Leadership and Board of Directors

Executive Leadership

Cristina Sáenz de Tejada, PhD

President

Cristina Sáenz de Tejada is a Spanish teacher at an independent school in Baltimore and joined OCHO in 2007 as a translator. Since then, she has served several roles in the organization from translator to medical coordinator to logistic director of the annual brigade. As President of OCHO she is involved in recruiting young volunteers, serving as the main contact with our partners in Honduras, and continuing her passion for designing cross-cultural, mutually-beneficial partnerships.

Howard Hauptman, MD

Vice President

Howard is one of the original team members and a veteran of 15 consecutive trips, where he functioned in many capacities. He helped in organizing pre-trip planning and arranged for vital equipment to be loaned for use in Atima. While in Atima, he treated internal medicine and rheumatology patients, and was responsible for the pharmacy. He remains committed to the work that continues to be done by OCHO, for the benefit of the people of Honduras.

Kristin Brockmeyer-Stubbs,

MS, OTR/L

Secretary

Kristin Brockmeyer-Stubbs is an occupational therapist (OT) who joined OCHO for the 2012 brigade and who now considers Atima and its community her summer home/family. The primary goal of OT is to enable people to participate in activities of everyday life. She is excited to partner with the Honduran teachers and the OCHO team to continue to eliminate barriers towards independence, to promote participation and engagement in childhood occupations and routines, and to advocate for the unique needs of children and families with special needs. She helps to identify, collect, fit and modify the therapy equipment donated each year.

Susan Emrich

Treasurer

Susan Emrich joined the OCHO Board of Directors in late 2019 as Treasurer. She has 25 years experience in commercial banking at JPMorgan and looks forward to assisting to organization and operating communities with financial planning and fundraising initiatives.

Board of Directors

Ali Allen

Ali Allen is a foreign language teacher at a private secondary school in Lyon, France, and is currently completing her masters in Spanish at Middlebury College. She joined OCHO in 2006 as an interpreter, translator, and co-leader in running workshops on public health and healthy relationships to the youth of rural communities in Honduras. She is an active member of the Fundraising and Marketing Committee.

Robert Ercole, Esq

Robert Ercole is a corporate and tax lawyer in Baltimore, and has been a member of the OCHO Board of Directors since its inception. Robert is also a board member and counselor to other charitable organizations and educational institutions in the Baltimore area.

Marc Honig, MD

Dr. Marc Honig is an ophthalmologist in Baltimore who has been a participant in the OCHO Medical Brigade since 2012. He directs the eye clinic in Atima, as well as outreach eye projects in Choloma and other remote villages. Dr. Honig is also responsible for the procurement of prescription eyeglasses, readers, and sunglasses for distribution to the Honduran residents, as well as obtaining ocular medications and equipment for the clinic in Atima. He performs eye examinations and vision-restoring cataract surgery at the clinic in Atima during each mission trip.

Dan Medani

Dan Medani is a software engineer based in the San Francisco bay area. He started with OCHO back in 2012, where he worked primarily in the pharmacy, and has since been active in setting up routers, training the teachers of Atima in various internet technologies, running the Café OCHO west coast chapter, managing OCHO’s social media presence, and mentoring the youth volunteers.

James Rice, MD

Dr. James Rice is a pediatrician practicing in Annapolis. He initially joined an OCHO brigade in 2014. As a Spanish major before medical school, Dr. Rice enjoys working with Spanish speaking families in his practice in Annapolis as well as during the annual trips to Honduras. He has five children, two of whom have participated in OCHO brigades as students.

Ken Tellerman, MD

Dr. Ken Tellerman is a pediatrician in Baltimore City and has been participating in the medical brigade to Honduras since 1999. As medical director he is involved in the recruitment of medical personnel for the brigade and the organization of medical supplies and equipment that is shipped to Atima. He has also been actively involved in the development of the water treatment facility and new medical center in Atima. He is currently coordinating the effort to build a school in Atima for developmentally disabled children.

Elsy Vice

Elsy Vice, a native of Honduras, is the Operations supervisor for the Language Department for a major Hospital in Baltimore. She recently joined OCHO as a collaborator for the Special Needs team. She will act as the head of projects. As the head of project, Elsy will assist with the planning, executing, aligning projects to the organization goals, and reporting project progress to the Executive Board.

Annemiek Wilms-Floet, MD

Dr. Anna Maria Wilms Floet is a behavioral/developmental pediatrician in Baltimore and has participated in OCHO brigade since 2014. She has joined the efforts of the outreach clinic team that visits children with special needs in and around the Atima. She coordinates the educational program that allows Honduran teachers and medical professionals to visit Baltimore as part of knowledge exchange. She is interested in finding ways to create sustainable services and healthy environments for children with special needs.