WHO WE ARE
Our Mission
Mundo Sostenible works with local and international partners to fund and implement clean energy projects to foster economic growth in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.
Our Vision
We strive to transition Latin American economies to utilize 100% renewable energy resources for electricity generation and transportation fuel, and to maximize all energy efficiency opportunities in the production, transmission, and consumption of energy.
Organizational Governance
In an effort to be as transparent as possible about our organization's structure and procedures, our Bylaws are available through the link below:
Mundo Sostenible INC - Bylaws
Executive Officers
Lesley Sideck
President
Lesley became a member of the MSc board in January 2023. She has a Bachelor’s in Literature and Anthropology, a Master’s in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and close to a decade of experience teaching English, mostly in Latin America. She first arrived in Arequipa in 2016, and spent the majority of the next five years there working as a teacher and academic coordinator.
Before transitioning to teaching, she worked as a development officer for Rebuilding Together New Orleans; writing grants, assisting with events, and leading groups of volunteers onsite, among other responsibilities. This background led her to volunteer with Mundo Sostenible in a development capacity and eventually join the board.
She currently resides in New Jersey, but visits Peru regularly and hopes to return on a long-term basis in the near future.
Barrett Lione-Seaton
Vice President
I was drawn to MSc through Clint Fandrich and knowing his dedication to the cause he has been working on. I knew his dedication and commitment to the cause was steadfast and thorough. I also fully believe in the cause and projects that have been completed thus far.
By day I am a manager of several production lines of a medium sized food production company based in Madison, WI. I am also on the B-Corp team for the company. My favorite thing from my travels has been getting to know so many different cultures first hand.
Everywhere I have lived around the world, I have dived in head first and immersed myself through working in and with the people of every country I have lived in. To me, knowing a language and food of a culture is the best way to learn the roots of its existence. I have worked in more industries than I can remember and this gives me a strong base for anything I take on. I also have a degree in Geology in which I draw from in every job I’ve ever worked in one way or another.
Shane McMahon
Treasurer
Shane is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics and a Ph.D. in Biophysics. Shane is a research scientist, entrepreneur and consultant, teaches workshops on entrepreneurship, and co-founded a company focused on providing impactful professional development opportunities. Shane provides consulting services to startups and nonprofits in and around Madison, Wisconsin focusing on customer discovery, market segmentation, and corporate governance.
Colin Roth
Lead Program Manager
A lawyer by trade, Colin brings to MSc the same critical thinking and attention to detail he employs every day while serving clients with complex legal problems. Colin also uses his deep experience in state government to help MSc navigate the complicated regulatory environment that faces international nonprofits. He relishes the opportunity to use these professional skills to serve MSc's charitable mission of fostering sustainable energy development in Peru and the broader region, especially in underserved communities.
Colin received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his law degree from the New York University School of Law. After spending five years as an attorney for the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Colin returned to the private sector and now is a partner at Stafford Rosenbaum LLP in Madison, Wisconsin.
He lives in Madison with his wife and daughter.
Board of Directors
Rachel Beiser
Rachel earned a B.A. in Anthropology from University of Maryland-College Park. After graduating, Rachel earned her TEFL/TESOL certification in Arequipa, Peru, where she lived and taught English for 15+ months. During her time in Arequipa, Rachel enjoyed the opportunity to meet local community members and see Mundo Sostenible's first completed project at El Amor de Dios (The Love of God) orphanage. Rachel is very excited to work with Friends of Mundo Sostenible in order to support MSc's current and future projects and spread awareness of how solar energy is not only essential for environmental sustainability but also for improving the social and economic conditions of the community's most vulnerable.
Rachel currently lives in Washington, DC.
Jeff Bobula
Jeff is passionate about supporting people to gain knowledge in life by utilizing technology. His professional career started by studying Audio Engineering and Music Technology at Madison Media Institute in Madison, Wisconsin. He managed a recording studio in the mid-2000s while also playing music.
For the past 10 years, Jeff has worked in complex hardware and software environments with consumer and business support for leading technology companies like Apple and Evernote.
Jeff is excited about reducing carbon emissions by leveraging sustainable energy project development for those who need it most. With MSc, he is directly combating climate change, an enormous challenge to humanity. An avid meditator, Jeff is mindfully extending this passion of helping people with MSc by managing available technologies to bring affordable and sustainable renewable energy practices to Peru and beyond. Jeff also enjoys singing, all Wisconsin sport teams, and cheese.
He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Sarah, and dog, Barry.
Emily Breeden
Emily joined the board of MSc in October of 2021 and has spent a majority of her career working for global leaders in the sustainability and energy efficiency industry (Trane Technologies and Johnson Controls). Emily now works for Smart Buildings Academy helping employees get the training they need to operate and run commercial buildings more efficiently.
MSc brings together her passion for the environment, for philanthropy, and her love for Peru, which first began in 2015 while she was volunteering in a small rural community outside of Cusco. She got connected with MSc in a serendipitous way, as she happened to be in Peru working with and fundraising for various orphanages, at the same moment that MSc was looking for new projects. She even got to help with the installation of one of MSc’s solar projects in Ayaviri, Puno!
Emily currently lives in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
Billy Callis
Billy is a fluent Spanish-speaker, avid naturalist, life-long student of the piano, movement enthusiast and a true believer in the human family. He was born and raised in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey and attended Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland where he graduated in 2012 earning a BA in English. After settling up his university debt working for Vodafone in the NYC metro area, he traveled around the US meeting people from all walks of life; rural and urban, entrepreneurs and employees, sophisticated and simple, privileged and poor, white collar and blue collar, as many of his ‘paisanos’ as he could. After this journey he landed in the San Francisco Bay Area where, while working 2 jobs to make ends meet, he rediscovered his love of learning language.
Wanting to meet more of his paisanos in the South, he moved to Arequipa, Peru and taught English, refined his Spanish, and stood awestruck by the richness of a people who live through their hearts. It was in Arequipa where he met Clint. Clint and he connected immediately, helped each other root down in Peru, and he was introduced to the MSc team. The rest is history as they say.
He currently lives in Asheville, NC supporting MSc with his partner Jilly where they lovingly cultivate crops, compost, and reverse climate change one human heart at a time.
Behnam Gharagozli
Ben received his B.A. with Highest Distinction in Political Science from UC Berkeley and J.D. cum laude from UC Hastings College of the Law. While in law school, he served as Development Editor of the Hastings International and Comparative Law Review. His publications include works on the international law of warfare, Trump’s Middle East policy, Middle Eastern conflicts, Iranian studies, and American immigration law.
Ben earned a Distinction in the Politics of the Middle East and North Africa course in the MPhil in International Relations and Politics program at the University of Cambridge. While at Cambridge, he wrote his dissertation on the current Iranian regime. Ben operates his own law firm. He has an impressive success rate at trial and appeals. His practice includes constitutional law, family law and tenants’ rights. In 2022 alone, two appellate matters that Ben worked on were certified for publication.
Ben speaks Spanish and Persian (professionally proficient) and French (conversant). Ben lives in Los Angeles with his spouse, Parisa.
Luisa Michelsen and Levi Leenders
Luisa Michelsen is an Arts Manager and Programme Curator with a Master’s Degree in Museology/Museography from University of Westminster UK. As a British-Peruvian bi-national, she has a deep understanding of Latin American and British art and culture enabling connections beyond the fine arts and into all areas of historical, modern and contemporary culture. She established the Art Programme as Arts Manager in British Council Peru, where she worked leading innovative strategic programs to develop the cultural sector and social impact within the Americas. She has a keen interest in work that is participatory, challenges uses of public space, supports positive social change and represents the expression and creativity of diverse voices. Most recently in 2022, she participated in the development of an exchange program which connected textile creators from the Americas with Textile Collections at the World Museums in the Netherlands.
Levi Leenders is a store manager/owner of a Wine and Spirits store, living in the Netherlands with experience in retail and with a passion for sustainability projects. He has lived in Peru for many years where he also developed his knowledge by learning and participating in courses such as “Installing solar panels for small-scale projects” and “Business reduction of energy consumption for your business.” During his time in Peru, he made contact with several groups and initiatives focusing on sustainability and green energy in Arequipa and Lima. Most recently, he is part of Endura, an independent energy cooperative of and for residents, companies, schools and other foundations and associations in Harderwijk, NL.
As a team, Luisa and Levi would like to create a bridge between Europe and the future of MSc by finding and channeling new opportunities. They believe they have the right capacities and enthusiasm to bring attention and hopefully funding to MSc.
Brad Prescott
I met Clint while looking for quotes to install a rooftop solar system on our home in Arequipa, in Southern Peru. I was immediately intrigued at the notion that he’d set up a Non-Profit here (where I still live) to positively impact the world's Climate Change situation. Throughout the process, even though the organization didn’t seem to have a lot of experience (I still haven’t found anyone who has more here), Clint struck me as very transparent, communicative, informed and optimistic. It seemed obvious that this was his calling. I was inspired and I wanted to help. I signed the contract, paid for the hardware and the system got installed and is still running successfully a couple of years later. I’ve saved roughly $1000 in utility bills, so the system should pay for itself in the estimated timeframe. And more importantly, I’ve saved a few metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions. I’ve since become a champion of Clint’s organization and worked to educate local people about how such systems work and can save them money and life’s future on this planet.
Matthew Quraishi-Landes
Matthew is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Environmental Studies. He splits his time between multiple non-profit organizations and a busy family life.
After visiting Clint in Peru in 2019, MSc was an obvious choice to give his time and effort because he saw mutual benefits between himself and the organization that could also make an impact on the lives of people in developing places, as well as with the environment. MSc’s mission and vision, as well as the potential impacts the organization have been significantly influenced by Matthew’s contributions and he looks forward to shaping and managing the organization into a successful future.
Matthew lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife, Asifa, and their 3 children.
Alex Sotis
Alex was born in the United States in the state of Rhode Island but has spent time living abroad, including Peru. Working as a software engineer allowed him to work remotely while traveling in South America and Asia. After graduating from the University of Rhode Island with a major in math and minors in philosophy and computer science, he has been working in the tech sector. His focus is on data infrastructure and empowering businesses to make better decisions by extracting value out of their data. He is presently employed at a tech startup based out of New York.
Alex believes progress does not happen by accident, but from human action. He is very ready to offer his time and expertise in technology to drive growth for MSc.
Alex lives at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia with his two dogs, Savannah and Charlie.
Project Implementation Team - Peru
Clint Fandrich
General Manager
Clint is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he studied renewable energy policy development. Integrating renewable energy and energy efficiency technology with on-the-ground circumstances, particularly in the developing world, are a main focus of his education and work experience.
Before coming to Mundo Sostenible, Clint served the State of Wisconsin as a lead energy policy analyst to maximize Wisconsin’s bioenergy potential. Clint firmly believes that the future is bright for clean energy development in emerging economies in the coming decades, particularly in Peru. Together with partners around Latin America and the United States, he looks forward to offering his experience, determination, and support for responsible and sustainable energy development to reduce poverty and protect the environment.
Clint lives in Arequipa, Peru with his wife, Lili, and their five cats.
Gerson Chavez
Born and raised in Arequipa, Gerson is a graphic design technician and a specialist in computer repair and maintenance. While he chose not to follow the traditional trajectory of his education, he began to feel more comfortable in the field of sales and marketing. This allowed him to develop a skill of detailing complex concepts with the goal of improving the lives of people and animals alike. Direct contact with clients and business partners soon led him to discover a passion for professional communication and presentation and to fit in well with sales and marketing teams. Gerson worked in this role at a clean energy project developer in Arequipa where he improved the communications tools to familiarize clients with new solar water heating technology.
Gerson soon joined MSc as he began to see that it was possible to help improve the lives of people in his community with clean energy projects and in turn take care of the environment. Additionally, Gerson hopes to help make MSc one of the largest and most successful organizations in cultivating a higher quality of life for people in Peru and beyond, as well as improve environmental quality and contribute to a more sustainable ecosystem for wildlife. In the near future, Gerson hopes to establish a shelter for animals, particularly street dogs, called Grecolandia. He believes it is fundamentally important for communities to defend animal rights and provide a better quality of life for our four-legged neighbors.
Gerson lives in Arequipa, Peru with his adopted dog, Oso.
Public Relations Manager
Rafael Fernández
Rafael has only one objective: to solve global problems using engineering solutions.
He began his studies in Electrical Mechanical Engineering at the Catholic University of Santa Maria in Arequipa, Peru. To follow his passion of gaining new knowledge and skills, he pursued an offer for a yearlong internship at EGASA, one of the largest electrical generators in Arequipa, where he learned about the current state of the electrical generation industry in Arequipa and Peru more generally. He also learned a great deal about the intercommunication between electrical generators and energy distribution infrastructure. At the end of his internship, Rafael began to explore opportunities with renewable energy and was introduced to solar energy through small-scale projects as an apprentice. During that period, he also found time to become certified as an electrician through programs offered by SENATI, as well as becoming a hydraulic systems designer through TECSUP.
After a couple of years and before joining MSc, Rafael began to work at a private company that provided renewable energy solutions where he designed solar and wind energy projects. In his free time, he worked as an engineering consultant for companies that are interested in finding ways to solve energy-related problems with improved energy efficiency, such as with LED lighting and solar water heating, and solar and wind energy systems.
Rafael lives in Arequipa, Peru with his mother and his dog, Jackson.
Project Co-Manager
Maria Alejandra Raffo Salazar
Maria Alejandra has a Master’s in Environmental, Economic and Social Development at the Autonomous University of Barcelona-Spain. Before attending her Master’s program, she worked for four years in the mining sector. It was there that she discovered her interest and motivation for contributing to the environment by developing solutions that benefit both communities and companies in an inclusive way.
She studied Commercial Engineering at the Catholic University of Santa María in Arequipa, Peru. Her experience there provided the foundation for her Master’s program in granting exposure to operational management, with an emphasis on marketing and business.
She is a proactive and enthusiastic person who enjoys a challenge. Through her easy-going character, she is unafraid of interacting with an array of personalities. She has a true spirit of leadership as well as the ability to work as an indispensable team player.
Maria’s knowledge and experience in different professional fields will help MSc to have an integrated perspective in being able to present different alternatives to problems faced by companies’ cooperative projects and by the greater communities MSc serves.
She enjoys traveling and cycling in the countryside. She loves any chance to try traditional food from anywhere.
Ale lives in Arequipa, Peru with her parents and her dog.
Publicity Manager
Renato Navarrete Orihuela
Renato strives to bring electricity to far-flung places in Peru that don’t currently enjoy basic utility services using renewable energy, all while helping to prevent pollution. He began his studies in Mechanical Engineering at the Santa Maria Catholic University in Arequipa, Peru. He developed a passion for Competitive Robotics, as well as doing research in energy solutions by developing home-made solar panels with the help of members of his robotics team. Renato began an apprenticeship in the development of solar panels for utility poles and continued his work in Renewable Energy, developing mostly photovoltaic projects, on and off-grid systems, solar water pumping systems, and hybrids, all at large and small scales.
He has contributed his experience and knowledge to MSc in different technical aspects, including sizing of photovoltaic systems and completion of photovoltaic projects. Renato enjoys traveling, home-made and competitive robotics, and electric motors.
He lives in Arequipa, Peru.
Project Co-Manager