Richard Weisskoff, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of International Studies at the University of Miami. He computed the regional economic impacts for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Restudy, and he is a member of the Full Cost Accounting Committee of the Governor's Council for a Sustainable South Florida. He has taught economics at Yale, Iowa State, and Bar Ilan University (Israel) before coming to UM. He has been a visiting professor at Notre Dame, American University, and universities in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Peru. He has served as a consultant to the United Nations, the Inter-American Development Bank, Harvard Institute for Economic Development, and the Department of Agriculture.
Professor Richard Weisskoff holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. He has research interests in economic development and ecology, Latin America, regional economics, income distribution, and poverty studies. Professor Weisskoff will serve as a consultant and assist with project leadership, curricula development, trainings and research on this project. |
Dr. Enrique Neuhauser is the founder of FunderPeru, a non-profit organization dedicated to the alleviation of poverty through self-sustainable programs. Dr. Neuhauser has a solid track record of working in rural Honduras, Peru and other countries with international experience including the InterAmerican Development Bank and the United Nations. Dr. Neuhauser was Senior Policy Advisor of the United Nations Latin American Bureau Development Program (PNUD) in New York, where he was involved in organizing economic initiatives for communities in 12 countries of the hemisphere. Dr. Neuhauser’s organization, FunderPeru collaborates with the University of Miami in a travel-abroad experience in microcredit, microfinance and project monitoring.
His organization FunderPeru currently works with over 500 urban and rural groups which consist of over 5,000 participants which have generated over 1.7 m in self-sustainable funding. Dr. Neuhauser will serve as a consultant and advisor on the Training and Capacity Building Projects (TCB) with COFFO and the University of Miami graduate students. |
Raisa Marrero LEED AP is an executive with over fifteen years of experience in the financial banking sector. Ms. Marrero was the business owner of Aspire Mortgage Lenders, LLC from 2002-2009. During her finance profession, she received awards of excellence as a top producer; including accolades from The Latino American Who’s Who. As a member of the United States Green Building Council, she has worked on renewable energy projects in Haiti, environmental business projects in Thailand and India, as well as entrepreneurial development projects in Peru. Locally, she is a project leader for Hands on Miami and an advocate for the Florida Breast Health Initiative where she helps with community relations to develop initiatives for community inclusion.
Ms. Marrero is a graduate student at the University of Miami concentrating in Green Sustainable Development. She graduated with honors from St. Thomas University where she received a Bachelor in Liberal Arts focused on Global Leadership with minors in Environmental Philosophy and Organizational Psychology. Now, her work centers in social entrepreneurship promoting economic development which combines her experience in finance with her passion for the environment. Raisa will use her project management skills to assure goals and deliverables are achieved in a timely manner. |
Fernando A. Nin is the Quality Assurance and Compliance Manager at Passageway Residence of Dade County in Miami, FL a nonprofit behavioral health center . From 2008-2010 he has also worked as a Controller and Quality Improvement Manager at Miami Baking Company, a manufacturer and wholesaler of specialty baked goods in Opa-Locka, Florida.
Fernando is currently a candidate for the Master of Arts in International Administration (MAIA)with a concentration inEconomic Development and Non-Profit Management, from theUniversity of Miami. Mr. Nin also holds a Business Administration degree from the University of Florida. He has worked with various Microfinance projects since 2005 in environments as diverse as Puerto Cabezas , Nicaragua and Cajamarca, Peru. Fernando seeks to put wide range of experience and expertise to contribute to the local community. Fernando shall contribute to the project by providing his fiscal managment skills, outcomes research and performance improvement experience, and by helping to design the curriculum and serving as an instructor for courses on financial literacy and leadership. |
Maria Pieiga is a business professional with over twenty years of experience in healthcare administration, pre and post award/grant management, procurement, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Ms. Pieiga has a B.S. in Legal Studies from Barry University, a MBA from Florida International University, and a MA in International Administration from the University of Miami. Ms. Pieiga is currently Sr. Division Administrator for the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. In her current role Ms. Pieiga currently oversees all operational and financial aspects of a 10m budget which includes clinical and research activities. Her area of concentration and interests are alleviation of poverty, international business, entrepreneurship and public health. Study abroad experiences include financial operations in England, international business/globalization in Vietnam and Thailand, microfinance in Peru, and global business forum in Italy.
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Diana Pinto is the founder of an independent pedagogy business that specializes in helping students become independent, organized self-motivated learners. Prior to developing her small business, Ms. Pinto worked as a program facilitator for the United Nations Association in Vancouver “What Kind of World” programme. She also worked as a simulation facilitator at the Florida International University Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship Studies, as well as an America Reads Tutor supported by the Clinton Global Foundation. Ms. Pinto developed an interest in community development after working for the American Red Cross as a Vendor Specialist and participating at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York, where she received an Outstanding Delegation Award.
Ms. Pinto graduated with honors from the University of Miami where she received a Master of Arts in International Administration with concentration in Sustainable Development. During her graduate degree, Ms. Pinto traveled to Haiti where she worked with SOIL, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting soil resources, empowering communities and transforming wastes into resources in Haiti. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in International Relations from Florida International University. At the present time, Ms. Pinto is focused in developing a learning academy and implementing education programs for at risk children and youth as part of her passion for community development. Ms. Pinto’s role in this project will include trainer entrepreneurship courses, fundraising and developing social outcomes. |
Gabriela de la Torre received her B.A and M.A. in Latin American Studies with a concentration in Economics from the University of Miami in 2010. Her Master’s Thesis surveyed loan usage and financial literacy of microfinance clients in rural villages surrounding Cayalti, Peru.
In 2011 Ms. De La Torre served as a consultant for the American Human Development Project (AHDP) and contributed to the AHDP’s publication of Portrait of California. Presently, Ms. De La Torre is the Community Liaison Coordinator for the USDA funded Agriculture & Food Research Initiative: Niños Sanos, Familia Sana at the University of California, Davis. Ms . De la Torre’s role in this project will be to provide outcomes research and project development assistance in Miami, as well as in California. |
Stephanie Alvarado is Program Manager for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, supervising the implementation of curricula that teaches high school students to create a business plan and start an entrepreneurial venture. She has previously held positions with the public school system in Chaska, Minnesota, in which she focused on providing resources to low-income families to improve academic performance.
Ms. Alvarado graduated with honors from the University of Miami where she received a Master of Arts in International Administration with concentration in Organizational Management and Sustainable Development. During her graduate career, she focused on non-profit management, specifically in the areas of poverty alleviation and sustainable program implementation. Ms. Alvarado’s research and experience focuses on Latin America, as she received a B.A. from Colby College in Latin American Studies, featuring her honor’s thesis analyzing the state of children’s homes in Honduras. Within Funder, Stephanie manages communications and information technology related to marketing and virtual operations. She is also a monitor who trains individuals in entrepreneurship and basic accounting. |
Andrew Dennis attends the University of Miami and is a triple major (Economics, Finance, Management) in the School of Business Administration. In addition, he works for the Government of South Miami in its Weeds and Seeds program every Thursday and Friday in alliance with the student group Kids and Culture. Here, he volunteers to tutor kids in grades K-12 in any and all areas they may need assistance with. Andrew seeks to put his strong academic background and tutoring experience to good use by training the local community to become self-sustaining community enhancers. He has done so by providing legal research on issues such as non-compete contracts and usury laws. He will also assist with training the modules and designing ways to help our beneficiaries learn the material faster. In addition, he will also perform monitor duties as needed. Andrew will research legal and policy issues and design curriculum business courses.
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