Executives and Board
Meet Our Founder
Dr. Duarte is a licensed occupational therapist with over a decade of experience serving children and families across diverse communities in the U.S. and abroad. As a school-based practitioner and former clinical supervisor at an early intervention agency, Dr. Duarte developed a deep appreciation for the power of family-centered care and the importance of empowering caregivers as partners in a child’s development.
Through Missions for Love Beyond Borders, Dr. Duarte leverages technology to deliver virtual coaching, training, and resources to caregivers and professionals—regardless of location. Her mission is clear:
To build bridges of support and opportunity for families everywhere—so every child has the chance to thrive, no matter where they live.
Sandra Duarte, OTD, MS, OTR/L, BCTS
Founder and Executive Director
Meet Our Board of Directors
At Missions for Love Beyond Borders, our Board of Directors plays a vital role in guiding our mission, expanding our vision, and ensuring our values remain at the heart of everything we do.
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Each board member brings a unique blend of expertise, passion, and commitment—from healthcare and education to nonprofit leadership and global outreach. Together, they provide strategic direction, champion innovation, and work to ensure that individuals with disabilities and their caregivers have access to the support they need to thrive.​
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Our board is more than a governing body—they are advocates, collaborators, and change-makers who believe in building a more inclusive and compassionate world.
ROCIO ALONSO
VICE PRESIDENT
Occupational Therapist
MOLLY WEISEN
SECRETARY
Physical Therapist
ANNE MANNING
TREASURER
Occupational Therapist
SONU SANGOHEE
BOARD MEMBER
Speech-Language
Pathologist
Click each picture to read the corresponding biography
Rocio is an occupational therapist and industrial designer from Bogotá, Colombia. She currently works for the New York City Public Schools as an occupational therapist supporting students with developmental, cognitive, learning, and sensory differences to improve their participation and independence in the school environment.
For 6 years she worked as a Senior Designer and Fabricator at the Adaptive Design Association (ADA). She has experience designing, developing and co-creating custom solutions for people with disabilities out of readily available materials such as corrugated cardboard, wood, fabrics. During her time at ADA, Ms. Alonso had the opportunity to share her passion and skills by teaching others how to create devices or adaptations that support people’s aptitude and potential.
She has provided online and in-person workshops in adaptive design solutions for organizations and communities in the NYC metro area, Syracuse -NY-, Guatemala, Scotland, Antigua, Barbuda, and Spain. She sees collaboration as a celebration of hope and is proud to be part of a community that practices it.
Since attaining her B.S. degree from the University of North Dakota, Molly has provided physical therapy services to children and adults with diverse developmental disabilities, encompassing complex medical, orthopedic, chromosomal, cognitive, and sensory conditions.
As a first-time full-time Physical Therapist at a prominent residential facility, she assumed the role of department Director, orchestrating service expansion through staffing augmentation and the establishment of a new rehabilitation facility. Under her leadership, the department integrated Orthopedic and Physical Medicine Rehabilitation consultations, initiated an Adaptive Equipment Department, and fostered collaboration with the University of North Dakota Physical Therapy program for student clinic training.
Molly prioritized familial connections in service provision, facilitating seamless transitions to alternate care providers when necessary. Additionally, she offered consultancy services to local group homes, entailing staff training, home program evaluations, and coordination with community resources for adaptive equipment procurement. She has also engaged in physical therapy volunteer work with the Medical Mission Ecuador (MME) and provides crucial interventions for children in Ecuadorian schools, training centers, and orphanages.
Collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, including surgeons, therapists, and orthotic/seating specialists, she aims to enhance the quality and accessibility of care nationwide. In recent years, Molly has spearheaded telehealth initiatives to streamline service delivery and improve family support, with ongoing efforts to expand telehealth training and consultation for year-round parental care enhancement.
As a Senior Occupational Therapist for the New York City Department of Education, Anne has worked with students to improve their physical, sensory processing, and cognitive development to support their participation in all school activities. She has experience providing early intervention services, and working in charter schools and preschools, for students with learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, dyslexia, developmental disabilities, emotional and intellectual disability.
Anne believes that building social cognition and executive function skills to support self-advocacy and self-determination empowers students to reach their full potential. In the past year Anne began practicing teletherapy and found that teaching parents new ways to help their children created a more supportive environment.
Anne holds an MS in Occupational Therapy from Mercy College. For many years Anne worked for educational and art publishing companies as the director of photography and photo editor. She was a board member of the American Society of Picture Professionals.
Sonu is a highly experienced executive with a background in speech-language pathology and directing services for children with special needs. Her expertise lies in proven and effective leadership, team management, project oversight, training, critical thinking, expert-level communication, and public speaking.
With over two decades providing services as a speech-language pathologist to a wide range of clients, she specializes in pediatric services, developing tailored therapy solutions, and mentoring clinicians across various disciplines. Sonu has held senior leadership roles in rehab centers and clinics where she has showcased her ability to communicate effectively with diverse patient populations and oversee teams of up to 500 clinicians. She has also excelled in developing and implementing training programs, both in-person and online for a wide variety of audiences including families, parents, clinicians, and ensuring compliance of processes for clinical administrative staff in the healthcare industry.
As a sought-after speaker, Sonu frequently presents at industry conferences. She is a member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association, where she serves as a continuing education administrator. In addition to English, Sonu speaks Hindi, Urdu, Nepalese, Bengali, Punjabi, and some basic Spanish.