Marketing and Public Relations Consultant Kalindi Attar was born in San Francisco, CA and grew up in several parts of the US. In 2005, she graduated from the University of Miami with a BA in Psychology. Kalindi then worked in the areas of Development, Marketing and Communications for The Washington Area Women's Foundation in DC before moving to Oaxaca in 2006. Since then, she has combined her marketing background with health, nutrition and holistic healing. In addition to her work with Puente, she is also an event Coordinator for the international organization YES!. She began consulting for Puente in January 2008.

Program Director Gabriela Blanco, a US-born daughter of Mexican immigrants, spent much of her childhood in northern Mexico. Gabriela completed two years of Peace Corps service in Paraguay addressing rural health needs through projects focused on nutrition, sanitation, and reproductive health, during which time she identified nutrition as a key factor in combating rural poverty. She then worked as a technical trainer for the Peace Corps Rural Health and Sanitation project, incorporating new methods for training nutrition into the curriculum. After two years working as a Health Educator in the rural villages with Puente, she moved into the Program Director position. She has a B.A. in Human Development from the University of California San Diego.

Health Educator / Healthy Families Coordinator Carmen Genis Gómez was born and raised in Mexico City. Thanks to her mother’s influence and the frequent visits they made to the state of Chiapas, she has been interested in indigenous communities since her childhood. Carmen volunteered with the Mexican Red Cross where she became certified as an Emergency Medical Technician. Because of her interest in the growing malnutrition problem in Mexico, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana. She later worked with school children in the marginalized areas of Mexico City evaluating their nutritional status and giving nutritional workshops. Carmen joined Puente in July 2006.

Logistics Coordinator Zaira De La Rosa Jimenéz is from Mexico City but has worked for five years in rural communities. She began her community work with the organization Enlaces Rural, where she volunteered with agriculture projects in Hidalgo, Oaxaca, and Guerrero, Mexico. After that experience, Zaira began working with Un Kilo de Ayuda to prevent and combat malnutrition among children and pregnant women. Prior to working with rural populations, Zaira was a teacher and trainer with the education board, el Consejo Nacional de Fomento Educativo. She began working with Puente in March 2008.

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Local Agricultural Technician Ezequiel Santiago López is from San Andres el Alto, a rural village southwest of Oaxaca City. He has 15 years of experience working in agriculture and forestry and holds a certificate in Agro-Forestry. Ezequiel’s technical experience includes knowledge in reforestation, tree nursery management, and forest inventory. Ezequiel has also worked with various governmental programs, conducting evaluations for their agriculture projects. He is the father of seven children. Ezequiel began working part-time with Puente in May 2007.

Learn more about Ezquiel.

Local Agricultural Technician Jesus Pacheco López is a farmer from the rural, indigenous village of La Brujeria, located about three hours southwest of Oaxaca City. Jesus began to work the fields when he was 12 years-old and currently grows corn, beans, squashes, peaches, apples, potatoes, and amaranth. In his community, Jesus is very well respected and has held numerous leadership positions, including participating as a member of the municipal police and serving as the local town representative. He speaks Mixteco, the local language, and is the father of 12 children, eight of whom are still living (four died from malnutrition and other related diseases). Jesus began working part-time with Puente in May 2007.

Agriculture Extensionist / Training Farmers Coordinator Rigoberto Pola López is from Villaflores, Chiapas, Mexico. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo specializing in Tropical Agriculture and Protected Natural Resources of Southeastern Mexico. Upon graduating in 2000, Rigoberto moved to Oaxaca to work as a community development consultant with indigenous organizations and rural villages, focusing on sustainable production and the conservation, enjoyment, and proper usage of natural resources. Before joining Puente in January 2007, Rigoberto worked for three years with non-profit organizations to improve local development processes in Chinantla, Oaxaca. Rigoberto brings a wealth of knowledge to Puente regarding participatory rural development and technical agronomy training.

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Health Educador / Training Trainers Coordinator Liliana Mendoza Máfara is from Mexico City and holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. She has always had an interest in community development, and her career has followed this passion, mostly in the state of Oaxaca. She has worked with organizations dedicated to social development such as CANICA, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting street children, and the Oaxaca Community Foundation, where she worked in their Strengthening Regional Development program giving technical assistance and support to farming cooperatives. She has also collaborated in rural community education programs giving classes in primary schools both in the Sierra Norte and Sierra Sur regions of Oaxaca. Liliana joined Puente in February 2007.

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Local Agricultural Technician, Feliciano Vásquez Martínez, is from Rancho Tejas, a small community located in the mountainous Mixe region of Oaxaca. Feliciano is a farmer and produces corn, beans, potatoes, and a few other vegetables for personal consumption. In addition to his personal crops, Feliciano and a group of friends have formed a cooperative called “Fecha de las Nubes” which produces organic tomatoes, organic honey, and amaranth. He has held several posts in his community which include managing a local store, secretary of the Parents Association, and representative of Community Well-Being. He also worked with the government agency CONAFE for one year. Feliciano began working with Puente in January of 2008.

Agricultural Extensionist / Training Farmers Coordinator Uriel Baeza Nahed was born in the Isthmus region of Oaxaca. Uriel graduated from the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo with his Agricultural Engineering degree with a specialty in Tropical Climates. In January 2008, he completed his Master’s degree in Natural Resource Conservation from the National Polytech Institute. Uriel has worked with various non-profit organizations and groups of indigenous farmers in the states of Puebla, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. His focus has been on organic production and the capacity building of local agriculture technicians. He has also conducted a research study focusing on natural ways to control pests and insects. Uriel joined the Puente team in January 2008.

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Health Educator / Healthy Families Coordinator Bárbara Gómez Reyes was born in Oaxaca City and received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Universidad del Golfo de Mexico. At the beginning of her professional career, Bárbara worked for the Oaxacan Association of Psychology on a project led by parents which focused on behavior improvement in children. Because of that experience, Bárbara became interested in how nutrition affects children’s conduct in educational settings and went to work for the non-profit organization Un Kilo de Ayuda. For three years, Bárbara worked with Un Kilo de Ayuda in the integral nutrition program and traveled to Oaxacan communities where she monitored the nutritional status of children and trained their mothers on the importance of nutrition. Bárbara joined Puente in January 2008.

Grants and Communications Director Jessica Shao has extensive international development experience and has worked in Paraguay, Bolivia, and China. She holds a M.A. in Sustainable International Development from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Growing up as a first generation Chinese immigrant in San Francisco, Jessica has always had a strong interest in social justice and the developing world. Before arriving at Puente she worked for three years as a Development Associate at the largest micro-finance institution in the San Francisco Bay area of California. Jessica joined Puente in May 2008.

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