Meet The Team
Stephanie Barnes
Internship Coordinator & Adjunct Faculty. Stephanie earned her Masters of Theological Studies with a focus on Interfaith Dialogue, from Vanderbilt University, and earned her B.A. in Religion and English at Mary Washington College in Virginia. Before coming to Cuernavaca she worked at the College of Preachers in Washington D.C. as a Program Associate, designing programs and recruiting speakers. She has also been very involved with the Women’s Ordination Conference and helped to found the Young Feminist Network and organized a conference on the theme of leadership for young women. She came to Cuernavaca in December 2000 to work for the Center for Intercultural Dialogue on Development (CCIDD) as a Program Director. There she helped facilitate 2-week programs for those interested in developing an understanding of the political, social, cultural, and economic realities of Mexico through experiential learning. Since leaving CCIDD Stephanie has worked as a freelance consultant and has taught English, most recently at the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, a private university in Cuernavaca (known locally as the “Tec de Monterrey”). She joined the CGE staff in January 2004 and now serves as the overall coordinator of the summer program. She works half-time from June-December and full-time during the rest of the year.
Marisela Chaplin
Program & Administrative Coordinator, studied Art at the University of the Americas and Photography at a private college in Mexico City. She studied drawing and then worked as teacher's assistant in Robin Bonds art studio, also in Mexico City. As a young woman she worked as a pre-school and first grade teacher, and taught English and art to junior high students as well, at the Escuela Decroly de la Ciudad de Mexico where, after a couple of years, she took on the position of pre-school coordinator. Years later, now living in Cuernavaca where she's lived since 1987, Marisela had her own art school for children while experimenting with organic horticulture. In the 1990s she worked in Telemanita, an NGO dedicated to teaching women and children media literacy, electronic communications and how to use video to record and archive personal histories. For several years she worked in CETLALIC Alternative Spanish School, where she promoted the school and coordinated the Lesbian Studies Program. Her primary academic interests are in art, gender and literature. She enjoys friends, music, dancing, drawing, reading, movies and swimming.
Christina Olson
Olson graduated from Bemidji State University with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She decided to take up Social Work after working in an orphanage for 10 months in El Salvador, taking care of and educating children. She went into Social Work not knowing that she would move from wanting to “help” people to wanting to empower people. Christina finished up her studies with an internship in faith-based community organizing. Christina is a graduate of the Social Work in a Latin American Context with CGE from the Spring of 2008. She is excited to work with students who have taken this step with CGE! Christina will make time to read, play the piano, pet a cat, dive into the ocean, go to church and listen to people. The Spring of 2009 will be her first semester interning with CGE. Together with Julie Rogers, she will serve as a Teaching Assistant, assist with the logistics and coordination of the program, and help students with their adaptation to Cuernavaca. She will also facilitate or co-facilitate the weekly Social Change Lab Group sessions, which are an integral part of the core courses.
Ann Lutterman-Aguilar
Site Director and Adjunct Faculty. Ann is currently pursuing her doctorate in International Feminist Theologies. She earned her Masters in Divinity (M.Div.) with a focus on liberation theologies from Yale University and her B.A. in Peace and Global Studies from Earlham College. In 2000 she completed a certificate program in Intercultural Communication. Prior to joining the CGE staff in 1993, Ann worked in the ecumenical campus ministry at Penn State University and in a refugee camp in El Salvador during the civil war there. She has also worked with several different organizations as a full-time activist advocating women’s rights, human rights, LGBT rights, and changes in U.S. domestic and foreign policy. Her academic interests are in the following areas: the Psychology of religion, gender, and social change; theologies of liberation; environmental ethics; intercultural communication; and experiential education. She enjoys traveling, hiking, reading novels, and participating in several community organizations. She is also involved in curriculum development and the overall coordination of CGE academic programs in Mexico and other CGE locations, as well as teaching during the summer programs and facilitating short-term seminars. She works full-time throughout the year and will assist with driving, translating, and the set-up of experiential activities for your program as needed.
Lisanne Morgan
Homestay & Program Coordinator. Lisanne earned a Hon. B.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and Spanish, from York University in Toronto. Before she began consulting for CGE in 2002, she worked as a Program Director for the Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialogue on Development (CCIDD) from 1995-2001. There she led groups from the U.S. and Canada, facilitating a program for those interested in developing an understanding of the political, social, cultural, and economic realities of Mexico through experiential learning. After leaving CCIDD, Lisanne worked as a freelance translator and consultant. She has also coordinated and facilitated exposure programs to the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Cuba, Chiapas, and Mexico City. Although she had previously worked as a consultant with CGE, she joined the CGE team more formally in January of 2003. Lisanne is a Canadian citizen. Together with Chon Diaz, she will set up and coordinate your homestays with Mexican host families. She will also drive, translate, and facilitate experiential aspects of the educational program, as needed. She works half-time from June-December and full-time during the rest of the year.
Antonio Ortega
Adjunct Professor & Program Coordinator (antoniocge@laneta.apc.org) Antonio earned his Licenciatura in Accounting at La Salle University in Mexico City and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in History at the Centro de Investigacion y Docencia en Humanidades CIDHEM (Center for Teaching & Research on Humanities), Cuernavaca, Morelos. Antonio is a Certified Public Accountant who worked for several years in the Mexican stock market. However, he wasn’t happy wearing a suit and tie nor living in Mexico City. He then went to Oxford, England where he studied English, but after a year he felt homesick, so he moved to Cuernavaca, where he has lived happily ever after since 1990. Prior to joining CGE in January of 2003, Antonio spent several years teaching English and working at CETLALIC Alternative Spanish School, where he promoted the school and coordinated the Gay & Lesbian Studies Program. In 1999Antonio received a Teaching Certificate from the Anglo American School. He is also a founder and active member of Grupo CD4, a non profit organization devoted to fight AIDS through sexual education. His primary academic interests are LGBT issues, literature, and history. He enjoys traveling, movies, reading, and writing.
Judith Shevelev
Program Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty. Judy earned her M.A. in International Affairs with a specialization in Latin American Studies from Columbia University and received her B.A. in International Relations with a minor in Spanish at the University of California at Davis. Prior to joining CGE in 1991, Judy worked in Nicaragua as a liaison for the Network of Educators on Central America (NECA) and as a grants consultant for a Salvadoran refugee cooperative, where she focused on human rights issues. She has also worked and conducted research in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and El Salvador. Judy's primary academic interests are in social movements, anti-racism, and gender studies. Judy lives just outside Cuernavaca in an ecological community with her husband, his 15-year-old daughter, and her dogs. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, dog training and hiking. In her role as the Administrative Director, she has focused on conflict management and democratic forms of decision-making in a cross-cultural context. She works at an average of 75% time throughout the year and will assist with driving, translating, and the set-up of experiential activities for your program as needed.
