Board

Claire Tondreau has a background in brand strategy. After starting her career in advertising, she founded and led a boutique consultancy that helped clients including Barnes & Noble, Citi, Media IQ, Sprint PCS, and Volvo drive brand expansion and revenue growth. She currently works in executive and leadership development, with a focus on women in technology. Claire joined Hands Offering Hope as an executive advisor in 2016, leading annual board meetings and facilitating discussion around key decisions. Claire joined as a director in 2018 and chairs the newly formed Women’s Collective.

Claire spends her time between Brooklyn and New Jersey. She loves surfing, being a good villager, and facilitating small changes that can have a big impact.

Gonzalo Celorio Morayta is the President of CM Idiomas, one of the leading interpreting agencies in Mexico. His experience is deep in the areas of education, languages, diplomacy, administration and event coordination. Gonzalo has led the interpretation for many significant historical events including the Deputy High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights’ visit to Mexico. He served on the organizing committee for the UN’s Fifth Global Forum on Reinvention of Government as the liaison between the Office of the President for Government Innovation of the Government of Mexico. He has led the translation of significant texts and has authored and published, along with his wife Frances, over a dozen books for teaching English to high school students with several leading publication companies. Gonzalo has worked as a professor at El Colegio de México. Gonzalo joined the HOH board in 2017 and resides in Cuernavaca with his wife, Frances and has three grown children doing amazing things around the globe.

Kim has worked as a corporate tax accountant for the past 20 years. She and her husband Scott were married in 2001 and live in Buffalo Grove, Illinois with their nine-year old dog Cayman. Kim and Scott are highly involved in a young adults ministry at their church. Originally from Marion Indiana, Kim is an avid Indiana University Hoosiers Basketball fan. She TiVos every game. As a Certified Public Accountant, she’s excited to serve Hands Offering Hope as the Treasurer.

Tom has spent his entire business career in IT and related fields, currently focusing on IT financial management. With his management, communication and finance skills, he ensures effective administration for Hands Offering Hope. Tom and his wife of over 40 years, Shelli, have had a life-long passion for young people. They have been deeply involved with Hands Offering Hope since its inception and have supported work with youth all over the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Russia and around the globe. Tom and Shell attend Church of the Apostles in Fairfield, Connecticut and enjoy travel, great food, adventures to New York City, London and around the world.

Amy serves as the President and Executive Director of Hands Offering Hope Foundation. Amy’s career has taken her around the world to countries like Ethiopia, Liberia, Colombia, Argentina, Canada, and Mexico. She has a passion for life that flows into how she runs and manages each team she has led. Her experience ranges from leading pieces of business for a large marketing agency to building international research projects to creating weekly crafts for young kids in an after-school program. Amy founded the Institute in Chiquilá, Mexico, in 2015 with Brian and Rachel Gawlak after serving the people there for nearly 15 years. Her life and heart are forever committed to opening doors for young people to thrive and know they’re loved. Her heart and vision for Hands Offering Hope is that all youth and children served will know their value and purpose in this life and achieve great things for their families, towns, and countries. And that all those who offer skills and talents will know the power in deploying excellence to lift others up. Amy and her husband Adiel live in Connecticut and enjoy regular adventures around the globe that include coffee, great food, and beautiful vistas.

Over the past 15 years, Katherine has provided high level executive organizational and administrative support in various financial firms. Beginning her career in the retail industry and moving into event planning, her passion has always been rooted in building relationships and improving customer experience. For the last decade, she has lent her keen eye for detail and strong organizational skills to improve operations and run day-to-day schedules for CEOs and Presidents of a privately owned hedge fund, boutique fitness company as well as a Fortune 100 company. Having held roles of increasing responsibility, she currently works as a Project Coordinator working for the President of American Express’s Global Services Group, managing a variety of important initiatives for the President.

Katherine has been involved with Hands Offering Hope since January 2020, joined the board in September 2020 and is eager to bring the same level of excitement and optimism that she felt on her first trip to Mexico, to the rest of the world. Katherine currently lives in Westchester with her husband, Rocco, an architect, and her two daughters. She serves as both the President of the PTO and the Treasurer of the PTA in her respective children’s schools. When she’s not working, you can find her doing something fitness related or spending time with her family.

Andy Ellwood is an Executive Coach based in NYC on Zoom and serves coaching partners worldwide. Andy partners with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and corporate executives to tackle the challenges of leadership, fundraising, and growth and have the conversations with them that they cannot have with anyone else.

Andy spent over a decade as a startup operator. and technology executive. First leading partnerships and sales for companies acquired by Google (Waze) and Facebook (Gowalla) before then going on to found three companies of his own. His leadership style and emphasis on culture, transparency, and dedication to seeking the truth, in trying situations paved the way for his own success and made Andy becoming an Executive Coaching a natural next step in his career’s trajectory. He was drafted into the work by multiple entrepreneurs and investors that had frequently sought him out as a sparring partner and sounding board for the challenges that are unique to those in leadership. Andy’s years of experience on the front lines and in the trenches give him a unique perspective and network that some of his coaching partners have started calling him the “Coach With Benefits.”

Andy believes what starts in a coaching session becomes a collective action commitment for the coming weeks and the work that will be done together with his coaching partners. The best coaching partnerships Andy has had are active relationships that develop through frequent texts, emails, and check-in calls that happen in between the more formal and dedicated coaching sessions every other week.

When not coaching or working with founding teams at companies in his angel investment portfolio, Andy loves hosting dinner parties, working in his garden, and trying a new recipe on his BBQ grill.

Scott Lawton’s career success is rooted in a commitment to the guest experience in the restaurant industry. He has built strong, profitable brands for the groups he has worked for. Scott co-founded and directed all operations for the renowned bartaco brand where he currently serves as CEO. Over the seven years, Scott led bartaco’s growth from 0 stores to 15 stores, 60+ million in sales operating in 8 different states, resulting in an acquisition in 2018. Prior to that Lawton held key leadership roles with Tribeca Grill, Buckhead Life and Big Time Restaurants.

Scott has been actively involved with Hands Offering Hope since 2018, joined the board in 2019 and is at the helm of the social enterprise plans for the organization. Scott is an avid music lover and lives in Trumbull, Connecticut with his wife Katy, their five children, and beloved pets.

As President and Chief Operating Officer of (RED), Jennifer is responsible for the overall strategic and operational issues of the organization, overseeing the short and long-term priorities that continue to build the (RED) brand and generate critical and sustainable funds to help end the AIDS pandemic. Jennifer also oversees (RED)’s Business Development and Partnerships efforts and has been personally instrumental in developing and executing relationships with some of (RED)’s biggest partners, including Apple, Bank of America, Beats by Dre, LVMH, Salesforce, Starbucks and others – the brands who have helped generate over $600 million for the AIDS fight, impacting over 140 million lives.

Prior to joining (RED) in 2008, Jennifer was a Senior Partner at Ogilvy Worldwide, responsible for overseeing the global IBM and American Express accounts. A native Bostonian, Jennifer started her advertising career at Houston Effler after graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Jennifer is Co-Founder and President of the JML Hope Foundation, a 501c3 private foundation that focuses on the power of mentorship to nurture the minds and hearts of the next generation of leaders. She also serves as a Board Director to Hands Offering Hope, a non-profit organization focused on empowering the youth of the world, especially within Mexico.

André leads Digital Marketing and Tech Innovation for PepsiCo’s Foodservice division, across all beverage, snack and food brands.

Prior to joining PepsiCo, André worked on both the tech and agency sides of the marketing world—leading consumer insights and marketing intelligence at Google within the food and beverage sector, as well as serving as Global Director of Marketing Sciences at OMD .

André is also an Adjunct Professor at New York University where he teaches marketing analytics to students in the Integrated Marketing masters program. He holds a Bachelor of Science in finance from Fairfield University, a Master of Science in digital marketing from Full Sail University, and is a Fulbright Scholar. He speaks four languages fluently and is a long time guitar, bass and drum musician and has played for multiple bands and groups throughout his life. He has even taken to making his own guitars to add to his growing collection. André lives in Stamford, Connecticut with his wife Megan, daughter Camila and dog Lulu.

Mónica Alba Murillo is a passionate idea generator, networker and environmental activist. She holds a B.SC. in Biology and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Education. She currently works as a consultant in environmental education, sustainability, capacity building and community development programs for private and public sectors, in coordination with national and international organizations like WWF, Rainforest Alliance, and GIZ. She is a MAR Leadership Fellow from the Mexican Fund for Conservation of Nature. She was born in Mexico City and has lived in Cancún since 2006. She was TEDxCancún Licensee 2015 – 2021 and TEDx Ambassador for Mexico 2018 – 2020.

She joined Hands Offering Hope in 2017 as workshop facilitator in the Summer and Winter gatherings in Kantunilkin, and in 2019 helped coordinate the early stages of the Women’s Collective Program. Monica is mom to Jimena, a creative 11-year-old who wants to be an inventor.

Erisa Stilley is currently working on the EDL (entry, descent, and landing) engineering team for the Mars 2020 rover project. This mission will collect samples at its location on Mars and store them for a future mission to get them and bring them back to Earth! Previously, she enjoyed planning drives for the Curiosity rover currently operating on Mars. Over her 10 years at the lab, she has served as the Cruise Attitude Control Systems Engineer for Mars Science Lab (Curiosity), has worked on the DAWN Asteroid mission and on Altair, the next generation moon lander design. Erisa has an MS in Aerospace Engineering from MIT and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Miami, Florida. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Brock, her church family in Pasadena, seeking adventure in the outdoors, and participating in some community theater.

Over the past 20 years, Corbett Ramsey has dedicated his career to becoming a leader in the world of global investment banking. Corbett currently works as the Head of Fixed Income Prime Brokerage North America at J.P. Morgan. Following nine years as VP and Associate Director at Bear Stearns, Corbett carried his skills to J.P. Morgan, where he worked as VP and Executive Director before assuming his current role. Corbett’s background in finance positions him to serve the HOH board well, and he looks forward to lending his expertise to their deserving mission.

Corbett enjoys spending meaningful time with his two children in his free time.

Andrea Rupp joined Hudson Pacific Properties (HPP) in September 2012 and now serves as Senior Vice President, Human Resources and oversees the company’s human resources functions. From 2010 until joining HPP, Ms. Rupp served as Director of Human Resources for The Sports Club/LA, a collection of luxury fitness and health clubs located in Los Angeles and New York. Ms. Rupp has held various human resources positions in media and entertainment, including from 2009 to 2010 at Bexel, a provider of broadcast services, and from 1999 to 2008 at Blue Man Productions, the organization that manages, produces and promotes Blue Man Group worldwide. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Kansas, and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Beginning in 2014, she has traveled four times to Haiti with Healing Haiti and Haiti Partners to provide support and counsel for their programs. Over the years, she has spent time volunteering with foster youth in Los Angeles and is a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children in Los Angeles. In July 2018, she made her first trip to Chiquila, Mexico to serve as at trainer and Women’s Summit panelist at the Global Youth Leadership Institute with Hands Offering Hope.

Andrea lives in Santa Monica, California, loves to run and is an avid Yankee fan.

Alejandro Ventura is an enthusiastic young leader from San Ángel, Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, a rural community that relies heavily upon agriculture. He was one of the first students to complete Hands Offering Hope’s Summer Institute and went on to serve as one of the first Institute directors in 2019. 

He recently graduated with a degree in commerce and international business—a course of study he selected because of his passion for improving the economic outlook and development opportunities available to young people in his community, and the broader economy of the region. 

He is a dedicated leader, responsible, and focused on his goals.