TIMOTHY O’HARA graduated from Cornell University in 1991 with a degree in agricultural economics. He served as an agribusiness volunteer in Uruguay with the United States Peace Corps in the early to mid-1990s, working to promote sustainable agriculture, and has worked in the corporate world in various capacities. In 2001, Tim, along with his fiancée Robin Nunes, founded the Rancho Mastatal Sustainable Living Center and Lodge in Mastatal, Puriscal, Costa Rica. He currently heads up its activities, living in Mastatal, Costa Rica most of the year.
He speaks fluent Spanish and has worked and traveled extensively throughout Latin America.
DESA VAN LAARHOVEN graduated from Stonehill College with a degree in Biology and Environmental Studies. Following graduation she served in Americorps both the National Civilian Community Corps (*NCCC) and California Conservation Corps (CCC) programs. She has worked in different facets around the environmental realm including the Department of Environmental Protection, Brown and Caldwell (environmental consulting) and is currently working for The Marion Institute (progressive nonprofit).
Mastatal holds a special place in her heart and she has volunteered at Rancho Mastatal there every year for the past three years. Her views parallel the vision of the Mastate Charitable Foundation and she plans to help nurture and support this vision in the coming years.
BRIAN O’ROURKE graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a degree in Anthropology, focusing on social justice in Latin America with fieldwork in Guatemala. He is a writer and filmmaker, speaks Spanish, and has traveled throughout Central America. Mastatal has become his home away from home, and he has been regularly volunteering at Rancho Mastatal over the course of the past several years.
He loves the people, culture, and environment surrounding the area and hopes to help secure a future where the three can coexist in a sustainable and respectful manner.
TYLER SEE graduated from Georgetown University with an interdiscliplinary degree in Environmental Studies, minoring in Spanish and French. He has traveled throughout Europe, Central and South America, gaining a deeper appreciation for the beauty and diversity of the natural world and its cultures. In between journeys, Tyler has enjoyed several extended stays in Mastatal, a formative place for his community-minded consciousness.
A woodworker, musician and aspiring generalist, Tyler believes in a simple life which respects the local landscape and the needs of its inhabitants. He is currently heading up the construction of the Community Learning and Sharing Center, which he sees as a commitment to the future of Mastatal, an ecologically rich yet sensitive region whose bright young minds hold the key to a peaceful world.
For contact information, please refer to the links on the right of this page.
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