Team

Team leader

Gale Toko

I practiced law for 20 years, with a general civil practice.  I worked mostly in the areas of public housing and bankruptcy as well as divorce and custody issues (including domestic violence).  After closing my law office, I took a sabbatical for about two years, working with a Crisis Nursery, where children whose parents are in crisis (emotional, physical or financial) were able to obtain no-cost child care for periods of up to two weeks.  I have also worked with a mono-lingual (Spanish) tax office in Boulder and for a time was the Interim Executive Director for the Longmont Area Visitors Association.

Many people in the US consider their pets to be a part of their family; I now am the owner/manager of a pet sitting business, taking care of all species of pets, from lizards to llamas, including horses and farm animals, in addition to dogs and cats.  I have an intense interest in animal welfare, and would like to learn more about the treatment of women, children and animals in Latin America, as well as learning more about Peruvian Pasos and their history.

Gale lives with her wife, Lisa, and their three cats.  She has two brothers: Mark lives in Atlanta Georgia with his wife, Kathy, and their two boys, near his two daughters from an earlier marriage; Glenn lives with his wife, Cata, and their daughter, Isabella, in Quito, Ecuador.  Gale enjoys hiking in the Colorado mountains, reading, cooking and travel, as well as spending time with friends and learning about the ways that others live.  I have been an active member of the Longmont Twin Peaks Rotary Club for the last 7 years, and the Secretary for six years.  I am the co-chair of the multi-Club Nicaragua water project, and involved in many other Club activities.

Linda Nedved (alternate)

Team members

Katherine Garcia

I am currently working for Denver Human Services as a Youth Counselor with the Family Crisis Center.  We are a Therapeutic Residnetial Child Care Facility, which means we house youth who are in need of psychiatric and counseling services.  I will be beginning my 5th year with the City of Denver this coming May.  I have worked with youth prior to this in a Middle School Case Management Program with a local non-profit agency and in an Elementary Educational setting with Denver Public Schools.  I am continuing my education and completing pre-requisites in preparation for beginning a program for a Masters in Forensic Psychology at the University of Denver.

I have lived in Colorado my entire life except for the two years when my brother and I and my mom lived in Maryland when she took advantage of an opportunity to work there.  Great Experience!  I have an extremely large extended family.  I have a new niece whom I love with all my heart and I think that she is the greatest thing in the world.  I like sports, watching and playing, especially golf, softball and (watching) football.  I like working out and have taken up jiu jitsu and kickboxing.

I am thoroughly looking forward to this trip and feel fortunate to be going.  My travel experience is low outside of the States, but I have a feeling this is going to be the first of many trips, back to Peru and around the world.

Sara Geyer

I am a native to Colorado, but have moved around and lived in cities in the west for the past couple of years. I love to travel and cannot wait to venture in to Peru! I live in Denver, the capital city, with my husband Devan and pup Piper.  We enjoy camping, hiking, rafting and whatever comes our way. I am a RN in a level I trauma center in Denver and specialize in pediatric emergency  and adult med/surgery care. I am interested to see what the RN role is in Peru. I have been getting excited by stories my husband tells of the cordillera blanca in the peruvian Andes. He has spent time mountaineering there and can’t wait to go back, I hope we can go there sometime together. I look forward to exploring southern Peru gathering stories of my own.  My sponsoring club is the 7:10 Westminster club. Im so grateful for this opportunity!

Jennifer Kurtz

New Year's Eve with Chris

I work as an Instructional Designer, helping companies develop training programs for their employees. My husband Chris and I live in Boulder, Colorado, with our dog, Jazz. My 21-year-old stepson James lives nearby and attends a local college where he studies history. When I am not working, I love to play tennis, hike in the foothills of Boulder, cook, read, and travel. I am looking forward to learning more about the people and culture of Arequipa and the surrounding area, as well as sharing ideas from Colorado.

Justin Levy

A native of Denver, Justin is currently the Marketing Director of Mills Entertainment, promoting shows across the country. Having started his career in 1993 working for legendary concert promoter Barry Fey, Justin has worked for multiple promoters in his 17 year career including House of Blues Concerts, SFX Entertainment, & Comedy Works Entertainment.

His interests include enjoying the outdoors, travel, reading, time with friends and family, singing, and watching the Denver Broncos. Justin and his wife Cari will be celebrating their 10th anniversary in June.