Meet the team!

Marti Grimminck

Executive Director

📍 Netherlands

Having traveled all over the world, Marti is always fascinated by new cultures. She brings this passion for global connections to all of our work wanting to find the balance between innovation + impact. Fun Fact: Marti loves to sing on stage! If you hand her a mic, she may not give it back!

Read about Marti’s professional background
Find her on Linkedin, Instagram

Rachel Head

Program Director

📍 New Zealand

Rachel is a natural people person who has a knack of finding the fun in every situation. Rachel lives in New Zealand, but she also spends many months of the year in California. Fun fact: Rachel is an avid soccer player.

Find her on Linkedin, Instagram

Hannan Khan

Technical Community Manager

📍 United Kingdom

Hannan has a background in Computer Science and a knack for creating and managing technical communities. Hannan is based in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Leandro Muñoz

Community Mentor

📍 California, USA

When we need an injection of fun, we turn to Leandro. He bring energy to our work. Not only is he an excellent mentor for the youth in our global network, but also, he loves talking to people! Leandro is originally from Argentina, but he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Fun fact: Leandro LOVES Lady Gaga. You can always find him blasting her music.

Sena Bektas

Partnerships & Community

📍 Germany

Sena is the Community Manager for Your Big Year programs. She was formerly doing partnership management for International Connector. Before joining the team, Sena was a part of YBY projects for 4 years including Future of the Workforce, Make an Impact and Future of Women in Tech. She also participated as youth advisor in the Travel Impact Challenge and Global Citizen Challenge. Sena is currently doing her Master’s in North American Studies.

Bianca Fontes

Community Communications & Admin

📍 Texas, USA

Bianca loves the outdoors and nature. She is an environmentalist and hopes to inspire young people globally to fight global climate change. Fun Fact: She spends her weekends mountain biking.

Zoe B.

Program Manager

📍 United Kingdom

Zoe has brought her incredible experience from the production world and adapted it in producing her own journey as the ultimate traveler. Fun Fact: She is originally from Australia!

Josh Russell

Project Coordinator

📍 Ohio, USA

Josh is a recent college grad with a background in Finance and international work experience. A fun fact about him is he loves learning about geography and new places.

Saurabh Verma

Ecosystem and Data Operations Manager

📍 India

Hailing from the vibrant city of Delhi, India. Saurabh recently graduated with a degree in computer science, His passion for all things tech and data is boundless. He's always up to date with the latest spells...uh, I mean, technologies, ensuring that our team is armed with the most potent tools for success.

Virginia Perez-Navas

Social Media Manager

📍 California

Virginia is based in San Francisco Bay Area, where she serves as the Social Media Manager for the Your Big Year programs. She is a recent graduate from San Jose State University with a background in Business Administration and Marketing. Fun fact: Virginia was born in Guatemala.

Romina Bellarmino

Project Coordinator

📍 Italy

Romina recently graduated from Boston University with a degree in Project Management and has a background in Management Engineering. As a Project Coordinator for the Your Big Year programs, she combines her skills with a passion for global experiences. Half American and half Italian, In her free time, she loves to read and travel whenever possible.

Ugochukwu Okpo

Ambassador Liaison

📍 USA