Melissa obtained her Bachelor of Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design with a concentration in Sustainability and  her masters in Real Estate Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She was a member of the innovation lab at RISD that aimed to bridge design thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship to address issues of global poverty and social injustice.  Even though most of her work has been focused around sustainable and socially conscious real estate development projects, she is passionate about providing women the tools and infrastructure they need in order to become active agents of social and economic change in their communities. She is convinced design thinking and human centric design could serve as a powerful tool to enable partnerships focused on uplifting women around the world. Like this:Like Loading...

Maria Gabriela has 15 + years of experience leading initiatives in different industries across the US and Latin America, given her the opportunity to learn from diverse perspectives and integrate those learnings in each space she become part of. From US government consulting, designing and leading social protection programs that helped low-income families achieve long-term self-sufficiency, to management consulting with international development firms building strategies and partnerships, to being part of nonprofit leadership transforming local communities.  She holds leadership roles in regional and international networks that allow her as a founder to connect, learn, contribute, and weave collaborations with mission-driven human beings around the world. In them, she has hosted global discussions that elevate the perspectives and experiences of women. Leading Uplifting Women by MGA she seeks to inspire others to want to have a social impact in their societies by reducing inequality and poverty gaps through spaces that facilitate the construction of socially conscious cultures.  She has a postgraduate degree in International Business from Universidad Americana, a certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Culture, minor in Education, and Master’s in Public Administration from Clark University. Like this:Like Loading...