Our Staff

Helen Bryant

Program Associate, International Exchange Programs

Helen Bryant has been a Program Associate with the Phelps Stokes team since August of 2008. Prior to her work with Phelps Stokes, Ms. Bryant was a Program Instructor with the Close Up Foundation, teaching youth from around the country about American history, government and active civic participation. She has also taught English as a second language in Yamagata, Japan, first through Aeon, a private company, and then through the JET Program. Ms. Bryant studied Mediterranean archaeology and American colonial history in her undergraduate program and intends to study international development for her graduate degree. Though teaching is her first love, she has developed a passion for international relations and travel and hopes to continue to pursue her interests in the field.

Arnobio Córdoba

Arnobio Cordoba has been with Phelps Stokes since September, 2009.  He is currently the Program Manager for Phelps Stokes Colombia.  Prior to joining Phelps Stokes, Mr. Cordoba served as the Executive Director for Afro-Colombian Credit Union, assisting Afro-Colombian and displaced families gain access to micro credits and small-business support.  Mr. Cordoba has also served as a Consultant for Chemonics International; Adviser for Governability for Georgetown University’s Colombia Program; and Mayor of Quibdó, Chocó, where he developed policies for youth that gained him praise from the World Bank and the Colombian Ministry of Education.  He studied Civil Engineering at Universidad La Gran Colombiana in Bogota, earned an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University, and holds a certification in Biblical and Theological Studies from La Iglesia Cristiana Casa Sobre La Roca.

Michelle Crudup

Michelle Crudup joined Phelps Stokes in April 2009.  She brings over 10 years of finance experience in account administration, payroll, accounts payable and receivables.  Michelle managed the Administration Department in her prior employment and helped to organize vendor resources and revamp internal policies.  She is a proud mother of four and is planning on continuing her schooling in accounting.  Michelle enjoys travel and in her leisure time she is an avid reader.

Fatima Davis

Manager, Systems and Human Resources

Fatima Davis joined Phelps Stokes in March 2009 after 5 years in the legal field. She began her professional career as a Paralegal after completing her undergraduate studies at Brooklyn College and obtaining a Paralegal Certificate from the Long Island University. She has worked in large and midsize corporations with a specialty in consumer financial services and regulatory compliance in New York and Maryland. As an owner of a paralegal consulting firm, Ms. Davis provides services to start-up businesses in the areas of business development and organization, human resources, risk management and project management. Ms. Davis is currently studying towards a M.A in Human Resource Management.

Bethany Dickerson Wynder

Director, Ralph Bunche Societies

Prior to joining Phelps Stokes, Bethany Dickerson Wynder worked on the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee and at the District of Columbia Public Schools, Thirteen/WNET New York and The New York Public Library. She also has participated in numerous professional development seminars related to grant writing and leadership development. Mrs. Wynder studied abroad in Japan and Great Britain and has traveled to Canada, France, Ireland, Jamaica, Spain, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda. She has taken courses in Spanish, a language in which she hopes to become fluent. Mrs. Wynder earned an M.P.P. from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Government from the University of Virginia. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Mónica Flores

Program Officer, International Exchange Programs

Mónica Flores joined Phelps Stokes in January 2009 and brings over ten years experience in educational and cultural programs with organizations such as the Smithsonian’s Program in African American Culture and Encuentros, George Mason University and the One World Bahá’í school. Prior to joining Phelps Stokes, Ms. Flores interned at a conflict resolution organization in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she studied environmental and indigenous conflicts. She earned a BA in Spanish with minors in Latin American Studies and Dance from George Mason University. She also holds an MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. In addition to traveling throughout Latin America, Europe, North Africa and Asia, she has studied and lived abroad in Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba and Europe.

Elisabeth Frost

Senior Program Associate, International Exchange Programs

Elisabeth Frost joined Phelps Stokes in August 2007 after working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso, West Africa.  She has taught English as a Second Language to adults at LADO International College.  She also interned at Girl Scouts of the USA and at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Ms. Frost currently serves as Vice President for Membership of Capital I Toastmasters. She grew up overseas as the daughter of a Foreign Service Officer, living in Mexico, Guinea, Honduras, Brazil and Argentina.  As an undergraduate at Bates College, she studied abroad in China and France and double majored in Asian Studies and French. Ms. Frost speaks Spanish, Portuguese, French and Mandarin Chinese.

Daphna Kapnik

Daphna Kapnik joined the Phelps Stokes family in December 2009, after receiving her introduction to the International Visitor Leadership Program in 2007 while working at the Institute of International Education’s Rocky Mountain Office in Denver, Colorado. Daphna’s passion for international education and foreign affairs stems from spending time in Israel during her childhood, and has carried her throughout Latin American and the Middle East, where she recently finished a five month intensive Arabic language program. She first attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and then transferred to the Metropolitan State College of Denver where she received a B.A. in International Studies and the Middle East.

Robert Means

Program Officer, International Exchange Programs

Robert Means joined Phelps Stokes in February 2008, but has been a part of the U.S. Department of State’s International Exchange Program for more than twenty years. In thirteen years at Delphi International, he worked on more than 300 programs on a wide range of topics, most frequently on politics, government and journalism. After leaving Delphi in 2000, he worked as a contract English-Language Officer (ELO) accompanying more than 50 individual visitors and groups on their travels around the United States. In 2004, he received NCIV’s Excellence Award as Outstanding ELO. Between ELO assignments, he also continued to work as an NPA program officer, filling seasonal positions at Meridian International Center and the Academy for Educational Development.

Luís Murillo

Vice President, Programs and Strategy

Luís Murillo is a public policy analyst with 15 years of experience in the public, private and non-governmental sectors. He joined Phelps Stokes in 2007. Prior to joining Phelps Stokes, Mr. Murillo was a policy analyst for Lutheran World Relief. Before that, he had a successful career in the Colombian public sector, and was elected the governor of Chocó, Colombia at the age of 31. Mr. Murillo has become one of the most vocal advocates for equality and peace in Colombia. He graduated with honors from the Moscow Geological Prospecting State University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mining engineering and certification as a Russian language instructor. Mr. Murillo declined an offer to pursue doctoral studies in engineering in favor of returning to Colombia to serve his people.

Tonija Hope Navas

Associate Director, Latin America & the Caribbean and Special Programs

Tonija Hope Navas joined Phelps Stokes in June 2006 after a decade working in the local restaurant industry. One of her many passions is facilitating international exposure and exchange opportunities for youth from under-resourced communities. Her need for international exposure has taken her to Sweden, Finland, France, Spain, England, Guatemala, the Bahamas, Argentina, Uruguay, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Brazil and Jamaica. Ms. Navas earned a B.A. in Spanish/Latin American Literature and Latin American Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN in 1997 and a master’s degree in Tourism Administration with a concentration in International Education from George Washington University in 2003. She is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and loves dancing salsa, photography, reading and dining out.

Jorge Nomdedeu

Jorge Nomdedeu, known as J.D., joined the Phelps Stokes team as Program Associate in April of 2010, after working in the International Visitor Leadership Program at the International Affairs Council in Raleigh, North Carolina. J.D. is a citizen of Spain who came to the U.S. for the first time through the American Field Service Exchange Student Program. He attended Law School at the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. His interest in global education led him to transfer to North Carolina State University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in International Studies, a concentration in International Relations and a Minor in Nonprofit Studies. Mr. Nomdedeu has been involved in nongovernmental institutions of international relevance like the American Red Cross and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, among others, for more than ten years, and hopes to continue his career in the not for profit world. 

Maria Miry Palacios

Maria Miry Palacios has been working with Phelps Stokes since 2008, supporting Phelps Stokes work in Colombia.  She is currently Administrative and Finance Assistant for Phelps Stokes Colombia.  In the past she has served as Administrative Coordinator for the Community Cafeteria Program for Bogota’s Without Hunger Initiative; Instructor in Business Management for the Bogota Secretary of Eduaction; Consultant for the Association of Afro-Colombian Students in the formulation of projects; and Coordinator for Infancy Issues in the State of Chocó.  She has ample experience in public sector auditing.  Ms Palacios received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the Technological University of Chocó and has received several post-graduate certifications in Business Administration.

Brooke Pearson

Brooke Pearson joined Phelps Stokes in December 2009 after finishing a Fulbright grant teaching English at a university in Macau, China. Prior to that position, she worked as a Program Coordinator for the Center for Global Learning and Engagement. She attained a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Azusa Pacific University and while there, studied abroad at Oxford University in England. She has also taught English in Thailand and Russia, and has a working knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. She is now working towards an M.A. in Global Communication with concentrations in Asian Studies and US Foreign Policy from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.

Julian Roberts

Senior Associate, Latin America & the Caribbean and Program Design

Julian Roberts has been with the Phelps Stokes team since October 2008. Prior to joining Phelps Stokes, Mr. Roberts produced two documentary films focusing on human rights issues in Colombia. Additionally, he has carried out advocacy work with the Colombia Human Rights Committee in Washington, DC. Mr. Roberts earned a BA from Tufts University, majoring in international relations with a concentration in Latin American studies.  He also studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, taking classes at the University of Buenos Aires' Faculty of Philosophy and Letters.  Mr. Roberts intends to pursue graduate studies in the same field, focusing on education and development in the Americas.  

Jennifer Strauss

Director, International Exchange Programs

Jennifer Strauss has been involved in international educational exchange for more than thirty years, with two decades’ experience administering the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program for emerging global leaders. Ms. Strauss first participated in international exchanges as a high school student, both hosting and then studying abroad in Denmark. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, West Africa, for two years. She has conducted evaluations programs for exchange students, interviewed prospective host families, and served as a liaison between international au-pairs and their hosting families. Ms. Strauss joined Phelps Stokes in 2004, and was awarded the Excellence in Programming Award in 2008. She graduated from the University of Michigan, pursued graduate work at American University and received a certificate in non-profit management from Georgetown University.

Hernando Viveros

Program Assistant, Latin America & the Caribbean

Hernando Viveros is a youth leader and advocate of Afro-Colombian communities, an ethnic and cultural social worker specialized in Afro-descendant adolescents, a promoter of social sector processes in peace agendas, as well as an adviser to programs, plans, and policies related to youth and communities.  Mr. Viveros is a co-founder of the Ibero America Network of Afro-descendant and Indigenous Youth, of which he served as Coordinator General on two occasions, and served as Youth Coordinator and Administrative Assistant for the ADAM-USAID Program.  He has also worked as a consultant on issues of Public Policies for Youth and including the racial and ethnic dimensions of Afro-descendant youth in policy debates, as well as on issues of Political Advocacy for Afro-Colombian youth at the local, national and international level.  As a consultant, he was worked in institutions and spaces such as the Organization of American States, the United Nations, and the Organization of Ibero American States, among others.