
Joy Bittner
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Joy Bittner
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Originally from the US, Joy has has been living throughout Latin America for almost 15 years, leading a number of different community development programs. She has spent the past decade working with indigenous populations in Ecuador. She has a masters degrees in social work and non-profit managment.

Ana Kaslin
Co-founder and Community Group Coordinator
Ana Kaslin
Co-founder and Community Group Coordinator
A native of Quito, Anita is clinical psycholigist, specalizing in gereontolgy. Before joining Vida Plena she worked with rural communities providing a range of psycholgical services. She is also is the co-founder of an social business which provides specalized classes for older adults helping them with social, emotional, and cognative wellbeing.

Gabi Pozo
Supervising Psychologist
Gabi Pozo
Supervising Psychologist
Originally from the northern highlands of Ecuador, Gabi is a clinical psychologist, specializing in the Humanistic and Systems approaches. She has a wide range of hands-on experience working with high-risk populations such as people with terminal illnesses, older adults, victims of gender-based violence and children living in group homes. In her free time, Gabi volunteers with a variety of social programs serving vulnerable people.
Board of Directors – Ecuador

Daniela Peralvo
Daniela Peralvo

Marco Pesántez
Marco Pesántez
Especialista En Adolescencia (UASB).
Medicina Familiar (PUCE)
Residencia Hospital Vozandes (HVQ).
Equipo de Misiones en Africa y Latinoamérica HVQ
Gerencia de Salud (UNAM – México).
Miembro de la American Heart Association
Facultado/Instructor De La American Heart Association En:
Reanimación Cardiopulmonar Básica (BLS)
Reanimación Cardiopulmonar Avanzada (ACLS)
Reanimación Pediátrica Avanzada (PALS)
Evaluación Pediátrica, Reconocimiento de Escena y Estabilización (PEARS)
Miembro de la National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT).
Instructor Trauma Pre Hospitalario (PHTLS)
Instructor en Atención Geriátrica (GEMS)
Instructor en evaluación clínica de paciente crítico (AMLS)
Director de la SERCA (Sociedad Ecuatoriana De Reanimación Cardiopulmonar).
Miembro de la SEMF (Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Medicina Familiar).
Docente de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Internacional del Ecuador (UIDE).

Jazmina Estupiñan
Jazmina Estupiñan

Greg Krupa
Greg Krupa
Board of Directors – USA

Jack Rafferty
Jack Rafferty
Jack is the Co-Founder and Director of LEEP, which is dedicated to driving effective policies to eliminate lead poisoning across the globe. Jack was previously Director of the Refugee Policy Institute, an Australian based policy organisation. Before that, he worked as a consultant with enterprise and nonprofits. Jack graduated from the University of Sydney with degrees in Philosophy and Environmental Science and has published peer reviewed research in international journals.

Kate Coleman
Kate Coleman

Eos de Feminis
Eos de Feminis

Alana Murphy
Alana Murphy
Advisory Board Members

Lena Verdeli
Lena Verdeli

Barry Grimes
Barry Grimes

Melanie Basnak
Melanie Basnak
Our Key Partnerships:
The Global Mental Health Lab at Teachers College of Columbia University.
Fundación Alas de Colibri
Charity Entrepreneurship
We cannot express our gratitude enough for everyone who has so generously given their time:
Joey Savoie
Samuel Dupret
Nancy Miorelli
Andrés Salinas
Marielisa Teran
Ulf Johansson
Dan Mindus
Louis de Tilly
All in Awe
Judith Rensing
Vaishnav Sunil
Mike Pool
Alexandra Voica
Extra special thank you to the team at the Global Mental Lab of Columbia University for supporting us each step of the way:
Dr. Lena Verdeli
Dr. Bryan Cheng
Dr. Zelde Espinel
Angela Paredes-Montero
Hugo Bautista-Lopez
Community Facilitators:
Community facilitators are certified in interpersonal group therapy by Columbia University. See their individual profiles here.
