People

Our Team

Ricardo A. Rodriguez
Ricardo A. Rodriguez
Chair, Board of Directors

Member of NEACOL since 2014. Currently Executive Director and CTO at Morgan Stanley NQP division. Former Second Vice President at Guardian Life. Co-Founded YallaCollect (Dubai). MS Finance, MBA (HULT), MS Information Systems (Harvard), BS Computer Sciences. Selected "100 Most Influential Hispanics in IT in the U.S." by HITEC for six consecutive years.

Isabel Wright
Isabel Wright
Co-Founder & Former President

Co-founder and former President of NEACOL for three terms. Born in La Guajira, Colombia. Launched the Annual Gala in 2015. Former project associate at the Ford Foundation. Holds a BBA and MPA from New York University. Works in the Banking industry managing business client portfolios.

Danielle Jennings
Danielle Jennings
Board Member

Involved with NEACOL since the first Annual Gala in 2015; served as Treasurer 2017–2019. Over 8 years in financial services, currently at U.S. Bank in Global Corporate Trust Services as a CDO Portfolio Administrator. BS in Finance, Roger Williams University.

Akram Rafla
Akram Rafla
Board Member

Practicing periodontist in Worcester and Wellesley. Degrees from Cairo University, University of Pennsylvania, and USC. Presiding chair for multiple nonprofit boards. Originally from Cairo; introduced to NEACOL in 2017 by his wife, Marta Rafla, a Colombian native.

Maria Claudia Aguirre
Maria Claudia Aguirre
Co-Founder & Inaugural President

Co-founder and inaugural president of NEACOL. Colombian-born, U.S. resident 30+ years. DDS from Universidad Autónoma de Manizales, MHA from Universidad del Valle. Led the Boston Initiative 2024–2025. Longtime volunteer with Needham Public Schools. Resides in Needham, MA.

Juan G. Pardo
Juan G. Pardo
Treasurer

Joined Hillel International in 2010 as Associate Director of Finance and Grant Management. Previously worked for a private CPA practice in South Florida. Originally from Pereira, Colombia. BA in Business Administration, Universidad Católica de Pereira; MS in Accountancy, Bentley University (2014). Lives in Boston with his wife Lina.

Natalia Torres
Natalia Torres
Operations Manager

Born in Barrancabermeja, Colombia. Industrial engineer with experience in maintenance projects and academic tutoring. Volunteered with local nonprofits in Colombia before moving to Massachusetts to pursue new professional opportunities and support the NEACOL mission.

📣 Marketing

Xiomara Chica – Chair Javier Borrero Juan Salazar Carlos Robledo Thalia Patino

🎉 Events

Mauricio Barrero – Chair Cesar Garcia Frank Pinto Christina Brooks David Rivera

💰 Fundraising

Sandy Madero – Chair Marcela Danesh Margarita Escallon Victoria Makrides Manuela Villa Andres Castano Fernando Diaz Luisa Lugo Carolina Restrepo

📊 Projects

Olga Lopez – Co-Chair Catalina Lotero – Co-Chair Laura Torres Marta Rafla Carolina Buitrago Danielle Jennings Clara Lopez Ospina Maria Elvira Restrepo-Toro

🤝 Membership

Natalia Arias – Chair Lina Jimenez Francely Enriquez

💻 Information Technology

Mauricio Barrero – Chair Ricardo Rodriguez Michael Horton Dominick Costanzo Diana Arias