SOMOS FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Executive Director
- Finance
Ana brings more than 15 years of experience developing creative projects of high environmental value and social impact. She has experience not only in project development but management, land management, and property rights. As CEDAREN's Land Trust Director, she lead the private land conservation strategy in the Osa for over a year; which was developed under the Osa Campaign execution. Ana also worked for the Omar Dengo Foundation as the International Relations and Resource Mobilization Officer and obtained fundraising and strategic partnership development skills.
Ana has worked as climate finance advisor and specialized in sustainable markets and transformative decarbonized practices in the agricultural and industrial sector. She has experience providing support to private sector, cooperation agencies, national authorities, and NGO's on developing strategies to create climate finance mechanisms and enable existent market-based instruments to support climate actions.
Ana graduated from the Universidad de Costa Rica, is a lawyer, and also holds a master's degree in Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility from Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) in Madrid, Spain. Ana is fluent is English and Spanish.
Erika joined the Bahía Ballena community in 2014 in love with its natural beauty, vibe, generosity, and the multiculturalism of its people. She is a psychologist and her career has been mainly focused on promoting local development and executing social projects. Erika is always at the service of our youth, working toward a brighter future.
Katherine is a journalist, author and nonprofit leader with 16 years of experience in journalism leadership, content production, communications strategy, grant writing, education and nonprofit management. She works with individuals and organizations so they can more effectively reach their target audiences and expand their impact; she also writes about parenthood, social justice, Costa Rica and change makers everywhere. Katherine lives in San José with her husband and daughter.
Co-owner of MAD About Diving, Laura is a native Costa Rican who left San Jose for the coast ten years ago. A dedicated community and environment advocate, Laura has volunteered and worked with numerous community organizations in the region including serving three terms as Secretary for the Chamber of Tourism and Commerce (CACOBA). Laura's compassion, strength of character and conviction gives a strong and clear voice to the SOMOS board. She resides in Ojochal with her husband, dog, and rescue bunny.
A local entrepreneur born and raised in the area, Marcela is always at the center of community action in the Costa Ballena Region. In addition to her retail businesses and responsibilities with SOMOS, Marcela is the current president of the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Uvita (ADIU), town council for Uvita, Bahia, and surrounding areas. Marcela studied abroad in Germany and speaks three languages, German, Spanish and English. She has been serving her community of Bahia-Uvita for 15+ years.
As former Executive Director and current Programs Director of the Costa Rica USA Foundation (CRUSA), Michelle brings a wealth of experience and resources to the SOMOS Board. In addition to her many years served in the development and aid industry, Michelle also offers a unique perspective as a dual citizen Costa Rica-USA.
Noilyn is a nature lover. She's been an advocate for the environment for as long as she can remember, always in awe and dedicated to protecting the natural resources that make up her beautiful country. She is co-founder of Costa Rica Culture Tours, a local initiative focused on diversifying the tourist services available in the area by reclaiming Bahia Ballena's history and culture and sharing it with visitors to ensure the history and traditions of the community endure the changes of modernization. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for Geoporter, is a member of the local emergency committee, and member of the Bahia Ballena local guiding association. In her free time, Noilyn enjoys traveling and sitting down for a good conversation, particularly when there are community elders willing to share their knowledge and life stories.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Vice President
An Ecopreneur, Travis serves as a true catalyst for community development and innovation. Travis began his career in international development in Mexico before coming to Costa Rica in 2005 with the Peace Corps. Since then he has worked as a consultant for several organizations including the Costa Rica-USA Foundation and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. As Vice President of SOMOS, Travis provides clear direction and purpose to the board and executive team that advises all individual staff and projects. In 2020 Travis' Bodhi Surf + Yoga will celebrate its 10th anniversary; you can be sure to find him surfing the waves at Playa Chaman.
Yeudhy was born and raised in the bosom of a humble and hard-working family, with a great spirit of service and collaboration to the community -- values that were instilled in him by his parents.
After finishing his high school studies, Yeudhy moved to the capital to develop professionally and professionally.
During his more than 20 years as a collaborator in the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica, he held various positions, among them, Office Manager, which allowed him to have a closer relationship with the different productive sectors of the country.
About 17 years ago, Yeudhy got to know the Bahía Ballena district and it was love at first sight. The area's beaches, mountains, nature and fauna definitely captivated him. He has had the blessing of being able to offer collaboration in the Bahía Ballena community as a member of different community organizations such as the Sports Committee, the Comité Pro Cen-Cinai, and the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Uvita. Currently he is very pleased to be part of this great work team as Financial Director of the SOMOS Foundation of Costa Rica providing support and accompaniment in all current and future community projects.