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President/ Executive Director
Kelley Brupbacher
Kelley Brupbacher has been involved in non-profit organizations for over a decade, in both leadership and volunteer roles. Her track record includes volunteer work with the Red Cross in Mexico and local organization First Descents , as well as employment with the Vail Valley Foundation . Kelley started working with children when she was 13 years old. She has been a Montessori teacher, day care worker, dance teacher and mentor to children throughout the years. She has also served as a family counselor, helping parents hear and understand their children.
While traveling in Central America last year, Kelley was inspired to help the communities she visited, many of which had sparse educational and medical resources. Connecting her love for Central America with her passion to help children was a natural alignment, and from it grew the Central America Foundation.
Kelley hopes that within a few years, tangible changes will be brought about in communities across Central America with the aid of her new organization. Her goals include helping the communities in Central America grow more stable environments with the development of language, the celebration of cultural heritage and a continued commitment to shared values. Kelley also hopes to see a notable increase in the quality and availability of medical care and resources for the members of Central American communities currently in states of neglect.
Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, Kelley is the youngest of 7 siblings. She studied business and psychology, acquiring both the skills to manage an organization and a passion for the well-being of children. She currently resides in Vail, CO and is consulting for businesses, running events and working on growing CAF.
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Board Member
Michael Warner Kallus
Michael’s infatuation with Central America began in 1998 on a month long backpacking trip through the region. Since then he makes regular trips, spending months in various back road communities traveling, working, networking and surfing. During his travels, Michael was impressed by the pride and work ethic of the people he met. Through CAF, Michael is working to level the playing field by providing the children of Central America access to education that will open the doors of opportunity and harness the natural talent of the region.
At the University of Virginia, School of Law, Michael served as president of La Voz Latina, a student group focusing on the special needs and interests of the US Hispanic community. He also worked for three years with the Migrant Farm Labor project where he educated workers from Central and South America about their rights under US law and helped them redress grievances against employers.
Michael served the Hon. C. Roger Vinson as a judicial clerk in the Northern District of Florida, and has practiced intellectual property law at the law firms of Fish & Richardson P.C. and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. His practice focuses on patent litigation, licensing and counseling. He currently resides in San Francisco, California and is a home owner in Nosara, Costa Rica.
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Secretary/ Treasurer
Randi Jaerbyn
Randi grew up in Denver, Colorado and currently resides in Edwards, Colorado with her husband, Patrik and their two boys. She is a 1998 graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, where she was a psychology major and a three, sport varsity athlete in field hockey, alpine skiing and lacrosse. Randi currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Borgen Family Foundation who focus their efforts on environmental and educational projects within the State of Colorado. She is excited to bring her commitment to furthering the opportunities for a better education to those who live in Central America.
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Board Member
Scott Stoughton
Scott Stoughton grew up around the State of New Jersey, but calls Long Beach Island home. Scott attended The University of Rhode Island where he earned a degree in marketing and spent considerable time on the ocean, surfing and sailing. In 1993, following visits to exotic worldwide surfing locations, he was lured out west to spend one winter "inland." The winters turned into summers and like so many other easterners, Scott fell in love with the Vail Valley and Colorado.
Scott spent the next 10 years in various aspects of the music business. Scott was the singer, percussionist and songwriter for a successful nationally touring act. While on the road, Scott handled all the public relations, tour management, graphic design, band management and booking prior to landing a management deal. Off the road, he was involved with event production and promotion in Colorado, as well as fundraising concerts. During that time, Scott was instrumental in developing the State Bridge Lodge on the banks of the Colorado River and attracted national attention before a devastating fire in the summer of 2007 destroyed the historic building. Scott's current project is Samana Lounge, designed from scratch in the winter of 2004 located in the heart of the Vail Village it has received national and international attention.
Scott's love of the ocean and travel only grew while living in Vail and he has recently spent considerable time in Nicaragua, Central America has always been an attraction ever since his first visit in 1996 to Costa Rica.
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Board Member
Mike Ioli
After spending his initial years in a small Connecticut town, Mike Ioli began studying Spanish language and culture as an exchange student in northern Spain at the age of 17. A move that would shape his future beyond imagination, Mike went on to study International Affairs and Spanish Literature at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and spent his junior year abroad at the Universidad de Granada in Spain. Upon graduation, Ioli moved to Costa Rica to teach English in Monteverde. He finally made it to Vail, Colorado in 1998 where he split his time between Vail and the northeast, working for an outdoor adventure company, leading kids on mountain biking, backpacking and sea kayaking expeditions. In 2001, Mike settled full time in Vail and began his career at the Vail Mountain School as a Spanish teacher and director of the Outdoor Education Program. Now entering his seventh year at the Vail Mountain School, Mike is the Director of the Upper School, coaches the telemark ski team and teaches Spanish Literature. Over the last ten years, he has led student trips to Central America and Europe and continues to pursue his goal of inspiring global citizenship in the next generation of leaders. Mike feels fortunate that he is able to combine his passions for Spanish language and culture, working with kids, international travel and outdoor adventure, all while calling the Vail Valley his home.
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