Insight Cuba Staff
Insight Cuba is committed to providing all of our participants with professional and personal attention. Our staff is always available to answer your questions and work with you to meet your individual needs.
Our in-country hosts come from our partner organization based in Havana. All hosts are native Cubans, all have university degrees, are fluent in both English and Spanish, and have an extensive knowledge of history and culture. Because the program hosts are from Cuba, they provide our participants with a unique view of the country, and insight into the local culture. They are able to share their own perspective of the country, and provide access to areas of Cuban society not usually available to tourists.
Our U.S. based staff frequently visit the programs they manage, so that they can provide you with detailed knowledge and expert guidance before you go. They are able to answer whatever questions you may have, big or small.
Tom Popper, President
Born in New York, Tom attended both George Washington University, and Pace University. Right out of school Tom followed a passion and began working for Mission: Wolf, a non-profit educational wildlife sanctuary based in Colorado. He has lived in seven states on both the east and west coasts and has spent the more than 20-years in various management roles for both for-profit and non-profit companies throughout the United States.
Tom’s greatest passion is international travel and has traveled to more than 20 countries. After falling in love with Cuba and its people, he joined Insight Cuba as its Director in 2002. Tom managed all U.S. and Cuba based operations, which ultimately supported thousands of Americans traveling to Cuba. Under Tom’s leadership, Insight Cuba became the single largest provider of specific-licensed travel of Americans to Cuba since 1963, the year President Kennedy imposed U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba.
Tom maintains relationships at all levels within the Cuban government and has legally traveled to Cuba numerous times to develop programming, visit Insight Cuba groups on the island, and increase friendships.
Two days after the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York, Tom was part of the Cross-Cultural team to embed themselves at Ground Zero which ultimately led to the contribution of 6,500 volunteers at the site over six months. In 2004, Tom brought the experiences he learned from Insight Cuba to help develop Cross-Cultural Solutions’ Insight Abroad Volunteer program.
Steve Rosenthal, Founder and Executive Director of Cross-Cultural Solutions
Steve founded Cross-Cultural Solutions in 1995, and as its Executive Director, has traveled extensively throughout the world making frequent trips to the communities where we operate. An expert in his field, he has been invited to speak at the U.N. on Non-Governmental Organizations and gender issues, serves on the advisory boards of several international volunteer organizations, and is an active consultant for many international volunteering organizations in the U.S. and abroad.
Steve also serves on the Executive Committee of the International Volunteer Programs Association and is the Chairman of the Building Bridges Coalition, a project of the Brookings Institution focused on expanding international volunteer service, improving service quality, and ensuring positive impacts in communities throughout the world. Steve also co-chairs the National Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy Task Force on Voluntary International Service, and serves on the Roundtable Consortium for the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange.
In May 2002, Steve was recognized with the New York Senate Liberty Award "for selfless contributions during the terrorist attacks" of September 11th, where Cross-Cultural Solutions staff helped coordinate more than 6,500 volunteers to assist rescue workers at Ground Zero in the six months following the disaster.
Savina Perez, Director of Public Relations & Partnerships
Born in New York, Savina attended Boston University where she received her BSBA with a concentration in Marketing. She began her career in Public Relations and has spent the past several years honing her skills in various marketing and management roles. With a true passion for marketing, she has built brands into household names in a variety of industries including entertainment and hospitality. Outside of work, Savina has spent considerable time trekking across the globe with a few of her favorite stops being Turkey, Shanghai, Goa and Cuba. She speaks several languages and some of her most memorable travel experiences are the conversations she has had with local people.
Natalie Novak, Manager of U.S. Operations
Natalie Novak joined and helped re-launch the Insight Cuba division of Cross-Cultural Solutions in January, 2011. She is from Minneapolis, Minnesota and studied International Studies and Political Science at the University of Minnesota. She originally volunteered with Cross-Cultural Solutions’ International Volunteer Program in Lima, Peru, where she had an extraordinary experience working with children at an after-school program based in Villa el Salvador. Her love for cultural learning through international travel inspired her to begin working for Cross-Cultural Solutions in 2004, where she succeeded in preparing more than 2,000 participants for their programs. Her favorite travel memories are from times in Peru, Cuba, Brazil, Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico, Ghana, Togo, China, Germany, Spain, and throughout the Caribbean.
Alison Coelho, Director of Cuba Operations
Alison grew up in Southern California, and graduated with a degree in the History of Latin America from U.C. San Diego. She taught English for two years in Costa Rican public schools and to senior managers working for major U.S. corporations and is fluent in Spanish. She spent an additional four years in Costa Rica designing and leading programs for nonprofit agencies with a focus on international education and environmental awareness. Alison’s strong international experience took her to Cuba where she designed, and directed programs for U.S. based non-profit organizations including Insight Cuba from 2000 to 2003. After living aboard for more than 10 years, Alison relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she now lives with her family. She is thrilled to part of Insight Cuba as the Custom Group Manager applying both her passion and experience to each group.
Adam Sichta, Operations Manager
Adam recently moved to New York City and began working for Insight Cuba after teaching writing and communication for the University of Michigan at its joint institute in Shanghai, China. He grew up in a small Wisconsin town, moved to Minnesota and received a Bachelor’s degree in history, took a year off from school to work at a law firm in Florida, then moved to Connecticut to obtain a Master’s degree in international studies. Additionally, Adam has lived and taught for two years in the countryside of China’s Hunan province.
To date he’s lived abroad four years and explored 27 countries. A few notable experiences include hiking to Mount Everest, epic train rides across Russia and India, and driving solo over 10,000 miles around America. Without question his greatest experience of all has been the people he’s met along the way, whose kindness to a total stranger has taught him to appreciate the amazing diversity that exists in the world, and the value of sharing one’s culture with others. Adam is thrilled to join Insight Cuba, where he anticipates the positive changes the people-to-people programs will produce once all Americans have the chance to visit Cuba, share their experiences, and establish meaningful, long-lasting friendships.
Jessica Cipollone, Custom Group Coordinator
Jessica Cipollone, is a native New Yorker. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Hunter College of The City University of New York. After graduation she, began a career in retail management, saving most of her income for travel. Her first trip was to Italy, where she visited Gallo Matese, a small town where most of her family lives. It is in Gallo Matese where she felt an incredible connection to the country and its culture and where she discovered her passion for travel. Wanting to marry her passion for travel with a professional career, she joined Insight Cuba and has never looked back. Her favorite destinations include Costa Rica, Italy, and of course Cuba!
Deva-Dee Silee, Custom Group Specialist
Deva was born on the beautiful Dutch-Caribbean island of Curacao, and spent part of her childhood in the Netherlands. At the age of 17, Deva moved to the U.S, and a few years later she went on to pursue her undergraduate education in Political Science, International Law, and Human Rights at Columbia University in New York. During her college years she volunteered with Cross-Cultural Solutions in Tanzania and spent time in both Paris and The Netherlands exploring diversity issues in Europe as a fellow and intern with Humanity in Action. In 2010, she also spent five months in Morocco doing research on Migration and transnational identity. Deva loves dancing, traveling and learning new languages; she speaks Dutch, Spanish, French and Papiamentu fluently, and is looking to perfect her Arabic and Portuguese in the near future.
Kelly Knowles, Travel Specialist Manager
Kelly was born and raised in Key West, Florida. She graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2007 with a B.A. degree in Psychology, English, and Gender Studies. Her non-fiction work and poetry have both been published in the Cypress Dome literary magazine and have been performed at the Bowery Poetry Club. She also received prestigious university awards for her non-fiction creative writing. After graduation, she relocated to London where she worked in course administration at London South Bank University. Upon completion of that role, she commenced on a long-term trip that would take her to 40 countries world-wide. Her favorite travel destinations include Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Spain and of course, Cuba. At the beginning of 2011, she moved to New York and became a Travel Specialist with Insight Cuba.
Emma Rinaldi, Travel Specialist
Born and raised in Northern California, Emma developed a love of international travel at a very early age. After having traveled extensively with family and friends, she convinced her parents to let her venture to China on her own at age 16 and she has been traveling ever since. Growing up she taught disabled skiing, worked in developmental classrooms and volunteered at various aid agencies. She attended Bennington College and graduated in 2011 with a degree in International Relations and French. During her undergraduate years, she was provided with the opportunity to work and volunteer in the U.S. abroad multiple times and fell in love with Cross-Cultural Solutions. She also completed internships in places such as Native American Rights Fund and micro-finance organizations. When she learned about the prospect of working with Insight Cuba, she was immediately drawn to its mission and values. She believes that traveling abroad is an unforgettable and invaluable experience and is delighted with the opportunity to help people venture to Cuba on such unique and fascinating programs.
Tes Cohen, Travel Specialist
Tes grew up moving around the northeast. She graduated from Connecticut College with a degree in Hispanic Studies and Psychology. Upon graduating from college, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica promoting community development in rural communities. An avid traveler, Tes has summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and traveled throughout Europe and Latin America. Her favorite cities include Barcelona, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, and NYC. Tes is very excited about traveling to Cuba and enjoys facilitating this amazing opportunity for others.
Thomas Ciccone, Travel Specialist
Thomas was born and raised in the cultural melting pot of New York, which fostered his interest in foreign cultures. His love of people led him to pursue a degree in Psychology at Hunter College of The City University of New York. Thomas began his career in customer service and banking and is very excited to bring that experience to Insight Cuba. An avid biker and artist, Thomas also loves adventure, from exploring the volcanoes in Costa Rica to cliff diving in Jamaica. Thomas travelled to Cuba for the first time in late October and is delighted to share his experiences.
Kathryn Bedecarre, Travel Specialist
Kate Bedecarre is a northern California native and New York transplant. She earned her BA in Spanish and Ethnic Studies at Sarah Lawrence College. She spent the first semester of her senior year studying abroad in Havana, Cuba. For four months she lived in the neighborhood of El Vedado and took classes at the Universidad de La Habana, the Center for Demographic Studies (CEDEM), and the institute of Latin American Cinema. Deeply moved by her experience in La Habana, Kate returned to the island six more times and finally entered the Master's program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU’s Graduate School of Arts and Science- completing her Master's Thesis on Cuban Economic and Social Policy. She graduated this past January. Kate possesses a deep love for Cuba and its people and in the future, she hopes to lead student groups to the island. She is thrilled to be a part of the opportunities for understanding, friendship and exchange made available by Insight Cuba. Although Cuba is her favorite travel destination, Kate also cherishes her time spent in Spain, Ecuador, France, Italy, Mexico, and Dominica.
Alexandra Marcus, Travel Specialist
Born in Santa Monica, California, Alex grew up most of her life in the suburbs of NYC and attended Loyola University in New Orleans where she earned her BA in history and a minor in women’s studies in 2011. Her affection for New Orleans began when she volunteered after Hurricane Katrina in 2006 and fell in love with the Big Easy and all its culture, food, music, and most of all the people. She has traveled extensively all over the world and has been fortunate enough to go to 26 countries. Alex studied art history, culture, and architecture in Sicily during the summers of 2010 and 2011 and is currently working to perfect her Italian cooking and language skills. In Sicily, she also attended the prestigious Taormina Film Festival and screened films in the Greek Amphitheatre. Some of her fondest travel memories are attending Carnivale in Venice, trying to find the Lochness monster in Scotland, dancing the Tango in Argentina, and spending New Years in Havana, Cuba. She was a traveler on Insight Cuba’s Bay of Pigs tour in December and began working here in February and is extremely excited to share all those wonderful experiences.
Benjamin Lazarus, Travel Specialist
Ben was born and raised in Connecticut. His love for the outdoors and adventure landed him at the University of Vermont, where he studied Marketing and History, and spent much of his time in the Green Mountains. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, he began his career in the marketing and advertising industry. Working temporarily for the Insight Cuba marketing department solidified his love for the organization and Cuban culture and he transitioned to become a full-time travel specialist. He has traveled all over the U.S. to pursue his love of skiing. He has particularly enjoyed hiking in Wyoming and swimming and dancing in the Bahamas. Ben is extremely excited to make his pilgrimage to Cuba in the very near future.