 | Paul Guggenheim | Executive Director
pguggen@hhidr.org
Paul's passion for community development and environmental health has led him to work with diverse organizations, communities, and partners all across Latin America. From 2007 to 2012, Paul was the Country Director for Riecken Community Libraries in Guatemala, establishing and supporting a network of community-owned lending libraries providing access to information in rural Central America. Previously, through The Field Museum in Chicago, he led conservation education initiatives in schools and communities in the 10,000 square mile buffer zone surrounding Peru’s Cordillera Azul National Park in the Amazon. Paul also served with Casa Alianza in Managua, Nicaragua as a Street Educator for at-risk youth, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, supporting construction of gravity-flow water systems, training community boards, and promoting watershed protection. He has worked on community public health projects with Amigos de la Americas in Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Honduras and Nicaragua, and consulted for Children International in the Dominican Republic, Colombia and the Philippines. Paul also worked in wetlands and watershed protection for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based in Washington, DC. Paul holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from Ithaca College and a Master’s in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University.
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 | Janelle Bitikofer | Clinical Programs Director
jbitikofer@hhidr.org Janelle is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Teaching English as a Second Language from Eastern Mennonite University, and her Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2001. During her social work career, Janelle has worked in psychiatric hospitals, crisis centers, substance abuse programs, adoption and foster care agencies, and homeless support programs, where she has provided direct clinical services in addition to supervising and training clinical staff. She served as a clinical disaster responder during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and during the North Carolina tornadoes of 2011. Janelle is a member of the Network of Spanish-Speaking Therapists of Raleigh, NC, and a trained volunteer with the American Red Cross. As a teacher of English as a Second Language, she has taught adults from 18 different language groups in migrant farm kitchens, chicken factories, literacy programs, language schools, and living rooms. She has served on committees resettling refugees from Congo, Albania, and Iran, and helped support refugee children in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Janelle is passionate about promoting understanding between cultures, and about helping people and communities to utilize and build upon the strengths that they already possess within themselves. |
 | Tracy Kaye | Public Health Director
tkaye@hhidr.org Tracy started her career in public health as a volunteer with Amigos de Las Américas in Ecuador’s highlands where she learned the technicalities of cement mixing and latrine construction. She went on to volunteer with organizations in Mexico and El Salvador before returning to the US to work as a Bilingual Case Worker for the Emergency Family Assistance Association in Boulder, Colorado. In 2007 she earned a Master in Health Sciences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, specializing in Social and Behavioral Interventions. Prior to joining HHI, Tracy worked with John Snow Inc. in Washington D.C. and Tanzania to develop a study on health worker safety and most recently served as the Health and Nutrition Program Manager for Catholic Relief Services in Cambodia, Sudan, and East Timor. During that time she implemented a wide variety of projects including, HIV and TB education and prevention, malaria control and nutrition for women and children. Tracy is continually intrigued by social and cultural beliefs surrounding health and illness and strives to incorporate local knowledge and wisdom into community health programs. |
| Perla Martinez Chance | Logistics Coordinator
pmchance@hhidr.org Bio coming soon! |
 | Haley Burns | Administrative Director
hburns@hhidr.org Haley is the Administrative Director of HHI, and helps coordinate state-side logistics for the Medical Service Trips. She graduated summa cum laude from University of Hartford with a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature. In the years since her graduation, she has worked in administrative and operational capacities for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. When she's not singing with her choirs or crafting, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two cats, and five chickens at their home in Connecticut. |
 | Maria Salinas | Peace Corps Volunteer
msalinas@hhidr.org Maria graduated from the University of Michigan in December 2009 with a Bachelor's degree in Health Education, and a minor in International and Global Studies and Health Care Administration. Maria has been a Peace Corps Health Volunteer in the Dominican Republic since August 2010, and began her placement with HHI in August 2011. During her first year of service, she worked with a youth group in a rural village on a program called "Escojo Mi Vida," which is a three-month program that teaches about HIV/AIDS awareness, teenage pregnancy, self-esteem, and reproductive health. She also worked with a women's group and taught a nutrition course. She is currently on the Medical Missions committee as the Fundraising Coordinator for the northern region for Peace Corps. With HHI, she has continued her work with Escojo Mi Vida in the communities around Montellano, and also works closely with the Community Health Workers. After her service, she would like to pursue her Master's degree in Public Health. |
 | Leniza Tineo | Clinical Assistant
ltineo@hhidr.org Leniza graduated from New York University in May 2012 with a Bachelor's degree in Social Work. Originally from the Dominican Republic, she is thrilled to be back in her home country helping underserved populations. During her undergraduate career, Leniza volunteered with various local nonprofits in the areas of education and health care including The NYC Free Clinic and The Boys' Club of New York. She has worked as a social work intern with the Brooklyn Generation High School contributing to the school's novel approach in providing comprehensive wellness programs for students. Leniza had the opportunity of volunteering with HHI in January 2012 as a Patient Care Management Volunteer and is excited to be returning and continuing her work in helping impoverished communities gain access to adequate healthcare. |
