Ad Astra’s
Leadership Team
Lena Petrova-Toolsie • She/Her/Hers
Founder and CEO
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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.
“I have built Ad Astra with a diverse team of professionals who, like me, also profoundly care about people and communities across the nation and the globe and find ultimate satisfaction in creating stronger connections among disparate communities. Along with my employees, I am deeply involved in many pro bono initiatives that provide language services to nonprofits and the community.”
Gbenga Adeleye • He/Him/His
Financial Controller
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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.
“Ad Astra has allowed me to be part of work I’m very proud of, and above all, enjoy.”
Amparo Villar García • She/Her/Hers
Interpreter Trainer
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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 love being able to work with bilingual people and help them start their futures in linguistic careers. Seeing them use this to contribute to their own communities is extremely rewarding. Ad Astra is constantly investing in training to help linguists improve and develop their careers.”
Keith Perera • He/Him/His
Director of Government Sales
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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.
“The Ad Astra story inspires me because of how far we’ve come. Providing communication access to everyone is important, but staying profitable while providing a service to the community is difficult. I think achieving that balance is an art.”
Nicolás Calleri • He/Him/His
Director of Production
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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.
“Ad Astra is everything to me. This company has helped me become who I am and improve as a person. It’s special to help build language access and community, especially as a multilingual person yourself.”
Vadim Petrov • He/Him/His
Business Development Manager
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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.
“Working at Ad Astra is a fulfilling experience because it provides me with the opportunity to collaborate with professionals from diverse regions to provide essential services to our communities.”
John Eick • He/Him/His
Director of Operations
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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.
“Ad Astra inspires me to build bridges between cultures and communities which previously may not have been there and help those who struggle to get help because of language or cultural barriers.”