Our Human Resources Team

Belen Gomez de la Cruz serves as KIND’s Senior Director, Human Resources, where provides day-to-day oversight of HR operations. She started her career providing direct services as a psychologist in Spain and transitioned into human resources. Her HR career includes extensive non-profit experience to include serving as Director of HR of the international Soho Boutique Hotels; International Human Resources Business Partner for Heartland Alliance; and as a HR Generalist supporting AXA Spain and Portugal. Belen holds a master’s degree in HR Management.

Sole Villarruel, who serves as KIND’s Director, Talent and Culture, has more than 20 years of experience in human resources leadership in multinational companies located in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Paraguay, the United Kingdom and the United States and Uruguay. In her role overseeing Talent Acquisition and Talent Development, she leads KIND’s talent and learning programming related to recruitment; diversity, equity, and inclusion; performance management; and trainings. Sole holds a bachelor's degree in Human Resources from the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa and a Diversity and Inclusion certification from Cornell University. She is a lover of the outdoors, sports and travel.

Amanda Shilko serves as KIND’s HR Manager focused on benefits administration, human resources information systems and compensation. She has over a decade of experience in the benefits insurance and financial industry where she attained necessary licenses to provide financial consulting services to individuals and businesses. Amanda is a graduate of Moravian College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a minor in English Literature.

Claudia Lanz joined the Human Resources team in January of 2022. She graduated from Tec de Monterrey in Queretaro Mexico with a degree in Marketing and is currently studying a master’s in Human Resources Direction. Her thesis researches how competences management influences the organizational success. Her career began as a HR assistant in a power plant, followed by four years at a production company as a Human Resources Supervisor. In her most recent role she was a HR Manager in Advance Real Estate where she had the opportunity start the HR department from scratch. She worked there with all areas of the organization to develop processes and policies to attract and retain talent based on the needs and goals of the company.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Isabella Cruz supports the Human Resources Department as a Talent Acquisition Specialist at KIND. She joined the team in October of 2021. Isabella graduated from UNITEC, a local University in Honduras with a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Psychology and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management. Prior to joining KIND, Isabella was recruiting and hiring staff related roles. Her career in Talent Acquisition began as a recruiter for a variety of companies in the gaming, technical, and consumer electronic field. Isabella has also been a volunteer at TECHO, a non-profit organization led primarily by youth in different countries, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Isabella has been a volunteer psychologist for another non-profit organization that works with children, youth and adults who are dealing with drug addiction. In her spare time, Isabella works with children and youth at social risk who have lost their families due to gang violence and poverty.

Maria Fernanda Brenes Loaiza supports the Talent Acquisition team at KIND. She joined the KIND team in April of 2022. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the Universidad de Monterrey in Mexico. During her time there, she studied and researched experiences of childfree women and other related topics. Prior to joining KIND, she worked at IBM as a Recruiting Specialist and before that she interned at GE, in the Talent Acquisition department.

Bio coming soon!

Stephanie Muehlen supports the Human Resources at KIND. She joined the KIND team January 2022. She graduated from ITESM at Mexico City with a BA in Organizational Psychology and an International Business Administration exchange at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. While studying, she collaborated with AIESEC for international social exchanges, YMCA kinder garden and other social causes. She has experience working in talent acquisition and consulting roles, specializing on talent development, and training at medical devices and gaming companies.

Amelia Cooke graduated from the University of Florida with her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and her Master’s degree in Special Education. During her time at the University of Florida, she conducted oral history interviews with Civil Rights Movement veterans, K-12 educators, and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance Leadership. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Florida Atlantic University with a focus on Educational Leadership. Amelia joined the KIND team in August 2022 and currently supports the Operations Department. Prior to KIND, Amelia served the Equity & Diversity Department for the sixth-largest public school district as a DEI District Facilitator, applying her knowledge and experience in systems thinking to develop sustainable DEI initiatives and create meaningful change. She also served the district as a Curriculum Specialist and as an Equity Liaison, supporting stakeholders across every level and driving key initiatives to close the opportunity gap.

Micheal Crumpler is KIND's Learning & Development Coordinator. She joined the KIND team in July 2021. Prior to joining KIND, she served as an Administrator for 10+ years in many different industries. She graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science from North Carolina Central University. She currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her three year old daughter and thirteen year old lab mix. She enjoys gardening which contributes to her passion for food sustainability.

Kat Graniczewska is a Learning and Development Coordinator at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), providing training support for all employees. Prior to joining KIND in September 2022, she has worked as a Learning Coordinator and Lead Recruitment Specialist in an international corporate setting. Kat holds a B.A in International Cultural Studies and an M.A in International Relations and Development Studies from Jagiellonian University, apart from the university degrees she is a CELTA certified English teacher. Kat is passionate about the social justice and welfare of women and girls - while living in Nairobi, Kenya she volunteered at Coalition on Violence Against Women and Polycom Development Project, mentoring teenage girls and coordinating developmental programs for local children.

Adia Major supports the Talent Team at KIND, joining in August of 2021. Her undergraduate degree is in Government with a minor in International Relations from Smith College. She also earned a master’s degree in Cross-Cultural and International Education from Bowling Green State University. Her master’s thesis focused on cultural competency in health education. Adia’s professional career has spanned several countries. She was previously a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic. There she worked with former child laborers, nonprofits, and community organizations. It was through the Peace Corps that she discovered her passion for education and spent years working as an ESL instructor in the United States. Prior to joining KIND, Adia worked in recruitment and project management for a local start-up. Adia is excited to continue serving as an advocate of social justice and human rights.

Alexis Nicholson supports the Talent Acquisition team at KIND as the Talent Acquisition Coordinator, joining the team in July of 2022. Before joining KIND, she worked as the Talent Acquisition Coordinator at Pact, a global nonprofit, providing recruitment support to the TA team. Alexis also worked as a Program/Recruiting Associate at TechnoServe, another global nonprofit handling volunteer operations and recruitment support for the organization. She is a former 3rd-grade educator and also served a year with AmeriCorps as a Literacy Interventionist, helping students in underserved communities develop vital literacy skills. She obtained her Master’s in Education from Liberty University and her bachelor’s from Old Dominion University in Political Science with a pre-law concentration.

Bio coming soon.

Tharindu Athauda supports the Human Resources Team as a Human Resources Information Systems Assistant. He joined the KIND team in August 2020. Prior to joining KIND he worked for multiple refugee resettlement organizations since moving to the United States in 2014. He graduated from the Australian Education Academy, completing his college studies in Community Welfare and Social Work. In his spare time he enjoys his time as an aquarium hobbyist and enjoys spending time with his family.

Isabel Junco joined KIND in September 2021. She supports the Human Resources Team as the Human Resources Assistant. She holds an undergraduate degree is in Business Administration in Finance from University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). She also graduated with her MSc in Social Innovation from EDHEC Business School in France. Her master thesis researched how mobile technology can benefit artisans in Mexico proposing an alternative approach for policymakers and institutions to tackle sustainability to promote and re-value crafts in Mexico. Before joining KIND, she served as an Administrator and Executive Assistant in several international development consultancies in the UK and France, working closely with NGOs and local charities and in project management. She has held several volunteer roles for non-profit and international organizations over the past years in the United States and UK, most recently at Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign (CRRC) as a Focal Point for families and donations. She is passionate about empowering communities and human rights, particularly for children in Latin America.

Omar Nazar supports the Talent Acquisition Department at KIND. He graduated as a psychologist from the Universidad del Valle de México. Omar also received a diploma from the Thanatological Center of Chihuahua, focusing on thanatology. He provided support in thanatology to families who suffered losses due to death from COVID-19 during the pandemic. Before graduating, he worked at the Chihuahuan Youth Institute, taking charge of entrepreneurship and employment, and developing programs/activities that promoted entrepreneurship in young people. Omar worked as a workshop facilitator at the Family Intelligence Center, promoting the development of psychosocial skills through recreational activities in children and low-income families in at-risk areas of the city. As coordinator of bicultural baccalaureate at the Universidad del Valle de México, Omar supported students, faculty, parents, and guardians while attaining academic excellence. Omar has taught martial arts to children, adolescents, and adults, which led to a strong interest in the environmental factors that affect young people's development.