Shirin Vetry, Founder

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Shirin founded Fishing Rod as a means of empowering local entrepreneurs. During her first experiences working with resettled refugees in France as well as refugees in their first country of asylum in Uganda, Shirin was instantly inspired by the capacity, strength, and entrepreneurial spirit of young leaders. She wanted to better enable these entrepreneurs by providing them with a comprehensive set of resources to create or grow their enterprises while also assuring sustainable, socially conscious impact in their community.

 

Before beginning Fishing Rod, Shirin worked at the International Organization for Migration where she assisted in the implementation of the Strengthening Stability and Social Cohesion in Slum Communities initiative in the slums of Kampala, Uganda. She is currently a Fulbright Scholar at the Universidad de Ibagué (University of Ibagué) in Ibagué, Colombia.

 

Shirin recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s in Political Science and a concentration in International Relations with minors in International Development and French.

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David Chamat, Head of Project Operations and Investment

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David oversees all project designs at Fishing Rod and provides entrepreneurs in Ibagué with skills training workshops. These workshop sessions give the entrepreneurs the necessary tools to make their businesses successful. 

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David brings more than 10 years of experience developing, implementing, and evaluating projects and public policy measures. A trained economist, David has held positions in both the public and private sector. He currently serves as the operations manager of Proyecto Educativo Buenos Aires (Educational Project of Buenos Aires), a project dedicated to improving the access, quality, and importance of education in rural areas of Ibagué. Prior to this position, David coordinated the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Project in Ibagué as part of a United Nations initiative and was an economic consultant for Colombia’s Departamento Nacional de Planeación (National Planning Department).

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He graduated from the Universidad del Tolima (University of Tolima) with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and earned a specialization in Project Development and Evaluation at the Universidad del Rosario (University of Rosario). A lifelong Ibaguereño of a diverse background, David was born to a Santandereana mother and a Chocoano father. His father's home department of Chocó, which stretches part of Colombia's Pacific coastline, is home to the nation’s largest population of Afro-Colombians, who constitute roughly 80% of the department’s inhabitants along with indigenous communities. It is also an area in Colombia that has been disproportionately affected by the violence of guerilla and paramilitary groups since the 1960s, forcing many inhabitants to seek refuge inland.

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Luis Felipe Urueña Perez, Head Community Advisor

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Felipe works alongside Fishing Rod's entrepreneurs to create the most socially conscious enterprises possible and engage with Ibagué's marginalized communities. 

 

He has a comprehensive experience working in diverse communities primarily through his positions as an educator. After being displaced by the conflict in northern Tolima, a department in the western region of Colombia, Felipe finished his studies at the Universidad del Tolima (University of Tolima) in Ibagué, receiving a bachelor’s degree in English with a specialization in pedagogy and later a master’s degree in Education. Felipe spent part of his master’s studying pedagogical practices at Universidad José Varona (José Varona University) in Havana, Cuba, before returning to Ibagué to teach English at Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios (Minute of God University Corporation). Additionally, Felipe currently serves as the Academic Director of the Instituto Nacional de Ayudas Pedagógicas (National Institute of Pedagogical Assistance) and is a professor of postgraduate studies at his alma mater’s Facultad de Economía (School of Economics). As someone deeply committed to fostering social change, Felipe founded “English On Fire,” a club that provides free English classes to children in marginalized communities in Ibagué.

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Adriana Avilés Alvarado, Political Relations Consultant

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Adriana helps Fishing Rod nominees grow their social enterprises by providing each entrepreneur with key resources needed to take their business to the next level. 

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Adriana joins Fishing Rod with 6 years of experience working as a consultant for government projects in social, environmental, and agricultural development in rural parts of Tolima, Colombia. Driven by a desire to create social change, Adriana also facilitates workshops on human rights issues, peace and post-conflict in Colombia, female empowerment, and community, social, and environmental work. Her extensive knowledge in program design, execution, and sustainability, together with her expertise in marketing strategies, action plans, and budget tracking, are valuable tools used to evaluate and implement the social enterprises funded by Fishing Rod.

 

Adriana has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Universidad del Tolima (University of Tolima) with a specialization in Marketing Management. She is currently working towards a master’s degree in Land-Use Planning and Environmental Management through the Universidad de Barcelona (University of Barcelona).

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Sydney Strunk, Chief Marketing and Fundraising Officer

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Sydney manages Fishing Rod’s social networking and multimedia content and heads fundraising efforts in the United States. She also assists closely with the nominee selection process. 

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Prior to Fishing Rod, Sydney was the International Coordinator at Escuela Sisay (Sisay School) in Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala, serving as a communication liaison and managing the school’s webpage. She also spent time in Havana, Cuba, with Operation Walk, a medical humanitarian organization that works alongside local medical professionals to provide free surgical treatment for debilitating bone and joint conditions in under-resourced communities. As someone passionate about public health, Sydney is deeply motivated by Fishing Rod’s mission since its efforts actively combat systemic health inequities by providing more social and economic opportunities for marginalized communities, 

empowering people to lead overall healthier lives.

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Sydney is currently serving her second year as a Fulbright Scholar at Universidad Cooperativa (Cooperative University) in Ibagué after working at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (National University of Colombia) in Bogotá for a year. The Iowa native holds a bachelor’s degree with majors in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Spanish from Cornell College.

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Alejandra Ospina, Social Responsibility and Sustainability Advisor

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Alejandra advises Fishing Rod's nominees on the best ethical and sustainable business practices for their social enterprises. She is also an integral part of the fund's marketing team, crafting key messages to inform, inspire, and move Fishing Rod's audiences to action.

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Alejandra is a trilingual foreign affairs professional and communications strategist that brings over 6 years of experience to Fishing Rod. In addition to her work for the Organization of American States, the International Organization for Migration, and the Colombo-Argentinian Chamber of Commerce, Alejandra founded the blog Allez, Courage and consults for Fashion Forward and Women on the Map to promote sustainable enterprises in the fashion industry and leadership opportunities for women. In each of her projects, Alejandra leads by example and models the benefits of inclusion and diversity. She is skilled at creating partnerships and policies that support sustainable and socially responsible business methods, as well as leading capacity building programs for the public and private sectors. Her work in forging international partnerships is informed by her experiences living, working, and studying in Cali, Bogotá, Paris, and Washington, D.C. 

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Alejandra graduated from Universidad Militar Nueva Granada (Nueva Granada Military University) in Bogotá with a bachelor's degree in Foreign Affairs and Political Studies before earning a master's in Corporate Communications Management through the Universidad de Barcelona (University of Barcelona). 

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John Alexander Viasús, Social Impact Analyst and Community Relations Advisor

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John assesses the potential social impact of each enterprise presented to Fishing Rod and supports entrepreneurs in developing new ways to increase community involvement and impact.

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A professional in the social sciences, John has over 10 years of experience working with several national and international organizations, including the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration, in processes related to social project development, adjustment, and implementation in Colombia. John’s work ranges from entrepreneurial project management for mothers who are heads of their households to fighting for comprehensive reparation for victims of the Colombian armed conflict. In each of his projects, John makes it a point to work in the field with the communities involved, applying qualitative methodologies of anthropology, history, and sociology, while adapting audiovisual social research strategies as well.

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John is currently a Professor of Anthropology at the Universidad de Ibagué (University of Ibagué) and a researcher at the Special Projects Unit, a center that produces innovative research on social realities and interdisciplinary pedagogical practices. He also creates documentaries with H21 Producciones, a national producer of cultural content, and is a historian at the Universidad Externado de Colombia (Externado University of Colombia). The Bogotano has a master’s degree in Visual Anthropology from the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (Latin American Social Sciences Institute) in Quito, Ecuador.

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Mauricio Gúzman, Youth Officer

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Mauricio is a youth advocate for Fishing Rod. He provides valuable insight on the implications of each social enterprise on young people, seeking ways to empower the youth and act in their best interests.

 

A native of Ibagué, Colombia, Mauricio is driven by humanitarian work in his community. In 2016, he founded Unidos Por Ti (United for You), a social inclusion program whose mission is to improve the quality of life of vulnerable populations throughout Ibagué. He is also a consultant for Polite, a sustainable fashion brand, helping the company produce their own designs and increase their marketing presence.

 

Fueled by a passion to learn new perspectives, Mauricio lived and studied in different regions of Germany for 3 years before moving to Switzerland for a year and a half. At the moment, Mauricio is working towards a bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration at the Universidad de Ibagué (University of Ibagué), emphasizing multilingualism in Spanish, English, and German.  

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Nico Camargo, Impact and Innovation Advisor

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Nico offers strategic support for Fishing Rod's nominees, enabling them to use innovative methods to create a meaningful impact in marginalized communities through their social enterprises.  

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Nico's personal and professional experience is what makes him unique. He is a political scientist, journalist, and specialist in Creative Writing. Nico worked as a researcher for the digital magazine El Olfato, at a university in Brazil, and with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). In addition to El Olfato, Nico has published several articles of journalistic investigation for other digital magazines and newspapers in the city of Ibagué. This advisor has an insatiable curiosity for the world that he nourishes through traveling and fostering relationships with communities in different regions around the globe. His inquisitiveness about the world has taken him to several countries and has driven him to learn 3 languages ​​and understand 2 more.

 

Nico is an authentic, intrepid, and brilliant person, and like all Fishing Rod members he brings us a unique point of view.