Maria Elena Campisteguy
senior executive vice president | principal
Maria Elena Campisteguy
If you are going down a road and don’t like what’s in front of you, and look behind you and don’t like what you see, get off the road. Create a new path.— Maya Angelou
Maria Elena excels at the intersection of creativity, strategy, and relationship-centered collaboration, bringing diverse perspectives together to tackle complex challenges. With more than 30 years of experience in strategic communication, intercultural engagement, and organizational innovation, she has worked across the U.S. and internationally to drive transformational change in organizations and communities. She specializes in designing and facilitating inclusive processes that bridge cultural, political, and organizational.
She passionately believes that lasting solutions to the world’s most pressing issues come from authentic engagement and the collective voices of the communities most impacted. By fostering dialogue, she helps uncover shared values, co-create solutions, and achieve meaningful, lasting, change. From shifting workplace culture and influencing narratives to aligning systems and policies with mission-driven goals, she deeply believes that the wisdom is in the room–– her role is to listen deeply and connect the dots to bring it to life.
Her career spans collaborations with diverse groups and sovereign nations across competing political perspectives, leading marketing campaigns in the U.S. and Latin America, supporting business development in Japan and economic development initiatives in Africa. At the core of her work is a commitment to building bridges, deepening cultural understanding, and turning shared visions into actionable results.
Her areas of expertise include:
- Strategic communication, narrative, and social and behavior change campaigns
- Brand development and positioning
- Intercultural & cross-cultural engagement
- Community-based research, impact assessments
- Facilitating multilingual, multicultural groups
- Cross-sector collaborations and partnerships
- Organizational strategy, innovation & culture change
- Measuring impact & outcomes
Experience
- Associate publisher, Latina Style Magazine
- Executive director, Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement
- International marketing experience in Latin America and Japan, as well as economic development work in Africa with corporate, intergovernmental and academic institutions
Education:
- Master of Business Administration, International Marketing Specialization, Portland State University
- Bachelor of Science in Language Arts in Russian and Spanish, Georgetown University
- Nonprofit Management Certificate, University of Michigan
In Community
Beyond her professional pursuits, Maria Elena finds joy in connecting with people, nature, and cultures across the globe. Her goal is to visit and learn from every country in the world, having now visited, lived or worked in every U.S. state. She is a proud mentor to several young women and volunteers for numerous community organizations. She has served on the boards of trustees of the Gray Family Foundation and the Land Trust Alliance and continues to give back as an alumni interviewer for Georgetown University.