Leaders

Board of Directors

International Partners Staff

Paula Beckman

Paula Beckman (Ph.D.) is a co-founder of International Partners, is Vice President of the Board of Directors and serves as International Partners’ Education Advisor. An internationally known expert in early childhood development, special education and family support, Dr. Beckman is on the faculty of the University of Maryland. She has 30 years of experience conducting training and in developing, implementing and evaluating projects, particularly for young children and their families in community settings. She has written two books, over 60 articles and chapters, and has edited a series of booklets on this topic.

She has directed numerous research, teacher training and community development projects as a Professor at the University of Maryland. In addition to her work in El Salvador, she has provided consulting and worked on educational projects in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, and Honduras, Switzerland and Germany. She also consults with early childhood programs throughout the United States and has served on the Executive Board of the Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children, served for 12 years on the State of Maryland’s Interagency Governing Council for Infant and Toddler Programs, and has served in editorial roles for numerous professional journals.

Don Montagna

Don Montagna is President of the International Partners Board of Directors. He was the senior leader of the Washington Ethical Society for 34 years and a member and leader of the American Ethical Union since 1968.

He is the founder of numerous volunteer projects in fields ranging from homelessness to education. He is a noted speaker and workshop leader who has written several personal development curricula and who has a list of 200 tapes in circulation.

Mr. Montagna specializes in leadership development and has recently been seeking resources to invest in leaders from the world’s poorest places. In addition to his work in El Salvador, he has provided consulting related to community development and education in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, and Honduras. He has conducted training for US AID in the Philippines and Ethiopia, as well as in the United States.

Karla Kassania Pineda Monge

Karla Kassania Pineda Monge is the Director of International Partners in El Salvador. She is native of Suchitoto, in the Department of Cuscatlán. Karla has a Bachelor’s degree in Languages, specializing in English Teaching, from Don Bosco University and a Master’s degree in Education Administration from the Universidad Pedagógica de El Salvador. She has also completed Basic I training in “Lengua de Señas Salvadoreñas (LESSA)”, the sign language system used in El Salvador.

Karla’s journey with International Partners (IP) began in 2016 when she completed her university community service requirement with us. She provided administrative support for IP’s social and supporting educational, social and community activities in IP communities. This experience allowed her to build important relationships with IP communities.

After completing her community service, she continued to collaborate as a volunteer during her free time. In 2017, she accepted a temporary position to work on the disability program and provide support in the social services area. This role gave her firsthand insight into the specific cases and needs of people within the communities.

We were so impressed with Karla’s hard work and dedication that In August 2019, she was hired as the Assistant Director of Social Programs. In this role, her responsibilities expanded to cover all programs; she handled everything from field visits, meeting organization and planning, monitoring records, and accounting reports. In 2023, she completed training to assume the role of Alternate Compliance Officer, in accordance with government regulations for NGOs like IP.

As of 2024, Karla assumed the position of IP’s El Salvador Director, a role she continues to hold. In this role, she manages all functions of IP’s programs in El Salvador.

Throughout this journey, Karla has expressed her sincere gratitude to IP for the opportunity and trust shown in her continued professional growth within the organization. She also holds deep gratitude and affection for the people and communities she serves; she learns from them daily and constantly reaffirms her commitment to working alongside them.