Valeria Andrea Buelna Sainz
Tijuana
Summary
Accomplished professional with over five years of experience and a proven track record at the International Organization for Migration, enhancing partner relations and program management. Demonstrated success in facilitating collaboration across sectors, leveraging bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish, and contributing to strategic initiatives.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Program Assistant
International Organization For Migration
04.2020 - Current
- Support the IOM Northwest Office's strategy by maintaining relationships with local partners, including government institutions, NGOs, other International Agencies, and donors. Draft talking points for meetings with counterparts, preparing documents and data visualizations.
- Facilitate collaboration among partners in Baja California and Sonora to optimize program implementation and achieve project goals.
- Work with specialized service providers to support capacity building program activities aimed at beneficiary partners, such as shelters and NGOs. Currently managing over 10 cases in Tijuana and Sonora.
- Conduct regular field visits to shelters and local partners to assess their capacity building needs and identify project opportunities.
- Liaise with academic institutions in the region and support shelters and NGOs to strengthen their compliance with university internship program requirements, enabling the recruitment of college volunteers to provide skilled support in day-to-day activities and migrant services in over 7 spaces.
- Supported the technical design and implementation of the IOM Filter Hotel, a temporary shelter emergency initiative that responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Liaised with counterparts and donors to mobilize donations and resources for the project.
- Designed operating procedures for the reception of third-country nationals at the US – Mexico border during the reinstatement of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) in early 2022, leading field visits in english of high level representatives from U.S. government agencies.
Research Intern
Organization of American States
06.2018 - 08.2018
- Supported the development of project proposals focused on crime prevention and capacity building in Latin America.
- Conducted in-depth research and data analysis that contributed to the formulation of project proposals.
- During the 3-month internship developed a document that contained key data and information resources on illegal mining and human mobility in the Americas. These resources were presented to the department against transnational crime as a reference tool that could be used during the 2018 - 2019 project proposal period.
Program Coordinator
Boder Angels
06.2016 - 07.2018
- Engaged with government institutions and organizations in Mexico and California to mobilize resources, maintaining relations with donors in the region.
- Coordinated cultural fairs and Know Your Rights campaigns in Tijuana and San Diego, collaborating closely with government institutions and private donors, linking over 30 beneficiaries with social programs and services each week.
- Led the coordination efforts for the humanitarian assistance initiative during the influx of 15,000 Haitian migrants in Tijuana in 2016, partnering with over 18 shelters, NGOs, and the City of Tijuana to mobilize donations to cover shelter and alimentary needs.
Research Assistant
Center for U.S. - Mexico Studies
09.2017 - 06.2018
- Designed data collection tools for the Mexican Migration Field Research Program (MMFRP) utilizing Qualtrics and used statistical software like STATA and Excel to analyze data and draft key talking points for meetings and presentations.
- Provided practical training to field surveyors responsible for conducting interviews in middle schools and high schools in Mexico and California, ensuring data accuracy across more than a thousand surveys within a span of 2 months.
Intern
Consulate General of Mexico in New York
09.2015 - 12.2015
Political and Econ Intern
Consulate General of the U.S. in Tijuana
08.2014 - 07.2015
Education
Master of Arts - Public Policy
UC San Diego, School of Global Policy And Strategy
San Diego, CA, USA06.2019
Bachelor of Arts - International Relations
Universidad Autónoma De Baja California
Tijuana, B.C., Mexico12.2015
No Degree - Semestre Abroad
Universität Passau
Passau, Germany02.2015
Skills
- Partnership Development
- Program Development and Management
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Assertive Communication
- Problem Solving
- Statistical analysis and data visualizations
- Donor liaison
- Interpretation and Translation in English and Spanish
Languages
English
Full Professional
Spanish
Native or Bilingual
German
Elementary
Software
MS Office: Excel, Word, Teams
Stata, Qualtrics, Tableau
Timeline
Program Assistant
International Organization For Migration
04.2020 - Current
Research Intern
Organization of American States
06.2018 - 08.2018
Research Assistant
Center for U.S. - Mexico Studies
09.2017 - 06.2018
Program Coordinator
Boder Angels
06.2016 - 07.2018
Intern
Consulate General of Mexico in New York
09.2015 - 12.2015
Political and Econ Intern
Consulate General of the U.S. in Tijuana
08.2014 - 07.2015
Master of Arts - Public Policy
UC San Diego, School of Global Policy And Strategy
Bachelor of Arts - International Relations
Universidad Autónoma De Baja California
No Degree - Semestre Abroad
Universität Passau
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