OUR TEAM
Cristina Gutiérrez de Piñeres: Executive Director- Colombia
As the Foundation’s Executive Director, Cristina is responsible for general management, program execution, Board relations and day-to-day operations in Colombia. Cristina opened the office in Colombia in 2005, and since then has remained committed to supporting the foundation’s successful growth. Before Genesis, she worked as a clinical psychologist in Colombia and New York City, working specifically with vulnerable children and their families. Cristina has also worked with UNICEF in Colombia as a Program Assistant for the Humanitarian Action Department, overseeing programs for displaced and demobilized children. Cristina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Email: cgutierrez@genesis-foundation.org
Phone: (+1) 212-421-1149
Claudia Giardinella: Director of Development & Fundraising (PR Specialist)- Miami
Claudia is in charge of developing and maintaining all donor relationships and fundraising activities, both in Colombia and the United States. She works to develop fundraising and communications strategies to attract financial contributions, talent and other resources from individuals, the media, charitable foundations and the government. Claudia received a degree in Broadcast Journalism and International Studies at University of Miami. She first became involved with the Genesis Foundation while working with another Colombian non-profit organization that works with Genesis at the yearly fundraising initiative BeLive. Claudia joined Genesis full time in 2011 as the Director of Development & Fundraising (PR Specialist).
Email: cgiardinella@genesis-foundation.org
Phone: (+1) 212-421-1185
Camila Díaz – Administrative & Development Manager - NYC
Camila began her career with the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington D.C., and then returned to Colombia to work as an Account Executive at Dattis, a strategic consultancy firm. Camila began with the Genesis Foundation in Colombia as Program Analyst in 2007, where she was responsible for helping to evaluate and pre-select prospective grantees, and monitoring and evaluating existing projects. In 2009 Camila returned to the U.S. to pursue her Master’s degree in International Educational Development with concentration in Peace Education at Columbia University, where she continued to work at the Genesis office in New York as a Development Analyst. In 2011 she started full time as the Administrative & Development Manager. Her responsibilities include implementing the development and fundraising strategy, designing communication materials and providing support to the Executive Director with daily operations in New York and Colombia. In addition to her Master's degree, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in History from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia.
Email: cdiaz@genesis-foundation.org
Phone: (+1) 212-421-1154
Marcela Venegas: MacroProjects Coordinator- Colombia
Marcela brings to Genesis a solid background in rural education, and experience working with children and families at risk. Before joining the Foundation, Marcela worked as a field assistant implementing an innovative program of “Peace Games” in rural Colombian schools, and served as a consultant for the design of “Red JUNTOS,” a government strategy designed to eliminate extreme poverty in Colombia. As the MacroProject coordinator at Genesis, Marcela is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the two MacroProjects currently underway, while building partnerships with public and private entities; overseeing project implementation, monitoring and evaluation; and managing all donor relationships, including sourcing, fundraising and reporting activity. Marcela holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá and a Master’s degree in Intercultural Education from the Freie Universität in Berlin-Germany.
Email: mvenegas@genesis-foundation.org
Phone: (+1) 212-421-1149
Natalia Escobar: Project Coordinator for Colombia
As a Project Coordinator, Natalia is responsible for helping to evaluate the Foundation’s portfolio of projects, as well as monitoring and supervising their implementation. She also works to help manage relationships and networks among donors, grantees and partners, and provides general assistance to the daily operation of the Foundation in Colombia. Before joining Genesis, Natalia worked at Fundación Empresarios por la Educación and directed the Observatorio de Calidad de la Educación (Quality of Education Observatory) in Caldas. Her passion for social work stems from her time working as a research assistant in corporate social responsibility at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. Natalia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and a specialization in Social Marketing from the Universidad de Manizales.
Email: nescobar@genesis-foundation.org
Phone: (+1) 212-421-1149