Our Team

Until October 2014, Carlos served as Global Rights’ Director of the Ethnic and Racial Equality Program/Advisor on the Rights of LGBTI People. He is trained as a journalist and a lawyer. Carlos is working to combat racial and ethnic discrimination and discrimination based on different sexual orientations and gender identities in the Americas and in some countries in Africa. He has 30 years of experience working with the Organization of American States and its different bodies, including the Inter-American Human Rights Protection System, Summit of the Americas Process, General Assembly, and Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs. He conducts trainings, offers technical assistance, and monitors the UN system.

Carlos worked for the Commission for the Defense of Human Rights in Central America (CODEHUCA) as an Advocacy Director and he was the Latin America Program Officer for Penal Reform International.

He holds a B.A. in Mass Media and a Law Degree (J.D.) from the Universidad de Costa Rica. He also obtained an M.A. in Human Rights from the United Nations University for Peace.

quesada@raceandequality.org

Christina oversees the implementation of Race and Equality’s programs, and designs strategies to advance organizational goals in collaboration with civil society partners.

Before joining Race and Equality, Christina was a Fellow at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Her interest in social justice issues in Latin America has led her to study transitional justice in Argentina, intern with an indigenous rights organization in Ecuador, and eventually become a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay. While there, Christina worked with community leaders to expand local government services, especially for women and children.

Christina is also a Professorial Lecturer in Law at the George Washington University Law School. She received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, where she specialized in international human rights law and gender issues, and also holds an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Political Science from Bryn Mawr College. She is admitted to practice law in the state of New York.

fetterhoff@raceandequality.org

Getye directly reports to the Executive Director and performs all day-to-day financial transactions, as well as preparing the organization’s periodic financial reports.

Getye has over 20 years of work experience in the field of accounting and financial management. Before joining Race & Equality, he worked at a publicly-owned enterprise, a coffee plantation development corporation, and in his own professional consultancy firm in Ethiopia.

Getye received his B.A. in Accounting from Addis Ababa University/Ethiopia, as well as a professional certification from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in the United Kingdom (UK).

mulat@raceandequality.org

Lawyer and Coordinator of the Race and Equality Brazil Program. Rodnei is responsible for managing the projects, programs and strategic alliances of Race and Equality in Brazil.

For 23 years he acted as lawyer and coordinator of SOS Racism of Geledés – Black Women’s Institute. He has a postgraduate study in Human Rights from the University of São Paulo (USP), postgraduate in Human Rights and International Law from the Advocates Training Program at Columbia University (NY), also a postgraduate in Civil Law and Civil Procedural Law. Litigator with vast experience in the defense of the rights of the Black population. Since 2001, he has been acting before the International Human Rights Protection Systems, both in the Inter-American Human Rights System and the Universal Human Rights System.

jerico@raceandequality.org

Antonia Iarissa is responsible for assisting with the administration, finances, processes, and logistics of the Race and Equality office in Brazil. She works in collaboration with the director and supports the program officers in executing projects and managing operational tasks.

With a degree in Public Security from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) and a current postgraduate degree in Human Rights, Antonia is interested in the justice system and its punishments. With experience in business relations and team management, she has worked in private companies, where she contributed to improving operational processes.

iarissa@raceandequality.org

Otávio is the LGBTI Program Officer in Brazil, with professional experience in human rights and international advocacy, specializing his knowledge in LGBTI rights, racial justice, Indigenous peoples’ rights, and the rights of persons with disabilities.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Law (LL.B) from the State University of Londrina (UEL).

Previously, he gained experience as an intern and volunteer with Amnesty International, TODXs, CEJIL, Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria (Nelson Mandela Moot Court), and the G20 Youth Summit (2022), where he learned in practice about diplomacy, human rights law, and legal defense before international human rights systems.

Zanardi@raceandequality.org

Ana supports the Washington D.C. office’s programs by managing administrative tasks, coordinating travel and event logistics, and overseeing financial processes to ensure projects are completed effectively.

She graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies, with a concentration in Justice, Ethics, and Human Rights in the Western Hemisphere. She earned a certificate in Public Policy Analysis from the London School of Economics and Politics and is currently completing a master’s degree in Public Policy at Northeastern University. Prior to working at Race & Equality, she worked at a law firm specializing in immigration law.

Velez@raceandequality.org

María Paula is an officer of the LBTI+ women’s political participation project, a role under which she is responsible for initiatives such as the Kátia Tapety Political Training School, which is currently running in Brazil, and for providing complementary support to other projects focused on race, gender and LGBT+ rights.

She is a lawyer, trained in Diversity and Social Inclusion and Human Rights from the University of São Paulo, a specialist in Project Management and Third Sector Organizations from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP).

María Paula is internationally recognized for her performance in human rights causes and pro bono services by Latin Lawyer (Elite Firm category), she is also the first trans woman to be a finalist in an individual category at the prestigious Chambers and Partners in Brazil. Currently, she acts as an effective member of the Sexual and Gender Diversity Commission of the Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil – São Paulo (OAB-SP) and as one of the coordinators of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group of Women in Law Mentoring – Brazil (WLM – Brazil).

She is the author of articles on human rights, diversity, equity, inclusion and pro bono for various media, such as Folha de São Paulo, Latin Lawyer, AASP, among others.

Custodio@raceandequality.org

María Luisa serves as Senior Legal Program Officer for Latin America at the Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights, where she leads litigation strategies, international advocacy, and capacity building in collaboration with partner organizations in the region.

She holds a law degree and a degree in social anthropology from the Complutense University of Madrid and a master’s degree in international human rights law from the United Nations University for Peace. She has more than a decade of experience in defending and promoting human rights in Latin America, and her career combines strategic litigation before the Inter-American and Universal Human Rights Systems, academic research, university teaching, and support for communities, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders.

Before joining Race and Equality, she was a lawyer for the Mesoamerica Program at the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), where she was in charge of strategic litigation in cases with high regional impact. She has also taught at the Austral University of Chile, at the Transdisciplinary Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Human Development (CEAM-UACh) and at the University of Costa Rica, contributing an interdisciplinary approach that combines law, anthropology, and environmental justice.

She has also worked as an independent consultant for international and civil society organizations, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), OXFAM, and Women’s Link Worldwide. Her areas of expertise include gender and intersectionality, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights (DESCA), racial and environmental justice, and the rights of indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants.

Gomezcomi@raceandequality.org

As Development Officer, Daniel supports Race and Equality’s institutional sustainability of, managing fundraising processes, organizational strengthening, and strategic relations with donors. Its work seeks to ensure that the organization’s programs have the necessary resources to advance human rights and equality in the Americas.

Prior to assuming this role, Daniel worked in organizations such as the International Republican Institute and Freedom House, as well as in academic and civil society spaces, leading research on democracy, governance, and political inclusion in Latin America. He has also provided consultancies in project evaluation, context analysis, anti-corruption and formulation of participatory methodologies.

Daniel holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Panama and a Master’s Degree in Conflict Resolution, Peace and Development from the United Nations University for Peace. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Social Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, with research on the securitization of diverse sexual orientations, identities and gender expressions (SOGIE).

Barrias@raceandequality.org

Elvia Duque is Senior Officer on Race and Ethnicity at the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights. She works on advocacy projects before the Organization of American States (OAS), mainly in favor of the ratification of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance.

Previously, Elvia worked for many years as the Director of International Affairs of the organization Afroamérica XXI. In this role, she worked as an advocate for the Afro-Latino population and was also the coordinator of many international projects for Afro-Latinos. Also, with the organization Global Rights – Partners for Justice, she was one of the Afro-Latina leaders who helped advocate for many years for the creation of the Rapporteurship on the Rights of Afro-descendants and against Racial Discrimination in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the main and autonomous body of the OAS. As a member of different Afro-Latina organizations, Elvia published numerous technical training materials.

In addition, Elvia is the author of the book “Contributions of the Afro-descendant People. The Hidden History of Latin America”. Elvia studied law at the Universidad Santiago de Cali, and was born in Cali, Colombia.

Duque@raceandequality.org

Dayana is part of the legal team of Race and Equality, where she contributes to processes such as normative analysis, documentation of human rights violations and advocacy before international organizations from a critical and transformative perspective.

She is an Afro-Colombian lawyer, graduated from the Universidad Libre of Colombia. Her professional practice has been marked by her commitment to human rights, racial justice and social equity.

She has served in the public sector as a judge in the Vice Presidency of the Republic of Colombia, where she supported the monitoring of public policies with a differential approach and participated in the regulatory review and strengthening of spaces for citizen participation. In addition, she has worked hand in hand with Afro-Colombian organizations in processes of enforceability of collective rights, territorial defense and community advocacy.

alomia@raceandequality.org

Fernando is Senior Legal Consultant of the Latin America Legal Program.

Previously, he worked as a legal consultant for different non-governmental organizations in Latin America. In Argentina, he was Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor to the Secretary of Human Rights of the Province of Buenos Aires, designing and implementing public policies on human rights, as well as representing the province in matters before international mechanisms for the protection of human rights. He has worked extensively on migration and refugee issues, international criminal law and litigation before the Inter-American Human Rights System.

Fernando graduated as a lawyer from the School of Law of the University of Buenos Aires. In addition, he has a Master’s Degree in Fundamental Rights from the Carlos III University of Madrid.

goldar@raceandequality.org