Mary Ann Brittain
 Trip Leader
Director, Prairie Ridge Ecostation, NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Wake County
Hobbies: reading, playing the violin, pottery
What I’m looking forward to: Reconnecting with my Heifer staff friends and my friend Miguel. Seeing and sharing the excitement of the group as they experience the culture and wildlife of Ecuador.
Kim Smart
 Trip Leader
Natural Sciences Educator, Prairie Ridge Ecostation, NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Wake County
Hobbies: Singing & dancing, gardening, traveling, hiking
What I’m looking forward to: Visiting with old & new friends, spending time in the paramo, cloud forest, and the coast and to a successful workshop with the community in El Cerrito.
Sarah Drew
 Study Tours
Heifer International
Little Rock, Arkansas
Hobbies: Reading, Biking, Playing with dogs, riding horses, watching David Attenborough films, gardening, historic preservation
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing animals I’ve never seen before, meeting our staff and project participants in Ecuador.
Katherine Lu
 Interim Manager of Study Tours, Heifer International
Little Rock, Arkansas
Hobbies: Running (When not pregnant!), reading, cooking
What I'm looking forward to: I can’t wait to hear about everyone’s experiences and learn from this program-and how we might apply the strengths of this program to other Heifer Study Tours.
Kelly Ammerman
 Science/Math/English/Social Studies
Eckerd Youth alternatives, Camp E-Ma-Hewu
Carteret County
Hobbies: Drawing, playing with my children, science rambles collecting bugs
What I'm looking forward to: Traveling with old friends… meeting new ones, and seeing yet another part of the world.
 Doni Angell
8th grade science teacher
Madison Middle School
Madison County
Hobbies: I enjoy traveling, reading mysteries and eating dark chocolate, playing with my dogs, hiking, working in the yard, spending time with my husband (who has recently retired!)
What I'm looking forward to: Experiencing a different culture and spending time with Ecuadorian teachers and students, standing on the equator, and the chance to see and learn about incredible wildlife.
Elizabeth Bradford
 High School Art
East Lincoln High School
Lincoln County
Hobbies:
Art, cooking, travel, kayaking, yoga, reading, writing
What I'm looking forward to: I know it will unfold in its magical way and I will be changed by the experience. This will be my first trip to South America. I look forward to all the sights and sounds, smells and tastes. I look forward to seeing what the earth looks like in that place.
Craig Atkinson
High School Earth Science & Biology
East Wake Academy
Wake County
Hobbies: Hockey, tennis, poker, movies
What I'm looking forward to: Crossing the equator for the first time. Seeing the cloud forests. Leaning some Spanish.
Jennifer Hommes
 Kindergarten-8th Grade General Music
Carolina International School
Cabarrus County
Hobbies: Playing my instrument (bassoon), attending concerts, cooking, walking/hiking, wine tasting, gardening (herb and perennial courtyard), and kayaking
What I'm looking forward to: Experiencing a different culture and environment, including learning about the customs, culture, living conditions, economic conditions, nature/natural surroundings, and other social issues of the people of Ecuador. I’m eager to learn how I can take my experiences and knowledge and integrate them into my teaching strategies. I would like to improve my Spanish. I’m excited about learning from other group members.
Rhonda Hartley Gregware
4th Grade
Silverdale Elementary School
Onslow County
Hobbies: Travel, reading
What I'm looking forward to: Observing nature and people, appreciating the view (everywhere), interacting with new friends.
Beth Howard
 Grades K-5 Visual Art
Dixon Elementary
Onslow County
Hobbies: I have a NEW grand Baby, so I LOVE to hold her! I also love to be on the beach, travel, and work with the sea turtles at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital on Topsail Island.
What I'm looking forward to: I want to see and learn as much as I possibly can while in Ecuador. As one of the returning educators I know what a life changing experience this will be for all of us. I look forward to seeing new things, meeting new people and immersing myself in the culture of Ecuador. Through my adventures I hope to open doors for my students, exciting them about their world, allowing them to make global connections!
Carolyn Inselmann
 Grades 6-9
UNC Hospital School
Orange County
Hobbies: Quilting, pottery, gardening, scrap booking, photography, reading (mysteries)
What I'm looking forward to: I am so excited and fortunate to follow this wonderful institute again. I look forward to recapturing the sights and experiences of the Andes, hummingbirds, whales, and Blue-footed Boobies. But mostly, I look forward to seeing the beautiful faces of the people I met through the Heifer projects and through our Ecuador travels. I am excited to see the growth and changes within communities and schools who have been involved with the Heifer projects. It will be an enriching experience to work with the Ecuadorian teachers using the education boxes, and I look forward to it!
Tommy Johnson
 Grades 5 & 8 Science
Carolina Friends School
Orange/Durham Counties
Hobbies: Hiking, camping, learning about wild plants, raising
chickens, doing art projects with my children, cooking and eating good
food with friends, and watching/reading about/listening to baseball
What I'm looking forward to: I am looking forward to traveling in another country, getting to know a fun bunch of educators, hanging out with Mary Ann and Kim, getting nerdy with nature, seeing cool stuff, eating different types of food (maybe even a little guinea pig), petting an alpaca that is not a coat, and getting excited about all the possibilities for how this is going to shape and change my classes for next year.
Ann Noland
 Clinical supervisor, Child Development Program
Meredith College
Wake, sometimes Carteret
Hobbies: travel, reading, gardening, exploring and learning about new things
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing Red and Blue Footed Boobies, meeting the people and really seeing Ecuador, traveling and learning with teachers, and gaining more understanding about Heifer International, not just donating a goat.
Patty Perkinson
 3rd grade
Holly Ridge Elementary School
Wake County
Hobbies: I like to read, garden, exercise, drink coffee and spend time outside.
What I'm looking forward to: Going to Ecuador is an amazing opportunity to make friends and discover somewhere new. I am looking forward to seeing many species of hummingbirds, some alpacas, and maybe even a whale or two. I can’t wait to walk in a cloud forest!
Linda Burris Yoder
 Science Lead Teacher for Lincoln County Schools
Lincoln County Schools (housed at Kiser Intermediate)
Lincoln County
Hobbies: making and collecting pottery, boating, fishing, bunco, bird watching, walking, traveling, and spending time with my family and friends.
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing Miguel and Monica again. Visiting the villages, interacting with the people of Ecuador. The food! Learning, learning, learning from other participants, Mary Ann, Kim and the people of Ecuador. Learning more about myself. Seeing the hummingbirds, Humpback whales, and Blue-footed Boobies. EVERYTHING!
Team Members from Ecuador
 Miguel Castanel
Naturalist and Cultural interpreter
Tena, Ecuador (Napo province, Amazonian Basin)
Hobbies: I enjoy teaching my 5 year old son about bird, bug, and frog watching.
What I'm looking forward to: Doing
my best for the mutual learning experiences of our whole
group, especially for the students
that wait for news back in the United States.
 Monica Navarette
Heifer International
Quito, Ecuador
Hobbies: Being with my family, reading Latin American Literature, walking.
 Holger Loor
8th 9th 10th grade and 3rd year of high school
Unidan Educativa Nuestra Tierra
Hobbies: Dance cumbia and salsa
What I'm looking forward to: Trying to get new experiences and to find opportunities for educational improvements.
Martha Pacheco
 Trainer for all ages in rural communities
Heifer Ecuador staff
Hobbies: Listening to music, dancing to all types of music. Collecting key chains and working out in the field.
What I'm looking forward to: I am looking forward to helping our visiting teachers gain a better understanding of our culture.
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