Our Team
.png)
Jenny Mena Zapata
Director Learning Center
​
Ms. Mena Zapata is the director of Heritage Learning Center. She oversees the education and care of children ages 3 months to 5 years. She was awarded the Posse Scholarship to attend Lafayette College with tuition paid and was able to achieve a double major in Psychology and Africana Studies. Afterwards, Ms. Mena Zapata joined Teach for America for 3 years and taught Spanish to inner-city students in Kansas City, Missouri. When asked about her time in Teach for America, she says the following about the experience. "I really loved being immersed in a multilingual school and witnessed so much student progress during my time in that setting." After Teach for America ended, she moved to Maryland to be closer to her family and began teaching at St. James Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland. She was the Preschool Head Teacher for age four students before taking the role of director at Heritage Learning Center.
​
​
​
Aaron Sydor
Chief Operating Officer
​
Mr. Sydor is responsible for the development and implementation of Heritage Care's business strategy and operations and collaborates with the CEO to lead the Heritage Care team. Mr. Sydor also directly oversees Heritage Care's education programs. These programs include the Heritage Learning Center and the Heritage Care community programs that provide low-cost or free instruction in the areas of ESL, Citizenship Preparation, Nursing Assistant Training and Certification, Community Health Worker Training and Certification and the Heritage Care Prevent T2 Diabetes Prevention Program. His efforts to create strategic partnerships and acquire grant funding help assure the sustainability of our community programs. Mr. Sydor attended Niagara University where he received a B.A. in political science and international relations with a focus on Latin America. In 2018, he also received his certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP). Prior to joining Heritage Care, Mr. Sydor served as a volunteer with World Teach in Barranquilla, Colombia.
​
​
​
Juan Caicedo
Chief Executive Officer
​
Mr. Caicedo is responsible for the overall management of Heritage Care and guides our team as we work to fulfill our mission. His background is in finances, economics and administration specifically in the area of community healthcare. He has worked directly with and advocated for the immigrant community of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. His focus has been on this community’s health care needs, especially with vulnerable and under-served populations and children with disabilities. He has collaborated with University of Maryland investigators in the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) in different projects. He is a community leader and has assisted with the elicitation of health care decision-making priorities for Latino caregivers. He is also a member of the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs, in this role he has advocated for the needs of the Hispanic community which is the largest immigrant community in Maryland. Mr. Caicedo has a B.S. from Externado University of Colombia, an M.S. from Barcelona University of Spain, and an M.S.c from University of Maryland.