CELA Belize ยท Our Team
The people who will welcome you.
CELA has Belizean roots. Our office is in San Ignacio, and our team lives and works in Belize. When your students visit a farm, a clinic, or a conservation site, they're introduced by someone who has known the people there for years.
Founding Advisor
Dr. Filiberto Penados
CELA was founded in 2010 in part by Dr. Filiberto Penados, a Belizean Indigenous studies scholar who still serves as an adviser and instructor. He has led the Indigeneity, Food, and Sustainability program through CELA for over a decade.
In Belize
Our Belize team
Rhonda Castillo
Logistics & Operations Manager
Anna Hoare
Belize City Coordinator
Roger "Raj" Hyde
Programming Manager
Emeli Noble
Business and Financial Officer
Deneva Penados
Programming Manager
Lisbeth "Aide" Sanchez
Community Health & Logistics Support Assistant
Year After Year
The same trusted people.
Our Belizean staff and community health workers have welcomed students for years, and many of the people your students meet have been with us for a decade or more.
Low staff turnover
Our in-country staff stay with us, so the relationships with hospitals, farms, and field sites carry over from one year to the next.
Hosts, guides, and drivers we know
Many of our hosts, guides, and drivers have been with us for a decade or more. They know our standards, and they know our students.
Calm in an emergency
Years on the ground means our team knows which clinic to call, how to change plans quickly, and how to reach our US team at any hour.