Anna Ortiz Elected to Board of Directors for the International Association for Community Development
(PHOENIX – July 20, 2020) – Anna Ortiz, international program director with Esperança, a Phoenix-based nonprofit whose mission is to improve health and restore hope both locally and globally, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the International Association for Community Development (IACD).
IACD is the only global multi-disciplinary network for community development professionals. They are accredited by the United Nations, with members representing 70 countries across the world. IACD is committed to promoting participative democracy, sustainable development, economic opportunities, equality and social justice through education and empowerment of people within their communities.
Upon being elected to the board Ortiz will serve as Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Islands, where she will be assisting in promoting global community development initiatives.
“I am honored to join the board of directors for IACD and collaborate with other committed individuals from around the world to support the important initiatives of this organization,” said Ortiz.
“IACD couldn’t have selected a better person for the position,” says Jeri Royce, president and CEO of Esperança. “Anna’s experience leading Esperança’s sustainable development efforts in our partner communities will make her a great addition to the board.”
As Esperança’s international program director, Ortiz oversees the global surgical program including coordinating staffing and supplies for surgical missions to Esperança’s partner countries in South America and Africa.
In light of COVID-19 halting international surgical missions, Ortiz has been communicating with other organizations across the U.S. that also serve internationally to begin planning for what the future looks like when it is safe to return abroad, and focusing her efforts on COVID-19 relief projects where most needed in each country.
About Esperança
Esperança, an Arizona-based global health nonprofit organization, is transforming lives on a local and global level. Its Phoenix-based program is uniquely positioned as the leader in providing health education and resources to Maricopa County’s most at-risk and under-served youth and adults through programs such as oral health, chronic disease prevention and management, and nutrition. Further, the organization works within some of the poorest communities in the world, including Nicaragua, Bolivia, Peru, Mozambique and Ecuador, by coordinating volunteer surgical missions, and community development projects like ecological housing, disease prevention and education, food security and access to clean water. For more information, please visit: www.esperanca.org.
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