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Books del Sur curates Latin America Spanish-language literature to support dual language curriculum.
Books del Sur curates Latin America Spanish-language literature to support dual language curriculum.

About us

Meet Our Team!

 

Owner of Books del Sur, Heather Robertson-Devine

Heather Robertson-Devine

Heather Robertson-Devine is the founder and President of Books del Sur. She has been involved in the education field for nearly 20 years. For the first 17 years she was a bilingual teacher, a Spanish teacher, Professional Development teacher leader, and an Instructional Resource teacher. Her experience acquiring and instructing with Spanish children’s literature and her love of Latin America drove her to make Books del Sur a resource for United States Dual Language and Bilingual Programs to access and understand Latin American literature. Heather has a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Latin American Iberian Studies as well as a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration.

Things she enjoys: traveling with her family, scuba diving, and sunshine

Languages: Spanish and English

Connect with Heather at heather@booksdelsur.com

 

Accounts Manager of Books del Sur

Colleen Farmakis

Colleen Farmakis is the Accounts Manager and Social Media Manager here at Books del Sur. For 15 years before joining Books del Sur, she was the owner and operator of Laugh-N-Learn Childcare. So, she's very familiar with our audience and the kids we serve. She is fun-loving, smart as a whip, patient, and incredibly organized. She has worked at Books del Sur since 2016. Colleen has earned her certification in the Fundamentals of Infant and Toddler Care as well as in Intro to the Childcare Profession.

Things she enjoys: doing things with her family, reading, and true crime

(According to her best friend and daughter, she mainly enjoys cleaning).

Connect with Colleen at orders@booksdelsur.com

 

Corinthia

Corinthia Farmakis

Corinthia Farmakis is the Product and Marketing Specialist at Books del Sur. She has worked for Books del Sur since 2019. She’s very involved in her community and taught at her local church’s AWANAS program for 6 years. Prior to working at Books del Sur, she was a nanny. She is also certified by the DPI (Department of Public Instruction) to work in early childhood education. Corinthia is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education to become a teacher and set to graduate in December of 2024.

Things she enjoys: reading, wakeboarding, working with children, and spending time with friends and family

Connect with Corinthia at productsbooksdelsur@gmail.com

 

Carolina Duque

Carolina joined Books del Sur in July 2021 as Acquisitions Manager after having served the immigrant community of Lake County, IL for over a decade. She served as executive director of Mano a Mano Family Resource Center for 8 years and served Congressman Brad Schneider as a Constituent Services Representative for a few years before joining Books del Sur. Carolina was a Fellow of the Chicago Community Trust, conducting research on issues related to immigrant integration and civic engagement of Latinos in the U.S. suburbs. She represents Books del Sur in Spain where she works directly with publishers and collaborates closely with teachers in the curation of some of our products.

Carolina holds a Master’s Degree in International Studies from DePaul University and a BA in Government and International Relations from Universidad Externado de Colombia. 

Things she enjoys: Reading, practicing piano, riding her spinning bike and playing paddle

Connect with Carolina at carolina@boooksdelsur.com

 

Troy Devine

Troy Devine is the Director of Supply Chain at Books del Sur. As Heather’s husband, Troy has unofficially been involved with Books del Sur since it was housed in the family basement. For 25 years Troy worked in various industries to establish purchasing, inventory, and warehousing process, and implemented computer systems to support these functions. Troy officially joined full time in the summer of 2022.  

Things he enjoys: sports, coaching, scuba diving, and fishing

Connect with Troy at troy@booksdelsur.com

 

Ignacio Muñoz

Ignacio Muñoz is a Product Manager at Books del Sur. Muñoz has over ten years experience working in developing products as the owner and founder of Punta Sur Divers and as the Operations and Sales Manager of Prodive International. He worked with founder, Robertson-Devine in 2009-2011 when she was purchasing small quantities of books for her school and friends.Since moving to the United States in October of 2022, Muñoz now manages the product pipeline beyond acquisitions. He studied Social Studies and journalism at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Languages: Spanish and English

Things he enjoys: diving and time with family

Connect with Ignacio at sales@booksdelsur.com

Jacque Oldenburg

Jacque Oldenburg is the National Sales Manager at Books del Sur and is new to our company as of 2023. She has her Masters in Administrative Leadership, Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Jacque was a bilingual educator from 2000-2009 before she switched to an administrator role. 

Things she enjoys: time with friends & family

Connect with Jacque at jacque@booksdelsur.com

 

Gary Ertl

Gary Ertl is the Warehouse Manager at Books del Sur and is new to our company as of 2023. He studied at Purdue University in Indiana. Before coming to Books del Sur, Gary had a long career as a multi-unit manager in the restaurant industry focused on upscale and fine dining where he gained his experience in management. 

Things he enjoys: coaching, sports, reading, and playing games

“Love the company Heather has built and its mission to get great literature to students."

 

Tommy 

Tommy Peterson

Tommy Peterson is a Warehouse Specialist at Books del Sur. He is a new addition to our team as of 2023 with years of experience in warehouse management which makes him a great addition to our growing team at Books del Sur.

Things he enjoys: family time with his wife and son, bowling and playing pool

“I love being part of the Books del Sur family."

 

Nolan Chor

Nolan Chor is a Warehouse Specialist at Books del Sur. Prior to joining us at Books del Sur he worked at FedEx, Medline, and Synergy. He’s a hardworking addition to our team. When he’s not working, he enjoys traveling.

Things he enjoys: Traveling, thrifting, fashion, and listening to reggaeton

 

Kathryn Nelson

Kathryn Nelson is a Warehouse Specialist at Books del Sur. Before Books del Sur she worked retail at stores such as Speedway and Jewel-Osco. In her free time she loves to read and write as well as spend time with her daughter. Family and being a mom always come first for her.

Things she enjoys: Coffee, Shopping, cleaning, watching cooking shows, and training her dogs

 

Vanessa Torres

Vanessa Torres is a Warehouse Specialist at Books del Sur. She has her Associates Degree in Psychology and is currently pursuing her Associates in Horticulture. Before joining us at Books del Sur in 2023 she worked multiple positions in the customer service industry. She is a great addition to our team.

Languages: Spanish and English

Things she enjoys: Art, Thrifting, Music, Cooking, and Gardening

 

Meet Our Sales Team!

Books del Sur was founded by a teacher to serve schools and district Dual Language and Bilingual Programs all the way from the books we chose to how we ship!  You can request a quote by selecting items in our online catalog or set up a meeting with sales@booksdelsur.org 
 

Wriel Chavira

Wriel Chavira is the founder and CEO of World Class ED. He enjoys leading a team of educational consultants who support their local schools and communities. As a former dual language elementary teacher, his students inspired him to want to help more children in his state. Soon after he began working with publishers who not only believed in Dual Language ED, but were dedicated to developing educational materials for all ELLs. Wriel has a Bachelors of Science Education in Elementary Education and Teaching, as well as a Master of Arts in Educational Administration and Supervision.

Languages: Spanish and English

Things he enjoys: cooking for friends and family

Territory:  Arizona, New Mexico, Texas Regions- 15,16,17,18 &19

 

Annie Nguyen

Annie Nguyen is an Educational Consultant at World Class ED. She has been working in the educational consulting field for nearly 10 years and fell in love with it from day one. She enjoys working with quality publishers, colleagues, and school communities. Annie strives to support with knowledge, care, and efficiency. While earning her Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies, she tutored AVID Math at an elementary and middle school.

Things she enjoys: spending time with friends and family, reading, and going on walks with her dog

Territory:  Arizona, New Mexico, Texas Regions- 15,16,17,18 &19

 

Adiel Chavira

Adiel Chavira is an Educational Consultant at World Class ED supporting K-12 schools and teachers. He was born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He is fully biliterate in English and Spanish thanks to the Dual Language program he was a part of since Kindergarten at University Hills Elementary. Adiel is a teacher at heart and wants all children to have a great educational experience. 

Languages: Spanish and English

Things he enjoys: cooking for friends and family

Territory:  New Mexico, West Texas

Andres Ortiz

Andres Ortiz is an Educational Consultant at World Class ED. He was born in Guanajuato, Mexico and raised in Arizona. As a Hispanic immigrant child in the U.S., Andres had to overcome the struggles of learning English as a second language while simultaneously handling academic work. Shortly after graduating high school, he began working for a private company as an English/Spanish interpreter.. His firsthand experience being a dual language student and facing the same struggles many children currently face, motivates him to take part in providing resources that are equitable and high-quality for all students.

Languages: Spanish and English

Territory: New Mexico, West Texas

 

Richard Gutierrez

Richard Gutierrez is an Educational Consultant at World Class ED from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has a strong belief in supporting those around him to help them grow and make his community a better place! Richard was taught at a young age that nothing is easy, his mother worked to make ends meet and his father struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. Over the years, his artwork brought him into the education field where he was featured as a poster artist at local Dual Language conferences. Meeting the right people gave him the opportunity to join a wonderful and strong educational sales team. Currently, he is supporting schools and districts throughout Northern New Mexico to help assure educators have access to high-quality resources to provide our students with the best education possible!

Territory:  Northern New Mexico