Lauren holds a MA in Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration from the prestigious Josef Korbel School of International Studies with concentrations in International Development and Nonprofit Management. She also holds a BS in Economics from Texas A&M University. She has consulted for numerous NGO’s around the world, streamlining project management systems and creating monitoring and evaluation strategies. Working across multiple sectors such as global health, microfinance, and community development, has cemented her passion for building underlying economic capacity - the only sustainable solution to endemic cyclical poverty. She currently resides in Colorado Springs with her two children, ages 17 and 10.

Daniel grew up in a family of immigrant refugees from the Soviet Union, and has seen the value of entrepreneurship since an early age, his family building their lives from scratch through small businesses in Colorado. He graduated from the University of Denver with a BSBA in International Business and went on to open a small business of his own and manage projects, databases and communication campaigns for international translation firms, international sports media organizations, insurance providers and more. Before joining Alternativ, Daniel spent time traveling around Europe and Northern Africa consulting for international organizations. He’s fluent in Russian and Spanish.

Meg is an educator, administrator, and artist originally with roots in Massachusetts, USA and Dunedin, New Zealand. After studying Theatre Education and Spanish Language & Literature at Northwestern University, she spent 5 years as producer and creative in Washington DC's theatre scene, where she worked at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Imagination Stage, as well as with many small non-profit theatre companies, which fueled her passion for entrepreneurship. Meg spent time volunteering in Peru where she witnessed, first hand, the need for business training & support. Meg’s background in drama and script design, combined with her passions surrounding education and development, allowed her to fit seamlessly into a role in developing additional Alternativ training programs.