VIKTORIIA TERENTIEVA
Viktoriia has joined our team in 2018 and will be leading programs for orphans with disabilities at one of the Ukraine’s orphanages in the Odessa region. Viktoriia has a lot of experience working with special needs children as she is an aunt to a child with cerebral palsy and is very passionate about helping children with disabilities reach their full potential.
NICHOLAS S. PAPPAS
Nicholas joined Big Dreams in 2012 to promote the support and well being of orphaned children. He believes in giving back and providing a genuine service to others. As an entrepreneur, this standard continues to be instrumental in the success of both his clients and within his own companies. Nicholas currently provides Big Dreams with technology, marketing, and fundraising assistance. The goal is to build a network of advocates and supporters which will enable Big Dreams to help these children mature into independent, thriving individuals. “I feel blessed to promote an organization where 100% of donations and efforts are directly applied to children in need.”
Yelena Lamm
Yelena is an artist and graphic designer. A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, she moved to the U.S. in 1995 with her family and currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA. She joined the Big Dreams team in 2015 to provide design services for online and printed materials. Yelena's design experiences include branding for non-profit adoption agencies, Adopt-A-Child International, Inc. and REEAA (Russian Eastern European Adoption Agency, Inc.), as well as Yevgeny Girel Orphans Foundation, Inc. Currently, she is an art director for Lammily LLC, an innovative startup company which creates realistically-proportioned fashion dolls and accessories to promote positive body image for young kids. “Knowing that my work helps a great cause always makes me happy.”
Tatyana Hixon
Tatyana was born in Latvia and came to the US in middle school. She grew up in Brooklyn and holds a BBA, summa cum laude, in Accounting, from the Zicklin School of Business of Macaulay University at Baruch College. Tatyana has spent her career to date in the construction and real estate sector delivering audit and accounting services at an international public accounting firm . She is an avid nature photographer with a love of the ocean and traveling. She lives in Connecticut with her family. Being around kids is always fascinating and inspiring. All children are a gift and are to be cherished and nourished. Meeting Lena McMahan proved to be infectious. Her love and care for the well-being of all the kids the foundation has helped and hopes to help in the future is amazing.
Natalie Gonchar
Driven by a deep passion for helping others, Natalie is a graduate school student pursuing a Master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. She is an award-winning children’s book author and freelance journalist. She has been with Big Dreams since 2013, first as a volunteer, then a Junior Board member, then a Junior Board President. After enrolling in a master’s program at the university she transitioned into Our Team. All the knowledge and experience she has gained over the years now help her handle community outreach.
