On June 28th, 2011 the La Paz Community School General Assembly held their 5th annual meeting to discuss the growth and development of La Paz as well as nominate two new board members.  We are extremely grateful to Gregory Casillas and Dr. Jose Maria Garita Monge for their four years of selfless service that they dedicated to La Paz.  Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.  At the same time La Paz would like to welcome Mr. Alejandro Berkowitz and Mr. Felipe de la Espriela to the board of directors who will no doubt help guide La Paz into a bright future filled with new challenges and accomplishments.  The board of directors is forever indebted to the contributions of all of our departed board members and they are recognized below as Board Members Emeritus.

Abel McClennen (President): Mr. McClennen is the administrative representative on the board and visionary behind the project.  A bilingual, certified secondary school physics teacher, Mr. McClennen graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine, USA with a degree in Physics.  Mr. McClennen’s teaching experiences began at Souhegan Public High School in New Hampshire, renowned for its pioneering work with the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES); a progressive educational movement initiated by former Dean of Harvard University School of Education, Ted Sizer.  After  three years in New Hampshire working as an AP Physics teacher and faculty representative on the Personnel Policy Committee, Mr. McClennen and his wife Kerry spent time away from the United States teaching at CNA language schools in Brazil and Colegio Interamericano in Guatemala, before arriving in Costa Rica to fulfill their vision of starting a non-profit community school.

Jose Gerardo Brenes (Vice President):  Mr. Brenes comes to us as an active community member in the coastal communities of Guanacaste.  He is the President of the Cycling Association of Guanacaste, Founder and President of the Foundation for the Development of Guanacaste, Director of Community Relations for the Do It Center, Manager of Catalina Cove, and Director of the Federation of World Peace.  He is also one of the founders and board members of CEPIA, a non-profit association out of Huacas, CR that is devoted to the cultural, educational and psychological development of infants through adolescents.

Xinia Estela Reyes Valerín (Secretary)
Born in Guácimo on the Carribean slope of Costa Rica Ms. Reyes has actually lived in Potrero, Guanacaste for the majority of her life.  She is an active community member in the Potrero, Surfside, and Flamingo area.  With a graduate diploma in business administration from the Latin University of Costa Rica, Ms. Reyes presently works as a second partner and property manager at House of Rentals in Flamingo.

Felipe de la Espriella (Vocal):
A graduate of the famed Earth University with a degree as a licensed engineer in agricultural science, Mr. Espriella comes to the La Paz board as a parent representative and advocate for the preservation of Guanacaste’s rich culture and ecology.  He is the owner of a local company dedicated to primarily native tree reproduction as well as the maintenance of farms along the coastal Guanacaste. Through his masters in business administration from the U. Latina in Santa Cruz, CR he has also run several successful companies directly involved in the telecommunications industry in Guanacaste through his privately run Amnet cable distribution center.

Ashley Javogue (Vocal):
A graduate of Stanford University with a B.A. in design, Ashley’s unique world view has been cultivated throughout her entire life beginning with her first 18 years in Brazil.  After a brief time in the US to attend university, Ashley then spent extensive time in the fashion and jewelry business in Milan, New York and France where she designed jewelry for Chanel and Mademoiselle fashion shoots as well as for a myriad of design studios.  As a parent of two children at the school, Ashley’s fluency in French, Portuguese, Spanish, and English maker her an ideal fit for the board of directors.  She is committed to the culturally sensitive and progressive educational philosophies of La Paz and will be a key player in the next phase of school expansion on the new site.

Brian Crites (Vocal): Mr. Crites is a founding educator of La Paz who is the teacher representative on the board and acts as the general chair of the school’s non-profit organization.  With a masters degree in elementary education from Portland State University and extensive teaching experience both abroad and in the United States, he is an essential consultant to the board.  Also, a board member on the US non-profit La Paz Community School based out of Portland Oregon, Mr. Crites has been integral in cultivating the relationships between foreign entities and La Paz in order to bolster the foreign donor base of the institution.

Board Members Emeritus – In recognition of our previous contributing board members

Dr. Jim Cramer
Dr. Cramer is the retired CEO of the School for International Training (SIT) located in Vermont.  His involvement in the international education community was integral in the development of La Paz.

Dr. Carlos Hernandez
The ex-CEO of the five star resort Reserva Conchal, Dr. Hernandez is actively involved in the sustainable development of Costa Rica in the global market.

Caroline Lemaire
A native of France, Ms. Lemaire is an active La Paz parent and massage therapist.  She is also deeply involved in other local non-profits including CEPIA.

Dr. Lisa Porter
Dr. Porter was a professor of International Cultural studies at Bridgewater College in Virginia.  Her thesis on the impact of transnationals on the Guanacaste community was essential to the founding of La Paz.

Lic. Ignacio Esquivel
A partner in Facio Law Firm out of San Jose, Mr. Esquivel graduated from the University of Costa Rica in Law as well as from the INCAE/Georgetown University school of international relations in Nicaragua.

Gregory Casillas
Mr. Casillas is an active member of the Guanacaste community.  Through his extensive training in Yoga he has brought together hundreds of community members in the name of peace.

Dr. Jose Maria Garita Monge
The owner and founder of the famed Farmacia El Cruce, Dr. Monge is also a leader in the preservation of local Guanacastecan traditions. 

Laura Cascante
Ms. Cascante is a founding board member of La Paz and continues to actively involve herself in the development of education in Costa Rica.