Hanna O’Connell

Hanna O’Connell is the Executive Director of Casa de Amistad in Athens, Georgia. Her work focuses on language education and community-based programs that support learning across cultures.

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Over the past decade, her experiences have taken her from teaching English in Colombia, to AmeriCorps flood relief work in Washington State, to founding an arts education initiative for children in Peru.

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At Casa de Amistad, she focuses on building programs that support learning through relationships—not only in classrooms, but through volunteer engagement, partnerships, and shared community experiences. Her work has included expanding ESL and GED programming, strengthening local partnerships, and supporting refugee and immigrant families in Athens and the surrounding area.

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She holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, along with TEFL certification and training in psychological first aid for refugees and crisis-affected populations, and is currently completing her Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in TESOL at the University of Georgia. She continues to engage with evolving approaches in language education and community-based learning.​

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Hanna lives in Athens with her husband, a student at Casa de Amistad, her 12-year-old daughter, a volunteer with the organization, and their dog, Juniper.