Estefania Guzman

My career journey has taken me from government work to the private sector and now to nonprofit leadership. I began at the Colombian Consulate in New York, where I coordinated CLACNI, organizing meetings with 17 Latin American consulates to help our community. I created a comprehensive resource bank of over 200 nonprofits and developed a directory so consulates could refer people to the right services, whether for domestic violence, housing, or other needs. I organized a major networking event bringing together nonprofits, consulates, local agencies, and city offices, all working toward helping people who needed support. After 3 to 4 years in New York, I transferred to the New Jersey consulate. I then moved to the private sector and created my own consulting business about 5 years ago, specializing in restaurants and coffee shops, helping them streamline processes and implement workers' rights into their handbooks. But I felt I was missing the element of really helping people, not just helping businesses make more money. Now, as Operations and Partnership Manager at Nido Esperanza, I'm back to what I love. I manage our distribution center and baby boutique, where we support pregnant women and families through pregnancy and the first 1,000 days of the baby's life. We serve families under the poverty line, 70% of whom are single mothers, and 5 to 10% are in shelters. We provide essential items every 3 months, developmental toys chosen by age, and programming including prenatal classes, parenting workshops, and our Arugitas Go to School program to prepare children for enrollment. All my knowledge from the consulate partnerships and small business work now helps me in this meaningful role.