Cultural Survival Staff

Galina Angarova (Buryat), Executive Director. Galina comes to Cultural Survival after serving as program officer at the Swift Foundation, and prior to that, as policy and communications advisor for Tebtebba. She has represented the Indigenous Peoples’ Major Group at the UN on issues such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, and has led Indigenous experts to review safeguards for Indigenous Peoples for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Green Climate Fund. Previously, Galina was the Russia program director at Pacific Environment, where she organized direct actions to block pipeline construction in the Altai region of Siberia, to close a toxic paper mill on Lake Baikal, and to stop a hydro-dam from flooding Evenk Peoples’ lands. Galina holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of New Mexico and served on the board of International Funders for Indigenous Peoples for seven years. gangarova@culturalsurvival.org 

Mark Camp, Deputy Executive Director. From 1993 to 1998, Mark ran Joint Effort, a small fair trade company that imported crafts from Maya cooperatives in Guatemala. He studied history and non-profit management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and the Harvard University Extension School. He came to Cultural Survival in 1998 and served as Membership Coordinator and Editor of Cultural Survival Voices before assuming his current duties in 2004.  Mark has served as Acting Executive Director twice (in 2003 and in 2010). He was the founding President of and served on the Board of Directors of Sobrevivencia Cultural, Cultural Survival’s sister organization in Guatemala, from 2009-2017. In 2013, he joined the Board of Directors of the Nashoba Conservation Trust. Mark speaks English and Spanish. Contact Mark at mcamp@cs.org.

Avexnim Cojti (Maya K'iche'), Director of Programs. Avexnim is from Chuwila, Guatemala. She is a sociologist and a Maya calendar ancient knowledge keeper from her community.  She has more than fifteen years of experience in the fields of immigration and multiculturalism, Indigenous community development, and Indigenous rights. She has a degree in Indigenous Government Studies from the Institute of Indigenous Government, Vancouver, British Columbia, and a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Regina, both in Canada. Most of her experience is in managing or delivering programs and projects that aim to support self-determination and rights of Indigenous communities globally. Avex formerly served as the Program Manager for the Community Media and Indigenous Rights Radio Programs. She has represented Cultural Survival at international fora and United Nations meetings, advocating for Indigenous rights and continues to enjoy her work in radio production on Indigenous issues for CS.  Contact Avexnim at avexnim@cs.org.

Daisee Francour (Oneida), Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications, ​​​comes to Cultural Survival with over a decade of experience working in philanthropy, at non-profit organizations, in grassroots organizing, and as a direct service provider in education, mental health, corrections, serving Indigenous Peoples with disabilities/special needs, domestic violence victims, the homeless, and formerly incarcerated inmates. Her experience has deepened her advocacy and movement-building work as a radical woman in philanthropy. As a former program officer at the Christensen Fund, she managed the San Francisco Bay Area program and supported her colleagues with other global regional programs at the fund. Later, she transitioned into consulting as a strategist, resource mobilizer, organizational development consultant, and philanthropic advisor supporting Indigenous organizations locally and globally. Her work centers to empower Tribes, Native Nations, as well as Indigenous-led institutions to build their capacity, leadership, organizational infrastructure, and develop holistic strategies to support their resource generation and organizational sustainability. As an Indigenous fundraiser, philanthropic advisor, and donor educator, Daisee strives to build the capacity of philanthropy, foundations, and individual donors by transforming their understanding of Indigenous rights, Indigenous issues, biocultural diversity, climate and social justice as well as other regenerative systems. Daisee holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from Adler University in Chicago, Illinois and a bachelor's in Sociology and Criminal Justice from University of Wisconsin, Parkside. Contact Daisee at dfrancour@culturalsurvival.org.

Monica Coc Magnusson (Q’eqchi Maya), Director of Advocacy and Policy. Monica is an attorney from Belize, born in Laguna, Toledo District, Belize, where she currently resides. Monica is the first Indigenous woman from southern Belize to be called to the Belize Bar and to become a lawyer. For the last decade, she has engaged in the struggle to defend Maya land rights. Her involvement began as a law intern and later as a member of the legal defense team for the Maya Peoples in Belize. She served as local counsel to the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes Association where she advanced claims before Belize’s Highest Appellate Court, the Caribbean Court of Justice, as well as the Supreme Court of Belize. Some of her most notable achievements include her involvement in the landmark case of the Maya Leaders Alliance, et al v The Attorney General of Belize in which the Caribbean Court of Justice in 2015 affirmed that the Maya communities of southern Belize have rights to the lands that they have customarily used and occupied, and these customary rights constitute property under the provisions of the Belize Constitution that protects property rights. Most recently, Monica was co-counsel to the Maya community of Jalacte in an expropriation claim where the community was awarded 3 million USD in damages for violation of their constitutional rights.

Monica graduated from Toledo Community College in 1997 and went on to attend the prestigious St. John’s College, Junior College (SJC). In 2000, she graduated from SJC with an Associate Degree in General Studies and won a Jesuit scholarship that allowed her to attend Le Moyne College in upstate New York where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Anthropology in 2002. In 2005, Monica began her legal training at Indiana University School of Law and received her Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2008. In 2009, Monica was called to the North Carolina State Bar, where she practiced law for several years before completing the requisite program at Norman Manley Law School and received a Certificate of Legal Education which qualifies her to practice law in Belize. Her areas of practice include international human rights law, civil litigation, and criminal defense. Reach Monica at mmagnusson@cs.org. 

Verónica Aguilar (Mixtec), Keepers of the Earth Fund Program Assistant, belongs to a migrant Mixtec community in Veracruz, Mexico. She studied Hispanic Language and Literature at the University of Veracruz, and Linguistics at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. She has worked as a translator, copy editor, radio presenter, and research assistant in the field of education. Verónica recently moved to traditional Mixtec lands to engage in a personal project -- learning the language of her family. She is also concluding a historical and linguistic documentation project in her community. Reach Verónica at veronica.aguilar@culturalsurvival.org.

Bryan Bixcul (Maya Tz'utujil), Executive Assistant, comes to Cultural Survival after working a decade in the customer service industry in Guatemala. He is interested in the empowerment of Indigenous communities, especially for women, and in political action to assert Indigenous Peoples' rights.  Bryan is pursuing a degree in Economics at Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala. He is fluent in Tz'utujil, Spanish, and English. Contact Bryan at bryan.bixcul@culturalsurvival.org

Jess Cherofsky, Advocacy Program Researcher. Jess conducts environmental and Indigenous rights research for the Advocacy Program. She previously managed the Bazaar Program and, before that, co-managed the Indigenous Rights Radio program (and she deeply values the teamwork and emergent possibilities of the co-management model!). She identifies as queer, is fluent in English and Spanish, and speaks a few words of Yiddish. Contact Jess at jess@cs.org.

Danielle DeLuca, Program Manager for Advocacy & Development. Danielle has been with Cultural Survival since 2009, when she started volunteering from our Guatemalan office in Antigua. Planning to stay for one year, she fell in love with Guatemalan culture and community and stayed for 5 years. Danielle has worked in many areas of Cultural Survival's work, including the Community Media program, where she trained alongside our Guatemalan team in doing legislative advocacy to advance the rights of freedom of expression.  In 2012 she began working in our Advocacy program in defense of Indigenous land and resources, through which she has worked and traveled to Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, Ghana, and Mexico.  Between 2013-2017 she helped to establish and run the Indigenous Rights Radio content and distribution platform. Starting in 2019, Danielle manages fundraising efforts. She speaks English and Spanish and holds a degree in Cultural Studies from McGill University, in Montreal, Canada.  Contact Danielle at danielle@cs.org.

Shaldon Ferris (KhoiSan), Indigenous Rights Radio Coordinator. Shaldon started out in media by producing music videos. His work with Indigenous people started in 2006 after he went on a countrywide journey to document the origins of his family surname "Damakwa" which is a Khoi tribe of South Africa. On his paternal side, Shaldon’s San heritage can be traced to the Northern Cape, South Africa. His first film "Eldorado" premiered at the Durban International Film Festival and won an award in 2011. Shaldon became involved in radio when he started volunteering at his local community radio station, Eldos FM, eleven years ago in Eldorado Park in Johannesburg. Since then, his live show, “Cleaning Up The House,” which airs weekly on Saturday mornings, has won numerous awards, and is the longest running weekly show on Eldos FM. The show is built on interaction from the community based on current issues. Contact Shaldon at shaldon.ferris@cs.org.

Sofia Flynn, Accounting and Office Manager. Sofia is originally from Cali, Colombia, and worked in international banking in Venezuela for 10 years before moving to the United States. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, she has worked at Cultural Survival since 1989.  Contact Sofia at sflynn@cs.org.

Nati Garcia (Maya Mam), Indigenous Youth Community Media Fellowship Coordinator. Garcia was born in a refugee camp in Campeche, Mexico as her family fled Guatemala in the 1980s due to the military genocide operation that targeted Indigenous communities. At the age of 3, her family received refugee status in Canada, and she grew up on traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples: sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Her experience as a marginalized Indigenous youth inspired her in advocating for Indigenous sovereignty and self-autonomy. Over her five years of experience as a facilitator, youth counselor, and community builder, she has helped individuals develop a sense of self-worth and integrity. She is enlivened by opportunities to explore authentic exchange, leadership, world-bridging, social justice, and youth empowerment. Nati has worked with a variety of intergenerational, intercultural, and youth-focused organizations within Canada and hopes to continue on this path in collaborating, teaching, learning, and performing on an international level.  Reach Nati at ngarcia@cs.org.

Cesar Gomez (Maya Pocomam), Community Media Program Coordinator. Cesar is from Palin, Escquintla, Guatemala. Palin is a Pocomam Maya town that is located only 25 miles from Guatemala City. Pocomam was once a widely spoken language but, in Cesar’s words, “the colonial Spanish language media in Guatemala City have eroded our language and culture over time.” The Pocomam of Palin are an exception; they have maintained their language and many cultural practices. From a young age, Cesar has been involved in cultural revitalization in his community​, as a founder and member of "Cultural Association of Poqoman Qawinaqel." In 1999, Cesar started as a volunteer at the Palin community radio station where he worked for five years. In 2005, he was selected as a regional representative to the Association of Guatemalan Community Radio Stations.  In 2007, he was hired as the office administrator of the National Congress of Community Radios. In 2008, he joined Cultural Survival as content production and training coordinator for the Community Media Program in Guatemala. Cesar is also the President of the Board of Directors of Asociación Sobrevivencia Cultural. He holds a degree in communication from the University of San Carlos (Guatemala). Contact Cesar at cgomez@cs.org.

Adriana Hernández, (Maya K’iche’), Emerging Strategies Coordinator, was born and raised in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala. She participated in the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program and continued her studies in Political Science at Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA. She is fluent in English and Spanish. While working as a faculty assistant at Rafael Landívar University, she volunteered in an educational program for vulnerable children, and seniors at Instituto Guatemalteco de Educación Radiofónica . Adriana is interested in multicultural environments, human rights, and empowering Indigenous women. Contact Adriana at adriana.hernandez@cs.org

Edson Krenak Naknanuk, Lead on Brazil, is an Indigenous activist, writer, and a PhD student at Vienna University, Austria, where he develops studies in legal anthropology. He holds degrees in linguistics and literary theory at Sao Carlos Federal University in Brazil. He also works as a speaker and trainer at Uka Instituto in Brazil. As writer, he won the 10th Tamoios National Prize of Indigenous writers in Brazil with the book O Sonho de Borum', and his tale "Kren and Pockrane, Why There Are Not Twing among The Krenak People" is part of the Uniced nominated book Nos, Antologia de Contos Indigenas.  Edson`s ancestors are known as the Botocudos. He speaks Portuguese, Spanish, English, and German. Contact Edson at edson.krenak@cs.org.

Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Koĩts-Sunuwar), Community Media Program Coordinator, comes from Nepal. Dev holds masters degrees in journalism and mass communication, political science, and law, specializing in international law and human rights from Tribhuvan University in Nepal. He has worked in different media for more than 12 years, including print, radio, TV and online. He also has worked as an investigative reporter for Centre for Investigative Journalism, Nepal (CIJ-Nepal) and as a column writer on Indigenous Peoples and minority groups for mainstream newspapers. Together with his colleagues, Dev founded several community radio stations, an association of 21 Indigenous community stations, and Nepal’s and South Asia’s first and only Indigenous community television station. Contact Dev at dev.kumar@cs.org.

Danae Laura, Bazaar Program Manager, comes to Cultural Survival from a decade of social entrepreneurship and marketing in both the natural food and wellness industries. Danae studied Social Justice and Education as a Martin Luther King Scholar at New York University, lived abroad in Ghana as a Gilman International Fellow, and was recently recognized as an emerging scholar by the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society for her work at Lesley University where she is studying mindfulness as a tool for social justice.

Danae is also an Associate Trustee on the Board for The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle, which she joined after becoming a Named Fund Donor with fellow alumni who fundraised to establish an endowment for students of color graduating from their high school. Danae became part of the Bazaar vendor community as a representative of Theo Chocolate in 2009. Since then, attending the Cultural Survival Bazaars has been a special annual tradition due to her love of travel and connecting with people across diverse backgrounds.  When she is not at Cultural Survival, she is introducing people to yoga at Cambridge Health Alliance. Reach Danae at danae@cs.org.

Bia’ni Madsa’ Juárez López (Mixe/Ayuuk ja’ay and Zapotec/Binnizá), Program Manager for the Keepers of the Earth Fund and Bazaar Program Assistant. Born in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, she grew up in two towns and cultures, Juchitán (Zapotec) and San José El Paraíso (Mixe). Since childhood, Bia’ni has been a part of the Indigenous resistance movement in Mexico and local social organizations. “I am a biologist who loves to work with people. I received an undergraduate degree in biology from UAM-Xochimilco. I have been working doing transdisciplinary research in my own Mixe community. For my master’s thesis in Tropical Ecology at the University of Veracruz, I conducted research about the relationship between tree diversity in coffee plantations and community organizations. My family produces organic coffee and we are working to build a coffee project to improve our product and keep our shade coffee plantation thriving and the forest in which it is in.” She loves learning about and making maps. Contact Bia’ni at biani.madsa@cs.org.

Jamie Malcolm-Brown, Communications and Information Technology Manager. Jamie graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with a degree in anthropology. Before coming to Cultural Survival, he helped establish a computer lab at The Charles J. Andrew Youth Treatment Centre in Sheshatshiu Labrador, Canada. He has since conducted similar work in Kenya with the Maasai Education Discovery. Contact Jamie at jamie@cs.org.

Amparo Monzón (Maya K’iche), Program Assistant to the Community Media & Indigenous Rights Radio Programs, was born in Guatemala. Amparo holds a bachelor’s in Graphic Design from John Brown University and a master’s degree in International Relations from Westminster University in London. She was a Walton International and Chevening scholar. She is fluent in K´iche´, Spanish, and English.  She has worked with the U.S. Embassy as its EducationUSA Outreach Coordinator, at Pop Wuj Organization as its General Coordinator and in the Global Public Service Academy as the Admissions and Recruiting Coordinator. Amparo is also studying to become a midwife and is passionate to share and learn about the everyday life of people around the world. Contact Amparo at amparo.monzon@culturalsurvival.org.

Cat Monzón (Maya K’iche’), Executive Assistant, was born in Guatemala. She studied film  and TV production. From 2014 to 2019, she worked as an outdoor experiential educator, facilitating trips for young adults from Canada, U.S., and abroad to Guatemala, Belize, Bolivia, and Peru. She has also served as an interpreter/translator for different organizations such as Timmy Global Health, Curamericas Global, Encuentro de Ancianas y Ancianos sabios del Mundo and other cultural, educational and scientific events. Reach Cat at cat.monzon@cs.org.

Teresita Orozco Mendoza, Training Coordinator for the Community Media Program. Teresita is originally from Managua, Nicaragua. She is a feminist activist and holds a bachelor’s degree in philology and communication studies from the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua. She is a passionate radio producer with over 9 years of experience in community and commercial radio. Teresita has worked with institutions such as the National Police and various civil society organizations on public relations. Contact Teresita at teresita@cs.org.

Diana Pastor, (Maya K'iche'), Media Coordinator. Diana has a bachelor’s degree in Rural Social Work from San Carlos University in Guatemala. She also studied communications, social work, and community leadership at California State University in Monterey Bay, United States. She has worked on projects with children, women and Indigenous peoples in different areas in Guatemala. She is passionate about writting and produces the CSQ magazine in Spanish; she is also the editor at EntreMundos Magazine, a publication on development and human rights in Guatemala. She is fluent in Spanish and English. Contact Diana at diana.pastor@cs.org.

Guadalupe Pastrana (Nahua), Indigenous Rights Radio Producer, is originally from the Malacachtepec Momoxco community of Milpa Alta, southeast of Mexico City. Her community is one of the last surviving Indigenous communities in this area. She studied Communication Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where she is now finishing her master's degree in Latin American Studies. She has collaborated on community communication projects in Milpa Alta and in other communities, as well as organized community multimedia production workshops. She is the producer and scriptwriter of a radio series on Radio Educación, a Mexican public station, dedicated to raising awareness about the struggles and experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Mexico. Her community experience has made her certain that the conservation of land by Indigenous Peoples is the only way to ensure the continuity of life and in this journey, Indigenous Peoples having their own means of communication is fundamental. Contact email: guadalupe.pastrana@culturalsurvival.org.

Agnes Portalewska, Communications Manager. Agnes is originally from Warsaw, Poland. She studied anthropology, Latin American studies, photography, and media production at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and holds a M.A. in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, where her studies focused on Rights-Based Approach to Development. She has traveled extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean, researched Indigenous media, and taught photography workshops to children. For the past 17 years Agnes has served as consultant to several nonprofits in the area of communications, fundraising, and advocacy. Agnes has been working at Cultural Survival since 2002. She started as membership coordinator, then from 2004 to 2008 was program officer for the Cultural Survival Bazaars Program leading the expansion of the program from two to ten events a year. She is currently the communications manager and directs all communications for program and advocacy initiatives, including the Cultural Survival Quarterly and social media efforts. She speaks English, Polish, French and Spanish. Contact Agnes at agnes@cs.org.

María del Rosario “ Rosy” Sul González (Maya Kaqchikel), Indigenous Rights Radio Program Manager. Maria del Rosario González Sul is Kaqchikel Maya and a radio producer for Cultural Survival's Indigenous Rights Radio program. Rosy is from the town of Sumpango, Sacatepéquez, in Guatemala. She studied communication sciences at the Universidad de San Carlos in Guatemala City, and for five years volunteered at Radio Ixchel, the local community radio in Sumpango, where she hosted live talk shows and entertainment programs and promoted human rights. She has traveled as a representative of Cultural Survival to communities in Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico, and several international fora, such as the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In each place, she shares the purpose, challenges, successes, and importance of community radio as a tool for community development and organizing, and in the international arena, she has worked to demand that community radio be respected at the global level so that Indigenous Peoples can freely access it. Contact Rosy at rosy@cs.org.

Sócrates Vásquez García (Ayuujk Jääy, Pueblo Ayuujk), Community Media Program Manager, hails from Oaxaca, México and is a radio journalist, an activist for Indigenous Peoples' communication rights, co-founder of Ayuujk Community Radio Jënpoj, which has been operating in Tlahuitoltepec Mixe, Oaxaca, for the past 17 years. He has worked on community development projects, training Indigenous community journalists, and strengthening Indigenous community radio broadcasting. He has been working for the recognition of community and Indigenous radio stations in Mexican legislation.

Sócrates was the national representative of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), and belonged to the Regional Council of AMARC Latin America. Sócrates is also a rural sociologist from the Autonomous University of Chapingo, in Texcoco, Mexico. He holds a Master's degree in rural development from the Xochimilco Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana and just finished his doctorate degree in rural development from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. Contact Sócrates at socrates@cs.org

Miranda Vitello, Development Coordinator, processes all donations, manages the membership database, and coordinates the internship program. Before joining the Cultural Survival staff in 2011, Miranda assisted with the creation of the Wampanoag teaching kit at the Boston Children’s Museum, conducted research on contemporary Native American artists for the Museum of Fine Arts, and organized cultural awareness presentations in elementary schools during an internship at United Planet. She holds a B.A. in Art History from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a master’s degree in Museum Studies from Harvard University. She enjoys painting and her artwork has been displayed at numerous galleries in the Boston area. Contact Miranda at mvitello@cs.org.