Our Team

Cathy Valeros
Co-Founder

Cathy is a Filipino-American nurse practitioner with a passion for philanthropy. Cathy’s family immigrated to New York from the Philippines in the early-1970s. In 2010, she visited the Philippines for the first time as an adult and participated in a medical mission in her grandfather’s home town of Laoag. The experience allowed Cathy to form a deeper connection with her Filipino heritage and left her wanting to do more charitable work in the country.

Cathy leads Project Phil’s charitable programs and is focused on expanding the organization’s impact across the Philippines.

Ben Pousty

Co-Founder & Board Chairman

Ben fell in love with the Philippines after traveling the country with Cathy in 2013. Participating in rural medical missions and working with underprivileged Filipino students were transformative experiences that served as an inspiration for launching Project Phil. 

Ben uses his experience in marketing and finance to lead Project Phil's organizational strategy and growth.

Vicky Sureta

Director, Health & Hunger Program

Vicky was born and raised in Baguio City, Philippines and immigrated to the United States in 1992 after earning her nursing degree and working at the Philippine heart center in Quezon City.  Vicky works as a pediatric nurse anesthetist at the Children's hospital of Michigan in Detroit and has been a regular participant in surgical missions that provide care to underprivileged families and children across the Philippines for over 15 years. In 2015, Vicky started a feeding program in Manila that remains active today.

At Project Phil, Vicky leads Health & Hunger initiatives that feed and care for families in need and open new opportunities for underserved communities.

Erin O'Donnell

Creative director

Erin is the driving force behind the Project Phil’s branding and design. When she isn’t designing or working at a tech startup in NYC, you can find her teaching the next generation of Irish dancers at her school, O’Donnell Academy, in Greenpoint.

A New York native, Erin is a proud resident of Brooklyn and mother to Harper the hound.

Beatrice O'Carroll

Board Member

Bea has over 20 years of business development experience in financial services, holding senior positions at Citibank, Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas Investment Partners. At Project Phil, she supports our sales, planning and outreach efforts. Bea is also an active volunteer with Hour Children, an organization based in Queens, NY that helps incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children successfully rejoin the community.

Marissa Millman

Board Member, Secretary

As a corporate lawyer with over a decade of experience in prominent law firms, companies and startups, Marissa assists Project Phil with its organizational and day-to-day legal matters and secretarial duties. When she's not practicing law, Marissa is also wife to Michael, mom to two little ladies and a dedicated blogger at Donuts at the Disco where she helps spread the word on fun family adventures.

Kim Petry

Board Member, CFO

Kim has extensive leadership experience as CFO for a number of prominent companies including American Express, TIAA-CREF and Broadridge Financial Solutions. She fills a similar role at Project Phil serving as CFO overseeing all of the non-profit organization’s finances. Kim is also an enthusiastic entrepreneur and winner of several prestigious awards including the YWCA Woman of the Year.