Amigos de las Americas Names New President & CEO

HOUSTON, Nov. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amigos de las Americas (AMIGOS) is pleased to announce that Sara Nathan has been named President & CEO effective December 16, 2013. Marty Sinnott, who has served as CEO since 2010, has accepted a new position as President and CEO of Child & Family, a child welfare organization in Rhode Island beginning January 2014.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131028/DC05605)

The board-appointed transition task force considered a variety of options for identifying Marty Sinnott's successor and was pleased to identify an outstanding internal candidate. Ms. Nathan has served as the Managing Director of Programs at AMIGOS' International Office since 2009.

Scott Roberts, Chair of the International Board said, "As AMIGOS prepares for its 50^th anniversary, Sara became the obvious choice considering her twelve years of experience working with AMIGOS - in Latin America, in the chapter network, and most recently at the International Office. Sara's path to the CEO position is an AMIGOS success story. She began as a volunteer, assumed leadership positions in Latin America culminating with managing a country project in Paraguay after graduating college. She gained other professional experience and is now positioned to lead our organization to its 50^th anniversary."

As Managing Director of Programs, Ms. Nathan has led many new initiatives that have expanded opportunities for youth involvement in AMIGOS, positioning AMIGOS to thrive going forward. She championed the first federal grant application for the Youth Ambassadors program, allowing AMIGOS to manage two-way exchanges and programming for youth from South America and the United States. She guided the development of college student programming and the Gap Year Program, allowing AMIGOS volunteers to spend up to an academic year in Latin America after completing high school. During her tenure, the number of Latin American AMIGOS volunteers has increased ten-fold.

Ms. Nathan said, "I am honored to serve as President and CEO of this incredible organization. Partnering with more than 30 community and youth development organizations, we are building on decades of experience to pave the way for new programming for college and high school students throughout the Americas."

Ms. Nathan brings a variety of professional talents to the CEO position. She holds two undergraduate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters of Science in International Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior to her position at AMIGOS, Ms. Nathan served as Vice-Chair at the UC Berkeley Center for Latin American Studies.

Founded in 1965, AMIGOS is an international non-profit organization that envisions a world where each young person becomes a life-long catalyst for social change. To reach this vision, AMIGOS provides exchange, leadership and service opportunities for high school and college-aged youth throughout the Americas. To learn more about how join AMIGOS visit www.amigoslink.org.

SOURCE Amigos de las Americas