Executive Director

Dana’s interest in nonprofit work was sparked while pursuing her B.A. in International Development at Clark University, where she had the opportunity to intern at various nonprofit organizations including Habitat for Humanity and Lutheran Social Services of New England. She first joined MPI Nicaragua in 2014 as a Program Director after receiving her M.A. in Community Development & Planning. During her first year in Nicaragua, she fell in love with the communities that MPI serves and was impressed by the organization’s holistic and sustainable approach to development. After a year of working in MPI's educational and business development programs, Dana decided to extend her contract to work with MPI as a Senior Program Director for two more years before joining staff as the Assistant Country Director for MPI Nicaragua. After the Nicaragua site unfortunately had to close in 2018, Dana transitioned to a Development Manager role, providing support for fundraising and recruitment efforts as well as continuing to provide administrative support on the ground. She became the Development Director in Fall 2022, and is thrilled at the opportunity to continue to be a part of the Manna Project team! She lives in Nicaragua with her husband and two children.

Finance and Administration

As one of Manna Project's founders, Lori has been a vital part of the MPI team since graduating from Vanderbilt University in 2004 with degrees in Psychology and Elementary Education. Lori's involvement began when she helped charter the organization in January of 2004. In September 2004, Lori and 9 others journeyed to Nicaragua where they founded MPI's first international site. Lori taught preschool and designed and implemented the first art and literacy programs. Lori acted as the Nicaragua Country Director before creating and stepping into the role of Executive Director. Lori served as the Executive Director until 2016 when she stepped down to focus on her family. She continues to be involved with Manna Project as the Financial Manager and as a board member. She lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband and two sons.

Communications + Institutional Relations Manager

Abby comes to Manna from a background in experiential education focused on meaningful, symbiotic cultural exchange internationally. Most recently, she developed and ran community development projects in rural Costa Rica. Abby is a Linguist by education and is interested in social understanding and biases derived from language. Currently, Abby lives in Costa Rica with her cat.

Administrative Coordinator

Maria Jose joined Manna’s team in May of 2023 as we launched our new site in Shandia. She is from Ecuador and has a degree in business as well as a passion for learning English. She recently got her B1 certificate and hopes to her B2 certificate this year. She has over 8 years of experience working with foreign volunteers in Ecuador and supporting the communities in Napo Province through social projects. She is excited to be part of the Manna family and hopes to help make a positive impact in the Shandia community!

Program Director

Luke comes from Dubuque, Iowa, in the United States. He joined Manna in August 2024. He is a recent graduate from St. Olaf College, where he studied political science, international relations, and race and ethnic studies. While in college, he spent a semester studying abroad in Seville, Spain. In his free time, Luke enjoys running, swimming, watching TV, and doing puzzles. He is excited to teach English to Shandia youth, improve his Spanish, learn some Kichwa, and try new Ecuadorian foods.