Seasoned international development practitioner with extensive experience managing multimillion-dollar ($4M - 89m) United States Agency for International Development and EU donor-funded programs in conflict-sensitive conservation, security and crime prevention, and peacebuilding. Skilled in researching and analyzing conflict and security issues for NGOs and academia, employing research methods to propose programmatic approaches to issues including security, crime and peacebuilding. Demonstrated success engaging diverse stakeholders in Latin America, Africa, and Europe, leveraging strong communication and collaboration abilities to drive effective outcomes. Native English and Spanish speaker, with limited proficiency in Swedish and Portuguese.
Manages the USAID Tierra Dorada Activity ($24M) – previously the USAID Amazon Alive Activity ($35M) in Colombia – overseeing project design , performance , financial management , procurement , and regulatory compliance . Contributes to the development of annual workplans , technical performance reports , and evaluations . Liaises with the project office in the design and management of grants , subcontracts , consultancies , and in the review of awardee deliverables and contractual compliance. Conducts project office visits to target regions in Colombia to support project operations and implementation, and leads new business development tasks, including proposal drafting , research , recruitment , partnership building , and fulfilling travel assignments for 3 environmental proposals in Latin America.
Advised Rotary District 2380 on local and international peace and development initiatives , partnerships , and advocacy strategies while representing the District at key Rotary events in Sweden. Spearheaded a strategic partnership with counterparts in La Guajira, Colombia, which led to the design and implementation of a water sanitation program that enhanced access to clean water for Wayuu indigenous communities .
Led research , policy analysis , and reporting for three European donor governments ( Switzerland , Netherlands , Germany ), driving evidence-based recommendations to inform national policies tackling transnational organized crime and UNTOC compliance . Developed a database and managed consultations with 150 Swiss CSOs , culminating in a report guiding Switzerland's UNTOC Review Mechanism . Conducted in-depth research for the Netherlands, mapping the Central and West Asia criminal corridor , identifying key actors , illicit markets , and routes posing a risk to the country. Contributed to the 2022 Arms Trafficking and Organized Crime policy brief , leading to recommendations for improved arms security .
Documented organized violence by state and non-state armed actors in Latin America , led research , analysis , and coding of over 400 events in Colombia and Mexico , implementing robust data management and coding protocols . Co-led the development of coding rules and dyads for Venezuela (2018-2020) , ensuring consistent capture of new events. Efforts produced a high-quality, comprehensive dataset that now underpins evidence-based policy analysis and academic research on conflict dynamics .
Led the management of three USAID programs —the El Salvador Crime and Violence Prevention Project (CVPP – $39M) , Guatemala Peacebuilding Project ($24M) , and El Salvador Municipal Governance Project for Security ($4M) . Responsible for ensuring project success by supporting robust project design during annual workplan sessions , in the development and implementation of workplans , performance reports , and evaluations , along with financial management , procurement , and regulatory compliance . Collaborated with the project office to oversee 30+ grants , 2 subcontracts , and consultancies , ensuring compliance with contractual requirements . In CVPP, this resulted in the design and implementation of 54 crime prevention strategies in El Salvador ( $6M ). Carried out 4 field missions to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Los Angeles to provide hands-on operational support and coaching. Led new business development activities, including proposal drafting , research , partnership-building , and travel assignments for 3 crime prevention proposals in the Northern Triangle countries and Colombia .
Assisted program leadership in the oversight of USAID Nigeria programs — Northern Education Initiative Plus ($82M) and Education Crisis Response (ECR - $24M) . Tasked with tracking project performance , financial targets , payments , procurement , and regulatory compliance , and coordinating travel and logistics for field missions. Together with the project office , managed 5 subcontractors , 50+ grantees , and consultant agreements . Assisted in yearly workplan design sessions, and drafted performance reports and evaluations . Conducted 3 field missions to Nigeria to support implementation and training , including co-leading a resource mobilization training for 56 ECR grantees , which secured $1.4M in funding from external donors such as the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria . Supported new business development tasks for 2 crisis-responsive education proposals in Nigeria by conducting desk research , drafting proposal sections , managing consultants and logistics , and fulfilling travel assignments .
Supported the management of National Endowment for Democracy and US Department of State funded programs in Colombia and Northern Triangle countries , overseeing project performance , financial management , and payments , and coordinated travel and logistics for field missions. Assisted in drafting performance reports , evaluations , translated documents from Spanish to English , wrote a weekly newsletter analyzing political developments in the regions, and published 2 articles on the program's work.
Program design & management
Strategic planning
Performance monitoring
Data collection & research
Financial management
Business development
Policy analysis
Conflict-sensitive Environmental Conservation
Security & crime prevention
Peacebuilding
Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Venezuela, Nigeria, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, and the US.
International Union for Conservation of Nature - Professional Certificate on Finance for Nature
Human Trafficking in a Post-Accord Colombia: A Persistent Trend of Targeted NNA Forced Recruitment
International Union for Conservation of Nature - Professional Certificate on Finance for Nature
United Nations - Gender and Environment
European Consortium for Political Research & United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - Transnational Organized Crime
International Peace & Security Institute & Sarajevo School of Science & Technology - Post-Conflict Transitions
Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies - Conflict Sensitive Education