Meet the Leadership Team

Lena is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra. Her company was born out of her passion for promoting cultural understanding.

She began her career providing spoken language interpretation and language instruction services to high-level diplomats, schools, the Zenit soccer team, media organizations, and more. When she moved to the United States, she served in various language services management and business development roles.

Lena considers language interpretation, translation, and other related services necessary to facilitate communication among all people in all activities of their lives. Every day, she works harder to ensure Ad Astra’s services reflect the best offerings and current industry standards to serve the needs of both organizations and individuals.

Gbenga is responsible for Ad Astra’s financial affairs, and he works closely with the accounting team to ensure all transactions are recorded accurately in accordance with GAAP. He also helps develop and monitors the budget, and areas of financial risk. In his free time he loves cooking and spending time with his family.

Nico has a background in Business Administration, and he enjoys helping Ad Astra create jobs around the world. When he’s not working, he likes going to concerts and camping. You can also find him skydiving on any given Saturday. He is an avid adventurer and loves to push himself to try new things.

John has extensive experience in recruiting, HR, and operations. Before joining Ad Astra he worked for an interfaith, intercultural nonprofit and has had experience recruiting in a university setting. He enjoyed assisting young people with finding their passion and path in life. In his free time, John enjoys hiking, cooking, and exploring ghost towns in the New Jersey pine barriers.

Amparo started working as an interpreter in 2010 and has worked in various sectors, including court interpreting. She also has a background in finance and IRS work. Amparo is Ad Astra’s head of training and quality control department. When she is not all business, cars, motorcycles, basketball, and soccer are her passion. Loves to travel and learn from different cultures.

I am a dynamic professional committed to delivering exceptional customer support and building robust relationships. My passion for continuous learning and development enables me to empower clients, helping them achieve their objectives through strategic collaboration and applying my diverse experience across multiple sectors.
With a proven track record of managing global operations and leading customer success initiatives, I have cultivated a rich network of contacts and developed invaluable tools. These resources are instrumental in guiding clients and uncovering new business opportunities, positioning me to drive growth and success effectively.

I've moved around a lot and have found that every place can be home. Grew up around sign language and have been in the industry for close to 20 years. Certified interpreter Multipotentialite passionate about bridging communication gaps. I love to entertain.

Keith is a Government Business strategist with more than eight years of experience. At Ad Astra he often leads RFPs, proposals, partnering efforts and contract implementations. When he’s not focused on business, he enjoys reading about economics, taxes, and real estate. He also enjoys keeping up with the latest gadgets and is not immune to the desire to have the latest iPhone.

Vadim has had 5 years of experience in operations and sales at Ad Astra. He is the current leader of the corporate sales team and hopes to continue growing the company. During his free time, he enjoys being outdoors, hiking and riding his motorcycle. He has been known to look for treasure in antique shops from time to time.

Alina Ruzmetova is the Director of Marketing at Ad Astra. With nearly a decade and a half of seasoned expertise, Alina is at the forefront of developing innovative marketing strategies that drive growth and seize market opportunities. Her leadership extends beyond campaigns and creative initiatives; she is committed to nurturing the skills and professional growth of her marketing team. When not masterminding the next marketing breakthrough, Alina can be found following her passion for exploration and self-enrichment. She is an avid traveler, an enthusiastic writer, a devoted gardener, and a devoted pet parent to Luna the dog and Gary the cat.