Who we are

We are a collective of people with diverse experiences, knowledge, and strengths, all working from different sectors to support civil society organizations in Latin America in becoming stronger and more resilient.

Sitting at the table of La Sobremesa is

the team

Anca Matioc

Founder and Director of La Sobremesa

Hello! I am Anca, founder and director of La Sobremesa. I have been working with and accompanying civil society organizations and networks in Latin America and the global south for over a decade, as a designer and facilitator of change processes. In my experience, I saw - and I see - a lack of spaces for reflection and learning, and for thinking and rethinking realistic solutions from civil society. I support organizations to design their strategies and to rethink and strengthen their institutions, structures and teams. I really enjoy supporting people who focus on improving the realities of their countries. Before La Sobremesa, I was the Matchbox coordinator for The Engine Room in Latin America and then at a Global level, where I accompanied dozens of organizations to be more strategic with the use of technology and data. Prior to that, I worked for Ciudadanía Inteligente in Chile, where I co-founded and led the Developing Latin America project, one of the first networks around open data in the region, to seek solutions to social problems. I co-founded the AbreLatAm regional de-conference, a space to discuss and innovate in the opening of data and governments. I have a master’s degree in Development Practice from SIPA at Columbia University. I was born in Romania, I grew up in the United States, and within the last ten years I have worked from Chile and now Mexico for all of Latin America.

Aniela Stojanowski

Communication leader

Hi! I’m Aniela, an Argentinean motivated and inspired by social communication. I trained as a community communicator and graduated in organizational consulting at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). I have more than 12 years of experience working with civil society organizations, with a focus on community communication and coordination. I have experience in team management, planning and strategy development, external and internal communication and digital marketing and communication tools. I am passionate about accompanying organizations to tell their story, make their advocacy work visible, optimize their impact and support them in achieving their goals. Before joining La Sobremesa, I worked as communications coordinator at Asuntos del Sur, an organization dedicated to human rights and with direct impact on democracies in Latin America. Currently, I am a member of the Board of Directors of this NGO. I also teach digital marketing at the Universidad del Valle de México and I am an external communications collaborator for civil society organizations.

Jessica Balovich

Head of Admin and Operations

Hello! I am Jessica, Head of Admin and Operations at La Sobremesa. I handle various bookkeeping tasks and am in communication with contractors and organizations from many parts of the world. I conduct research on various topics needed to help support our organization, and help implement changes in our operations as we grow. Before coming to La Sobremesa, I worked for 3 years with a non-profit organization as an Operations Assistant, where I helped with organizational compliance and grant management. I was also in contact with various contractors and funders world wide, giving support with payments and contracts. I have a Master’s Degree in Education, and taught for 12 years.

Ana Gabriel Zúñiga Aponte

Consultant

Hi! I’m Ana Gabriel. I have more than ten years of experience working in impact areas as participative democracy, open data and civic engagement. I’m passionate about collaborative spaces and open formats and genuinely believe in their power to transform our realities. I have collaborated with different stakeholders such as journalists, LGTBIQ+ activists, feminists, environmental defenders, indigenous peoples, refugees and migrants, civil society organizations, academia and government. I served as Deputy Minister of Citizen Dialogue of the Republic of Costa Rica from 2014 to 2018, responsible for three agendas: first, citizen dialogue for the attention of conflicts and co-creation of public policies with several stakeholders; second, the implementation of the open government agenda; and, third, the intercultural dialogue with indigenous peoples that allowed the co-creation of a General Mechanism for Indigenous Consultation. After that life changing experience, I became part of the Hivos LATAM team as Program Development Manager in the area of Civic Rights in the Digital Age, co-designing and implementing regional programs in open data, civic space and gender equality. Currently I’m an international consultant in strategic planification; designing & facilitation of improbable dialogues and co-creation processes; and, policy advisor in open data with gender perspective. I’m based in Costa Rica and believe in tropicalizing my work, methodologies, and style.

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Según el desafío que enfrenta sociedad civil,

Nos apoyan y aconsejan

What we do

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