Jonathan Melk, MD — Chief Executive Officer of the Rosa Vera Fund (RVF)
During the second year of his pediatric residency training—and with the generous support and encouragement of family and friends—Jonathan founded the Rosa Vera Fund. In the United States, Jonathan is the Chief Executive Officer of the nonprofit community health organization Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Inc. which serves the rural southeastern Arizona border with Mexico. In his off hours, you will find Jonathan and his wife Dr. Darlene Melk (RVF’s Chief Medical Officer) exploring the deserts and mountains of the Southwest with their sons. Jonathan is deeply grateful to the RVF’s Board, the CSRA, and the generous donors who make our important work possible.
In my experience, development work is most effective when efforts are led by local leaders. I am inspired by the willingness and determination of our Bolivian colleagues to take on these challenges in a corner of the world that desperately needs their dedication and expertise. — Dr. Jonathan Melk, Founder and CEO of the Rosa Vera Fund
Darlene Melk – Chief Medical Officer of the RVF
Darlene first traveled to Bolivia as a physician volunteer for the Rosa Vera Fund in 2010. She immediately recognized the unique and meaningful impact the project was making on the lives of the children and families who received support, as well as on the professionals who made it all possible. She would commit herself to supporting the project long-term and in 2011 became the Rosa Vera Fund’s Chief Medical Officer. In the US, Darlene serves as Chief Medical Officer for the nonprofit community health organization, Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Inc. which serves the rural southeastern Arizona border with Mexico. She applies many of the principles of community and public health that she has learned through her work in Bolivia to her work here in the states.
Mitma Claure Alcocer, Registered Nurse and Coordinator of the RVF
Mitma graduated in nursing from the Universidad Católica Boliviana in 1981. She started her work with CSRA in 1990. She has vast experience in the clinical area, in the field of public health, and in the area of human resources management. In the clinical area, she has held many leadership positions, and in the field of public health she has led the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health projects including maternal and child health, and sexual and reproductive health, as well as projects with adolescents and schoolchildren. In the field of human resources, she has contributed significantly as a trainer/teacher in the design and implementation of local human resources policies and regulations.
Dr. Dardo Chávez Soleto, Director of El Consejo De Salud Rural Andino, Montero (CSRAM)
Dr. Chávez has extensive and varied experience in public health, in teaching and in management. He has held high-level positions in Montero and Santa Cruz as a mayor, councilman, university professor, district director, and medical adviser for various Bolivian and international organizations. He has been the executive director of CSRA in Montero since 1989. His contribution to and impact on integrated healthcare in Montero has been so great that Montero is currently considered the leader in healthcare administration in Bolivia. His areas of expertise are organizational management, municipal health management, management of primary health care programs and projects, and management of human and financial resources.
Dr. Chávez received his M.D. from the University of San Xavier de Chuquisaca in 1979. He completed postgraduate studies at the Center for Infectious Diseases in Houston Texas in 1980 and in epidemiology studies at the CDC in Georgia in 1980. He also holds a Master’s in Public Health from NUR International University.
Jacqueline Rosado Perez, Regional Administrator for CSRA
Jacqueline joined the CSRA in 1992 as an accountant and has worked her way up the organization to now serve as Regional Administrator for the CSRA. She earned her degree in accounting from the University Nur Bolivia. In her many roles at CSRA, Jacqueline has obtained extensive experience in the areas of nonprofit accounting, finances, program management and human resources. She has deep understanding of CSRA, the RVF and the needs of the people and communities that our organizations serve.