With professional experience in 18 countries, Jean brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in international relief and development to Aguayuda. Jean has over 30 years of experience in the non-profit sector with a focus on strategy development, fundraising, and program management. She earned a Masters of Applied Anthropology degree from the University of Maryland and is a frequent presenter at forums and seminars. Jean became fluent in Spanish while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Honduras. A mother of two adult children, Jean resides with her husband in Chester, Maryland.

Sabrina has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with concentration in accounting. Sabrina has worked as an accountant in Germany and Uruguay before she became the manager of the German-Honduran Chamber of Commerce in Honduras. After Honduras, Sabrina married Simón and they both moved to Colombia where she worked as an event manager. In 2006, together with Simón, Art and Linda Zimmer she was a founding member of Aguayuda and served as Aguayuda’s President from 2008-2012. In 2013 Sabrina was nominated Senior Vice-President Operations. Sabrina speaks four languages fluently (German, English, Spanish and French).

Simón was born in Bogotá, Colombia and when he was 6 months old, he was adopted by German parents. He was raised in the United States in Columbia, Maryland. In 1999, he graduated with two Bachelor’s Degrees in Electrical Engineering and German. From 2003 to 2005 Simón lived in Honduras. While in the Peace Corps, Simón worked as a computer teacher in a rural community. In 2005, with the help of his wife, Sabrina, they found his biological family in Bogotá. Through this strong connection in Colombia, in 2006, with the help of Art and Linda Zimmer Aguayuda was founded to provide rural communities access to safe drinking water, sanitation and education. From 2006 – 2011, Simón worked as a project engineer including creating 2D and 3D technical drawings at Caloris Engineering while volunteering as project development manager for Aguayuda. 2013 Simón was nominated Vice-President International Programs. Simón has dual citizenship with Colombia and the United States and speaks English, German and Spanish fluently.

Linda has worked as a CFO and Administrative Officer in privately held and publicly traded companies for over 30 years, as well as several years as a teacher. She also is a co-founder of Aguayuda.

Daut has a B.A. in Ethnic Education from the University of La Guajira, and a specialization in environmental management from the University of Magdalena. He has served as the chief of staff in the mayor’s office in Riohacha, manager at Los Flamencos National Park and wildlife sanctuary, as well as a professor at the University of La Guajira. As an employee of Aguayuda, Daut is responsible for creating alliances with government entities, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. He is also responsible for organizing Aguayuda’s water truck sponsorship as well as supervising the work of Franklin and Victor.

Franklin earned a certification as a windmill technician, from “Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje” (SENA). Since 2011, Franklin is the manager of a windmill company known as ASTECMOP WUIN. The company was established by residents of El Pájaro, La Guajira, Colombia as a result of Aguayuda’s windmill projects in the community. As an employee of Aguayuda, Franklin is responsible for the technical implementation and monitoring of current and future projects. In addition to his work with Aguayuda, Franklin serves as a member of the water committee in El Pájaro.

Victor has been the mayor of El Pájaro, La Guajira, Colombia for the last 9 years. Before becoming mayor, he served as an administrative assistant at the mayor’s office in Riohacha for 6 years. Victor is responsible for working with, and supervising, the communities and committees to make sure they are functional and pay a water fee as well as part of the initial investment. In addition to his work with Aguayuda, Victor serves as a member of the water committee in El Pájaro.

Isabel is a social worker with a diploma from the University of La Guajira. She is an active member of the Wayúu ethnic group and belongs to the Uliana clan. She is bilingual and speaks Spanish and Wayúunaiki. She has worked with various social projects in health, education and communities. She has formed and led workgroups in a productive, methodological and technical manner to help the workgroup to participate in social processes in order to develop human potential to effectively use their problem solving skills. As a member of Aguayuda, Isabel is responsible for working with the communities by creating and training the education committee members through educational workshops and community meetings in order to provide the necessary support to improve their quality of life.