HETO - Executive Board Members

Ms. Evie Carroll, Executive Director

Ms. Peggy Esselman, HETO Founder

Peggy Esselman, founder of HETO, fell in love with Honduras from the moment she step foot in the country in 2004. Her love of the country, love of teaching, and the belief that all children should receive the highest level of education possible has led her on the path of growing HETO over the past 6 years. After graduating from Ball State University with a degree in Elementary Education, Ms. Esselman spent two years teaching in the inner city of Indianapolis, where her heart still lives. While on a mission trip to Honduras in 2004 with a group of Indianapolis teachers, she decided to leave the classroom and founded Heart in Education Teacher Outreach. Multi-cultural education is extremely important to her, she has spent time teaching and living in New Mexico on the Navajo reservation and in Liverpool, England. In addition to her work with HETO, Ms. Esselman works full-time as an Education Advocate for School on Wheels, assisting parents and children living in homeless shelters with educational needs.

Ms. Lindsay Alessandrini, Board President

After receiving her B.S. in Secondary Education (Spanish) from Indiana University, Ms. Alessandrini went on to earn her M.A. in Teaching and Learning from Nova Southeastern University and is currently a Spanish teacher and the World Language Department Chair at Zionsville Community High School. Ms. Alessandrini traveled with the HETO Teacher Trip in February 2007, where she team-taught three different lessons in the HETO schools in Spanish. Upon her return to Zionsville, Ms. Alessandrini founded the Operation: Honduras Club with the help of approximately 25 dedicated students. The students involved in the club raise money for HETO, collect school supplies for the Honduran schools, and participate in activities centered around helping the Francisco Morazán (Quiscamote) and Flor Azul Schools. Ms. Alessandrini lives in Noblesville with her husband and is the mother of two young sons.

Ms. Nina Rodriguez, Director of Honduran Operations

Ms. Amanda Borshoff, Acting Treasurer

In addition to her work on the HETO board, Ms. Amanda Borshoff is the Marketing and Promotions Manager for Planned Parenthood. She has been with the organization for two years and was promoted from the position of Marketing Coordinator. Ms. Borshoff is a native of Indianapolis and graduated from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Ms. Peggy Barnes, Director at Large

Ms. Erin Duffy, Director at Large

Ms. Duffy received her B.A. degree in English Composition from DePauw University in 1990 and has spent over 15 years in development, sales and marketing spending the the majority of her career in education. After five years at Butler University, Ms. Duffy joined the staff of The Orchard School and remains there today where she works in fundraising, alumni relations, strategic planning and communications. Erin’s interest in HETO began through a colleague, Ms. Evelyn Carroll. Ms. Duffy lives in Indianapolis with her husband and two daughters. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, reading, music and Zumba.

Mr. Dan Foote, Legal Counsel to the Board

Mr. Foote earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the honors division at Indiana University in 1992. He also earned an Area Studies Certificate in Latin American Studies and Spanish, and participated in the creation of a semester-long course dedicated to the study and observation of transitional elections held in Central America beginning in 1990. He spent several years as a member of a Sister Cities International program in Posoltega, Nicaragua where he worked on fund raising, cultural exchanges, academic research and programs designed to foster development in the areas of education and health care. Mr. Foote served as an accredited observer of the elections held in Nicaragua (1990) and El Salvador (1994).
Mr. Foote is a 1997 graduate of the Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis. As part of his legal studies he spent a semester at the Law Faculty at the University of Guanajuato in Guanajuato, Mexico.
Mr. Foote joined the Locke Reynolds law firm in Indianapolis (1997 – 2002) and Due Doyle Fanning & Metzger LLP (2002 – 2005). In October of 2005 he was appointed to serve as a hearing judge with the Worker’s Compensation Board of Indiana, and since that time has also dedicated a private practice to civil litigation and appellate matters.