OUR TEAM
Board of Directors

Isabel Wright
Co-Chair

Isabel Wright
Co-Chair
As President, in 2015 she launched NEACOL’s Annual Gala, the major fundraising event of the organization.
Her previous experience includes serving as a project associate at the Ford Foundation, in partnership with the NYU Wagner's school, helping the organization to frame its work in microfinance as a tool of socioeconomic development. She was also a researcher for the United Nations focusing on identifying and mapping international funding agencies for microfinance and a member of the UN International Year of Microcredit. Isabel started her career in the academic field as an academic coordinator for the Business School at Universidad Iberoamericana and a professor of Financial Analysis and Budget Management at Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano.
Currently, she works in the Banking industry and she is responsible for acquiring new business relationships and managing a portfolio of Business clients. Isabel holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master’s in Public Administration from New York University.
She loves traveling and spending time with her husband and two daughters, Isabella and Gabriella.

Danielle Jennings
Co-Chair

Danielle Jennings
Co-Chair
Danielle has over 8 years of experience working in the financial services industry. Currently, working at U.S Bank in Global Corporate Trust Services as a Collateralized Debt Obligation Portfolio Administrator. Prior to her current position, Danielle worked at Appleton Partners, Inc. as an Assistant Portfolio Manager in the Private Client Services group
Danielle was born in and resides in Massachusetts. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling and skiing. Danielle received her Bachelor of Science in Finance from Roger Williams University and minored in Spanish.

Akram Rafla

Ricardo A. Rodriguez
He is currently an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley, acting as Chief Technology Officer for the Non-Qualified Plans (NQP) division, following the acquisition of American Financial Systems, company where he led Software Development and IT Operations, and member of its Board of Directors.
Prior to this role, he acted as Second Vice President for Guardian Life Insurance, a Fortune 250 company, and held other positions in the same arena in both US and Latin America. He also founded two IT-related companies, as well as Co-Founded YallaCollect, a Fintech startup in the Middle East region (Dubai).
Ricardo has a strong interest in volunteering in the non-profit sector and besides NEACOL, he also serves as a Business Mentor for eForAll, Technical Volunteer for Code.org, Advisor for Harvard OCS Firsthand, and was part of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) as a STEM advisor.
His academic background includes a Master of Science in Finance and an MBA in International Business, both from HULT International Business School, a Master’s degree in Information Systems Management from Harvard University, a B.S. in Computer Sciences from Escuela Colombiana de Ingenieria and four years of Electronic Engineering and Mathematics at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota. He was also a Teaching Assistant / Fellow at Harvard University and is currently a Lecturer at the Escuela Colombiana de Ingenieria, both endeavors in related professional subjects.
Ricardo has published research in the computer technology field in academic scenarios and magazines of national circulation such as MSDN Magazine and VB Advisor. He also has also been selected as one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics in Information Technology in the U.S” by HITEC for six consecutive years and also featured by Hispanic Engineer & IT Magazine as one of the “Top Hispanics in Computer Science and Computer Engineering”.
Executive Team

Marcela Danesh
President

Marcela Danesh
President
Marcela graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Masters of Business Administration from the Babson College Olin School of Management. She earned her Business Administration and Finance degree from Universidad ICESI in Cali.
She is an avid volunteer and serves on the Board of Directors of NEACOL (New England Association for Colombian Children). She also served as board member at Conexión Advancing Latino Leadership, the GSEMA (Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts), FriendshipWorks and ALPFA Boston.

Dominick Costanzo
Vice President

Dominick Costanzo
Vice President
Prior to that, he worked as a journalist on Nantucket Island, and while living in Belize as an international contributor for The Atlantic. He founded a newspaper, The Nantucket Independent, and directed a group of publications for the Nantucket Association of Real Estate Brokers. He also published a collection of children’s books for the William Froelich foundation on Saba Island to raise money for the Saba Conservation Foundation.
He has served on the boards of and has volunteered for several nonprofits, including CEPA - Costa Rica, Theatre Workshop of Nantucket, the African Meeting House on Nantucket, and Elder Services of the Cape & Islands.

Juan G. Pardo
Treasurer

Juan G. Pardo
Treasurer

Julieth Romero
Secretary

Julieth Romero
Secretary
Committees

Mauricio Barrero
Chair, Membership and IT

Mauricio Barrero
Chair, Membership and IT

Valentina Alzate
Chair, Events

Valentina Alzate
Chair, Events

Ruth Molina
Co-Chair, Fundraising

Ruth Molina
Co-Chair, Fundraising

Margarita Escallon
Co-Chair, Fundraising & NEACOL Youth

Margarita Escallon
Co-Chair, Fundraising & NEACOL Youth

Javier Borrero
Chair, Marketing

Javier Borrero
Chair, Marketing

Marta Rafla
Chair, Projects

Marta Rafla
Chair, Projects

Olga Lopez
Co-Chair, Projects

Olga Lopez
Co-Chair, Projects

Jenny Romero
Chair, Gala Committee

Jenny Romero
Chair, Gala Committee
• Mauricio Barrero – (Chair)
• Maria Claudia Aguirre
• Maria Isabel Gariepy
• Isabel Wright
• Valentina Alzate (Chair)
• Christina Brooks
• Eduardo Canton
• Emilia Lopez
• Frank Pinto
• Mariana Benincore
• Natalia Torres
• Adriana Cedeno
• Javier Borrero (Chair)
• Gloria Lara
• Maria Odriozola
• Maria Fernanda Canton
• Danielle Jennings
• Sofia Walker
• Margarita Escallon Co-Chair
• Ruth Molina Co-Chair
• Viviana Alzate Catano
• Vicky Makrides
• Marta Rafla (Chair)
• Olga Lopez (Co-Chair)
• Laura Torres
• Maria Elvira Restrepo-Toro
• Nancy Gomez
• Catalina Lotero
• Danielle Jennings
• Carolina Buitrago
• Mauricio Barrero (Chair)
• Ricardo Rodriguez
• Michael Horton
• Diana Arias
• Youth Coordinator: Margarita Duque-Escallon
• Board: Isabel Wright.
• Isabella Wright (Founder & President)
• Sebastian Romero (Vice)
• Sophia Agronovich (Secretary)
• Katie Mercer
• Gabi Diaz
• Vanessa Villalba
• Estrella Sanchez
• Sophia Irizary
• Hernan Fitzgerald
Jenny Romero: Chair
Marta Rafla: Co-Chair
Carolina Amador
Catalina Lotero
Celia Correa
Juliana Salgado
Luisa Lugo
Ma Clara Aramburo
Maria Claudia Aguirre
Maria Mara
Mauricio Barrero
Nicolas Mantilla-Aguirre
Valentina Alzate
Javier Romero: Co-Chair
Akram Rafla: Co-Chair
Mariaclara Ordonez-Restrepo: Development Coordinator
Alexander Montoya
Carlos Peralta
Carolina Amador
Julio Mantilla
Margarita Escallon
Mauricio Barrero
Monica Pinzon