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BIOGRAPHIES OF BPP STAFF AND CONSULTANTS

Ann Tartre, Director - atartre@synergos.org

Ann Tartre is Director of the US-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership, a network of community foundations on both sides of the border and major donor foundations that aims to improve quality of life in the region. Ms. Tartre joined Synergos in January 2005 as Deputy Director, Strengthening Bridging Organizations Program, helping to oversee Synergos work to promote philanthropy globally, particularly community philanthropy. Prior to joining Synergos, Ms. Tartre worked for nine years with the Maine Community Foundation (MCF), where she served as the Director of Donor and Program Services, and before that as a Senior Program Officer. In her donor services work, she was responsible for creating and implementing a system of donor service that included educational briefings, site visits, and helping donors be more strategic about their philanthropy. Her program work included developing and monitoring MCF's multi-year organizational capacity building grant program, as well as several other grant programs related to conservation, and community development.

Ms. Tartre also has experience managing grant programs internationally. In 1999, she worked as a grants officer for the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe based in Szentendre, Hungary. She was responsible for managing all aspects of three grant programs focused on environmental NGOs in the 15 Central and Eastern European countries.

Her involvement with the NGO and philanthropic sector also includes board service with the Maine Association of Nonprofits, where she chaired the program committee as well as a strategic planning process for the organization, and to the Maine Philanthropy Center, where she served on the governance, program and executive committees.

Ms. Tartre's experience outside of philanthropy includes working for US Senator George J. Mitchell in Washington, DC where she was responsible for advising the Senator on environmental legislation, and serving as a research associate for the Quebec Labrador Foundation. Ms. Tartre speaks English and French and is proficient in Spanish, and holds a BA in International Relations and French from Tufts University, and a Masters of Environmental Studies from Yale University.

Christiana DeBenedict, Senior Program Coordinator - cdebenedict@synergos.org

Christiana DeBenedict serves as a Senior Program Coordinator of the US-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership. Ms. DeBenedict graduated with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Languages and Bilingual Issues. Her subsequent move to San Diego was strongly motivated by a desire to put to practical use her prior work experience and scholastic study by seeking employment close to the US-Mexico border. Ms. DeBenedict brings to the organization over five years of professional experience in program coordination, operations management, customer relations, marketing and sales, and administrative support. She is thrilled to be able to integrate into her work her love of languages and communication, acquired skills, creativity, and dedication to the betterment of the human condition.

Deborah Polakovich de Aceveo, Mexican Consultant - deborahkay@prodigy.net.mx 
Deborah comes to the BPP with a rich professional history in the community foundation, nonprofit and public sectors in Mexico.  She served as an advisor for the Puebla Municipal DIF System from 1996-99, then served on the Board of the Fundación Comunitaria Puebla, I.B.P. from 2001-2003 before becoming Executive Director of the same Foundation. Deborah also participated in the Ford Motor Company International Fellowship of the 92nd Street Y(2005)-  Developing Community Leaders:  Leadership in a Changed World where she studied at the Picker Center for Executive Education of the School of International and Public Affairs of the University of Columbia.  She has been involved in many workshops and studies focused on capacity building of nonprofits such as certification from Indesol on the professionalization of the sector, workshops in Appreciative Inquiry at the Universidad Popular Autónomo del Estado de Puebla Centro CIP; Certification in Transitional Leadership, workshops in Civic Participation and Development, forums in Governance and Sustainable Human Development.  We welcome Debbie to the BPP family!  She can be reached at

Michelle Jaramillo, Program Manager - mjaramillo@synergos.org

Michelle Jaramillo is a Program Manager at the Synergos Institute, US-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership. Ms. Jaramillo is a University of Toronto graduate, where she obtained an BA in Political Science and Latin-American Studies. She joined Synergos as an intern shortly after finishing at that university and later accepted a permanent offer of employment while transitioning to Synergos' San Diego Border Office to become more involved with supporting the institutional development of border community foundations. She is presently completing a Master's Degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management at the University of San Diego. One of her greatest interests is the study of languages; she is fluent in English, French and Spanish, and proficient in Italian.