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 Educational Specialist. 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
Juan Carlos Reyes – MacroProjects Coordinator- Colombia
Juan Carlos has lead initiatives in early childhood education and care for the past 4 years both in the private and public sectors. Working for the Ministry of Education he was involved in the design of programs to ensure the development of the early education and care new public policy. Later on, he led the execution of one big strategy that provided early education and care to 300 thousand children under 5 years of age all over the country. On the private side, Juan has worked with NGO’s helping them to reorganize and define processes seeking to improve the quality of services provided for children and families. Juan Carlos is a Project Coordinator at Genesis and he is responsible for the evaluation and monitoring of projects, as well as assuring partnerships with public and private entities. He studied Economics and History at Universidad de los Andes, in Bogotá, Colombia and recently participated in an International Program with Lund University on child rights, classroom and school management.
Natalia León– National Projects Coordinator- Colombia
Natalia is responsible of evaluating 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. With a Masters Degree on International Cooperation for Development from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, and experience as a consultant for the Spanish Red Cross, Natalia decided to return to Colombia as the Operation Manager for Fundación Fútbol con Corazón. She became an active member of diverse networks and NGOs that use sports as a tool for development and peace building among schools and vulnerable communities, managed projects for the World Bank, Spanish Government, United Nations Agencies like UNDP and IOM, and international donors. Natalia holds a bachelor degree on Science of Education from Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, and has worked as a teacher and teacher trainer in private and public schools in Colombia.
Email: nleon@genesis-foundation.org
Phone: (+1) 212-421-1149
Valentina Morao - Intern- Miami
As a Development and Fundraising Intern Valentina is responsible for assisting in researching potential grants, supporting our social media outlets, and the daily operations of the Miami office. Valentina started her career in the social field as a Project Manager for a non-profit organization in Venezuela and then moved to the United States. Valentina has a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts with a Minor in Business Administration from the Universidad Metropolitana from Caracas, Venezuela.
Email: vmorao@genesis-foundation.org