The equipment
At Ipas, we are undergoing a process of renewal and organization. Faced with the advance of the feminist movement in various parts of the world and the changing needs and demands of women and other people with gestational capacity, we decided to redesign our strategic plan, our organizational system and our intervention model.
As a result of the renewal of Ipas’s global network, our regional organization was transformed, incorporating foundational, structural and strategic visionary changes.
Our institutional strategic vision is focused on being a regional organization that operates under a collectively developed theory of change (ToC). This ToC guides all our actions, ensuring that they are aligned with our common objectives and maximize our impact in the region.
Ipas LAC’s ToC is the result of a process of collective discussion and reflection that has been built on the experiences and visions of the entire team and responds directly to the organization’s mission.
The Ipas LAC team
The Ipas team was reorganized to align it with our Theory of Change (ToC). With this organization, we aim to have an agile, transparent and efficient structure.
Ipas LAC, in its basic structure, is co-directed by the Directorate of Programs, which includes the sub-directorates of Knowledge Management, Communications, Strengthening and Advocacy; and the Directorate of Institutional Development, which includes the Finance and Accounting and Human Relations directorates, who work in transversality with the Resource Mobilization sub-directorate.
Find out who leads Ipas LAC and the program areas.
Karen Padilla
Program Director
Karen has been part of the Ipas team since 2002, currently serving as Program Director for Ipas LAC. Previously, she was part of the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health’s National Maternal Health Team and taught at the National University of Nicaragua and the University of El Salvador.
She has a degree in Medicine from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana de México. She has a Master’s degree in Sexual and Reproductive Health from the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, another as a Specialist in Health Economics and Management from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain), and a Higher Diploma in International Health from the National School of Health, belonging to the Carlos III Health Institute (Madrid, Spain).
Her experience includes extensive knowledge of public health systems in the region, as well as clinical training for health care providers and the management of monitoring and evaluation of reproductive health services, including registration and management of reproductive health commodities. Karen has also worked at the community level through partnerships with grassroots organizations, which has provided her with a deep understanding of the needs and challenges related to reproductive health in the region.
Anwar Suarez
Director of Institutional Development
Anwar serves as Ipas LAC’s interim Co-Executive Director and Associate Director of Institutional Development, playing a strategic role in consolidating the organization’s operations and liaising with local authorities.
Previously, she collaborated in FUNDES as LATAM Project Manager with social and economic inclusion initiatives. Previously, she assumed responsibilities in international organizations both in Mexico and the United States, working on issues of poverty reduction and productive competitiveness, generating a positive impact on the populations of women, youth, people with disabilities, indigenous people, LGBTIQ+ population, migrants, etc.
She has a Master’s degree in Administration and Public Policy, a Master’s degree in Media Analysis and Media from the Tec de Monterrey. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Psychology at the Universidad de las Américas in Mexico City.
María Elena Collado
Deputy Director of Knowledge Management
She has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, a Master’s degree in Social Psychology from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and a Diploma in Public Opinion from the Universidad Iberoamericana. From 2022 to date, she has been the Deputy Director of Knowledge Management at Ipas LAC, coordinating monitoring, evaluation and learning tasks for programs implemented in health services and communities, as well as for the development and dissemination of research.
Fernanda Diaz de Leon
Deputy Director of Advocacy
Mara Zaragoza
Deputy Director of Strengthening
She has a degree in Communication from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Her experience is focused on building collaborative relationships with health systems to expand access to safe abortion. She has more than 10 years of experience in the Values Clarification methodology applied to diverse audiences in Latin America, and has participated in scientific publications related to the provision of safe abortion services.
Governance
For the first time in its history, our regional organization has a completely external and autonomous governing body that strengthens the sustainability and presence of the organization. In a participatory process with all the staff, which gathered their concerns and proposals, it was decided to have an Assembly with a minimum of two and a maximum of seven members, with regional, multicultural and intergenerational representation.
In October 2023, the new Ipas LAC Assembly was presented, made up of:
Manuela Garza
Mexico
Karla Berdichevsky
Mexico
Lilián Abracinskas
Uruguay
Frances Kisslink
United States
Karla Rax
Guatemala
We invite you to learn about the work we do at Ipas LAC.
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Media contact, press and interview management with Ipas LAC spokespersons: [email protected]