LaAmistad

Jon Naphin has been the Chairman of LaAmistad since the organization’s founding in 2006. This role is the highlight of a lifelong commitment to volunteerism. Previously Jon held leadership positions in local chapters of Literacy Volunteers of America, Junior Achievement & the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He and his wife Angela are active in their community and serve as Elders of the Peachtree Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Naphin is originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario and has lived in Atlanta for 25 years. Mr. & Mrs. Naphin have two children attending Atlanta Public Schools. He is a Vice President with TalentQuest, a national provider of human resources consulting and technology tools. Prior to joining TalentQuest in 2001, Jon held management positions in organizations such as General Motors, ADP, and Peachtree Software with responsibilities covering sales, marketing, product management and customer care.

He earned his Bachelor of Industrial Administration degree from Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute) in Flint Michigan and his MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Jay began serving at Peachtree as Pastor for Mission in October 2009. He is responsible for both local and global outreach at Peachtree in addition to serving as the Executive Director of LaAmistad.. He is passionate about the impact that LaAmistad can have in the lives of the next generation.

Jay grew up in South Carolina, where he attended Furman University. After spending 12 years in Greenville owning and operating a number of businesses, Jay sensed that God was calling him to serve the church. He joined the staff of First Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC as Evangelism Director before making the move to Chicago in 2003. While there, he served as an Area Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church. In this role, he was responsible for pastoral leadership which included providing biblical community, pastoral care, and encouraging local and global compassion and justice. He also served on the Global-Africa board at Willow.

He earned a Master of Divinity Degree from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN.

Catrina was born and raised in Attleboro, MA. After completing high school, Catrina attended Kennesaw State University and then transferred to Georgia State where she received a B.A. in Business Administration After college, she toured all over the US for 10 years as the lead guitarist for 13 Stories

Until 2000, Catrina also worked for Fundraising and Management Counsel as a Program Director in charge of capital campaigns for non-profit organizations. In 2000, she began working at The Gym at Peachtree as the Director of Skating and Roller Hockey and created one of the most successful hockey programs in Atlanta. Until 2005, Cat taught skating to the LaAmistad children and helped find scholarships for the most advanced ones to attend camps or play in competitive leagues. In 2005, she became the Director of Athletics for LaAmistad.

In August 2007 she became the Director of LaAmistad. She continues to study Spanish and has completed over 300 hours of study in Mexico. Her responsibilities now include, planning for future growth, replication, team leadership fundraising, and management of volunteers and classrooms. Using what she has learned from her certification in Developing Capable Young People, her studies of Teach for America applications, and her experiences in fundraising, McAfee continues to take LaAmistad to even higher levels.

Her passion for the students, the families and service to the community fuel her continued study and research of effective avenues of communication and learning between different cultures. When Catrina is not at LaAmistad, she loves playing guitar, singing, salsa dancing, wakeboarding, snowboarding and hockey

Michelle joined LaAmistad in 2009. After spending many years as a designer in New York City, Michelle sought a more meaningful career. In 2009, she moved back to Atlanta and began volunteering at LaAmistad. She was quickly hired by LaAmistad to develop the middle and high school programs. Now Michelle serves as both the Assistant Director of LaAmistad and the Director of Middle and High School Programs. In addition to directing the Middle and High School programs, Michelle also directs the LaAmistad Internship Program and the Sunday Study Hall program. She also serves as a liaison between LaAmistad and GA Tech and GA State University and manages all college volunteer recruitment and retention. She also serves as an advocate for Latino students in Atlanta Public Schools.

Michelle was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. After completing high school, Michelle attended Tulane University where she received a B.A. in both Political Science and African and African Diaspora Studies. She later went on to get a B.F.A. in Textile/Surface Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Michelle’s studies and career have taken her all over the globe, to places such as West Africa, Brazil, South East Asia, Europe, Mexico, and many other countries. Michelle speaks both Spanish and Portuguese.

Michelle finds great joy and inspiration working with the LaAmistad students and families. She is continually inspired by the color of the community and the strength and love of the families. When Michelle is not at LaAmistad, she enjoys dancing, yoga, capoeira, music, and art.

You can find Mike Joiner at LaAmistad every afternoon. He has volunteered with LaAmistad for the last 5 years and his dedication to the program is unparalleled. Mr. Joiner brings to LaAmistad a critical management knowledge born of a long and rich history in business, including his recent role as owner of Performance Systems Inc., a dealer of custom-engineered robotic equipment.

Prior to founding Performance Systems in 1995, Mr. Joiner served as managing partner of JEBCO Packaging Systems Inc., which custom-designed packaging machinery, from 1990 to 1995.

Mr. Joiner has held sales and marketing positions in the packaging industry since 1972, when he completed six years of service as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, where he achieved the rank of Captain. His subsequent experience includes sales management for Gulf States Paper Corp, American Can Co., and five years as director of marketing for the automated packaging segment of American National Inc.

Mr. Joiner holds an MBA from the University of North Dakota, and a BBA in Marketing from Texas Christian University. Born in Texas, Mike is married to Joanne and they have two grown daughters.

Glynis became a member of the LaAmistad/English for Successful Living program, September 2011. Prior to joining the team at LaAmistad, she worked for many years as an educator in public education, college and adult education. Her experiences have prepared her for the position she holds as Director of the Adult ESL program.

Glynis was raised in Atlanta, GA. She received her undergraduate degree from Clark College in Elementary and Middle Grades Education and her M.A. in Reading from Atlanta University. Further studies in English as a Second Language were completed at the University of West Georgia (formerly West Georgia College). After working as a teacher for a number of years, she returned to school to earn an Ed.S. in Administration and Supervision from Troy State University, Phoenix City Alabama.

Glynis enjoys traveling and has visited many places to study how languages are learned and to observe and record cultural similarities and differences. She hopes one day to write about her adventures and findings. When not traveling, she spends much of her time volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children (CASA).