The Board

Wes Garvin the founder of STAND (Students Taking Action Now w/ Determination), leadership organization in 2009.    In the thirty years prior to his involvement in adult education, Wes has been working in the Hospitality Industry, working his way up from an hourly employee to a restaurant and Hotel manager, to a Senior Recruiter, to a self employed entrepreneur and employer of a recruiting agency.  During this last experience of starting and running his own company, has built his expertise in the exact arena which STAND needed in order to become such a powerful voice in the adult education community in such a short amount of time. He knows how to recruit talent, manage projects, and deliver results that continue to build the organization.    

Currently work as a Case Manager/Employment Specialist for Community Work Services in North Providence, Rhode Island. Ms. Lopes has more than nine years of experience in the field of human service which includes case management, client advocacy and service coordination. Ms.Lopes is passionate and committed to helping individuals that she serves by empowering them to become self-sufficient. She earned her BA in Psychology from University of Massachusetts Boston.     

Maria Duarte is a Senior Human Resources Representative of Tiffany & Co. at the Forest Hill Manufacturing Facility in Cumberland, Rhode Island since 2001. Tiffany & Co. is recognized worldwide as an American luxury jewelry and specialty retailer, with its merchandise wrapped inside the iconic Tiffany Blue Box. Prior to joining Tiffany & Co., Maria was the Benefits Administrator for Paramount Cards Inc., a publisher/manufacturer of greeting cards, which was located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Maria Duarte possesses over 30 years of human resources experience which includes talent management, organizational development, training and development, and leadership and management coaching, as well as benefits administration. Maria is passionate about helping businesses make the most of their resources and talent and helping individuals, empowering them to make the most of their personal and professional growth. Maria holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College, majoring in Business and is a member of Society for Human Resource Management.    

Myrtle has been in the Recruiting sector of Human Resources for the past 10 years. She is a Talent Acquisition professional who partners with hiring executives and HR teams to optimize human capital management within their organizations and has provided full life cycle recruitment solutions in arenas that encompass hospitality, manufacturing, travel and telecommunications. She has also enjoyed entrepreneurial success in publishing and creative content conceptualization.

What she loves most about what she does is, “giving people a chance to do well.” This ardent passion for the discovery of new ideas, people, places and things has been integral to the development of her well-honed eye for identifying talent and the fosterment of relationships that enhance pipeline generation.

Myrtle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Myrtle Jalaber

Semhar, customer service representative with over ten years of experience.  As been part of the development team of STAND International Semhar, bilingual adult learner, has played in Integral role in the development of STAND. 

Semhar has been an advisory board member for many adult learner organization in the United States. 

Originally from Eritrea Africa Semhar has acquired a high school diploma in the states as well as graduated from Texas Central Texas College from the Paralegal Program. currently working as a customer service agent for health insurance company Humana.  Semhar believes that outstanding customer service makes a different.

A Self-Motivated, dependable employee who values timeliness. Experienced travel agent, with over ten years customer service experience, with effective communication skills. Hellen is Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Galileo and Amadeus, SITA database programs. Hellen is also fluent in Amharic and English. Hellen has worked for HMSHost at TFGreen Airport, Warwick she has assist in the four different HMSHost businesses in the airport. Hellen has worked in the Airline/Travel business for more than thirteen years. AirServe, Warwick, RI Customer Service agent greets TACV and Condor international passengers and assist them with the ticketing and baggage check in process, verifying identification and ticket.  Gate announcements with regard to the boarding process. Operate jet ways to place them in position prior to aircraft arrival. Hellen currently works with Southwest Airlines at TFGreen Airport, Warwick, RI Ground Ops Customer Service Agent Interacts with passengers to provide them with information about flights. Issuing tickets international or domestic flights Assisting passengers with kiosk for checking process collects payments and verifying identification Gate announcements. Education Rhode Island College, Providence, RI 2009. Customer Service and Insurance Technician Certificate 2009 URI Feinstein Providence Campus, Providence, RI Look and Leap Program 2014.