as Program Assistant in Boulder.
e–mail: Christy Speirn-Smith
As a mentor in the Connections credit retrieval program and teacher of Diversity in the United States and Health at Boulder High, Christy quickly realized how some of her struggling students lacked parents with the skills to advocate on their behalf because of language barriers. After coffee with Lee she knew she had found the organization she needed to be a part of and gladly signed on as volunteer La Fiesta Chair in 2003 which she continued until 2006. "Intercambio is family in every sense of the word. As Fiesta chair I met more culturally diverse members of our community than I had met in the last 15 years residing in Boulder and I felt like I had really come home."
With a BA from Regis University in Denver, leadership and facilitator training from the National Coalition of Equity in Education and a wealth of management experience from healthcare settings to congressional offices, Christy brings a love of people to her new job of supporting staff in all they do to take Intercambio to the next steps of effectiveness.
e–mail: Maria Velasco
Maria is responsible for organizing Boulder/Lafayette English classes, coordinating resource workshops, and planning intercultural events in Boulder and Lafayette. Maria Velasco was born and raised in Salamanca, Spain and has traveled and lived in Mexico and South America. Before joining Intercambio, she managed the Language and Cultural Services Department at Mason General Hospital where she facilitated access to healthcare to multicultural individuals and provided cultural competency training to physicians and clinical staff. She has a BA in Business Administration from the Economics University of Salamanca. Maria is an advocate of social justice and is passionate about teaching the importance of celebrating differences as well as being open and receptive to different cultures.
e–mail: Benita Werner
Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Benita coordinated training programs for hospital executives at Centro Interamericano and managed a Century 21 real estate agency in Mexico. Benita came to the U.S. five years ago and worked at Cheyenne Mountain Resort in banquets and as a teacher assistant at Head Start. Benita has a degree in Business Administration from Centro de Educacion Profesional in Mexico, and an ESL degree from Pikes Peak Community College.