Staff

Laura Vaughn, director of Cucuyo, developed a robust addiction to Latin America beginning in 2004 while living in the Dominican Republic. There she taught health education to teens and they taught her about the enormity of the heart and the mobility of the hips. From this experience sprouted another with orphaned children in Chile. Subsequent travels in Perú, Argentina, México, and Nicaragua further prepared Laura for her role in Cucuyo. She's thrilled to be with Cucuyo handing out paint and costumes to the next generation.

Lauren Stephenson is well, everything. She is the Development Associate and the 2011 Youth Coordinator.  We also call her the fundraising guru. She lives in Boston and edits ESL textbooks. When not catching fireflies and practicing inelegant Spanish, she reads and daydreams in her hammock. She will be relocating to Buenos Aires in Fall 2011.

Orlando Muñoz is an actor, singer and dancer with a degree in physical education. Statistics say that he does the most number of kind acts per capita in the whole entire world.  Orlando together with Anny Capellán facilitates Cucuyo’s La Ceiba program.

Ricardo Arias is a community activist, politician, friend to all and the most serious silly man that Cucuyo knows. Ricardo lives in Bonao and facilitates Cucuyo’s Zona Sur program.

Bianca Bidiuc fell head over heels for Dominicans, their jeans, and their cocoa beans during her time as a Cucuyo interpreter and documentarian. Her background is in international affairs, geography, and language. She is quite wrapped up in sustainable food, currently working with the Sustainable Food Center in Austin, Texas as a community health organizer. Her life skills include doodling and discovering farmers' markets anywhere she goes.

Byron Holcomb is the resident logistics advisor.  Byron has lived in worked in the Dominican Republic for several years as a peace corp volunteer and currently owns a coffee farm there.  Cucuyo has given him an honorary degree in Dominican colloquialisms with a concentration in clowning.  His doctor has diagnosed him with SPS, silly picture syndrome and has prescribed rice.