top of page

OUR TEAM

PHOTO-2023-07-23-15-56-14_edited_edited.

AURELIO HERNANDEZ

Guatemala Country Director

joey.jpg

JOE FONTANA

Co-Founder and Executive Director

Aurelio has worked with GL since 2003. Prior to his involvement, he worked with El Centro Linguistico, La Union in Antigua. He coordinates all on-the-ground activities in Guatemala, connecting GL with local partners for service projects and cultural exchanges. He has worked in Tourism and Hotel Management since 1994, and holds a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad de Francisco Marroquin. Aurelio enjoys working with foreign visitors to Guatemala and believes strongly in the benefits of building partnerships between Guatemala and foreign organizations toward a common goal of creating a better living standard for all Guatemalans.

In 1997 Joe and Jason Morgan-Foster planted the seed of an idea to take students into the world and teach leadership and service learning. Joe's brother Chris collaborated on this idea and Chris grew the program to incredible heights. Global Leaders has become a standard bearer for youth leadership training and service learning. The students who join the GL family become members for life and have consistently given back to their communities. 

For 30 years, Joe taught Geography, History and Leadership classes at Thompson Valley High School in Loveland, Colorado, Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California and Poudre High School in Fort Collins. He has been an advocate for student voices and positive action since his career began. He believes by equipping students with education, leadership skills, and empowerment, students are capable of positively changing their world; today, not tomorrow.

Joe is a dreamer and believes in the impossible. This is evident as he is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. He holds a B.A. in Social Sciences and an M.A. in Educational Leadership, both from The Colorado State University.

IMG_2992.jpg

KYLA WORTH

Director of Operations

Before Global Leaders, Kyla coached high school basketball during her time at Colorado State University where she studied Human Development and Family Studies with a Pre-Health Concentration. She enjoys working with youth and has found a passion for service over the years. She always says,"The coolest part about my job is getting to learn from the students I work with." GL was a perfect fit! In her free time she enjoys reading, working out, and playing with her partner Jared and their two pups!

IMG_2560.jpeg

JOSHUA BOND

Program Assistant

JB graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver where he studied psychology. He has had very diverse jobs but has always enjoyed being able to support and mentor younger individuals. Joshua is the father of three children and eats, sleeps, and breathes anything baseball related! For the past 2 years Joshua has had the opportunity to coach for the Fort Collins Baseball Club and Poudre High School. He is very blessed to have had these opportunities and excited to bring his talent to Global Leaders.

Emily portfolio pic.png

EMILY DAVIS

Program Assistant

image_50418433.JPG

ARYANA TUCKER

Program Assistant

Emily joined GL in 2015 during her time at RMHS. She then attended CU Boulder for her bachelor's degree in Environmental Product Design, graduating in 2020. During and post-undergrad, Emily has discovered a passion for working with students pursuing their passions. She also enjoys staying active and working on her many random projects/crafts that come up. After recently moving back to Fort Collins, she found her way back to Global Leaders, excited to be a part of a service-oriented community again.

Ary joined GL in 2014 when she was a student at Poudre High School. She studied Sociology and Family Child Studies at the University of New Mexico. She is currently in her Masters program for Speech Language Pathology. Ary has always had a passion for service which GL furthered. She has experience in working with adults and children with disabilities, serving at-risk youth, and until recently worked as a Montessori teacher. She recently moved back to Fort Collins with her husband and is excited to re-join the GL family. 

Robert Laurie.jpg

ROBERT LAURIE

Group Leader / Rocky Mountain High School Teacher

Robert Laurie heeded the call of the mountains and moved west to Colorado just after graduating high school in suburban Chicago. At Colorado State University, Robert studied English Education, English Literature, and Spanish. He is currently a Language Arts teacher and soccer coach at Rocky Mountain High School, where he is inspired every day through collaboration with student leaders. Robert values relationships and experience and is thankful to be a part of the Global Leaders team and its vision of peace, justice, and service.

An ideal day in the life of Robert Laurie would include a run on the Reservoir Ridge trail, a deep dive into a Shakespeare play, and an adventure in the wilderness with family and friends.

natalie.jpg

NATALIE BURLESON

Journey Leader

Natalie joined GL when she was a student at Poudre High School. While studying at Colorado State University, she interned with Global Leaders, and spent 2 years as our Program Assistant. Natalie is a third-year math teacher and Student Leadership Instructor at Poudre High School! She never looks at this page so we could really write anything about her like…. She loves Taylor Swift.

bottom of page