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We Are
ChangeMaker Foundation, Inc.

About Us

Established in 2018, the ChangeMaker Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to form agents of change in diverse communities across Puerto Rico and the diaspora. Headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, it is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and is governed by a board of directors comprising seven members. Our vision is to create vibrant ecosystems of initiatives led by independent groups, nonprofit organizations, and social enterprises through leaders in innovation and social cohesion.

 

The foundation has identified three pivot pillars which empower and generate leadership among communities that contribute significantly to public wellbeing: art and culture; local and responsible consumption; and the preservation of public spaces for recreational purposes. CMF connects the three pillars through the practice of network movements—which work in synergy in a community—in order to offer educational tools that promote strategic and organized support, fiscal representation, and integrity in its objectives and goals. The foundation has four objectives when accompanying groups and initiatives—whether these are in their initial phases or still in development—in line with the educational exchange of experiences that respond to an education model for community development. These are:

  • To acquire the skills to develop a data culture

  • To advertise initiatives from the perspective of a conscious digital culture

  • To integrate responsible consumption

  • To educate through the lens of a slow culture

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The end goal is to develop a network of vibrant communities to give continuity to their initiatives and preserve their sociocultural expressions.

Image simulating the petals of a flower where the organization's values are placed.

Values

  • COLLABORATION as a bidirectional process in which two or more people or organizations work together at an intersection of objectives and goals.

 

  • INNOVATION tied to the creation of more efficient processes, products, and ideas that change the current business model, respond, and impact the existing environment.

 

  • INTEGRITY, which provides the foundation to your moral and ethical convictions and leads you to always do the right thing, even if no one is watching.

 

  • EFFICIENCY, measurable and which avoids the waste of materials, energy, efforts, money, and time when doing something or producing a wanted result.

 

  • DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION anchored in respect and appreciation for differences in ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, disabilities, sexual orientation, education, religion, cultures, among others.

Synergies

Mariely Rivera-Hernández

Executive Director

 

  • A distinguished agent of change, Rivera-Hernández is experienced in the development and leading of local nonprofit and academic organizations. With 25 years of experience in the managing of federal and private grants, she adds value to other organizations through innovation, leadership, and research projects.

  • As an active leader within the nonprofit community, she has a wide network of collaborators and a solid reputation. She is principal investigator for the Caribbean in topics regarding Women, Gender, and Philanthropy in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is sponsored by the Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS), Comunalia, ELLAS.org, and the Inter-American Development Bank.

  • Rivera has her own podcast (www.pivot-es.com), which was awarded the Latin Podcast Award in 2020. In addition, she authored the book Pivots: Agents of Change Taking Action, published in 2021, and was rewarded with a Silver Medal from the International Latino Book Awards in 2022.

  • She is a former student of the national program Culture of Health Leaders of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and holds two master’s degrees: one in International Relations from the Ortega y Gasset Institute in Madrid and another one in Theory and Investigation from the School of Communication and Information Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Málaga in Communication Research.

 

Zildalee Díaz Rosado, MBA

Gerente Senior

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Professional in the area of business administration with more than 20 years of experience in non-profit organizations. She has vast experience in project administration and management. She focuses on accountability, business intelligence, data management, and social media.

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Inés Rivera Rivera

Instructora

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Social work professional with over 25 years of experience in the field of non-profit organizations in the areas of health, housing and education. Her professional career has taken her from direct service, supervision, management and administration to executive management. She is a university professor and is completing her doctoral thesis in the area of social policy research and analysis at the Beatriz Lasalle Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras. 

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Nina Rodríguez Quirós

Instructora

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Holds a master's degree in Communication from the University of Puerto Rico. She has taught communication and creativity courses in the UPR university system and at Atlantic University College, and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Cadiz. She is the co-founder of Buzzzy, a platform that connects businesses with curated creative talent. Her advertising campaigns have won awards at national and international advertising festivals. Throughout her career, she has consolidated three passions: her professional background, entrepreneurship and her teaching vocation. 

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Dr. Wilfred Labiosa

President

 

  • Dr. Labiosa is an experienced professional in the mental health and public health fields with over 25 years of experience. He has worked at the Children’s Hospital, within the Latino community as leader of the Boston Public Health Commission, and on initiatives at institutions and community organizations focused on mental health.

  • He is the founder and current CEO of the organization Waves Ahead Corp. in Puerto Rico, which, across four centers on the island, aims to offer support to marginalized and vulnerable groups within communities, especially to LGBT+ elders. He also leads the Empodérate Leadership Academy and develops educational and restorative justice initiatives.

  • He holds two master’s degrees: one in Psychology from Boston University and a second one in Nonprofit Management from Suffolk University. Additionally, he has a Ph.D. in Social Work from Simmons University.

 

Nerma Albertorio

Vice President

 

  • Albertorio is the founder of the Centro para Emprendedores and of One Hundred Ventures. She has more than 25 years of experience in the development and implementation of programs for growing entrepreneurs, having distinguished herself as a leader at Project Makers and at the Centro para Emprendedores. Albertorio also designed the pre-acceleration program at Startup.pr, the Entrepreneurship Pillar at the Boys and Girls Clubs, and the Startup Experience for young people. She is an instructor of the I-Corps program and the only certified facilitator in Puerto Rico for Startup Weekends.

  • She is skilled at identifying business opportunities and elaborating business and marketing plans for diverse industries and nonprofit organizations. She also possesses ample knowledge of development models from PYMEs in Canada, Colombia, Spain, and the USA.

  • She was named Mentor of the Year at the H3 Conference in 2015 and was recognized as one of the Pillars of Entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico in 2018. 

  • Albertorio has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, and a Certificate in Communication Management from the European Forum in Spain. She received a scholarship from Grupo Guayacán to attend the Babson Fellows Program for Entrepreneurship, where she studied new business models. She also received scholarships from the Cordes Foundation and from the Aspen Institute.

 

Dr. Ernesto Villarini-Baquero

Treasurer

 

  • With 25 years of executive and management experience, Dr. Villarini-Baquero is an investment and business adviser specialized in strategic planning, financing, and the development of nonprofit social enterprises and business organizations.

  • He is vice president of the Community Venture Capital Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to economic development through access to private, fiduciary capital markets; treasurer of the Fideicomiso del Bosque Modelo de Puerto Rico; vice president of the Association for Financial Professionals of Puerto Rico; and member of the Financing Committee of the Community Investment Fund of the Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico. 

  • He has presented his professional and academic work at several national and international conferences in San Juan, Stockholm, Santo Domingo, New York, Miami, Boston, Washington, D.C., and New Mexico. Additionally, he is a member of the editorial board for PRAXIS, the business journal of the University of Puerto Rico.  

  • He holds a bachelor’s degree in Science and Science Education from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, a master’s degree in Business Administration from Regis University in Denver, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Metro Campus. He is also an Entrepreneurship Education Fellow from Babson College.

 

Brenda D. González-Roldós

Secretary

  • A highly motivated executive, Brenda González-Roldós has more than 20 years of experience leading high-performance teams composed of lawyers and accountants who evaluate, analyze, and ensure that laws concerning public administration are upheld. Through the design and implementation of rigorous public policies, she has fostered ethical behavior within government institutions.

  • She possesses excellent communication skills, knows how to manage human resources, and is particularly adept at working in specialized teams, in which high standards of commitment and work ethic are necessary to achieve institutional goals.

  • She is a lawyer and a notary in the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico and is currently a member of the Bar Association of Puerto Rico.

  • She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts, Political Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus as well as with a Juris Doctor from the School of Law of the same institution. Her solid academic formation has allowed her to acquire vast knowledge of Puerto Rico’s legal system and on how it can be applied according to the social goal of the law.

 

Wanda I. Casanova-Nicolao

Director

  • Casanova-Nicolao is the CEO and president of W. Casanova Insurance, LLC, a firm she founded in order to offer multiple insurance solutions to her clients. She has 28 years of professional experience in the insurance field and is passionate about guiding and helping her clients reach their financial goals while protected.

  • Over the course of 22 years, she occupied various positions at La Cruz Azul de P.R., among them Customer Manager, which allowed her to lead numerous projects helpful to clients, employees, and associates. Also engaged in community work, she has presided the Board of Directors of her Homeowner’s Association for 10 years, leading to positive changes within her community.

  • She holds life, health, disability, property, and contingency insurance licenses and is certified as a financial advisor by FINCERT with a Certification in Credit Repair Consultancy from Ana G. Mendez University. She also obtained a Certification in Conflict Mediation to help resolve disputes amicably between parties.

 

Astrid Navarro-Vázquez

Director

  • Navarro-Vázquez is a business leader experienced in finance and strategic planning. She is currently Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in Invest Puerto Rico, a nonprofit entity whose mission is to promote Puerto Rico as an investment and business development destination.

  • Throughout the years, she has collaborated with different nonprofit organizations, such as with the Asesores Financieros Comunitarios and the Center for Puerto Rico of the Sila M. Calderón Foundation.

  • She is highly experienced in the finance and operations area of various sectors, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. An expert in finance, accounting, strategic planning, business development, corporate governance, accountability, internal controls, treasury, and compliance, she has occupied key positions at Price Waterhouse Coopers, Merck & Co., GFR Media, the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, and the Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation.

  • Navarro is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds an additional certification in sustainability (CSP). She graduated from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana with a degree in Business Administration, specializing in Accountancy.

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