Rosemary Vance is a native of Glendale, Kentucky. She received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Louisville, and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kentucky. Rosemary is currently employed as a Staff Attorney for the Administrative Office of the Courts, and works with Hon. Darren Peckler, Circuit Judge for Boyle and Mercer Counties.
Rosemary has two sons, John Christopher and Michael. John is a graduate student at the University of Louisville; Michael is a graduate from the University of Kentucky. In addition to her duties as Executive Director for Children of the Americas, Inc., Rosemary serves as the organization’s Team Coordinator; she has been a volunteer with the program since 1996. Rosemary also serves as the secretary of the Newman Foundation.

drcmc@kyhearts.com

Profession: cardiologist

Dr. Carol Cottrill is a tenured professor at UKMC where she has taught since 1973, while maintaining a full-time pediatric practice. Carol has been a Holy Spirit parishoner for 27 years. She is the mother of eight grown children.She and her husband Tom have also served as foster parents to dozens of children. She currently serves as president of Children of the Americas.Last year Carol received The Lumen Chrisit Award, which is the highest award given by The Catholic Extension Society.

Central Baptist honored Carol with their 2008 Woman of the Year Award. Carol is a Lector and Eucharistic minister at the Holy Spirit Parish. Carol and her husband, Tom Rolfes, endowed the Chair in Catholic Studies at The University of Kentucky.

Green71957@aol.com
Profession: Pediatric Nurse
Jody Greenlee has resided in Lexington, KY since 1978, when she began the BSN program at The University of Kentucky College of Allied Health.  Introduced to Children of the Americas as a foster parent, Jody and her husband Tom took their first COTA stateside patient in February of 2000. Following Edson’s successful cleft palate and lip repair and subsequent discharge to Guatemala, Jody joined the COTA board as Health Care Coordinator for the children brought to the U.S. for donated surgery. In 2002 Jody was elected to the board as President, and as of April 2009, serves as vice-president.
Jody also enjoys serving as the Lexington Medical Alliance Scholarship Chair, the EMA Neighborhood Association Executive Board, and serves as President of the Board for Link for Health in Seattle. She is the mother of three college students.

RMontgomery@shrinenet.org
 Chief Financial Officer, Shriners Hospital
Born in Maysville, KY, Robert is a lifelong resident of Kentucky. He has two sons, ages 21 and 24. After earning his BA degree from Transylvania University in Lexington, Robert went onto Morehead State University where he earned an MBA.
Robert has twenty years of experience in healthcare finance. He is currently the Director of Finance at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Lexington.
Contact information:
(859) 268-5634


jimandi3@bellsouth.net
Profession:  Retired
Diana Howlett is a retired teacher from Jefferson County Public Schools.  She graduated from the University of Louisville with a Master’s degree in Education.  She is married to James Ashton.  He is retired from Prarie Farms and is currently employed by JCPS.  Diana has one son, Joshua Todd.  He is an employee of Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, and he and his wife Sally live in Ninevah, Indiana.
In addition to Diana’s volunteer work with Children of the Americas, she volunteers with Supplies Over Seas and Jefferson County Memorial Forest.  Any other free time is spent gardening and traveling with her husband.
Diana was born in Glendale, Kentucky and currently resides in Fairdale, Ky.





wbrandwine@gmail.com
Profession: Physician
Dr. Brandwine is a graduate of Michigan State University, did his professional training in Chicago, Ill. at The Midwestern University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, and served his internship in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He then moved to Kansas City for residency at The University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Brandwine is board certified by The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at West Jersey Hospital in Voorhees, N.J.
Dr. Brandwine returned to school and earned a Masters Degree in Biomedical Ethics from The University of Pennsylvania. He is residency director for the affiliate hospital for Thomas Jefferson University.
Warren and Beverly live in Cherry Hill, N.J.,have four sons, and two grandchildren. Warren is on the board of Planned Parenthood and a pilot for Angel Flight and Beverly is on the board of The Jewish Geriatric Home.



Sandi earned her BSN in 1977 from Murray State University, Murray, KY and CRNA in  1989 from Washington University, St. Louis, MO.  She has worked many nursing and anesthesia positions throughout her career in Illinois and Kentucky. Sandi is currently employed by Kentucky Anesthesia Group in Georgetown, KY. and is engaged to Michael Daukas. Between them they have 6 grown children and 6 grandchildren. All three of Sandi’s sons have served in the military; two of them currently.  She administers anesthesia, helps organize, document and procure anesthesia and surgical supplies for COTA as well as serving on the board.  Her involvement with COTA began with the 2006  surgical mission to Guatemala.    

Dr. Luis R. Peña is a native of Guatemala. He moved to Kentucky after he earned his medical degree from Francisco Marroquin University in Guatemala City, and then completed his residency in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
He is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.  He is also the Director of the Digestive Health Clinic at the University.
Luis is married to Maria Del Rocio, also from Guatemala and they have three children: Isabel, Javier and Sofia.


Renee and her husband, Greg met 18 years ago while working together in surgery. They started traveling with COTA in 2004 so they could work together doing cleft lips and palates in Guatemala. Renee has used her Toyota truck and OR connections to collect donations year-round for the organization. When she's not wrapping and sterilizing COTA supplies; she spends time gardening, scrapbooking and Skyping with her grandson in San Jose. She works fulltime at St. Joseph East O.R. in Lexington specializing in hand and foot cases. 


dsmclean@cox.net
Retired
Mr. Schmitt currently serves on the boards of Good Shepherd Housing & Family Services, The National Child Research Center (NCRC) and the Children of the Americas. He previously served on the boards of United Community Ministries, The Potomac School, The International School of Brussels, Ivymount School, the Advisory Board of the Washington International School and the Commission for Educational Exchange, The Fulbright Commission in Brussels. He also served as a member of Parents Council of Brown University. Mr. Schmitt is married to Dabney Waters Schmitt, the Director of Advancement at the Holton-Arms School, and is the father of two sons. Mr. Schmitt is an avid reader, travel enthusiast (all fifty states and almost sixty countries), skier and tennis player. He climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro with his family a decade ago. Mr. Schmitt, a native of Detroit, Michigan, resides in McLean, Virginia.



Jennifer and her husband Charlie are life-long residents of KY, and are the parents of three grown children; Chase, Leah and Anna.

Jennifer has been employed as the director of The Jessamine County Adult Education Family Literacy Program for 14 years. Since joining the COTA board in 1996, she and her husband Charlie have hosted eight medically fragile children in our stateside program. Jennifer currently serves as our stateside care coordinator.

Ellen and her husband Tom reside in Versailles, KY and are the parents of four children. As a Family Practice physician with Guatemalan heritage, Ellen brings her unique touch to our anual Children of the Americas team clinics, where she sees hundreds of patients. Ellen joined our board in 2004.

Mike and his wife Wendy reside in Denver, Colorado, where he is the director of anesthesia for the Outpatient Surgery Center.  Mike joined COTA in 2006 and serves as an advisory board member.



kmontgo@email.uky.edu

Kit has resided in Lexington since 1978. He has a Medical Degree and Masters of Science from the University of Kentucky and currently serves as the Director of Anesthesia at the Lexington Shriners Hospital. As a tenured professor at UK, he remains active in teaching and serves on the College of Medicine curriculum committee. Kit keeps busy with church activities and recently joined a band that has raised funds for various community organizations. He first travelled with  COTA in 2006 and has served on the Board as Director of Anesthesia since 2008. He and his wife Diane have three children.



Steve graduated from University of Louisville in 1981, when he and his wife Mary moved to Somerset to begin practice.  They have two grown daughters, Molly Maguire (husband Jason and daughters Mia and Addison) and Dr. Jill Cook (husband Richard).  Steve began working with COTA in 2007.  He and his wife are both involved with the First United Methodist church and feel that their work with COTA is an extension of their faith. They like traveling and spending time with family. Steve joined the COTA board in 2011.



Mike, with his wife Laurie (APRN), resides in Glasgow, KY.  They have 3 children (John, Raegan, and Austin), Makenzie and Brylee are their 2 granddaughters.  Mike and Laurie have been COTA volunteers since the mission to Huehuetenango in 2005.  Mike is a graduate of Auburn University School of Pharmacy and has recently retired as owner of a community retail pharmacy since 1982.  Mike feels it has been a great privilege and blessing working with the volunteers of COTA and the people of Guatemala; especially, as foster parents to Maylin in 2010. 



Robin is employed as an acute care nurse practitioner in the Cardiothoracic Surgical Intensive Care Unit (CT – SICU), at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), where she has worked for 20 years. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Fairfield University and a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Her first COTA trip was in 2005 to Tiquisate, where she worked in the post anesthesia care unit on the trips. Robin joined the board in 2011.



Barb is married with 4 children,and is from Glasgow, KY. She has been an RN for 43 years, mostly in adult ICU nursing. She has volunteered with COTA since 1993. Barb considers being involved with COTA as one of the most rewarding experiences of her life. 
 Her youngest child , Rosa,was adopted from Guatemala. Rosa was one of the early COTA stateside patients. Her family asked Barb to adopt her so she could have the multiple surgeries she needed and they have maintained a very close relationship with her family since her adoption 14 years ago.