2012 Board and Staff of Mano en Mano | Hand in Hand
Standing (L-R): Ian Yaffe, Charlie Harrington, Mandi Cornett, Sasha Alsop, Eric Kelley, Laura Thomas, Art Emerson, Larry Finnegan, Jay Skriletz, Ana Blagojevic, and Chloe Dowley.
Seated (L-R): Kathy Howell, Morna Bell, Edith Flores, and Bethany Woods.

2012 Officers: Alexandra Alsop—President (Milbridge), Chloe Dowley—Vice President (Machias), Laura Thomas—Secretary (Milbridge), Larry Finnegan—Treasurer (Jonesport).

2012 Board Members: Morna Bell (Milbridge), Art Emerson (Addison), Charlie Harrington (Addison), Abby Hernandez (Bangor), Kathy Howell (Jonesport), Eric Kelley (Jonesport), Olivia Pérez Zamora (Orono), Bahia Yackzan (Blue Hill), and Ian F. Yaffe—Ex-Officio (Ellsworth).

—Board Member Biographies—
More biographies are forthcoming!

SASHA ALSOP, President
Sasha Alsop worked for Mano en Mano from 2006-2007 as an Americorps Volunteer. She then left to pursue a Master’s degree in Teaching and Learning at the University of Southern Maine. Upon returning to the area in 2008, she was asked to be on the board. She served as Vice President of the board from 2009 to 2010 and was elected President of the Board in 2011. Sasha has worked as an English teacher at Machias Memorial High School in Machias, Maine. Before that time, she worked at Accion New York as a microfinance loan consultant. She has traveled extensively in Latin America and speaks Spanish fluently. She currently lives and farms with her husband and daughter in Milbridge, Maine.

CHLOE DOWLEY, Vice President
Chloe Dowley is a Machias native. She lives on a family farm with her husband and two sons. Formerly a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, Ms. Dowley currently works as a teacher at Machias Montessori School. She has served on the board of directors since 2006.

LAURA THOMAS, Secretary
Laura graduated from the University of Maine in Orono in May 2009 with a BS in Elementary Education, a concentration in liberal arts, and a minor in Spanish. She has state endorsements to teach k-12 ESL and Middle School Science. After being hired as the ESL teacher for MSAD 37 during the summer of 2010, Laura also joined our staff as a summer instructor for Maine Migrant Education. In November of that year, she was asked to join the board. Laura lives in Cherryfield with her husband and son. Along with working for MSAD 37, she also works for Maine Migrant Education as a tutor, with the EDGE after school program in Milbridge, and teaches ESL at the Communidad de Christo en Harrington.

ARTHUR EMERSON, Board Member
Art grew up in Addison and attended college in Iowa gaining a BA degree in Education. He returned to Maine after 26 years of working with the US Army in Europe, Korea and around the United States. He is a fulltime minister with the Community of Christ working with churches around the New England area. He and his wife have worked with the local and migrant Latino community for the past 6 years. Currently he serves with his wife as Co Pastor of the new Latino Church in Harrington. He is also the Director of the new Latino Family Center in Harrington and the Director of Migrant Ministries, a program of the non-profit, Down East Maine Missions. He joined the Mano en Mano board in 2009.