US STAFF
Brandon Blache-Cohen, MA | Executive Director | Cohen first began experimenting with social entrepreneurship and service-learning while an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh. After sailing on Semester at Sea, he combined his passions of travel and social justice by helping to create a student-initiated NGO, FORGE. As Associate Director of FORGE he worked in three refugee camps in Zambia and Botswana on a slew of small-scale development projects. Since then, Cohen has worked in development for the Tahirih Justice Center in Washington, DC, as a researcher and program assistant for aids2031 in Worcester, MA, and as a consultant for several other small nonprofits and foundations. From 2007 – 2009, he was a Social Change Fellow at Clark University, where he earned an MA in International Development and Social Change, focusing on nonprofit/NGO management. In addition to his work with Amizade, Cohen is also Adjunct Faculty at West Virginia University (Political Science) and sits on a planning committee for the Pittsburgh Holocaust Center. To date, Cohen has worked, studied, or traveled in over 60 countries on five continents, and has work authorization in the US and EU.
Katie Baucco, MBA, MA | Director of Operations| Originally from Washington, PA, Katie attended Penn State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. After five years working as an engineer for a major package delivery company, Katie returned to school to work on her master’s degree. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in December 2010 with an MA in International Development and an MA in Business Administration. Katie traveled to Tanzania in July 2010 as an Amizade facilitator, had an incredible experience, and looks forward to visiting other Amizade sites in the near future.
Trey Goff | Service-Learning Coordinator |Originally from Charleston, WV, Trey discovered his passion for global awareness and activism after partaking in an intercultural immersion program in India. A recent graduate from West Virginia University, Trey received bachelor’s degrees in political science, international studies, and Spanish. Since India, Trey has devoted his academic career and heart to international development as well as to inspire others to see the world through new, life-changing perspectives. When he’s not devoting his time to Amizade, you can find him enjoying the outdoors and searching for his next opportunity to travel the world.
Rebekah Harlan | Senior Program Coordinator | Originally from Mechanicsburg, PA, Harlan attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan where she received a bachelor’s degree in visual communications with a minor in development. During her junior year, Rebekah traveled to Tanzania where she connected deeply with the people and culture of East Africa. Her experience in Tanzania sparked a passion to work with people around the world to meet basic needs and help bring about global equality. Rebekah has since visited and served with community partners at Amizade’s Tanzania, Mexico, and Navajo Nation (Tuba City) sites.
Sara Noel, MA | Outreach Director | Sara Noel discovered her love of international travel and intercultural learning as an exchange student in Chile when she was 16. Since then she has lived, worked, studied and traveled to over 40 countries including a trip around the world with Semester at Sea, a semester in Berlin, Germany, and a year teaching English in Hungary.
Originally from Denver, Colorado, Sara holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Michigan as well as two master’s degrees in international studies and conflict resolution from the University of Denver. Before coming to Amizade Sara worked with the Denver-based non-profit organization, Critical Mass Leadership Education that develops and implements programming in leadership development, conflict resolution, social dialogue, and citizen and community advocacy for teenagers from around the world.
Anna Phillips | Group Program Director | Anna was raised in Parkersburg, West Virginia by parents who emphasized cultural diversity by opening their home to exchange students. She was introduced to Amizade in 2007 when she participated in the Spring Break Service-Learning course in Jamaica. From that experience she fully embraced the pedagogy of service-learning and concept of global citizenship. Upon return, she served as an Amizade intern and Jamaica-course facilitator until graduating from WVU with her BA in Public Relations and minors in Spanish and French. After graduation Anna spent a year doing outreach with the Amizade team full-time and was the facilitator for a Winter Break Program in Ghana. Phillips believes that her mission to empower people to change the world will also encourage increased education, acceptance, and global awareness.
INTERNATIONAL STAFF
John Matthias Brown | Jamaica Site Director | Mr. Brown has been working in community development for the past 35 years. He is the founder of the 25 year old Petersfield Sports & Community Club (PSCC) which he served as President for the first 2 years. Three years later, he co-founded the old Association of Community Based Organizations Ltd (AOCBO), formerly Association of Clubs (AOC), which is the umbrella organization for seven community based organizations in the parish of Westmoreland, Jamaica. Mr. Brown has been the Facilitator of the AOC from its inception. Through his commitment, influence and guidance, the AOC won the 2007 Michael Manley Award for Community Self Reliance which is one of the most prestigious awards in Jamaica.
Mr. Brown also serves in his parish as a Justice of the Peace. He sits as Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and as Community Representative on numerous school boards and organization committees. He takes pleasure in counseling young people to help them boost their self-esteem and ways to work harder towards achieving their goals. He has served as Amizade’s Site Director since 2004.
Jean Carla Costas | Bolivia Site Director | For the last 11 years, Ms. Costas has managed more than 300 volunteers throughout Bolivia as Amizade’s Bolivia Site Director. She has worked on community development projects ranging from direct-services with at-risk youth to overseeing construction projects in schools. She holds a degree in business from the Universidad Mayor de San Simon, has studied entrepreneurship at Boston University, and is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Jean Carla resides with her children in Cochabamba, Bolivia. When she is not organizing community development projects for Amizade, she can be found enjoying music and dance in the streets of Cochabamba.
Valarie Hess, RN and Nathan Darity, MPH, MA | Brazil Site Directors | Hess and Darity were raised in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, where they graduated together from Lancaster Mennonite High School in 2000. For the summer months following graduation, they lived with host families in Vitória, Brazil, and grew their interest in public health and nursing. Hess received her BSN at the Univerisy of Pittsburgh in 2004, and focuses on oncology and community health. Darity traveled to Santarém for the first time in 2002 during a three-week service-learing course facilitated through Amizade. In 2003, Hess and Darity returned to Amizade, this time participating in a program in Tanzania. In 2008, Darity finished a dual masters program in public health and international development at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2009, Darity and Hess began their transition into Amizade’s joint site-director position in Santarém. While in Brazil, they live at the headquarters of Amizade’s principal local partner, Fundação Esperança, a health and education non-profit institution in the heart of the city. While in Pittsburgh, Hess and Darity live with generous friends in the east end neighborhood of East Liberty.
Eric and Tracy Kee | Navajo Nation (Tuba City) Site Directors | Eric and Tracy have been working with Amizade since fall of 2007. Eric is full Navajo and born in raised in Tuba City, AZ. Tracy is from Tennessee and has lived in Florida, Alabama, and Arkansas. Eric and Tracy both attended Harding University. While studying at Harding, they were both drawn to Florence, Italy, where they met and worked from 2002-2007. Eric and Tracy both share a serious passion for cross cultural exchange and learning through service, thus making them fitting site directors. When not working with Amizade service groups, they own and operate an art gallery in the Verde Valley that hosts many works of Native American art by Eric. They are proud parents to two little boys and love exploring the beautiful Northern Arizona region.
Caitlin Newman, MA and Paul Thistle, | Tanzania Site Directors | Caitlin holds a BS in Business Administration (Finance) and a BA in Religion from Susquehanna University, and an MA in International Development from the University of Pittsburgh. Caitlin first felt called to venture to East Africa during college. She lived with a host family and implemented sustainable development programs for a microfinance bank in a village outside of Masaka, Uganda. Since then she has returned to East Africa twice, and now lives in Kayanga, Karagwe, Tanzania. Caitlin enjoys the East African culture- when all goes wrong, smile, and say “Hamna Shida” (no worries/problems). Caitlin likes to learn through discussion and enjoys challenging people and being challenged to think in new ways. She is joined in Tanzania by her husband, Paul Thistle, who is certified in Secondary Education and enjoys volunteering at the local school.
Pastor Chris Nyame | Ghana Site Director | Pastor Chris Nyame has been working with Amizade Global Service-Learning since 2003. Hailing from Jukwa, Ghana, Pastor Chris currently resides in Accra, where he is completing studies in political science. For almost a decade, Pastor Chris has been the Executive Director of Peace Humanity International, a small NGO, which assists Ghanaians with small scale community development initiatives.
When Pastor Chris is not assisting a community with a development project, he can be found enjoying life with his family. Pastor Chris also enjoys soccer, dancing, and traditional West African music.
Daniel Weiss, PhD | Founder/Consultant | Daniel began Amizade in 1994 to provide opportunities for individuals and groups to be able to take part in educational, environmental, health, welfare, and other service projects around the world.
He holds a PhD. in Educational Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota. He worked full time with Amizade until 2001 when he became executive director of Amazon Africa Aid, an organization he helped co-found that was dedicated to supporting the work of the Fundação Esperança, a nonprofit health and education organization. In 2008, he moved to Vila Velha, Brazil, to work for the PCLB Foundation establishing a health clinic in an impoversihed region of that city.
Weiss teaches service learning courses in international development for Amizade, including our semester course in Brazil. He is also involved in strengthening the Amizade Auschwitz program. Over the years, Weiss has been very active in other causes including serving as the president of the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North (MI) and helping found Abraços, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting youth at risk in Rio de Janeiro. Weiss has been honored by the US State Department, Arab Gulf Fund of the United Nations, Firestone Company, Volvo USA, the Points of Light Foundation, and Giraffe Project. He currently lives in Vila Velha, Brazil with his wife Geli, Amizade’s former Brazil Site Director.
2011-12 INTERNS
Jana Blach | WVU Office and Management Intern | West Virginia University
Allison Bustin | Outreach and Events Intern | University of Pittsburgh
Chloe Detrick | WVU Outreach and Marketing Intern | West Virginia University
Melanie Pfeiffenberger | Outreach and Marketing Intern | University of Pittsburgh