Staff
April Riegler: Executive Director & Founder 
April, while on vacation in Rwanda in 2007, met a little orphaned girl who in an instant changed the entire course of her life, forever. This little girl (the very one in this picture) only wanted to be held. Her need for love and attention was so deep that April spent the rest of the week thinking about what she could do to provide for this little girl and for others like her. Within a matter of days, she decided to found a mentoring program and every day since July 2007 she has worked to make this possible. To build Hope Shines, April started with her friends and family by asking for advice about the life lessons they had learned from their families. Then she talked to other nonprofits asking how they got started. She built a curriculum and then started recruiting, fundraising and collecting item donations. Within one year, she returned to Rwanda and with 6 other volunteers launched the first camp in 2008!
Since then, Hope Shines has continued to grow and mature under her leadership, creativity, enthusiasm and can-do attitude. Her motivation is to never let down the kids that Hope Shines works with. She says, “We tell them, ‘See you next summer!’ and if we say we are coming back – we do it. It’s that simple. I never want to let a child down by breaking this promise.”
April learned how to manage and build a nonprofit from seven years of corporate experience in retail buying. She holds a BS from Virginia Tech and an MA in the History of Decorative Arts and Design from Parsons, The New School and Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum in New York City. She runs Hope Shines on a volunteer basis and without salary.
Megan Eiss-Proctor: Strategic Planner and Grant Writer
Stephanie M Chu, D.O.: Medical & Health Consultant 
Dr. Chu is a family medicine physician who has fellowship training in sports medicine. She currently serves as Team Physician for the University of Colorado Athletics and is an appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine with the School of Medicine. She currently teaches CU medical students, residents and fellows and will also be teaching Family Medicine Residents in Rwanda to begin Summer 2010.
Stephanie joined the Hope Shines team in 2009 as a volunteer and quickly realized the medical needs of the Rwandan orphans she was privileged to have the opportunity to meet and mentor. Her experience in Kigali that summer led her to broaden her involvement and become the Medical and Hygiene Consultant for Hope Shines. She will be conducting routine physical exams on the children of the camps this summer and for summers to come in order to implement Preventative Medicine and Family Medicine for these Rwandan children. Stephanie works with Hope Shines on a volunteer basis and without salary.
Board of Directors
Michelle Hatch: President of the Board
Michelle Hatch was introduced to Hope Shines through her work for Macys.com, which was the original retailer to sell and support the efforts of Rwandan woven baskets.She is currently the Vice President/Merchandise Manager for Dining and Decor, including the baskets and Haitian crafts. She is proud to be a supporter of these programs, which are a “hand-up” effort, to improve peoples’ lives, as opposed to a “hand-out.” She is so happy to be involved with Hope Shines, as she has been a supporter, through help for fundraisers, and moral support since April, her former coworker at Macys.com, started the organization. Michelle has been actively involved in various volunteer activities over the years, including long-range mentoring, food bank work, women’s shelter activities, and a political campaign.
Harper Garrett, III: Treasurer of the Board
After graduating from Tulane University with a Masters in accounting and a BSM in finance, Harper went to work for Malesardi, Quackenbush, Swift & Co, LLC in Englewood, NJ, a tax and accounting firm that specializes in working with local not-for-profit organizations. While working there, Harper realized how much he enjoyed the work he did to help these organizations fulfill their goals and missions. He became involved with Hope Shines after attending one of their fundraisers in the city and being moved by the dedication displayed by its members. Deciding he wanted to do more to help, Harper accepted an offer to join the Board of Directors. He currently serves as the organizations Treasurer, where he uses his experience working with not-for-profit organizations to help Hope Shines grow and become an even greater force for good in the lives of the children it helps.
Katy Kiick: Secretary of the Board
Katy Kiick is in the final stages of her Masters degree in the History of Decorative Arts and Design at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. She received her BFA in Art History from Syracuse University. Katy worked as the educator and an exhibition designer for the Children’s Museum of Illinois, a restaurant private event planner, and currently serves as a gallery assistant at Buck House Antiques on the Upper East Side. Katy became met April Riegler in graduate school and quickly became impressed with her dedication to Hope Shines. Katy began to volunteer, and as she learned about the organization and it’s wonderful mission, became inspired to help in whatever way she could.
Kim Manocherian: Member at Large
Kim Manocherian is a graduate of New York University. She is currently a partner at both Pan Am Equities, a prominent real estate company in New York City, and New York Health & Racquet Club, an industry leader in health clubs since 1973, where she oversees the daily operations of the club’s 11 locations. Kim’s involvement with Hope Shines began in the early stages when she met April Reigler and was moved by the cause as well as April’s dedication. Kim began volunteering with Hope Shines in the areas of development and event planning in 2009 and proudly joined the Board in 2011. Kim is also Vice President of National Road Safety, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting safe driving habits through public awareness and she has served on the Board of The Hewitt School in Manhattan. As a mother of three, her philanthropic interests mirror her interests for her own children – safety, health, education and happiness.
Maureen Burgess: Member at Large
Maureen Burgess, Ph.D, currently is the K-12 English Department Chair at the Hewitt School, where she also teaches writing and literature in the Upper School and advises the school newspaper and Hewitt’s social justice club ACTION. She also is the founder and coordinator of Hewitt’s Center for Teaching and Learning through Writing. An advocate of inquiry based learning and writing as a technology of thinking, Maureen also maintains an affiliation with Bard College’s Institute for Writing and Thinking, and she will be training this July to become a faculty associate of the institute.
Maureen earned her B.A. in English at Fairfield University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in English at The Ohio State University. Her long commitment to progressive education and social action led her to jump at the chance to serve on the board of trustees for Hope Shines because this organization proves that one young woman can make a difference. The misson of Hope Shines reminds all educators that genuine learning happens in many places and in many ways, if we embrace the joy in all children. Through Hope Shines, Maureen hopes to provide her own students with opportunities to connect with and learn from their peers in Rwanda.
