BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Karina Mirochnik | Chief Executive Officer

Karina Mirochnik is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Women Across Frontiers, Inc. She is an Argentine-born journalist, researcher, and producer based in New York City. She holds an MA in Communication from Universidad de Buenos Aires and an MS in International Relations from New York University. She has worked as a producer and writer at VME Media, Dow Jones of Americas, and MTV News Latino. Previously, she was a reporter and congressional correspondent in Argentina, and also served as a South America analyst for Freedom House. Karina is a founding member of the CGA Women’s Initiative at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs, a forum for discussion on global issues and women’s empowerment: subjects she is passionate about. Her volunteer work included three years at the Clinton Global Initiative as well as internships at CNN, WABC, and NY1 News.

Sylvia Maier | Chief Operating Officer

Sylvia Maier is the Co-founder and Deputy Executive Editor of Women Across Frontiers, Inc. She is on the faculty of the Center for Global Affairs at New York University, where she directs the Global Gender Studies concentration and teaches courses on gender in international relations, women’s rights in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and the politics of immigration. Her life passions are education, women’s empowerment, and the struggle against honor murders and gender-based violence in the Global South, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Sylvia has taught at the American University of Afghanistan, Kabul, and has volunteered, co-run workshops, and conducted field research in Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates over the past several years. She is also the Director of Education Programs at The Peace Project, Inc., a New York-based NGO. An avid traveler and backpacker, Sylvia escapes to the great outdoors and the farthest corners of the world as often as she can. Originally from Vienna, Austria, Sylvia received her Ph.D. in political science in 2001 from the University of Southern California.

Gabriel Szpigiel | Chief Financial Officer

Gabriel Szpigiel is Partner, Senior Portfolio Manager, and Head of Marathon Asset Management Emerging Markets Group, responsible for asset management of sovereign and corporate credit, local markets, and equities across Latin America, EMEA, and the Middle East and Africa. Gabriel has more than 20 years of experience in Emerging Markets. Prior to joining Marathon, he worked at Deutsche Bank for six years as a Managing Director, first in London and then in New York. He also worked as a senior trader at Chase Manhattan Bank, ING, and Smith Barney, and served as Vice Chairman of the Emerging Markets Trade Association since 2000. He earned his MS in Economics from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Gloria Hage | Board Member

Gloria Hage is the Executive Director of the Institute for Healing of Memories (IHOM), whose mission is to contribute to lasting individual and collective healing that makes possible a more peaceful and just future. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from the New York University Center for Global Affairs, and an undergraduate degree in business administration. She has tenure in the biotechnology industry, as well as extensive non-profit experience. While an executive director at Life Through Dance, Inc, DBA Robin Becker Dance, she spearheaded the creation of the documentary film INTO SUNLIGHT, which premiered at Lincoln Center in 2017. She is a board member at Robin Becker Dance and IHOM. Her articles have appeared in the African Anthropologist, published by the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, and the World Policy Institute’s Arts-Policy Nexus Publication. She is regularly a panelist and workshop facilitator at Restorative Justice, and Peace and Reconciliation conferences.

Sara Jameel Le Brusq | Board Member

Sara Jameel Le Brusq is Chief Operating Officer of New American Leaders, a nonprofit dedicated to recruiting and preparing immigrants to run, win, and lead in elected office. An appreciation for the opportunities America had afforded her Syrian and Irish grandparents, who resettled in New York, was strongly reflected in her upbringing and has inspired her work in strengthening an inclusive democracy. Previously, Sara served as Vice President for Latino Victory Project, and prior to that, worked in the Democratic Participation and Governance division at the Ford Foundation.

María Ignacia Simonetti | Board Member