About Me
I enjoy learning about and experiencing the world in all its complexities and beauty, while making a positive contribution to the people and places I encounter. My approach to work, and life, centres around compassion, persistence, growth, and maintaining a critical eye.
My professional strengths lie in my interpersonal and communication skills in diverse institutional contexts, and my capacity to research and analyze complex issues to produce practical and thorough deliverables.
I also adore writing: I am equally fulfilled narrating stories of my travels, editing academic articles, or producing plain-language materials on a topic of public interest.
My academic and professional pursuits have taken me from my hometown of Lethbridge, Alberta to multiple cities in Canada, and international destinations including Bucaramanga (Colombia), Santiago (Chile), Mexico City, Geneva, and Paris. I have had the great fortune to travel extensively throughout Latin America and dedicate much of my career to this region that captivates my mind and heart.
This website outlines my academic, professional, and creative work. Please download my CV below for more detailed information.
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Core Values
Professional experience
International Organizations
I have worked with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and in close collaboration with other institutions in the culture and environment sectors, including ICOMOS, IUCN, North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), and the Indigenous Peoples' Centre for Documentation, Research, and Information (DOCIP). I have played a supporting role at several UN conferences on topics ranging from global biodiversity, to business and human rights, to World Heritage.
Government and Public Sector
My experience includes approximately five years with the Government of Canada on policy analysis and program implementation in the fields of international cooperation and agreements, environmental issues, Indigenous rights and law, and cultural heritage. I also worked briefly with the Government of Chile on international affairs in the mining sector. Through this experience and my tenure at UNESCO, I engaged regularly with high-ranking officials and subject-matter experts from other national governments.
Writing, Editing, and Publications
My own writing background ranges from graduate-level academic works to creative and public-interest stories. Professionally, I have been responsible for drafting UN committee resolutions, formal correspondence for foreign ministers, and producing technical reports. I have edited numerous PhD and Master's-level theses and articles for publication at top universities around the world. I also had the pleasure of coordinating and copy-editing a UNESCO flagship publication in English and Spanish on the Andean region (click to view).
Academic background
Master of Development Studies (MDev) | 2017
Geneva Graduate Institute
Geneva, Switzerland
Specialization in sustainability and environmental issues, Indigenous rights and territorial conflicts, alternative development models and theories, regional focus on Latin America and Canada
Exchange semester at El Colegio de México (Mexico City); PhD-level courses in Spanish
Thesis: The Nature of Ontological Conflicts between Indigenous Peoples and Extractivism in Latin America: The Struggle for Wirikuta
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Social Science, Major in Political Science | 2012
University of Victoria
Victoria, Canada
Focus on international relations and development, Indigenous issues, gender studies
Completed four semesters of 'cooperative education' internship placements related to field of study
Associate Diploma in Teaching Speech & Drama (ATCL) | 2011
Trinity College London
Expertise in public speaking, verbal and non-verbal communication, improvisation, writing, dramatic performance, and linguistics
Culmination of 10 years of training, performances, and formal examinations
