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Patricia Thorndike Suriel Executive Director Patricia Thorndike Suriel, one of the founders of the DREAM Project, is a native of Rochester, New York. She has had 20 years of successful experience as manager and owner of two small businesses in the tourism industry in the U.S. (Kinderhut) and the Dominican Republic (Iguana Mama). She is a certified pre-school director with 12 years of experience teaching and directing preschool programs in Colorado''s Rocky Mountains. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Tricia has established strong ties to local Dominican communities while promoting international awareness of the DR by inviting and working with dozens of journalists from many countries. With homes in Cabarete and Ithaca, NY, Tricia and her family remain firmly planted in both cultures and communities. Jonathan Wunderlich Dominican Director Jon has been living overseas for the last ten years working as a Teacher and Business Consultant while giving seminars on Intercultural Communication, Business Negotiations, and Business Presentations. A graduate of Ithaca College with degrees in Literature and Writing, Jon has lived in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, and Germany. Originally a DREAM volunteer, he began working with DREAM fulltime in June 2004. Sarah Ross Program Director A graduate of Michigan State University with a Masters in Curriculum and Teaching, Sarah spent three years working in Wyoming, Michigan teaching English as a Second Language to 6th - 11th graders. Before this she worked at PUCMM University in Santiago, Dominican Republic as the Program Coordinator of CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange. Sarah has worked for the DREAM Project for three years and has a strong passion for children. She is currently obtaining her Montessori''s teaching certification. Emily MacDowell US Office Manager Emily MacDowell, a native of Vermont, graduated from Ithaca College in 2006 with a B.A. in writing and anthropology. She has studied abroad in Merida, Mexico, studied anthropology in Hawaii, interned at the Smithsonian''s Museum of the American Indian, and spent a semester in Washington DC interning in the research department of National Geographic Magazine. She is a freelance writer and served as the coordinator of the nonprofit Children of Rural Africa. She has been with the DREAM Project since December of 2007. Yajaira Lopez DR Office Manager Yajaira Lopez, the DREAM Project Office Manager for the DR, was born and grew up in the neighboring town of Sabaneta, located on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. Yajaira joined DREAM in the fall of 2005. Yajaira graduated high school in the fall of 2006 and is now in her second year of college at Utessa University, studying marketing. Julie De Smet
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