Our Team
Patricia Perea is one of the founders of the Honduras Manos ministry and has served in a leadership role since 2000. Her passion for education and equity has guided her work with the Manos Scholarship Program, which opens doors for low-income students to reach their potential and become leaders in their communities. Over the years, Patricia has helped build strong partnerships with universities in both the U.S. a Honduras, creating new opportunities for scholarship recipients in areas such as STEM, English as a second language (ESL), computer literacy and college readiness. Fully bilingual and bicultural, Patricia values her power of connection across cultures. Her background has helped nurture long-term trusted relationships with Manos partners and communities in Honduras. Patricia earned her B.A. in Psychology from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and a master’s degree in Experimental & Research Psychology from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. In 1996, she founded PereaSearch Cross Cultural Research and Consulting, a firm that has helped numerous Fortune 500 companies uncover consumer insights and make sound strategic business decisions. A proud mom, wife, and new grandma, Patricia finds joy in hiking, kayaking and cooking -and brings the same passion and care to her work with the Honduras Manos ministry.
Fr. David Chalk has been an ardent supporter and participant of local and international missions with the Episcopal Church for over 50 years. With an undergraduate degree in Spanish Literature (B.A., 1982), a Master’s Degree in theology (included participation in Central American culture & religion) (M.Div., 1990), and a doctorate (concentration on Early Church adaptation to worldly concerns) (D.Min., 2005, ABD), Fr. David has been an ardent proponent of “ministry to the marginalized,” and Hispanic ministry. He is also a polyglot. Having lived on the border of Texas and Mexico (Cd. Acuña & Del Rio) for 11 years, Fr. David became Rector of St. Francis by the Lake in 2010 and immediately began supporting the Manos de Dios ministry. However, it wasn’t until 2012 that he was able to travel with the Manos team to Honduras. Since then he has participated at every level of this sacred ministry. Participating in vacation bible programs, music, construction, administration, ophthalmological assistance, spiritual direction, counseling, advocacy, ecclesiastical bridge between the Diocese of Honduras and the Diocese of West Texas, as well as “the priest who married, buried, baptized, healed, etc.,” the people of Danlí, Honduras, Fr. David is thoroughly invested in the Ministry of Manos de Dios.
Geoff Partain has been a member of the Manos de Dios Honduras team on and off for ~10 years since 2004. Although he has worked on a variety of Manos outreach programs including our vision clinics and construction projects, his passion is to support our ESL classes for our Honduran students. With a BA and MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, Geoff recently retired from Toyota Motor North America after working 25+ years in various product planning and marketing management roles. Moving forward, Geoff would like to continue supporting the Manos scholarship program and strengthen our ESL efforts in Danli.
Daniel Jaime joined the Manos de Dios team for the first time in January of 2023 as an Episcopal Diocese of West Texas College and Young Adult Missions Travel Award recipient. He brought with him years of ministry experience in the Episcopal church cultivated during his time as an undergraduate student at University of Texas in San Antonio (UTSA) majoring in Communication. He has since gone on to become the Manos Communication Coordinator. Motivated by his teammate’s trust and their faith in serving others, Daniel works creatively towards fulfilling his responsibilities, which include crafting communications materials and maintaining Manos’ online presence. He also coordinates a variety of projects for Manos’ outreach programs, specifically Vacation Bible School and Copa Manos, which is a community soccer tournament. Daniel’s creativity, bilingual skills, and commitment to helping others discover joy makes him an integral part of Manos de Dios mission.
Patricia Perea
Fr. David Chalk
Geoff Partain
Dani Jaime
Jessica Massay
Dean Lalich
Alejandra Suarez
Peter Baen
Jessica Massay has been part of the Honduras Manos ministry since 2013 when she made her first trip to Danli, Honduras. She has been back every year since! Jess loves to participate in a wide range of the mission’s programs but has a special love for outreaxch programs such as the Vision Clinic and Manos Fit/Wellness initiatives. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from the University of Florida; both focused on Latin America and international communications. She is bilingual and uses her Spanish skills to help communicate between U.S. and Honduras team members. She also stays in contact with our Honduran partners throughout the year via check-ins, WhatsApp calls and texts that help to build a seamless sense of one team and a unified Manos community. Outside of the Manos mission team, Jess owns her own market research company and is a mom, wife, avid runner, wine lover, yogi and Crossfitter!
Dean Lalich has been a member of the Manos de Dios Honduras team since the early 2000’s. His first trip to Honduras was in 2000 and was not with the Manos team but was with a group of only 4 travelers to Ojo de Agua where St Marks’ Episcopal Church had established a small food security mission supporting a preschool program. Shortly thereafter St Mark’s, San Marcos, joined the Manos team and Dean began traveling with the team in 2015. Dean has a BA in anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo and an MS in Management from the University of Arkansas. Dean served active duty with the USAF from 1968 to1990 in various management roles and worked as a contractor supporting the USAF in project management for the next 28 years until his retirement in 2018. Although his main passion with the Manos ministry is construction his secondary focus has been the vision clinic. Dean also pays a visit to St Mark’s food security mission at Ojo de Agua during each of the Manos trips to Honduras. Dean is married and has three grown sons. He dedicated many years of volunteer service to Habitat for Humanity, and currently he contributes his time and expertise to the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University.
Alejandra Suarez is a bicultural and bilingual public relations professional with more than fifteen years of experience across communications. She holds a B.A. in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing, grounding her professional work in communication strategy and market insight. Alejandra is deeply committed to community service and expanding access to education and opportunity. She has served in leadership and volunteer roles with organizations including HPRA Texas, TEDx, and the Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas. She has also been actively involved with Manos de Honduras in various capacities since 2007 and, in recent years, has served as a communications advisor, helping formalize the organization's social media strategy and strengthen its digital presence. She is passionate about advancing educational opportunities for children and families in Honduras and is grateful to contribute her communications expertise in support of the organization's mission. In her volunteer work, Alejandra believes that education, access to information, and meaningful community partnerships are powerful drivers of lasting change. Through her ongoing involvement with Manos, she remains committed to helping expand opportunities that empower future generations and strengthen communities.
Peter Baen was exposed to Missions through St. Mark’s San Marcos, his home Church. The nearby community of Redwood in Guadalupe County is dominated by underserved populations attending San Marcos Schools where he had served on the Board of Trustees. Fellow Parishioner Maria Fedrick led the Redwood efforts and her active interests in Ojo de Agua, Honduras. Not proficient in Spanish, his weak attempts to converse earned him the nickname “Pedro Frijoes”. Over the years he would become actively involved with Manos de Dios in Danli though St. Mark’s Ojo interests. Through his professional relationship in IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) he has arranged ongoing grant funding for what has become Brillantes! Manos’ successful STEM programs. Brillantes! has attracted leadership from the University of Texas San Antonio and gifted volunteers from Texas State for STEM workshops within Mano and the local Pedro Nufio High School. Additionally, through his Rotary membership, grants and Scholarships for Manos students for Secondary and University Engineering Scholarships have benefited Manos students.
Tricia Jones was introduced to Manos de Dios through her church, St Francis by the Lake Episcopal Church, in Canyon Lake in 2014. She is now a prayer, giver and sender. She has steadily expanded her involvement as she witnessed the ministry's transformational impact in Honduras and Texas. In 2022, Tricia joined the Manos at Work Support Team assisting with fundraising, awareness events, and strategic planning to secure the future of Manos de Dios. Tricia believes in building relationships and strengthening community by being a listening presence, working together, and staying in the conversation even when it’s difficult. Tricia is retired after 30 years of service with the Texas Department of Health in Austin. She primarily worked in grant and contract development, financial policy development, process improvement teams, and managing family health services programs. Today she is happily living in Canyon Lake with her husband and is very active in lay pastoral care and outreach ministries in her church and the community. Her greatest joys are being wife, mother and grandmother.
Peter Casparian is a retired Episcopal priest living in San Marcos, TX, and continuing his ministry at St. Mark's Church and among college students at Texas State. His over 50 year career in ministry spanned from college Chaplaincy at the University of Kansas, and as rector in parishes in Lexington, KY; Florence, Italy; and Oyster Bay, Long Island. He served on the formative board of WINGS, a NGO focused reproductive health based in Antigua, Guatemala. He continues to be a frequent traveler to Mexico and Central America, and has participated two Manos missions in Danli, as well as the "Vet and Vision" mission in Siguatepeque, Honduras. Peter has degrees from Rhodes College, Memphis, and the University of the South, Sewanee.
Berta Rodriguez has been part of the Honduras Manos ministry since 2015. Her support ranged from financial support, strategic planning guidance, to being a “sender” of prayers for many years. In 2023, Berta went on her first trip to Danli and became a member of the leadership team. During her trip to Danli she led several initiatives that focused on community engagement including Vacation Bible School and a children’s choir during the Sunday worship service. She holds a B.A. in marketing from the University of Texas in San Antonio and a master’s degree in urban studies from Trinity University. She currently serves as the Sr. Director of Health Systems Integration at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute where she works at the intersection of policy and programs to ensure access to quality mental health services for all.
Lidian Pereira has been a supporter of the Honduras Manos ministry for several years, and worked on the Vision Clinic on a mission trip to Danli in the early years. Recently retired from public service as a federal securities law attorney, Lidian returned to a more active role on the Manos team in 2025. Her focus is to support the work of the Manos ministry particularly to help ensure its continued sustainable growth and development of strategic partnerships. Lidian holds an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Trinity University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
Tricia Jones
Fr. Peter Casparian
Berta Rodriguez
Lidian Pereira
