What I Do
I’m a consultant and facilitator who’s great at bringing people, teams, and cultures together. I serve nonprofits, businesses, and educational institutions that are working to make the world a better place. My specialty is helping organizations get out of panic mode, whether it’s by facilitating healthy relationships or repairing broken operations. My ultimate goal is to support the creation of healthy organizations and welcoming communities, where everyone who enters feels like they’ve arrived home.
My Journey to This Work
As a multicultural woman living in the South, I live with my feet planted in two different worlds.
My father is from Colombia and my mother is from New York. I was born in Bogota, Colombia and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. So from a young age, I felt different. My skin color, my last name, my father’s accent, and even my hair set me apart from my peers.
In short, conformity wasn’t an option for me! Searching for my identity led me to question a lot of things about societal structures and the rules that most people take for granted.
So instead of following the traditional, linear trajectory, I made my own path in life — dropping out of high school and embracing the counter-culture of the 1990s, traveling around the country, and fulfilling a deep desire to explore and discover. I also discovered my roots and culture by traveling to Colombia and learning more about my family, ancestors, and traditions in 2000.
Recognizing that the predominant social structures don’t work for everyone, I kept coming back to a central question: Why not create new ways of being?
That question has led me to the work I do today. My life experience has taught me to think outside the box, question the status quo, and search for fresh, creative solutions. And my lived experiences enable me to bridge language, cultural, and racial divides.
I look forward to helping your organization along its journey, using what I’ve learned from mine.
Experience
Consultant: As a consultant since 2004, I have worked with dozens of organizations on a variety of projects and initiatives. Some examples include:
For a full list of past clients and projects, please visit my Clients page.
Non-Profits & Public Service:
I have 20 years of experience working with non-profit organizations in a variety of capacities, including as a volunteer, consultant, executive director, and board member. This includes a two-year stint as Executive Director of the Asheville Buncombe Community Relations Council (ABCRC) in Asheville, NC. In this role I worked closely with the board, funders, volunteers, and community partners to rebuild and expand the organization. I currently serve on the following boards:
Higher Education:
I have 15 years of experience working in higher education as a associate director, professor, mentor, presenter, program director, recruiter, and student. This includes four years of work as Regional Assistant Director for the Office of Admissions at Western Carolina University, five years as Associate Director for Hispanic/Latinx Initiatives at the University of Louisville (UofL) in Kentucky, and lecturer for UofL Honors College for 3 years. To view my full work background, please visit my LinkedIn page.
Education
While I consider my hands-on work and life experience to be the best education there is, I also hold the following educational credentials, which help inform my work:
I’m a consultant and facilitator who’s great at bringing people, teams, and cultures together. I serve nonprofits, businesses, and educational institutions that are working to make the world a better place. My specialty is helping organizations get out of panic mode, whether it’s by facilitating healthy relationships or repairing broken operations. My ultimate goal is to support the creation of healthy organizations and welcoming communities, where everyone who enters feels like they’ve arrived home.
My Journey to This Work
As a multicultural woman living in the South, I live with my feet planted in two different worlds.
My father is from Colombia and my mother is from New York. I was born in Bogota, Colombia and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. So from a young age, I felt different. My skin color, my last name, my father’s accent, and even my hair set me apart from my peers.
In short, conformity wasn’t an option for me! Searching for my identity led me to question a lot of things about societal structures and the rules that most people take for granted.
So instead of following the traditional, linear trajectory, I made my own path in life — dropping out of high school and embracing the counter-culture of the 1990s, traveling around the country, and fulfilling a deep desire to explore and discover. I also discovered my roots and culture by traveling to Colombia and learning more about my family, ancestors, and traditions in 2000.
Recognizing that the predominant social structures don’t work for everyone, I kept coming back to a central question: Why not create new ways of being?
That question has led me to the work I do today. My life experience has taught me to think outside the box, question the status quo, and search for fresh, creative solutions. And my lived experiences enable me to bridge language, cultural, and racial divides.
I look forward to helping your organization along its journey, using what I’ve learned from mine.
Experience
Consultant: As a consultant since 2004, I have worked with dozens of organizations on a variety of projects and initiatives. Some examples include:
- Human Resources & Operations Consultant for the Dogwood Alliance
- Consultant and Facilitator for the Asheville City Schools Foundation on a Race Equity Grant
- Organizational Development Consultant for Asheville Latin Americans for Advancement Society (ALAS)
- Diversity Trainer for Buncombe County Health and Human Services with the Center for Diversity Education
- Manager of Our Stories, Our Voices, a community collaborative immigrant art project
- Organizer of annual Fiesta Latina event in Asheville, NC
For a full list of past clients and projects, please visit my Clients page.
Non-Profits & Public Service:
I have 20 years of experience working with non-profit organizations in a variety of capacities, including as a volunteer, consultant, executive director, and board member. This includes a two-year stint as Executive Director of the Asheville Buncombe Community Relations Council (ABCRC) in Asheville, NC. In this role I worked closely with the board, funders, volunteers, and community partners to rebuild and expand the organization. I currently serve on the following boards:
- Board Member, Louisville Community Supported Accupuncture
Higher Education:
I have 15 years of experience working in higher education as a associate director, professor, mentor, presenter, program director, recruiter, and student. This includes four years of work as Regional Assistant Director for the Office of Admissions at Western Carolina University, five years as Associate Director for Hispanic/Latinx Initiatives at the University of Louisville (UofL) in Kentucky, and lecturer for UofL Honors College for 3 years. To view my full work background, please visit my LinkedIn page.
Education
While I consider my hands-on work and life experience to be the best education there is, I also hold the following educational credentials, which help inform my work:
- Ph.D. Candidate, University of Louisville College of Education
- Master of Public Affairs (MPA) from Western Carolina University
- Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Duke University
- BA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Latin America in a Global Context) from UNC Asheville
