Team

Evan Markiewicz
Executive director, Co-founder

Evan is the executive director of ViviendasLeón and is responsible for overseeing partnerships, communications, and financial management. Until 2003, Mr. Markiewicz worked under the auspices of the New Haven/León Sister City Project, an internationally recognized non-governmental organization, where he developed ViviendasLeón and other programs targeting the multiple needs of rural communities.

Brenda Acosta
Program Director

Brenda Acosta holds a degree in Accounting, Finance and Computing. She has fifteen years of accounting experience. Her career includes work at AMOCSA, an insurance company, as an accounting and administrative assistant from 1998-1999, Reencaushadora Moderna as an accounting assistant from 1999-2000, Penelas y Sireras as a general accountant 2000-2004, and Sucesión Mantica Berio, S. A. as general accountant from 2005-2013. Brenda was hired as an accounting assistant in July 2013 and is responsible for our small business projects.

Lesbia Alvarado
Program officer, Agroforestry

Lesbia holds a degree in Tourism Business Management from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua (UNAN) in Leon. She has experience as a tour operator and has worked as a bookkeeper for an appliance business. She has worked for ViviendasLeón since November 2007 and is currently our program officer for agro-forestry programs in León. Lesbia is married with two sons.

Camilo Melendez Guido
Agronomist

Camilo was born in Quezalguaque, in the department of León in 1971 to Nicolas Melendez and Gloria Guido.  His father, Nicolas, was an agricultural technician.  Camilo attended a boarding school in Quezalguaque, specializing in Agronomy.  After completing his studies he began work, gaining experiences as an agronomist at the El Tronco farm.

As part of his professional development, Camilo attended a permaculture course at UNAN in Leon, co-sponsored by a US NGO, NHL SCP, and taught by UNAN professors from the Integrated Pest Management department, and from ALTERTEC, Guatemala.

Camilo currently works as an agronomist for ViviendasLeon, assisting our Agroforestry Program Officer in the training and pest management of our farms.

Cristhian Rojas
Program officer, HCT Training

Cristhian holds a degree in Social Work and Development Management from the Faculty of Education Sciences and Humanities, at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN-León). He has participated in psychosocial articulation and intervention from UNAN-LEON, specifically in the ‘’Walter Ferreti’’ neighborhood in the city of León, and carrying out a diagnosis of Community Community public health for the prevention of diseases. In 2015 he completed two diplomas, one with the Spanish Red Cross focused on the promotion of human rights with gender equality and social inclusion, the other with the León-Zaragoza Sister City, on ludic methodologies applied to organizational development.

Molly Molander
Project director, Guatemala

Molly is an architect and has been living and working in Panajachel, Guatemala since 1998. She manages Tierra Linda Architects and is responsible for numerous private and community design projects. Molly has been a friend of ViviendasLeón since 2005 and together with VL has worked toward supporting the development of an education and service travel program over the last 5 years. Molly is responsible for planning and managing the community construction projects we work on with rural communities.

Rob Lawrence
Board member

Rob has extensive experience in non-profit organizations and board affiliations. He holds degrees from Harvard University and Pepperdine University. He has worked as a non-profit consultant, and for organizations with an environmental focus.

Annie Longsworth
Board member

Annie Longsworth is a brand and communications leader committed to positive change through business. She launched The Siren Agency in January 2015 after three years as CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi S. Through a combination of ongoing insight collection, strategic discovery, and social storytelling, Siren is devoted to helping tomorrow’s brands solve their hardest problems and build relationships with their most important customers. Annie has a BA from the College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio and earned an executive MBA certificate in Sustainability from the Presidio Graduate School in the spring of 2010.

MIke Hower
Board member

Mike is the Managing Director of Sustainability & Social Impact, leading partnership development in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, and providing strategic counsel for thinkPARALLAX clients. He also leads the thinkPARALLAX Perspectives speaker series in San Francisco, which brings together business and nonprofit leaders to discuss sustainability issues around communication, technology, food, and more. Mike also is a regulator contributor to GreenBiz where he writes about the latest trends in sustainable business and policy.

Alexandra Rosas
Board member

Alexandra Rosas is the Associate Director of Communications at sustainability insights technology company Higg. Throughout her career in communications and public relations, she has helped mission-driven businesses dedicated to sustainable development amplify their brand stories and convey the positive impact they’re making. She has also worked for the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Volunteers of America, and the Inter-American Foundation. Alexandra has a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. She is based in Miami, Florida.