The Crew
Leadership & Guidance

The Crew

Emma Kirwan, Executive Director & Co-Founder

Emma’s passion for rock-climbing and mountaineering was fostered at an early age in New England and the Italian Dolomites. Throughout university Emma was a trip guide and climbing instructor. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Environmental Studies and Public Health, and a concentration in Food Studies. She co-founded a student-led local food group on campus. Emma continued to do research on healthy food systems with the Food and Agriculture Organization in Kenya (Farmer Field Schools), Philadelphia’s White Dog Fair Food Project (Farm-to-Institution), and Millstone Farm (Farm Cooordinator) in CT. In 2007 she traveled to Ecuador as a Fulbright scholar, where she collaborated with EkoRural on a long-term study of the Canastas Comunitarias, an urban-rural grassroots movement for healthy, affordable food. In 2009, Emma became a founding member of Groundswell International, and co-founded Peaks Over Poverty.

Stephen Sherwood, International Program Director (Rural Development) & Co-Founder

Originally from the Philadelphia area, Steve has spent over two decades living and working with mountain people in Central and South America. He discovered his passion for the mountains as a Peace Corps Volunteer, where he lived in a remote village on the North Coast of Honduras. Steve has an academic background in economics (Penn State), plant pathology, adult education (Cornell University), and innovation science (Wageningen University) and has supported agricultural research and development work throughout Central America, the Andes, Europe, and the United States. He has worked as the Central American Coordinator for the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development, and in Ecuador with the International Potato Center, the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, and the international NGO World Neighbors. In 2009 he co-founded the Ecuadorian organization EkoRural, and Peaks over Poverty. Among Steve’s publications on farmer knowledge, hillside farming and other aspects of Andean agriculture, are the books El cultivo de la Papa en Ecuador, Cultivo de Granos Andinos, Herramientas de Apredizaje, and Escuelas de Campo de Agricultores en America Latina as well as his dissertation Learning from Carchi: Agricultural Modernization and the Production of Decline. His wife, Myriam, and he run a small organic farm outside of Quito, where he enthusiastically receives mountaineers in exchange for labor or good conversation. When not hiking and climbing in the Andes, Steve can be found working on his faithful Landcruiser, which recently passed 500,000 kms and is now pointed at a new goal: 1 million kms.

Tony Amoyal, Web Developer

When Tony is not fulfilling his role as the Peaks Over Poverty resident nerd, he is usually involved in helping other grassroots organizations with “tech stuff,” or traveling somewhere his mother does not approve of. He has a unique skill set that makes him extremely capable of collaborating with the best of technologists, creatives and entrepreneurs. You can catch Tony on the web blogging about music @ Your Daily Song Fix or funkifying the Washington DC area with his Crybaby 535Q.

Aimee Harkins, Administrative Support
Bio coming soon…

Media, Marketing, & Creative Design

GeoCore Films, Marketing, Digital Media & Design

Grace – Editor, Assistant Videographer
Cary – Videographer, Assistant Editor

This husband-wife team founded GeoCore Films. Their unique way of looking at video and photography was inspired by diverse work experience and passions. GeoCore Films is a film, photography and digital media company, who develops concepts and stories from development to post-production, specializing in documentary and social media video. Grace and Cary FULLY BELIEVE in the work Peaks Over Poverty is doing and KNOW that not only is real sustainable change happening, but that we can learn a lot from these rural communities.

Katie Giannone, Blog Correspondent & Media / Marketing Support

In 2006, Katie graduated Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A., with an English Major and Art Minor. After graduation, Katie moved to NYC where she worked with Time Inc. in marketing and advertisement. In 2010, Katie retreated to the seacoast town of Rye, New Hampshire to pursue her true passion for writing and photography, and has since been working hard to archive her inspirations and develop her personal portfolio on her blog, Being Dreamy. Katie has published articles for New Hampshire Magazine and works as a freelance photo stylist. Katie’s love for the outdoors has been fulfilled through hiking, rock climbing, snowboarding, running, and nature photography. She is now connecting her writing and professional skills with these hobbies as a contributing writer for Peaks Over Poverty’s blog and PR consultant.

Raquel Rojas, Graphic Design

Raquel designed our snazzy and much-appraised logo. You can find more of Raquel’s art and activities on her blog.

Events, Fundraising Programs, & Recruiting

Jackie Sherman, Program Research & Recruiting

Jackie Sherman is an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist living in Manhattan, and a glorified volunteer for Peaks Over Poverty. She currently works part-time for Vive, Inc. as a therapeutic mentor engaging youth in action-oriented therapy and mentoring them in their real-world environment. Jackie is passionate about the mission of Peaks Over Poverty, and believes in the proactive model where outdoor enthusiasts can directly influence localized social causes. She is extremely excited to be a part of Peaks Over Poverty’s climb towards promoting social change.

Katherine Gambir, Outreach and Social Media Volunteer

Katherine Gambir graduated Hamilton College in May 2011 majoring in World Politics and Hispanic Studies Honors. Over her six-month study abroad in Argentina, Katherine traveled throughout the country hiking and saw first hand the trials and tribulations of sustainable agriculture. She interned at a global development consulting firm, Dalberg, in New York City, which expanded her understanding of grassroots organizations and international business exchanges. Katherine commends the unique fundraising approach developed by Peaks Over Poverty and believes that grassroots initiatives in sustainable agriculture are the best way to cause a change for healthy families and a healthy environment.

Lauren Shuler, Program Research & Event-Planning

Lauren grew to love the outdoors as a child hiking and climbing in Colorado and making gnome homes in the woods of southern Maryland just outside D.C. In 2010, she graduated with a dual-degree: a B.S. from Washington University in St. Louis in Civil Engineering with a minor in environmental engineering and from Oberlin College with a B.A. She split her journeys at these two schools studying abroad in New Zealand, where she fell in love with the country and jumping off tall things with parachutes and bungee chords. Post graduation, Lauren moved to Norwalk, CT where she helped create a computer literacy course at the public library and worked at the local soup kitchen. She’s currently working as a research analyst at an environmental consulting firm in Boston, but she eventually hopes to work in the ecological engineering field designing natural remediation processes for storm water and wastewater. Lauren loves most outdoor activities, though camping, rock climbing, running, swimming, and a rousing game of capture the flag with friends really do the trick.

Strategic Planning & Development

Mary Kelly, Fundraising & Development

(Americares, Manager of Individual Philanthropy), has contributed enormously to Peaks Over Poverty’s fundraising strategy and materials.

Robert Frisch, Strategic Planning (Tourism)

Robert Frisch, co-founder and owner of a boutique hostel and restaurant in Nicaragua “La Buena Onda“, has volunteered his time and knowledge of the South American eco-tourism industry to provide strategic planning support for Peaks. Originally from Washington D.C, Robert was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and has lived and worked in Nicaragua, Chile, and Brazil. Though rarely in one place for very long, he always manages to weave his hobbies into local life: rock-climbing, latin jazz, and capoeira.

Laura Smith, Fundraising Innovation & Development

Growing up in Scotland, Laura developed a love of the sea and the mountains, even in the pouring rain and midges. With a life-long interest in the way we eat, Laura graduated from City University with an MSc in Food Policy in 2009, focusing on international food aid policy. She spent over three years working at the Big Lottery Fund in both Scotland and London, where she most recently lead the strategic outreach project for London by supporting funding skills development within frontline organisations. In 2010 Laura met Steve Sherwood through her sister, who had worked with World Neighbors in Ecuador for two years. Having already fallen in love with the country during two prior visits, Laura traveled back to Ecuador to work with Steve on his organic family farm, where she first learned about Peaks Over Poverty. She has explored Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Chile on foot, and maintains a keen interest in South America. Recently, work has taken her to London where she works with the Sustainable Funding Project to help NGOs and social enterprises become more financially sustainable.

Leadership & Guidance

Matt O’Connell, Board Treasurer

Matt has volunteered his skills for Peak’s business development, strategic marketing, and financial planning. Matt took his support to the next level by traveling to Ecuador with Emma to launch Peaks Over Poverty with its first climb-a-thon in Ecuador; they raised over $10,000.

Ceci Maher, Board Member

Ceci Maher joined Person-to-Person in 2005 as Executive Director and oversees all functions of Person-to-Person. A native of Stamford, Connecticut, Maher served as Executive Director of Horizons National Student Enrichment Program for 5 years. Prior to her tenure at Horizons she was a clinical social worker at Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital working with children and youth. She is a graduate of University of Massachusetts and Columbia University School of Social Work. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker with experience in leadership, long range planning, program development and evaluation and fundraising. Ceci is a long-time family friend of Emma’s and outdoor enthusiast. A year before Peaks was incorporated, Ceci provided guidance for developing programs, a mission and vision statement, and other key materials. Ceci’s experience as the executive director of Person-to-Person will bring crucial oversight and leadership. Her success in fundraising and securing corporate relationships, such as with Whole Foods, will also be key to Peak’s progress.

Chris Sacco, Co-Founder

Christopher Sacco spent most of the past decade working in South America, where he managed numerous sustainable development and disaster relief projects and led medical brigades to indigenous communities in the Andean highlands and Amazon rainforest. He previously worked as a project manager for the Yachana Foundation and Catholic Relief Services, and most recently as the grants coordinator for World Neighbors. These experiences led him to study wilderness medicine, development and community preparedness. Chris received a BA in Government and Spanish from Franklin & Marshall College, a graduate certificate in the Design, Management and Evaluation of Sustainable Development Projects from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, and a graduate certificate (in progress) in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management at UNC Chapel Hill. Chris teaches for the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS and serves as International Program Officer with Groundswell International. When he’s not working, Chris enjoys exploring the wilds of the Southeastern U.S., where he recently relocated with his wife, son and cat.