BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Barbara Sorenson, became president of Vecinos Unidos in 2006 after joining the board of directors in 2005. A former grammar school teacher in Los Angeles and substitute teacher in Fairfax County, she joined the ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education located at the Council for Exceptional Children in 1990.  As the User Services Coordinator for the clearinghouse, she managed a large specialty library and its staff, answered a toll free number that dispensed information on special and gifted education, and co-authored publications for the clearinghouse. She retired in 2001 to pursue volunteer work with Vecinos Unidos. She holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Oklahoma State University.  President Sorenson received a benchmark award from Volunteer Fairfax in 2006.  In 2009 she received a benchmark award for 1,000 hours of yearly service and was the winner of the Adult Volunteer Award for volunteers with over 250 hours.  Barbara continues with the VU homework assistance program twice a week.

Uttara Limaye, Uttara joined the Vecinos Unidos Board of Directors in 2006. She serves as the board’s secretary and volunteers weekly with the Homework Assistance Program. She has worked for several multinational companies and some non-profit organizations in the United States. She also started up her own consulting company.  She passed the Senior Cambridge exams in Additional English with distinction. She holds degrees with honors in English, Social Sciences and Psychology. She completed a master’s course in Management.

Warren Brathwaite, a Senior Police Officer for the Town of Herndon, joined the VU board in 2006. He is a field training and youth services officer and a former Team Leader of Runnymeade District. His responsibilities include visiting after-school programs, such as VU’s Homework Assistance Program, searching for and following up on runaways, coordinating the Herndon Youth Police Academy, and inspecting/installing child car seats. He attended the Fairfax County Police Academy in 1994. He was named Officer of the Year in 1999 and 2001. He majored in civil engineering technology at Northeastern University and worked for the City of Boston as a junior civil engineer for eight years. 

John Porter, a volunteer twice a week for VU’s homework assistance program, joined the board in 2005.  He has 40 years of experience as an editor and reporter for the Oakland Tribune and USA TODAY.  He teaches four classes of English as a Second Language and heads Immigrant Outreach for Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon.

Dr. Grace Zamora Durán, a weekly VU homework assistance program volunteer, joined the board in 2007. She is an Education Research Analyst with the Research-to-Practice Division in the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. She works with projects pertaining to disproportionate representation in special education, culturally/linguistically diverse populations, learning disabilities, second language learning/acquisition, dropouts, and curriculum and instruction.  Before joining the Department of Education, she worked as an Assistant Executive Director at The Council for Exceptional Children, at the local level as a central administrator, and as a special and general education teacher. She has a doctorate in special education with a minor in bilingual education from the University of Arizona. 

Bob Searle, has been a volunteer with Vecinos Unidos since 2005, and joined the Board in March 2009.  He is a veteran of 21 years in the US Air Force.  After leaving the Air Force, he practiced law with the Marriott Hotel Company for 15 years.  He is an avid traveler, loves to visit his grandchildren and to root for his beloved Boston Red Sox.  He is presently retired.  In April 2009 Bob was nominated for a Volunteer Fairfax Service Award for his dedicated work as a volunteer with Vecinos Unidos.

Jan Umphrey, began volunteering at VU in 2008. After contributing to the community for more than 20 years as a member of the Herndon Optimist Club, she was looking for a way to expand her volunteerism into other areas. Jan is the associate director of communications for the National Association of Secondary School Principals and is the editor of the association’s magazine. Before entering the nonprofit world, she taught composition and literature at George Mason University. After reading and writing about how important personalized education and relationships are to students’ education as part of her work, she particularly enjoys working directly with students to help them improve their cognitive skills and learn to love learning. Jan joined the board in 2009.

Scott Newman, joined the board in March 2010 and holds the position of Treasurer. He is a certified public accountant in the commonwealth of Virginia and is employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He graduated from Villanova University in 1998 with a Bachelors of Science in Accounting. He is a member of the Virginia Society of CPAs, Massachusetts Society of CPAs, and the American Institute of CPAs.