Experience

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  Urban Ecology Center

  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

  • DIrector of Strategy & Operations for Community Engagement

    • Mar 2023 - Present
    • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

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  SME Partners

  • Managing Partner

    • Jan 2004 - Mar 2023

    SME Partners offers advisory services to investors and entrepreneurs involved in small and medium enterprises. As a natural extension of this specialization, SME Partners also provides strategy and change management support to business units of large corporations.Recently, I've delved deeper into the Operational aspects of SMEs, providing back office relief to clients who wish to dedicate their time and effort to revenue generation, eschewing expense tracking, customer billing, bank reconciliation, vendor selection and management, etc.Some past activities include:• Restructured the startup plan of a $1 mm biofuel initiative.• Successfully led the restructuring of Amigo S.A., a small, self-regulated micro finance institution.• Led the change management initiative in Grupo Alcos S.A., a medium pharmaceutical laboratory, reformulating both its overall business strategy and its capital structure.• As part of the company mentor team to New Ventures, contributed to the equity funding of 9 of 20 company finalists.• Frequent speaker and writer on entrepreneurship and business strategy.

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  ACLU of Wisconsin

  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

  • Director Of Finance And Administration

    • Nov 2019 - Jun 2022
    • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

    Developed and led the dignity-centric people management practice aimed at stabilizing and improving both organizational culture and efficacy. Revamped, updated, and improved budgeting practices, payroll & benefits, and remote work environment.

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  the idea works (TIW)

  • Sheboygan, Wisconsin Area

  • Strategy & Operations Management, Co-owner

    • Jan 2016 - Oct 2019
    • Sheboygan, Wisconsin Area

    In addition to leading traditional finance and operations activities, I facilitated workshops, conducted interviews, and formulated and ran community-engagement campaigns.

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  LCR Capital Partners

  • Sheboygan, Wisconsin Area

  • Senior Advisor

    • May 2016 - May 2018
    • Sheboygan, Wisconsin Area

    Advising LCR on direct and channel strategy to grow in emerging markets.

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  Andean Naturals, Inc.

  • Sheboygan, Wisconsin Area

  • Finance & Operations Manager

    • Apr 2009 - Dec 2015
    • Sheboygan, Wisconsin Area

    - Quinoa logistics: in conjunction with export/import logistics teams both here and abroad, we work with 3 steamship lines out of South America, 5 warehouses in the US, with about 1 mm lbs of quinoa flowing through per month; this includes tracking location, planning inventory levels, analyzing costs/margins, and connecting the Bolivia and US operations.- Accounting: bookkeeping, taxes, bank, CPA, JD, A/P, A/R and vendor management. Liaison between the company and it's vendors in support of operational and strategic goals.- Market development and Technical sales: once the general lines of a project are set up, I help with the details and execution of ongoing fulfillment.- Finance: jointly with senior management, planning the use of lines of credit and help search for additional sources of capital. Preparing and presenting financial reports.- Information Technology: with some more technical support from an off shore partner, customize and maintain the ERP platform that supports logistics and compliance (for example, with Organic and FairTrade certifications). I help out with email and website server issues as necessary. I'm always on the lookout for better/faster/more efficient ways of doing things leveraging IT, so I try to stay abreast of all the latest in this field. I'm especially keen to adopt open source alternatives to typical applications (e.g Ubuntu, LibreOffice).- Strategy - along with the other members of the management team, I help monitor consumer/client trends, competitor activity, and our plan to deal with the growth.

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  Blue Star Partners, LLC

  • Illinois, United States

  • Partner, Operations

    • Dec 2008 - Nov 2011
    • Illinois, United States

    Led the formalization of the back-office and consultant search and screening practice at this boutique change management consulting firm.

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  Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra - UPSA

  • Santa Cruz, Bolivia

  • MBA Program Coordinator and Graduate Lecturer

    • Dec 2003 - Aug 2011
    • Santa Cruz, Bolivia

    Administrator and lecturer in both UPSA's MBA programs (www.upsavirtual.com).MBA Lecturer on Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy, and Corporate FinanceClass Facilitator for Global MBA (Thunderbird and ITESM joint venture)

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  Banco Los Andes ProCredit

  • Bolivia

  • Chief Operating Officer

    • Apr 2003 - Jul 2008
    • Bolivia

    September 2007 to July 2008 (11 months)As acting COO, in addition to creating the position, I oversaw the execution of the company's $30 mm annual budget and 6 direct reports: Procurement, Branch and HQ Operations, Integrated Security, Organizational Development, and Insurance.• Consolidated the Operations Team, integrated by more than 700 people across 43 locations.• Championed the justification and vendor selection of SAP's ERP System.• Initiated the use of Microsoft's Sharepoint Services as part of the new project management practice.• Facilitated the National and Regional Strategy workshops.October 2006 – August 2007 (11 months)Non-executive Board Member• Contributed to the overall strategic direction of the Bank, actively participating in the monthly Board meetings.April 2003 – September 2006 (3 years 6 months)Shareholder trustee• Ensured regulatory compliance as dictated by Bolivian law and the Bank Superintendence.

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  Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar

  • Bolivia

  • Graduate Lecturer

    • Apr 2005 - Apr 2008
    • Bolivia

    Master Degree Lecturer on Entrepreneurship, SME Strategy, and Corporate Finance. Thesis guide.

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  World Resources Institute

  • New Ventures Consultant

    • Feb 2004 - Nov 2004

    Mentor for New Venture's Investor Forum Finalist companiesConsultant to WRI on Latin American SME issues

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  SEAF

  • La Paz, Bolivia

  • Bolivia Fund Manager

    • May 2000 - Dec 2003
    • La Paz, Bolivia

    November 2002 - December 2003 (1 year 2 months)• Developed a scorecard approach to portfolio management.• Improved investor relations by implementing informal but structured monthly meetings.• Oversaw 5 direct reports and reported to the Regional Director.• Managed an 8-company investment portfolio worth USD 4.2 mm.May 2000 – October 2002 (2 years 6 months)Investment Officer• Developed a deal pipeline management system in MS Access.• Identified, structured and justified investments in 3 companies for a combined total of $2.6 mm.• Screened more than 200 investment requests.

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  US Navy

  • Lieutenant

    • Feb 1991 - Aug 1998

    Helicopter Pilot (SAR, logistics, training): Sikorsky Sea King (UH-3H), Bell Jet Ranger (TH-57C), Beechcraft Mentor (T-34C)Last duty station: VC-8, Roosevelt Roads, Puerto RicoHonorably discharged.