GVH Team
Sue Bean
Director of Operations
Sue joined GVH in May 2023. She is a Pacific NW native and graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in history. Her career in fundraising has spanned from leading small not for profits to large ones. She has served as an Executive Director, Director of Development and Major Gifts Officer for several local not for profit organizations, including the Seattle Community Colleges Foundation, Seattle University School of Law, Highline Medical Center Foundation (now St. Anne’s) and Sound Health (formerly Sound Mental Health).
Sue is excited to work with the GVH board, donors, and volunteers to advance the mission of GVH in rural Guatemala and help to expand knowledge and support for our work in the local community here in Seattle.
Jennifer Hoock, MD, MPH - USA
Director of Development
Dr. Hoock is a graduate of Duke University Medical School and completed her MPH at the University of Washington. She has devoted her career to teaching Family Medicine residents and faculty, and is currently in charge of the Community Medicine training at Kaiser Family Medicine Residency program in Seattle WA. She is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington. As a cofounder of Guatemala Village Health, she is passionate about improving health in rural villages and developing an educational model for primary care medical training in Guatemala.
Samuel Alvarez - Guatemala
In-Country Director
Samuel is from Guatemala City. He studied accounting in technical school and worked for 10 years with the Christian Cultural Center of Guatemala as an administrator and Program Manager. This work focused on providing a children’s breakfast program, school construction, and logistical coordination for medical mission groups visiting remote villages. Samuel currently manages all of Guatemala Village Health’s medical missions and programs in Rio Dulce and Monte Rico. He makes monthly visits to our villages to resupply medications and follow up with health promoters. Samuel is passionate about serving others and grateful for the opportunity to help improve health and education status in his country.
Vladimir Melgar - Guatemala
Project Manager & CIDECAS Director
Born and raised in Guatemala City, Vladimir studied design and construction. Some of his previous projects include building a 3-story retreat center in Monte Rico and the clinic from which Guatemala Village Health serves people. Vladimir has worked on home construction with international groups, focusing on underserved families in marginalized neighborhoods. He has built multiple GVH facilities in partnership with the Ministry of Health and New World Villages. Vladimir is motivated to help his fellow Guatemalans, improve their lives in all areas, especially in nutrition education, training and hygiene. He is the master toothbrush holder builder for remote villages GVH serves!
Santiago Melgar - Guatemala
Program Assistant & Pharmacy Manager
Santiago from Guatemala City is our Guatemala-based assistant. He takes on an array of responsibilities, especially during medical team trips to the villages. Santiago is passionate about pharmaceutics and is hoping to become a pharmacist. During clinic days in the villages, he manages our pharmacy, setting everything up and making sure that patients receive their prescriptions.
Eli Hwang - USA
Program Assistant & Communications
Eli was born and raised in Paraguay and has a deep love for Latin America and helping others. With her education and professional experience in journalism, communications and marketing, she has been keeping our community updated on what GVH has been up to via email, social media and newsletters. She is also the US-based assistant and helps us with administrative tasks and planning fundraising events.