Current CV

1. KARINA COPEN
A dedicated and organized NGO professional with over 15 years of experience working in the non-profit sector in the US and
internationally. Passionate about social justice, women’s health and rights, environmental and humanitarian issues. Extensive
experience in program design and management, grant writing, reporting and monitoring and evaluation. Highly detail-oriented,
bilingual, organized and tech-savvy. Friendly, easy-going and adaptable team player with the experience and maturity to work
independently.
EDUCATION:
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health • 2005
Master of Public Health: Population and Family Health / Reproductive Health
Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs • 2004
Master of International Affairs: Economic and Political Development
University of Puget Sound • 1994
B.A.: Politics and Government
RELEVENT EXPERIENCE:
Independent Consultant: 2/14 - present
Other Worlds: Transcription and translation of interviews and articles Spanish/ English (6/16)
Oxfam America: Finalized internal case study on Oxfam America’s humanitarian capacity-strengthening work in El
Salvador 2002-2014. (3/15 – 5/15). Planned, researched and reported on the capacity of the Salvadoran government
and civil society to respond to low-level disasters. (6/14 – 9/14)
Global Citizen Year: Grant and proposal research, writing and editing. (2/14 – 12/14)
Oxfam America, Regional Office for Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean: El Salvador
Program Officer for Humanitarian Preparedness and Response: 10/06 – 02/14 (including maternity leave)
• Led Oxfam’s Humanitarian Program in El Salvador, coordinating teams of specialist in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Promotion (WASH) and Emergency Food Security and Livelihoods (EFSL) before and during emergency response.
• Liaised with UN, NGO, government and other international actors.
• Conducted strategic planning, budgeting and reporting for humanitarian program and contingency planning for
humanitarian emergencies.
• Managed diverse portfolio of projects related to disaster risk reduction, disaster prevention and emergency response.
• Worked with local partner organizations to design, monitor and evaluate projects
• Led Oxfam’s work to mainstreaming gender into all aspects of regional humanitarian work
• Gave presentations to international organizations, Oxfam affiliates and partner organizations on various topics related
to humanitarian emergencies: public health, water and sanitation, gender mainstreaming, disaster risk reduction,
climate change.
• Liaised with US headquarters office to coordinate fundraising efforts as well as special projects related to public
health, gender, humanitarian accountability and climate change.
Independent Consultant (2003-2006):
American University, Washington College of Law, Women and International Law Program & Center for Human
Rights and Humanitarian Law: Conducted program evaluation of the GALA (Gender and Legal Education in India)
project (04/06 – 09/06)
Oxfam International, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador: Conducted program evaluation of Oxfam and its NGO partners’
response to the humanitarian emergencies provoked by Hurricane Stan in Chiapas and Central America (02/06 – 05/06)
Latino Commission on AIDS, New York: Conducted program evaluation of Mujeres en Fe program, an HIV education
1469 Golden Sunset Drive
San Marcos, CA 92078
760-916-5006
karinacopen@gmail.com

2. KARINA COPEN (page 2)
and sexual health outreach program for Latina women in New York City (05/05 – 06/05)
La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa, El Salvador: Conducted comprehensive program evaluation of their Sustainable
Agriculture Program (11/03 – 05/04)
Family Care International, Program for Latin America & the Caribbean, New York: Conducted research on
International women’s health, including abortion, safe motherhood, indigenous populations, policy and media relations.
Liaised with field offices in Latin America and the Caribbean. Reviewed and prepared grant reports, budgets and
publications. Translated (Spanish/English) documents, reports to funders and women’s health information (09/03 –
08/04)
iEARN (International Education & Resource Network): New York
Director of Development for Foundation and Individual Giving / Teacher Trainer: 09/99 – 06/02
• Planned and executed first annual Gala Awards Dinner honoring George Soros and Richard Riley
• Developed and maintained relationships with corporate funders, foundations and individual donors
• Wrote foundation grant proposals and reports generating ongoing and new income streams
• Trained US and international team of teachers in iEARN program methodology
Common Hope / Familias de Esperanza: Guatemala: 06/97- 07/99
Social worker / Women's group organizer
• Worked individually with 65 families living in poverty, creating short and long-term plans for advancement in the areas
of education, health, housing and family development
• Facilitated women’s community group focused on health education and economic development
• Facilitated small business programs for local women resulting in long-term income generation
PRO BONO ACTIVITIES:
EcoViva: 07/01 – Present
• Vice-President of the Board
Central American Legal Assistance: New York 11/05 – 06/06
• Interpretation for Asylum cases and translation of legal documents
Mixteca: New York 05/04 – 08/04
• Designed survey to evaluate education and health needs of Mexican immigrant community
Young Men’s Clinic: New York 05/04 – 08/04
• Designed sexual health curriculum for young Latino men in Harlem and Washington Heights, NYC
SKILLS:
• Fluency in Spanish (spoken and written)
• Program management: planning, monitoring and evaluation
• Grant writing and reporting
• Qualitative and quantitative survey design and data analysis
• Research design and implementation
• Current skills in Mac and Windows operating systems, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
PRESENTATIONS & PUBLICATIONS:
06/15 ORMUSA (Organization of Salvadoran Women). San Salvador. Led first day of regional post-graduate course on
Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction.
2014 Wisner, B., Oxley M., Budhardjo, P., Copen, K., Castillo, G., Cannon, T., Mercer, J., Bonduelle, S. “‘Down Home It’s All
The Same’ Building Synergisms Between Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Community-Based
Climate Change Adaptation.” Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change: Scaling it Up. Ed. E. Lisa F. Schipper,

3. KARINA COPEN (page 2)
Jessica Ayers, Hanna Reid, Saleemul Huq, Atiq Rahman. London and New York, 2014.172-191, 2014. Print.
01 /12 Seattle International Foundation. Central America Regional Partners meeting, El Salvador. Presentation given
entitled “Women, Climate Change and Poverty in Central America.”
04/11 Fifth International Conference on Community Based Adaptation (CBA5), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Panelist and
presenter for session “Building Synergies between Disaster Risk Reduction and CBA”
11/09 World Bank Development Marketplace, Washington, D.C. Presented winning project in Climate Change Adaptation
Category, Healthy Wells and Latrines in El Salvador.
03/09 Oxfam Great Britain, Participatory Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis Workshop, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.
Facilitated sessions on gender and HIV/AIDS
11/08 Gender Mainstreaming Learning and Analysis Initiative, Oxfam America, Johannesburg, South Africa. Presented
work of gender mainstreaming in CAMEXCA office
06/06 Grantmakers without Borders Annual Conference, San Mateo, CA
Planning Committee for Mesoamerican Grantmakers Group and co-sponsor of session on Reproductive Rights and
Violence against Women in Mexico and Central America
10/04 Grantmakers Without Borders Annual Conference, Miami, Florida, USA
Moderator for session “Markets of Solidarity, Zones of Peace: Two Central American Case Studies of Alternatives to
Globalization”