Ms. Belo, Lynn, originally hails from Staten Island in New York however she spent her formative years in London and had also lived in Miami, Rio de Janiero Brazil and Washington D.C.. Ms. Belo earned her undergraduate degree in Portuguese and Spanish from Georgetown University School of Languages and Linguistics. Following several years working at international banks she attended the Johns Hopkins University School of International Studies and received her MA in Latin American Studies in 1986. She worked in New York City for 8 years and then took some time to raise her two children. During that time she became involved in special education advocacy, co-founded a special needs parent organization, served on the boards of several churches and parent teacher associations.