Board of Directors

Rich has been an Adelante supporter since 2000 when he first visited Honduras with Tony Stone and a group of college friends. He joined the Adelante Board of Directors in 2016. Rich recently retired from VMware where we was the Senior Vice President of Human Resources, based in Palo Alto, California. Prior to VMware, Rich lived in Helsinki, Finland leading Human Resources for Nokia’s Smart Devices Business Unit. His previous work also includes Sun Microsystems in Menlo Park, California. Rich holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Anderson School at the University of California, Los Angeles. In his free time, he has sung baritone in the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, is traveling and visiting old (figuratively and literally!) friends and enjoys working on the never-ending projects associated with his 100+ year old home.home.

Janet became involved with Adelante at its inception through her friendship with Tony and Kim Stone. Over the years she has supported fundraising efforts for Adelante in the San Francisco Bay Area and joined the Board of Directors in 2016. Janet is a Bay Area native and currently lives in San Francisco. She previously served as the Regional Sales Director for Elle Decor and House Beautiful magazines. Currently, she is an Account Executive at iHeart Media, making a return to her radio advertising background. Janet served three years on the Board of Directors at the Edgewood Center for Children and Families and was involved in the Auxiliary for many years, serving as President her last year. She is an avid tennis player and plays in leagues throughout the Bay Area.

Gina Cappuccitti is a nonprofit professional based in New York City and has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from SUNY New Paltz. She worked with Adelante in La Ceiba from 2012 until 2015 in development and social impact roles. In 2017 she returned to the United States after several years working abroad throughout Latin America. Since returning, her work has focused on programs serving survivors of domestic violence at the intersection of affordable housing and financial empowerment. She also volunteers as a tax preparer under the IRS’ Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program each year. Gina is thrilled to be back with Adelante now as a board member to support the organization’s continued growth and success.

Dr. Cecilia Chi-Ham is a Honduran native. She manages the global strategy process for the R&D portfolio at HM.CLAUSE, a vegetable seed company and business unit of Limagrain Group. She also leads the company’s intellectual property program and oversees the UC Davis HM.CLAUSE Life Sciences Innovation Center a business incubator for entrepreneurs. Previously she spent over 11 years at UC Davis developing international initiatives, like the Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture, Seed Central and UC Davis Chile, focused on transfer and commercialization of public-sector based agricultural technologies for humanitarian and commercial purposes. Her scientific research and publications span topics in agricultural biotechnology, regulatory and intellectual property analyses. Cecilia holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry and specialized in plant biology during her post-doctoral research at Michigan State University and UC Davis. She is a Patent Agent registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Cecilia currently resides in Amsterdam.

David Fleming was born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and moved to Central America at an early age. He spent his teenage years in La Ceiba, Honduras and has a deep connection and respect for the people of Honduras. David is the Director of Latin America for Seafresh Group, an international seafood business that produces and processes shrimp and other premium shellfish which are supplied to outlets worldwide. He oversees procurement of quality products spanning Chile, Argentina, and Louisiana. Specializing in integrated supply chains, David ensures fulfillment adherence to stringent social and environmental standards, so that both society and the environment benefit. David assumed leadership as President of the Board of Directors at Adelante in 2017. He lives in Guatemala City, Guatemala with his family.

Maria graduated from Berea College with a degree in Industrial Technology Management. Maria specialized in business operations needs of the semiconductor and electronic manufacturing test industry for nearly 20 years. She is currently the Global Director of Sales Administration Operations for Advantest Inc. Under her leadership, the company has developed a flexible operating business model to successfully meet the requirements of a dynamic global customer base. Her worldwide team is responsible for Forecast to Cash Operations including sales and business forecast planning, sales process optimization, order processing, accounts receivable, and audit compliance. Prior to joining Advantest, she led the Global Business Centers for the Automated Test Group of the Hewlett Packard (HP) spin-off Agilent Technologies, renamed Verigy upon going public. Raised in La Ceiba, Honduras, her work has frequently taken her to Asia, Latin America and Europe, but she’s happily called Denver home for 20 years.

John became a believer in micro-finance through his friendship with Kim and Tony Stone. John was an early supporter of Adelante and became a board member in 2006. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where he oversees information technology for an international asset management company and is chairman of a clean-combustion R&D firm. He has degrees in Chemical Engineering and Theology.

A trial lawyer with over 40 years of experience in state and federal courts, Mr. Musat graduated with a J.D. cum laude from Cleveland State University. With extensive trial experience in the areas of aviation law, products liability, contractual disputes, fires and explosions, commercial arbitrations, professional liability, recreational torts and personal and wrongful death actions, Mr. Musat is a diversified trial lawyer. Mr. Musat is also a licensed pilot with single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument ratings. He has represented both insurers and insureds in numerous aviation-related disputes, including lead litigation strategy and trial counsel in federal multi-district litigation cases involving air disasters with catastrophic losses. He has also coordinated the defense of several state court wrongful death and injury actions resulting from aviation disasters. Mr. Musat has handled a number of cases for the largest EMS Medical helicopter operator in the U.S. resulting from multiple fatality emergency medical service helicopter crashes in West Virginia, Utah, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and California. After many years of doing philanthropic work in Honduras, he joined Adelante’s Board in September 2018.

Becky Massie is our newest board member, most recently joining Adelante’s Board of Directors after visiting Honduras in February 2023. She is based in the Washington, DC area. Becky first learned about microfinance while studying abroad in Bangladesh and visiting Grameen Bank, and while living in the Dominican Republic and interning with Esperanza International. Currently, Becky works for International Justice Mission (IJM), a global human rights organization focused on protecting  people in poverty from violence across 21 countries around the world. Previously, Becky worked as a Management Consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. She attended the University of Virginia and received her B.S. in Commerce and minor in Global Sustainability. Becky is originally from Richmond, VA and she enjoys biking, drinking tea, and practicing her Spanish with anyone willing to listen.

Sue Vanderberg has a deep appreciation for and strong background in financial management. She served as a CPA and held a practice specializing in business tax planning and general consulting. She is also majority owner, President and CEO of Silco Oil Co where she has worked for over 20 years. Sue is also the treasurer of Colorado Heritage Camps, a non profit that operates annual camps for adoptees and their families to cultivate belonging and to become part of a larger community “just like themselves,” with shared experiences, challenges, and opportunities. Sue has supported Adelante Foundation for over a decade and participated in an Adelante Foundation Impact Tour in 2023. She has seen first hand how important it is to empower vulnerable women with resources to become economically self-sufficient.

Adelante Foundation board members and advisors represent a range of different life experiences and backgrounds. All members are required to spend time in Honduras to understand the unique challenges Adelante Foundation beneficiaries and staff face.