Dr. Lewis Aptekar - Child Protection Community Moderator
Lewis Aptekar received his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Michigan. He has had post-graduate training in Clinical Psychology from Texas Tech Medical School and is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in California. He is retired from a Professorship of Counselor Education at San Jose State University. Professor Aptekar is the past President of the Society of Cross-cultural Research and currently a member of the Research Forum for the Consortium of Street Children in London. He has been active in the Partners Texas-Peru and San Francisco-Mexico City partnerships.
Some of his academic awards include two Fulbright scholarships (Colombia and Swaziland), a Senior Fulbright Scholar Award (Honduras), Nehru Visiting Professor, (University of Baroda, India), a Kellogg Foundation/Partners of the Americas Kellogg Fellowship in International Community Development, a Rotarian International Ambassadorship (Zambia), and a scholarly residency at the Bellagio Rockefeller Foundation Study and Conference Center (Italy).
Professor Aptekar has published numerous articles and chapters. His books include Street children of Cali; Environmental disasters in global perspective; In the Lion’s Mouth: Hope and Heartbreak in Humanitarian Assistance 2nd Ed.; and Street children and homeless youth: A cross-cultural perspective.
Professor Aptekar began his research with street children in Cali, Colombia in the 1980s. He has since conducted studies in several continents about street children, victims of natural disasters, and people displaced by war. He has focused on cross-cultural comparisons, gender differences, and the changing dynamics of adolescence. Professor Aptekar's work is directed toward practitioners, policymakers, and researchers.
Ms. Zidzel Becerra - Region VI: Northern South America Community Moderator
Zidzel Becerra Juárez lives in the city of Chiclayo, Lambayeque, Peru. Currently, she is a student at the School of Law, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, at the Pedro Ruiz Gallo National University (UNPRG). She was recently nominated as a Young Leader for Peace by the International Network of Students for Peace – Peru (Red Espaz Peru), an affiliate chapter of Partners of the Americas.
Ms. Becerra has been involved in many volunteer opportunities. These include being a member of the technical team and coordinator of environmental projects for Red Espaz Peru, a volunteer in the Yo Promotor Ambiental program from the Ministry of the Environment of Peru (MINAM), Social Media Ambassador for Partners of the Americas, and a volunteer within the General Directorate of Population, Development and Volunteering for the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations. In addition, Ms. Becerra participated in the Young Parliament Program 2019 with the first Vice Presidency of the Congress of the Republic and the Office of Participation, Projection, and Liaison with the Citizen of the Congress of the Republic of Peru.
Ms. Becerra seeks to promote peace and non-violence in every space where she finds herself and constantly aims to educate herself on very important issues, such as leadership, human rights, sustainable development, and peacebuilding. Her main goal is to contribute to making this world better than she found it, and is convinced that volunteering is one of the valuable tools in which we can be agents of change and contribute to the development of our communities.
Ms. Dawn Harris Wooten - Education & Global Citizenship Community Moderator
Dawn Harris Wooten has 15 years of experience working in international education. Educational access and equity are passions that defined her career. Ms. Wooten uses her professional network and relationship-building skills to help others and make the world a better place. Her personal and professional travel imparted a global perspective and reinforced her commitment to diversity, inclusion, cultural sensitivity, and peacebuilding. She holds a BA and MA in History and a MA in Nonprofit Management.
Ms. Gleice de Marrocos - Region VIII: Brazil Community Moderator
Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Gleice Marrocos now lives in Washington, D.C. She is a Marketing & Business expert with 20+ years of experience building data-driven solutions to influence business performance and operational growth across multiple industries.
She has a B.S. in Business Administration, a post-graduate in Management from Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, and a Social Media Management certificate from Georgetown University. She is a Master Marketing Analytics' candidate at ESPM. Ms. Marrocos is fluent in English, Portuguese, and professional Spanish.
Known as an expert in delivering innovative solutions and a talent for fostering strategic relationships with key stakeholders, and partners, Ms. Marrocos has a passion for working in international business partnerships which contributes to Latin America's economic prosperity by helping their businesses and education, especially in how to extend outside/inside Latin America and also leverage bilateral business, culture, education, and partnerships developed between them and the world.
