Announcing the 2020 FPOA Board
John (“Juan Carlos”) Schoch is the newly elected President of the Florida-Colombia Chapter of Partners of the Americas (FPOA). A native of Minnesota, he has served as Vice-President of Florida Partners and Treasurer of the Sunset Civitan Club of the Daytona Beach area. He retired (2008) after many years as Community Development Director and Assistant City Manager for South Daytona, FL. John has a B.A. (International Relations) and an M.P.A. (Public Administration).
Fluent in Spanish, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer (1963-65) for Accion Comunal in the municipio of Pitalito, Huila, Colombia. His work background also includes owner/business manager of his wife’s Montessori School and self-employed consultant (city planning & project administration) in Lincoln, Nebraska.
As a member of the Florida/Colombia Chapter of Partners since 2006, John’s service has included past President, Vice-President, and Regional Counsellor. He is a member of Friends of Colombia, First Coast Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida.
John sees opportunities for the chapter to better utilize national POA programs consistent with the central POA mission—to connect, serve, and change lives. As President, he seeks to apply his abilities and experience to strengthen the organization through teamwork with impactful projects requiring close collaboration with our Colombian and other Latin American partners. Additionally, his focus is to facilitate more communication and participation among members and associates. He envisions growing an ever-stronger Chapter, carrying out and sharing the positive and impactful work of Partners of the Americas, a nonprofit hemispheric international organization.
Chantri Waddoups Daise is the newly elected Vice President for FPOA. She is the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Education Services for Stetson University’s Department of Education in DeLand, Florida. Chantri was born and raised in Lake Helen, Florida.
From 2007-2009 Chantri traveled throughout parts of Peru living with local people and serving them in various capacities through her church organization.
Here she came to develop a love for the Latin American people, an appreciation for their rich heritage and culture, and a deep sense of dedication to their social justice causes. She graduated from Southern Virginia University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Family and Child Development. Chantri is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Environmental Sustainability.
Fluent in Spanish, Chantri has been a member of the Florida Partners for the past four years and has served as secretary for the organization during that time. She also serves as a liaison for the FPOA and Stetson University. Chantri sees the Florida Partners organization as an important tool for fostering relationships between people of different cultures, encouraging greater unity among communities, and improving lives of individuals through shared goals in peacemaking. As Vice President, Chantri would like to increase local chapter membership through outreach to Stetson graduate students, faculty, and staff. She would also focus on improving communication with current and past chapter members as well as fostering new projects while supporting past projects to increase member involvement.
Harold Alexander Silva is the newly elected Secretary of the Florida-Colombia Partners. He is also the Chief Operating Officer at Claudia’s Flowers, LLC; an adjunct faculty member at Florida International University’s School of International and Public Affairs; and has been an adjunct instructor at Miami Dade College’s School of Social Sciences.
His higher education experiences have included serving as the Campus Director of the Institute for Civic Engagement and Democracy at Miami Dade College. He served as the Executive Director for the Latin America and Caribbean Region at Service for Peace. He developed and led various national teams throughout the region, which included Brazil, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Harold ‘s degrees from Florida International University include an Executive Masters of Public Administration with a Certificate in International and Comparative Public Administration, a Bachelors of Arts in International Relations, with a concentration in Latin America and the Caribbean, and a minor in Business. He completed his associate in arts at Miami Dade College.
Harold has been a member of the Florida chapter since 2009. He serves as Regional Counselor, liaison for South Florida, organizing various programs and projects while also hosting international visitors. He seeks to enhance projects and connect Partners projects with community-based needs.