Catalina de la Mar Calderón

(She/Her/Ella)
Senior Director, Campaigns & Advocacy Programs
Bogotá, Colombia

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Catalina is currently responsible for the advocacy strategies and implementation processes in Latin America and the Caribbean for WEC. She has in-depth experience with the design of program strategies, and their development. Catalina believes in the power of movements, so she has focused on developing strong partnerships around social justice objectives, while recognizing opportunities and taking the necessary risks to promote substantial improvements within the social context of the communities targeted by her work.

 

During her career, she has had the privilege of supporting civil society organizations, either as part of local and national government in Colombia, as well as part of International Organizations. Her main work has been around strengthening their capacities of designing  advocacy strategies with decision makers. 

 

Prior to joining WEC, Catalina supported the Bogotá City government in their efforts to establish a working strategy with the private sector to protect public spaces and generate successful economic opportunities for street vendors. She also worked at the Chevrolet Foundation as the Director of the Ruta Motor program. As an advisor for the Presidencia de la República de Colombia – Programa Presidencial Colombia Joven, she was responsible for identifying and implementing strategies to create partnerships with national government offices and governors. Catalina has also worked as a consultant for local Colombian governments and international organizations.   

 

Catalina is originally from a small Island named San Andrés in the Colombian Caribbean, and is a lawyer from the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, with a Master's Degree in Law (LLM) from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.