Experience

Global Financial Integrity

• United States
• Public Policy Offices
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Program Director, Latin America & the Caribbean

  • Oct 2019 - Present

  Coordinates projects and partnerships in the Latin American and Caribbean region that promote transparency, security and economic development. Specific research areas include remittances, de-risking, informality and financial inclusion. Current projects include: • Leading GFI’s work in Colombia on illicit trade and natural resources; working closely with local, in-country partners on issues related to transparency, environmental protection, security and economic development; • Authoring reports and memos analyzing illicit financial flows from drug trafficking, wildlife trafficking, and illegal logging and mining; • Developing a series of issue briefings on Colombia including “Illicit Financial Flows and Colombia,” “Illicit Financial Flows and Environmental Justice” and “Illicit Finance and Trade Misinvoicing;” • Engaging government stakeholders on issues of illicit finance; for example, coordinated a Memorandum of Understanding between GFI and the Ecuadorian Financial Intelligence Unit to address natural resource crimes; • Leading research on narcotics-related money laundering in Colombia, Mexico and the United States for a Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission grant; • Representing GFI at external meetings and speaking engagements; serving as regular guest lecturer at the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute on current events in Latin America; • Conducting data analysis and data visualization related to illicit trade flows.



Inter-American Dialogue

• United States
• Think Tanks
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Associate for Migration, Remittances and Development

  • Mar 2016 - Oct 2019

  USAID Project Management• As part of a 3-person team, successfully negotiated a 3-year federal award for a migration and development project with key responsibilities for the proposal strategy and budget; • Work closely with over 45 field staff in Guatemala to implement human and economic development programs in communities of high emigration, ensuring quality and impact;• Coordinate project launch and close-out with key management responsibilities relating to hiring, budgeting, logistics, and partnership agreements;• Train local staff on contractual and financial requirements of USAID programs; implemented Child Protection and Anti-Human Trafficking Policies to ensure compliance and reduce risk exposure;• Supervise extracurricular program for youth in areas of high emigration, including curricular design, teacher training, classroom logistics, and student learning outcomes; over a three-year period, program was implemented in 13 communities with 5,000 students;• Supervise financial inclusion programs in areas of high emigration in Guatemala, reaching 120,000 participants and helping to bring over 20,000 remittance recipients into the formal financial system; • Coordinate with partner institutions such as banks & community credit unions to facilitate access to finance for vulnerable populations; • Strengthen financial management of project, including coordinating communication between technical and financial teams, supporting NICRA submission, reviewing projected expenditures, and requesting budget re-alignments and no-cost extensions as needed for project implementation;• Manage project impact data on education and financial access, communicate progress to stakeholders, and ensure compliance with project M&E plan;• Oversee all external communications products and reports to ensure quality, technical accuracy, consistency, and timeliness.• Travel frequently to meet with partners and represent the project; spent over 150 days in the field in Guatemala.

• Program Associate

  • Jun 2013 - Feb 2016

  Co-authored book on Central American Migration, Centroamérica en la mira: La migración en su relación con el desarrollo y las oportunidades para el cambio;Analyzed migration trends in Central America; planned series of 5 conferences on migration and development policies in Central American countries with a focus on remittances, diaspora investment, and the nostalgia trade;Developed strategic relationships with other public and private organizations in Central America working on migration;Documented and communicated our work to funders, stakeholders, and the media through presentations, conferences, publications, and social media channels;Lead team of researchers collecting data on more than 100,000 financial access points in 20 Asian and Pacific countries as part of the Dialogue’s Remittance Scorecard Project.

• Program Assistant

  • Aug 2012 - May 2013

  Coordinated and monitored results for Financial Literacy Initiatives designed to bring personalized financial counseling to 40,000 remittance recipients in Uzbekistan, Mexico, Jamaica and El Salvador; Led team of researchers collecting data on more than 100,000 financial access points in 10 Latin American and Caribbean countries as part of the Dialogue’s Remittance Scorecard Project; Supported program fundraising, managed program budgets, and maintained website and social media channels.



Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service

• Washington, DC

• Graduate Student

  • Aug 2011 - May 2013



The Howard Gardner School

• United States
• Primary and Secondary Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• MS/US Spanish Teacher

  • Aug 2011 - May 2012

  Taught beginning Spanish to students with learning differences and behavioral challenges, with special focus on learning strategies for students with Autism; Maintained close communication with learning specialists, parents, and school authorities. Taught beginning Spanish to students with learning differences and behavioral challenges, with special focus on learning strategies for students with Autism; Maintained close communication with learning specialists, parents, and school authorities.



The Calverton School

• Huntington, MD

• US Spanish Teacher

  • Aug 2008 - Jun 2011

  Taught five sections of intermediate Spanish, with full responsibility for curriculum design, assessment, and classroom management; Designed and taught a yearlong Spanish course on current events in Latin America; Independently launched one of Maryland’s first high school Russian programs; Served as student advisor, leading communication with parents and coordinating with learning specialists and administration to resolve issues. Taught five sections of intermediate Spanish, with full responsibility for curriculum design, assessment, and classroom management; Designed and taught a yearlong Spanish course on current events in Latin America; Independently launched one of Maryland’s first high school Russian programs; Served as student advisor, leading communication with parents and coordinating with learning specialists and administration to resolve issues.



Purnell School

• Pottersville, NJ

• Spanish Intern

  • Aug 2007 - Jun 2008

  As a first-year teacher, worked closely with other teachers to develop skills; Taught two sections of Spanish to high school students with learning differences; Served as student advisor for students with significant behavioral and developmental challenges, coordinating support efforts. As a first-year teacher, worked closely with other teachers to develop skills; Taught two sections of Spanish to high school students with learning differences; Served as student advisor for students with significant behavioral and developmental challenges, coordinating support efforts.



Cerro Baron Technical High School

• Valparaíso, Chile

• Classroom Aide

  • Aug 2005 - Dec 2005