STAFF MEMBERS
Executive Director, Co-Founder
Courtney McGovern
When Courtney McGovern was just 10 years old, she fell in love with service. Courtney’s family built two playgrounds that year in Guatemala. Courtney became passionate about Guatemala and knew she wanted the country and the people she met there to be in her life forever. Though she and her family traveled to other corners of the world building playgrounds, she eventually returned to Guatemala City when she was 14 and has been dedicated to empowering families in the city’s garbage dump communities ever since. At age 16, Courtney and her twin sister, Ashley, co-founded HOPE’S IN.
In January of 2018, Courtney graduated from New York University with a degree in Nonprofit Management. Upon graduation, she became the first full-time employee of HOPE’S IN. Courtney is a storyteller at heart. From a TEDx presentation and public speaking engagements to quiet coffee shops, Courtney eagerly shares all she’s learned from families in Guatemala and helps others discover their service passions.
Throughout her journey with service, Courtney has humbly accepted various awards and recognition for her dedication to HOPE’S IN. Amongst these are a merit based scholarship to New York University through the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship, the Paul Harris Fellowship through Rotary International, and being named one of Chicago Scholar’s 35 Under 35 at the age of twenty-three.
FORTALEZA LEADER
Katie Rosales
Katie Rosales serves at Chosen People International as their communications coordinator, and also serves at HOPE’S IN as their program coordinator for Fortaleza in Guatemala City.
Katie has a marketing degree from Harding University, AR. Katie received a full-ride scholarship to attend college in the United States through the prestigious Walton International Scholarship Program. In Guatemala, reports show that .01% of people obtain a college degree. This statistic and others make Katie all the more remarkable.
Katie met Courtney McGovern when she was a student at a local organization’s tutoring program called Potters House Association. The two became friends and shared a passion for serving and even dreamed of working together one day. Katie got fully involved with HOPE’S IN in 2018 when Courtney and she started talking about serving young mothers and at-risk teenagers in Zone 3 of Guatemala City. One idea and dream led to another, and that is how Fortaleza was born. Katie now leads the Fortaleza program which has been serving ten young mothers and at-risk teenagers for almost two years now.
