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Who We Are
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Karen Spencer, Founder & CEO (U.S.)
Karen Spencer founded Whole Child International in 2004 to improve the quality of care for children without guardianship worldwide. By targeting the largely overlooked emotional needs of society's most vulnerable children, Whole Child's cost-effective, sustainable, and replicable program provides children with the tools they need to become productive members of society. As Founder and CEO of the organization, Karen leads an international team of trainers, researchers, and other staff to change systems of care, advocate and influence policy, and conduct related research. Whole Child programs are currently being brought to scale with funding from the the Korean government through the Inter-American Development Bank and other donors. Karen is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, where Whole Child's 2009 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action was selected to be highlighted as an example of how to tackle an intractable global problem at CGI's Annual Meeting on September 24, 2009. On February 20-21, 2010, joined by special guest His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Karen Spencer and Whole Child launched a global initiative to raise awareness of the plight of institutionalized children. During the two days with Whole Child, His Holiness engaged philanthropists, academics, government officials, and the public on how to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children. Karen is co-author on two articles published in 2010 in the peer-reviewed Infant Journal of Mental Health, contributing important insights and realistic solutions to the public debate. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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Courtney Colman, Chief Financial Officer (U.S.)
Courtney Colman joined in September 2010 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). As CFO, Courtney is responsible for the Accounting & Finance operations of Whole Child International. Prior to joining Whole Child International, Courtney was CFO at Porchlight Entertainment, where she oversaw the financial operations (accounting, finance, participations & residuals, IT, HR) of the privately-held, Emmy-winning production & distribution company. Preceding Porchlight, Courtney was the Acting Chief Financial Officer-Executive Vice President of Finance at First Look Studios, overseeing the finance, accounting and participation departments. Previously, she was CFO at Lieberman Research Worldwide (a market research company), Vice President of Participations at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Vice President at Universal Music’s Interscope label, Vice President of Film Finance at PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, and Senior Vice President at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group in the UK. Courtney’s experience at PolyGram Filmed Entertainment extended over six years in Canada, the UK, and the United States. She received her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Toronto, and she is a Chartered Accountant (CA) in Canada and the UK.
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Ani Shabazian, Ph.D. (U.S.)
Ani Shabazian earned her B.A. from UCLA where she majored in Psychology and History and minored in Applied Developmental Psychology. She went on to pursue a Master's degree in Human Developmental Psychology from Harvard University. Ani then returned to UCLA to complete an MA/Ph.D. program in Urban Schooling from UCLA's Department of Education. Ani is the recipient of the UCLA Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award. While at UCLA, she had the privilege of being trained at the world-renowned Pikler Institute, a Hungarian orphanage noted for its innovative and successful approach to rearing children raised in institutions. Her research interests focus on best practices in caring for children raised in institutional settings. Currently, Ani has a dual appointment at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), serving as an Assistant Professor in the LMU School of Education and as the Director of the Children's Center. Ani provides definitive expertise in evidenced-based best practices in childcare to all our programming. Most recently she authored Whole Child's university course in early childhood: “Developing the Whole Child: Best Childcare Practices in Limited-Resource Settings for Children 0-8 Years of Age” and "Caregiver Training: Best Practices in Early Childhood Group Care in Limited-Resource Settings (Vols. 1-8)," and co-authored "Center Rating Tool: Evaluating Application of Best Practices for Early Childhood Care in Limited-Resource Settings," and "Best Practices in Early Childhood Care in Limited-Resource Institutions," a resource manual for practical application.
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Meghan Lopez, MSN, FNP-BC, Country Director (Nicaragua)
Meghan came to Whole Child with more than 10 years' experience in program development and management, ranging from training rural community health workers, staff training and shift management in a hospital setting, patient education as a primary care provider, relationship development with local national and international partners, and international project development and management. Meghan received her Bachelors in Arts in the Politics of Religion from Dartmouth College, after which she spent four years in the Peace Corps in Paraguay. She returned to the United States to pursue the Master of Science of Nursing as a family nurse practitioner from Johns Hopkins University where she also became certified as a doula. Meghan guides the Central American program implementation. While working at Whole Child, Meghan has had the exciting opportunity to participate in the Pikler Intensive Training III, and most recently co-authored "Center Rating Tool: Evaluating Application of Best Practices for Early Childhood Care in Limited-Resource Settings," and "Best Practices in Early Childhood Care in Limited-Resource Institutions," a resource manual for practical application, and edited Whole Child’s early-childhood university course: “Developing the Whole Child: Best Childcare Practices in Limited-Resource Settings for Children 0-8 Years of Age” and "Caregiver Training: Best Practices in Early Childhood Group Care in Limited Resource Settings (Vols. 1-8)." Meghan has previously lived and worked in Paraguay, studied in Morocco and Haiti, and had assignments in Bolivia, Argentina, Honduras, Guatemala, Ghana, the Philippines, and as an NGO representative to the United Nations in New York.
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Michelle Branciforte, Child Protection Program Manager (Nicaragua)
Michelle has worked with multicultural nonprofit organizations in the United States and abroad for more than ten years. She is a licensed social worker with a Master's concentrated in children and families, and completed the Latino Cultural Competency Certificate from Arizona State University. She has extensive experience working with at-risk youth and children with special needs, most recently as a bilingual early intervention social worker. She previously worked at a domestic violence shelter empowering women and children, with court-appointed attorneys to ensure the protection of abused children, and as a teacher for underprivileged youth. She has completed volunteer service in Nicaragua with a psycho-educational program for young children in need of extra emotional and psychological assistance. She was a member of Americorps, and created a tutoring program at a local community center. She also was a mentor to girls living in an orphanage in Mexico. She is passionate about protecting vulnerable children and empowering communities to create sustainable solutions. Michelle guides the Nicaragua child protection team as they implement innovative solutions to providing high-quality compassionate childcare in limited-resource settings. Most recently Michelle provided her technical expertise in contributions to Whole Child's early-childhood university course: “Developing the Whole Child: Best Childcare Practices in Limited-Resource Settings for Children 0-8 Years of Age.”
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 | Gabriela Serrano, Child Protection Program Manager (El Salvador)
Gabriela has been a key member of Whole Child’s Central America team since 2005. She has represented Whole Child both locally and internationally, from government meetings to world forums, and has received extensive training from the Pikler Institute in Budapest, Hungary. Gabriela was born and raised in El Salvador, and received her BA from the University of Oregon in Sociology and International Studies and is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Early Childhood Education at the University of North Dakota. Before working for Whole Child, she worked for the University of Oregon, the Salvadoran Embassy in Washington, DC, and the Foundation for Sustainable Development in San Francisco. Gabriela is passionate about respectful sensitive childcare being provided to all children and her beloved El Salvador. Most recently Gabriela provided her technical expertise in contributions to "Caregiver Training: Best Practices in Early Childhood Group Care in Limited-Resource Settings (Vols. 1-8)."
|  | Tamara Byres, Child Protection Team Coordinator (Nicaragua)
Tamara has a graduate degree in psychology and in the development and management of community social projects, with more than 10 years of experience working with NGOs. Tamara has worked extensively for the rights of at-risk children and participated in the implementation of protection policies for young children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities throughout Nicaragua. Tamara has provided training to diverse audiences as part of Nicaragua’s post-revolution literacy effort, rural community planning, children’s rights, and children’s development to university students. As coordinator of child protection teams, Tamara provides technical and general staff assistance in protection centers. Recently Tamara had the opportunity to participate in the Pikler Intensive Training III.
|  | Tania Hurtado, Child Protection Team Coordinator (Nicaragua)
Tania has a graduate degree in psychology and a post-graduate certificate in program development and evaluation. She has more than seven years' experience with children, parents, teachers, and community leaders to develop workshops, psycho-educational assessments, and intervention plans toward best practices and parenting education for Nicaraguan children in a variety of settings from high-quality international schools to at-risk community preschools and treatment centers serving children living with HIV/AIDS. Tania has also served as a consultant to promote evidence-based best practices in early childhood. She has participated in the development of intervention plans and training programs for comprehensive quality education with a specialization in early child development and learning materials. As coordinator of child protection teams, Tania works with technical and general staff in protection centers, providing proposed solutions based on scientific evidence that promote best practices in early childhood care.
|  | Clara Gutiérrez, Child Protection Advocate (Nicaragua)
Clara has a BA in psychology from the University of Central America with a focus on at-risk youth populations. She has more than eight years' experience as a trainer for institutionalized children, children suffering from cancer, and teens suffering from abuse, drug addiction, and gang issues. Her passion is working with children and youth and their caregivers in challenging situations, helping them successfully navigate challenges. Clara works hand-in-hand with institution staff in order to provide solutions and alternatives to improve children's quality of life.
|  | Johanna Alemán, Child Protection Advocate (Nicaragua)
Johanna is a pedagogue with more than 20 years working with children and teens as a teacher, caregiver, and trainer. Johanna’s work has always been focused on children’ emotional health through care and attention, especially for children at social risk. Johanna has been a trainer for the Ministry of Family Adolescents and Children for the foster home system and a leader for caregivers in child development centers. As a former caregiver and current child protection advocate, her passion has been to meaningfully contribute to the physical, cognitive, and language development in children.
|  | Olivia Ruiz, Child Protection Advocate (Nicaragua)
Olivia is a social worker with postgraduate certificates in Integral Development of Children in Nicaragua, adult learning, training of trainers, and local development. Olivia has more than 10 years of experience working in diverse childcare environments including orphanages, development centers, and community childcare cooperatives, as well as with parents to motivate behavior change in individuals, families, and communities, to the best care for the development of the most vulnerable children. Olivia works to promote integrated early childhood development by supporting and working with children’s institutions that serve children with disabilities in the implementation of sensitive and respectful care to children. Olivia is passionate about the cause of children’s protection and the idea that a child with rights, freedom, and autonomy will be happy, valued, and respected.
|  | Lesbia Salgado, Child Protection Advocate (Nicaragua)
Lesbia is a social worker trained at the National University of Nicaragua. Over more than 10 years in early childcare, Lesbia has worked as a caregiver in a children's institution in the city of León and as a preschool teacher in community and faith-based settings. Lesbia works to promote the development of early childhood centers that serve children with disabilities under the principles of sensitive and respectful care based on scientific evidence and firmly believes that a family style environment is necessary for healthy and happy children.
|  | Pamela Arteaga, Operations Coordinator (Nicaragua)
Pamela is an economist and graduate from the University of Central America with five years of experience providing logistical support and program monitoring and evaluation to non-governmental organizations dedicated to children and people with special needs in Nicaragua. Pamela previously worked to ensure compliance with a variety of international donors, coordination of multifaceted projects, identifying and developing new projects, and developing and maintaining monitoring and evaluation systems. Pamela has also worked as an investment broker, translator/interpreter, university-level English teacher, and in a call center resolving customer service issues. Pamela monitors the technical assistance and progress in childcare institutions, coordinating logistics for all Whole Child Nicaragua activities — frequently calling on her problem-solving skills.
|  | Jeison Ruiz, Program Assistant (Nicaragua)
Jeison is a social-work university student at the National University of Nicaragua. He has five years of volunteer experience working with teens and youth, including as a trainer and as one of Nicaragua’s national representatives in the Central American and Andean regional conference of Youth Voice. As program assistant, Jeison provides technical assistance in one of the orphanages and helps monitor the implementation of Whole Child’s work in the orphanages to improve the quality of life of children in childcare institutions.
|  | Yader Anderson, Financial Administrator (Nicaragua)
Yader, an accountant with a postgraduate degree in business administration and management, has more than 15 years of experience developing and implementing processes and controls, improving and creating better accounting practices. Prior to joining Whole Child, Yader worked for the transparency and successful management including performing internal audits, ensuring compliance with donor regulations of community-based, multinational funded projects focused on the environment and human development. Yader’s biggest contribution to Whole Child's Nicaragua work has been the implementation of replicable systems that facilitate the technical team's intensive focus on their efforts in the childcare institutions. |
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