Shared Stories
Corazón de Oro (Heart of Gold)
The following is an adaptation of a speech that I delivered at Fabretto’s Night for Niños event in Chicago on November 3, 2017. Lost I grew up in an abusive home. My mother would ...
“I was inspired by Father Fabretto’s great commitment to serve and his contagious joy… Today, people—students, parents, friends—feel that they belong to Fabretto and are part of progress in making the world a better place.”
Kevin has played an integral role in Fabretto’s evolution and development from his first visit to Nicaragua in 1989 as a Georgetown volunteer to his current role as Chief Excutive Officer (CEO). He remains deeply committed to the meaningful relationships that Fabretto has cultivated over the past 60 years in communities throughout Central America.
After Father Fabretto’s untimely death in 1990, Kevin assumed a leadership role in continuing the legacy of Father Fabretto’s lifetime of service to the poorest children in Nicaragua. Under his guidance, Fabretto has grown from group homes serving fewer than 300 children to an established organization impacting thousands of children and youth each year.
As CEO of Fabretto, Kevin works to expand Fabretto’s reach both internally and externally. From his home base in Central America, Kevin orients all programs toward Fabretto’s mission and develops new initiatives in collaboration with the program staff. In addition, he shares Fabretto’s story with friends and supporters. Kevin earned a B.A. from Georgetown University in 1989 and an MBA from the Kellogg Business School in 1996.
Location: Fabretto Children’s Foundation (United States).
“Without education, sustainability is not possible. Through the power of education Fabretto helps to create a sustainable future for the people of Central America.”
After graduating from Radford University with a degree in Psychology, Chrissy moved on to a full-time position working for a dance company in Arlington, Virginia. She joined the Fabretto team in July 2012 as a Development Associate and became Director of Events in July of 2013. Chrissy organizes all Fabretto events taking place in Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, Miami, Houston and San Francisco. She enjoys interacting with volunteers and donors to collaborate on events. Chrissy visited Nicaragua in November of 2013 and was completely taken by the work Fabretto was accomplishing on ground. She is proud to work toward a cause she believes in and for the children.
“I sincerely believe in education as a life-changing force for children and youth.”
Brenda Xum is from Guatemala and joined the Familia Fabretto in early August 2024 as the Program Director. Her broad experience focuses on managing non-profit organizations, promoting the empowerment of children and young people through education, raising awareness about local community social issues, and seeking ways to improve the quality of life of populations. She has promoted projects among local organizations in Guatemala, creating and maintaining institutional relationships between NGOs, the public, and the private sectors.
Brenda has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas. She has had the privilege of studying, living, and working with multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary teams, which has enriched and made her way of seeing social problems more complex. This combination of experiences has strengthened her desire to serve and support communities assertively, promoting equality, respect, empathy, and horizontality in each action.
Location: Fundación Fabretto (Spain).
“Fabretto’s experience in community development projects, in conjunction with innovative education programs, allows for great social and economic transformation. I truly believe focusing on education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.”
Silvia visited Nicaragua in March of 2015 to learn about Fabretto’s work with education and to meet the students who benefit from the programs. She has worked in international development for many years and has traveled to different third world countries, but Nicaragua is one of the countries that has impacted her the most. She witnessed the difficulties that many children face by living in the arid, mountainous regions of northern Nicaragua. She is constantly struck by how, despite their struggles, these children face life with excitement, hope, and resilience. They wish to get ahead in life, and their right to education is the key to achieving it.
Silvia’s professional experience and volunteer work in different Latin American countries fits right in with the work that Fabretto is doing in Nicaragua. She holds an undergraduate Law degree from the University of Navarra and a masters degree in International Development from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She has dedicated her professional career to social development and aid. She has worked in different NGOs, in Asia and Latin America, as well as Spain. Silvia is responsible for fundraising, cultivating individual and institutional donor relations, and communications. She works out of Fundacion Fabretto’s office in Madrid.
“I was inspired by Father Fabretto’s great commitment to serve and his contagious joy… Today, people—students, parents, friends—feel that they belong to Fabretto and are part of progress in making the world a better place.”
Kevin has played an integral role in Fabretto’s evolution and development from his first visit to Nicaragua in 1989 as a Georgetown volunteer to his current role as Chief Excutive Officer (CEO). He remains deeply committed to the meaningful relationships that Fabretto has cultivated over the past 60 years in communities throughout Central America.
After Father Fabretto’s untimely death in 1990, Kevin assumed a leadership role in continuing the legacy of Father Fabretto’s lifetime of service to the poorest children in Nicaragua. Under his guidance, Fabretto has grown from group homes serving fewer than 300 children to an established organization impacting thousands of children and youth each year.
As CEO of Fabretto, Kevin works to expand Fabretto’s reach both internally and externally. From his home base in Central America, Kevin orients all programs toward Fabretto’s mission and develops new initiatives in collaboration with the program staff. In addition, he shares Fabretto’s story with friends and supporters. Kevin earned a B.A. from Georgetown University in 1989 and an MBA from the Kellogg Business School in 1996.
Location: Fabretto Children’s Foundation (United States).
“Without education, sustainability is not possible. Through the power of education Fabretto helps to create a sustainable future for the people of Central America.”
After graduating from Radford University with a degree in Psychology, Chrissy moved on to a full-time position working for a dance company in Arlington, Virginia. She joined the Fabretto team in July 2012 as a Development Associate and became Director of Events in July of 2013. Chrissy organizes all Fabretto events taking place in Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, Miami, Houston and San Francisco. She enjoys interacting with volunteers and donors to collaborate on events. Chrissy visited Nicaragua in November of 2013 and was completely taken by the work Fabretto was accomplishing on ground. She is proud to work toward a cause she believes in and for the children.
“I sincerely believe in education as a life-changing force for children and youth.”
Brenda Xum is from Guatemala and joined the Familia Fabretto in early August 2024 as the Program Director. Her broad experience focuses on managing non-profit organizations, promoting the empowerment of children and young people through education, raising awareness about local community social issues, and seeking ways to improve the quality of life of populations. She has promoted projects among local organizations in Guatemala, creating and maintaining institutional relationships between NGOs, the public, and the private sectors.
Brenda has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas. She has had the privilege of studying, living, and working with multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary teams, which has enriched and made her way of seeing social problems more complex. This combination of experiences has strengthened her desire to serve and support communities assertively, promoting equality, respect, empathy, and horizontality in each action.
Location: Fundación Fabretto (Spain).
“Fabretto’s experience in community development projects, in conjunction with innovative education programs, allows for great social and economic transformation. I truly believe focusing on education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.”
Silvia visited Nicaragua in March of 2015 to learn about Fabretto’s work with education and to meet the students who benefit from the programs. She has worked in international development for many years and has traveled to different third world countries, but Nicaragua is one of the countries that has impacted her the most. She witnessed the difficulties that many children face by living in the arid, mountainous regions of northern Nicaragua. She is constantly struck by how, despite their struggles, these children face life with excitement, hope, and resilience. They wish to get ahead in life, and their right to education is the key to achieving it.
Silvia’s professional experience and volunteer work in different Latin American countries fits right in with the work that Fabretto is doing in Nicaragua. She holds an undergraduate Law degree from the University of Navarra and a masters degree in International Development from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She has dedicated her professional career to social development and aid. She has worked in different NGOs, in Asia and Latin America, as well as Spain. Silvia is responsible for fundraising, cultivating individual and institutional donor relations, and communications. She works out of Fundacion Fabretto’s office in Madrid.
Coming soon!
Coming Soon!
Bill has spent his entire career as a lower-middle market private equity investor. Since 2014 he has been Managing Member of Evanston Partners LLC, a private equity investment firm which partners with management teams to recapitalize, acquire and build small growth companies. From 1997 -2013 he was a Founding Principal of Prospect Partners, LLC of Chicago, which manages three funds totaling $470 million. Previously, from 1990-1997 he was a partner at Chicago-based buyout firm LaSalle Capital Group. He started his career from 1983-1989 at Golder, Thoma & Cressey (now GTCR, Inc.). Bill is a current and former Chairman, board member and investor in numerous private companies. He currently serves as Chairman of Acadian Kitchens LLC, Auto Driveaway Systems LLC and several other private companies.
Bill is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and resides in Winnetka, IL with his wife Carolyn Moses Glastris, who is originally from Fargo, North Dakota. The couple met in 1979 at Northwestern University. They have three daughters in various stages of college, post-college and graduate school (Georgia, Carina and Celia), a beach house in Redonda Bay, Nicaragua and greatly enjoy international travel with family and friends. Bill received a B.A. from Northwestern University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Bill has served on the Fabretto board since 2011 and as Chairman since 2013.
Carl Marinacci spent a 35-year career working in human resources at AMOCO corporation, retiring in 1999. He served in a variety of positions, including Vice President, Compensation & Benefits and Vice President of Human Resources for AMOCO’s refining and marketing company.
Carl and son, Kevin Marinacci founded Fabretto Children’s Foundation in 1993. The purpose of which was to raise money for children in Nicaragua. Carl has served as a member of the Fabretto’s Children Foundation Board of Directors since its inception in 1993, and as Chair from 1999 – 2010; he is now the Chairman Emeritus.
Carl is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago. He has served on the board of the Midtown Education Foundation in Chicago and on the Evanston Human Relations Commission. He is father to five children and grandfather to five grandchildren. Carl resides in Evanston, Illinois with his wife, Barbara Phelan. Barbara is a proud sponsor of two children in Fabretto programs. In the Summer, Carl and Barbara spend several months of the year in Italy at his home in the village from which his father emigrated.
Ian Knox serves as Expedia Partner Solutions’ Vice President of Product and Marketing. He has a 20-year track record of successfully growing technology businesses by building differentiated and compelling products, both for emerging and Fortune 500 companies. Ian joined Expedia, Inc in 2012 and has served in product roles at Egencia (the business travel arm of Expedia) and Expedia, Inc. Prior to Expedia, Ian was Vice President of Product at Daptiv where he was part of a new management team that led the turnaround of a SaaS Project Portfolio Management business following private equity acquisition. Ian has also held positions at Skytap, a cloud computing startup with responsibility for product management and launching the company, and Microsoft as a group product manager for Visual Studio.
Ian holds an M.B.A from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and graduated with honors from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
Kevin Marinacci is the current CEO of Fabretto.
“I was inspired by Father Fabretto’s great commitment to serve and his contagious joy… Today, people—students, parents, friends—feel that they belong to Fabretto and are part of progress in making the world a better place.”
Kevin has played an integral role in Fabretto’s evolution and development from his first visit to Nicaragua in 1989 as a Georgetown volunteer to his current role as CEO. He remains deeply committed to the meaningful relationships that Fabretto has cultivated over the past 60 years in communities throughout Nicaragua.
After Father Fabretto’s untimely death in 1990, Kevin assumed a leadership role in continuing the legacy of Father Fabretto’s lifetime of service to the poorest children in Nicaragua. Under his guidance, Fabretto has grown from group homes serving fewer than 300 children to an established organization that impacts over 12,000 children in Education Centers and schools throughout Nicaragua.
As CEO of Fabretto, Kevin works to expand Fabretto’s reach both internally and externally. From his home base in Managua, Kevin orients all programs toward Fabretto’s mission and develops new initiatives in collaboration with the program staff. In addition, he shares Fabretto’s story with friends and supporters that can help Fabretto continue to provide hope for children in Nicaragua. Kevin earned a B.A. from Georgetown University in 1989 and an MBA from the Kellogg Business School in 1996.
Jeff Mullen graduated from Georgetown University in 1991 and from Georgetown University Law School in 1995. Jeff worked at Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett, LLP as a corporate attorney from 1995-2000 before joining Goldman Sachs & Co., where he is currently a Managing Director in the Investment Management Division. Jeff is involved in several charitable organizations. He is the Co-Chair of the Young Leadership Committee of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund in New York and a member of the Boards of Encore Community Services and Help Me See.
William “Bill” Reynolds is currently Partner and Co-Founder of HRG Consulting. He is particularly interested in the intersection of faith and philanthropy and as a consultant, he provides
Chris Mitchell, a Director at Prime Policy Group, joins the firm from its predecessor, BKSH & Associates Worldwide. Previously, Chris spent more than eight years working for members of Congress from the State of California. From 2001 through 2006, Chris worked for Congressman Michael Honda, including three and a half years as legislative director.
As legislative director, Chris ensured that the Congressman’s legislative agenda and appropriations goals were effectively and strategically pursued. He also advised Congressman Honda on all matters before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of which Mr. Honda was then a member. In this capacity, Chris led Congressman Honda’s successful efforts to deploy cutting-edge security technologies at U.S. airports and to authorize and secure appropriations for a multi-billion dollar transit project in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, Chris has experience in advising members on technology, trade and foreign assistance issues before the U.S. Congress.
Prior to joining Congressman Honda, Chris worked for Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) in her Palo Alto district office, where he served as her principal local liaison to the high technology community. Mr. Mitchell most recently lived for two years in Nicaragua where he consulted for non-profit entities inside and outside the country.
Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University and a Master’s degree in philosophy from San Jose State University. He resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Carrie, and three children.
Sammy is a long standing supporter of Fabretto Children’s Foundation. A one time executive of Nike Asia Pacific, in addition to other multinational brands, she left fashion and brand management to raise her two sons, and has since produced documentary films and events which focus on culturally significant issues.
Her films for BYkids.org have appeared on PBS and portray some of the pivotal issues of our time through the eyes of teenagers. These films are used in high school, together with learning guides, as tools for teachers to engage pupils in peer to peer discussion around social equity and social / physical issues.
She is a board member of BYkids.org, and a board member of Spence Chapin Adoption Agency since 2008, which is focused on mother/child welfare and adoption in both the USA and internationally. She is a Spence-Chapin Adoptive Parent, and served as Board President from 2015-1017. She is also a member of the Physicians for Reproductive Health President’s Council. Born in the UK, Sammy now lives in NYC and is a certified yoga instructor.
Darin Rowell is a senior advisor in the field of executive and team performance. His clients include Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, as well as market leaders in diverse industries such as healthcare, transportation, and energy. He is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and former Adjunct Professor at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. His academic training includes a Doctorate and Master’s degree in Organizational Learning from the University of Pennsylvania. On a more personal note, Darin and his family recently returned to Franklin, TN after living four years in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Personal and family time is filled with volunteering, sports, outdoor activities, and any opportunity to travel and explore new environments, cultures, and friendships.
Francis has experience working as a lobbyist, advocate, entrepreneur, and non-profit executive, and he currently serves as Senior Director for Sanofi’s Partners and Patient Health. Francis was a founding member of Fabretto Children’s Foundation and spent significant time in Nicaragua as a volunteer. Francis graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A. in Theology, and with an M.B.A from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Mary Burke has 17 years of investment banking experience within the food industry specializing in financial restructurings, recapitalizations, turn-arounds, private and public placements of debt and equity capital and providing corporate finance and strategic advisory services. Mary has been the advisor on more than 100 recapitalizations, placements, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures representing total consideration in excess of $10 billion. She is currently Founder and Managing Partner with Lakeshore Food Advisors. Mary has a BA from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana and a MBA from the University of Chicago.
Carlos Mayorga is a finance professional who has been a friend of Fabretto for nearly thirty years. He was born in Guatemala to a Nicaraguan father and Peruvian mother, moving to the US when he was ten years old. His early career took him to New York City in 1992, and while there he learned about Fabretto through alumni from his alma mater of Georgetown University. Aware of Nicaragua’s great needs and promise, Carlos also recognized the need to expand the circle of support for Fabretto more broadly. In 1994, he held the first Fabretto fundraising gala event in New York City, remaining a supporter of Fabretto since then.
Carlos has broad expertise in international finance in emerging markets, largely through his career at the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), where he started in 1997. Prior to joining IFC, Carlos was an Associate in the Emerging Markets Group of what is now JPMorgan Chase (formerly Chemical Bank). He holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management (1997) and a BSBA from Georgetown University (1992). Carlos served as a member of the World Bank Group’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) for six years. Carlos was previously on the Fabretto board from 2000 to 2003, chairing its Investment Committee during those early years.
Ana Mendi first learned about Fabretto in 2013 through Silvia Larumbe, Director of Fabretto’s Spain office. From the first moment, she was fascinated by the work Fabretto carries out with chldren and education, since she believes that education is essential to helping children escape the cycle of poverty and to giving them access to real options for improvement. She also saw how contributions made to Fabretto, a small but very dedicated organization, end up making a very direct impact on children’s lives in Nicaragua.
Ana has been involved in charity and social action projects since her university years in Madrid, where she studied Business Administration and Management, which she finished in Paris. She works between London and Madrid in the world of real estate retail. In addition to being part of Fabretto’s Spain Board of Directors, she helps raise funds by organizing different activities and attracting new donors.
“12 years ago, I traveled to Nicaragua and I was impressed with the very important work that Fabretto was doing, as well as the significance of education in the development of a country.”
During her last trip to Nicaragua, Alicia met a SAT student who really surprised her. He had created his own cooperative with a friend and was developing a business initiative to sell coffee in his community. A year later he was granted a university scholarship. Thanks to Fabretto’s secondary school program, this student was given a unique opportunity to improve his future. Read his story here.
Alicia holds a Masters in European Affairs from the College of Europe and an undergraduate degree in Law. She has previously worked as Development Officer for the Club of Madrid and as Fabretto’s Director of Development in Spain. Today, she serves as Associate Director of The Family Advisory Board.
Kevin Marinacci is the current CEO of Fabretto.
“I was inspired by Father Fabretto’s great commitment to serve and his contagious joy… Today, people—students, parents, friends—feel that they belong to Fabretto and are part of progress in making the world a better place.”
Kevin has played an integral role in Fabretto’s evolution and development from his first visit to Nicaragua in 1989 as a Georgetown volunteer to his current role as CEO. He remains deeply committed to the meaningful relationships that Fabretto has cultivated over the past 60 years in communities throughout Nicaragua.
After Father Fabretto’s untimely death in 1990, Kevin assumed a leadership role in continuing the legacy of Father Fabretto’s lifetime of service to the poorest children in Nicaragua. Under his guidance, Fabretto has grown from group homes serving fewer than 300 children to an established organization that impacts over 12,000 children in Education Centers and schools throughout Nicaragua.
As CEO of Fabretto, Kevin works to expand Fabretto’s reach both internally and externally. From his home base in Managua, Kevin orients all programs toward Fabretto’s mission and develops new initiatives in collaboration with the program staff. In addition, he shares Fabretto’s story with friends and supporters that can help Fabretto continue to provide hope for children in Nicaragua. Kevin earned a B.A. from Georgetown University in 1989 and an MBA from the Kellogg Business School in 1996.
Coming soon!
Coming Soon!
Bill has spent his entire career as a lower-middle market private equity investor. Since 2014 he has been Managing Member of Evanston Partners LLC, a private equity investment firm which partners with management teams to recapitalize, acquire and build small growth companies. From 1997 -2013 he was a Founding Principal of Prospect Partners, LLC of Chicago, which manages three funds totaling $470 million. Previously, from 1990-1997 he was a partner at Chicago-based buyout firm LaSalle Capital Group. He started his career from 1983-1989 at Golder, Thoma & Cressey (now GTCR, Inc.). Bill is a current and former Chairman, board member and investor in numerous private companies. He currently serves as Chairman of Acadian Kitchens LLC, Auto Driveaway Systems LLC and several other private companies.
Bill is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and resides in Winnetka, IL with his wife Carolyn Moses Glastris, who is originally from Fargo, North Dakota. The couple met in 1979 at Northwestern University. They have three daughters in various stages of college, post-college and graduate school (Georgia, Carina and Celia), a beach house in Redonda Bay, Nicaragua and greatly enjoy international travel with family and friends. Bill received a B.A. from Northwestern University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Bill has served on the Fabretto board since 2011 and as Chairman since 2013.
Carl Marinacci spent a 35-year career working in human resources at AMOCO corporation, retiring in 1999. He served in a variety of positions, including Vice President, Compensation & Benefits and Vice President of Human Resources for AMOCO’s refining and marketing company.
Carl and son, Kevin Marinacci founded Fabretto Children’s Foundation in 1993. The purpose of which was to raise money for children in Nicaragua. Carl has served as a member of the Fabretto’s Children Foundation Board of Directors since its inception in 1993, and as Chair from 1999 – 2010; he is now the Chairman Emeritus.
Carl is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago. He has served on the board of the Midtown Education Foundation in Chicago and on the Evanston Human Relations Commission. He is father to five children and grandfather to five grandchildren. Carl resides in Evanston, Illinois with his wife, Barbara Phelan. Barbara is a proud sponsor of two children in Fabretto programs. In the Summer, Carl and Barbara spend several months of the year in Italy at his home in the village from which his father emigrated.
Ian Knox serves as Expedia Partner Solutions’ Vice President of Product and Marketing. He has a 20-year track record of successfully growing technology businesses by building differentiated and compelling products, both for emerging and Fortune 500 companies. Ian joined Expedia, Inc in 2012 and has served in product roles at Egencia (the business travel arm of Expedia) and Expedia, Inc. Prior to Expedia, Ian was Vice President of Product at Daptiv where he was part of a new management team that led the turnaround of a SaaS Project Portfolio Management business following private equity acquisition. Ian has also held positions at Skytap, a cloud computing startup with responsibility for product management and launching the company, and Microsoft as a group product manager for Visual Studio.
Ian holds an M.B.A from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and graduated with honors from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
Kevin Marinacci is the current CEO of Fabretto.
“I was inspired by Father Fabretto’s great commitment to serve and his contagious joy… Today, people—students, parents, friends—feel that they belong to Fabretto and are part of progress in making the world a better place.”
Kevin has played an integral role in Fabretto’s evolution and development from his first visit to Nicaragua in 1989 as a Georgetown volunteer to his current role as CEO. He remains deeply committed to the meaningful relationships that Fabretto has cultivated over the past 60 years in communities throughout Nicaragua.
After Father Fabretto’s untimely death in 1990, Kevin assumed a leadership role in continuing the legacy of Father Fabretto’s lifetime of service to the poorest children in Nicaragua. Under his guidance, Fabretto has grown from group homes serving fewer than 300 children to an established organization that impacts over 12,000 children in Education Centers and schools throughout Nicaragua.
As CEO of Fabretto, Kevin works to expand Fabretto’s reach both internally and externally. From his home base in Managua, Kevin orients all programs toward Fabretto’s mission and develops new initiatives in collaboration with the program staff. In addition, he shares Fabretto’s story with friends and supporters that can help Fabretto continue to provide hope for children in Nicaragua. Kevin earned a B.A. from Georgetown University in 1989 and an MBA from the Kellogg Business School in 1996.
Jeff Mullen graduated from Georgetown University in 1991 and from Georgetown University Law School in 1995. Jeff worked at Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett, LLP as a corporate attorney from 1995-2000 before joining Goldman Sachs & Co., where he is currently a Managing Director in the Investment Management Division. Jeff is involved in several charitable organizations. He is the Co-Chair of the Young Leadership Committee of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund in New York and a member of the Boards of Encore Community Services and Help Me See.
William “Bill” Reynolds is currently Partner and Co-Founder of HRG Consulting. He is particularly interested in the intersection of faith and philanthropy and as a consultant, he provides
Chris Mitchell, a Director at Prime Policy Group, joins the firm from its predecessor, BKSH & Associates Worldwide. Previously, Chris spent more than eight years working for members of Congress from the State of California. From 2001 through 2006, Chris worked for Congressman Michael Honda, including three and a half years as legislative director.
As legislative director, Chris ensured that the Congressman’s legislative agenda and appropriations goals were effectively and strategically pursued. He also advised Congressman Honda on all matters before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of which Mr. Honda was then a member. In this capacity, Chris led Congressman Honda’s successful efforts to deploy cutting-edge security technologies at U.S. airports and to authorize and secure appropriations for a multi-billion dollar transit project in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, Chris has experience in advising members on technology, trade and foreign assistance issues before the U.S. Congress.
Prior to joining Congressman Honda, Chris worked for Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) in her Palo Alto district office, where he served as her principal local liaison to the high technology community. Mr. Mitchell most recently lived for two years in Nicaragua where he consulted for non-profit entities inside and outside the country.
Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University and a Master’s degree in philosophy from San Jose State University. He resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Carrie, and three children.
Sammy is a long standing supporter of Fabretto Children’s Foundation. A one time executive of Nike Asia Pacific, in addition to other multinational brands, she left fashion and brand management to raise her two sons, and has since produced documentary films and events which focus on culturally significant issues.
Her films for BYkids.org have appeared on PBS and portray some of the pivotal issues of our time through the eyes of teenagers. These films are used in high school, together with learning guides, as tools for teachers to engage pupils in peer to peer discussion around social equity and social / physical issues.
She is a board member of BYkids.org, and a board member of Spence Chapin Adoption Agency since 2008, which is focused on mother/child welfare and adoption in both the USA and internationally. She is a Spence-Chapin Adoptive Parent, and served as Board President from 2015-1017. She is also a member of the Physicians for Reproductive Health President’s Council. Born in the UK, Sammy now lives in NYC and is a certified yoga instructor.
Darin Rowell is a senior advisor in the field of executive and team performance. His clients include Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, as well as market leaders in diverse industries such as healthcare, transportation, and energy. He is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and former Adjunct Professor at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. His academic training includes a Doctorate and Master’s degree in Organizational Learning from the University of Pennsylvania. On a more personal note, Darin and his family recently returned to Franklin, TN after living four years in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Personal and family time is filled with volunteering, sports, outdoor activities, and any opportunity to travel and explore new environments, cultures, and friendships.
Francis has experience working as a lobbyist, advocate, entrepreneur, and non-profit executive, and he currently serves as Senior Director for Sanofi’s Partners and Patient Health. Francis was a founding member of Fabretto Children’s Foundation and spent significant time in Nicaragua as a volunteer. Francis graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A. in Theology, and with an M.B.A from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Mary Burke has 17 years of investment banking experience within the food industry specializing in financial restructurings, recapitalizations, turn-arounds, private and public placements of debt and equity capital and providing corporate finance and strategic advisory services. Mary has been the advisor on more than 100 recapitalizations, placements, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures representing total consideration in excess of $10 billion. She is currently Founder and Managing Partner with Lakeshore Food Advisors. Mary has a BA from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana and a MBA from the University of Chicago.
Carlos Mayorga is a finance professional who has been a friend of Fabretto for nearly thirty years. He was born in Guatemala to a Nicaraguan father and Peruvian mother, moving to the US when he was ten years old. His early career took him to New York City in 1992, and while there he learned about Fabretto through alumni from his alma mater of Georgetown University. Aware of Nicaragua’s great needs and promise, Carlos also recognized the need to expand the circle of support for Fabretto more broadly. In 1994, he held the first Fabretto fundraising gala event in New York City, remaining a supporter of Fabretto since then.
Carlos has broad expertise in international finance in emerging markets, largely through his career at the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), where he started in 1997. Prior to joining IFC, Carlos was an Associate in the Emerging Markets Group of what is now JPMorgan Chase (formerly Chemical Bank). He holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management (1997) and a BSBA from Georgetown University (1992). Carlos served as a member of the World Bank Group’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) for six years. Carlos was previously on the Fabretto board from 2000 to 2003, chairing its Investment Committee during those early years.
Ana Mendi first learned about Fabretto in 2013 through Silvia Larumbe, Director of Fabretto’s Spain office. From the first moment, she was fascinated by the work Fabretto carries out with chldren and education, since she believes that education is essential to helping children escape the cycle of poverty and to giving them access to real options for improvement. She also saw how contributions made to Fabretto, a small but very dedicated organization, end up making a very direct impact on children’s lives in Nicaragua.
Ana has been involved in charity and social action projects since her university years in Madrid, where she studied Business Administration and Management, which she finished in Paris. She works between London and Madrid in the world of real estate retail. In addition to being part of Fabretto’s Spain Board of Directors, she helps raise funds by organizing different activities and attracting new donors.
“12 years ago, I traveled to Nicaragua and I was impressed with the very important work that Fabretto was doing, as well as the significance of education in the development of a country.”
During her last trip to Nicaragua, Alicia met a SAT student who really surprised her. He had created his own cooperative with a friend and was developing a business initiative to sell coffee in his community. A year later he was granted a university scholarship. Thanks to Fabretto’s secondary school program, this student was given a unique opportunity to improve his future. Read his story here.
Alicia holds a Masters in European Affairs from the College of Europe and an undergraduate degree in Law. She has previously worked as Development Officer for the Club of Madrid and as Fabretto’s Director of Development in Spain. Today, she serves as Associate Director of The Family Advisory Board.
Kevin Marinacci is the current CEO of Fabretto.
“I was inspired by Father Fabretto’s great commitment to serve and his contagious joy… Today, people—students, parents, friends—feel that they belong to Fabretto and are part of progress in making the world a better place.”
Kevin has played an integral role in Fabretto’s evolution and development from his first visit to Nicaragua in 1989 as a Georgetown volunteer to his current role as CEO. He remains deeply committed to the meaningful relationships that Fabretto has cultivated over the past 60 years in communities throughout Nicaragua.
After Father Fabretto’s untimely death in 1990, Kevin assumed a leadership role in continuing the legacy of Father Fabretto’s lifetime of service to the poorest children in Nicaragua. Under his guidance, Fabretto has grown from group homes serving fewer than 300 children to an established organization that impacts over 12,000 children in Education Centers and schools throughout Nicaragua.
As CEO of Fabretto, Kevin works to expand Fabretto’s reach both internally and externally. From his home base in Managua, Kevin orients all programs toward Fabretto’s mission and develops new initiatives in collaboration with the program staff. In addition, he shares Fabretto’s story with friends and supporters that can help Fabretto continue to provide hope for children in Nicaragua. Kevin earned a B.A. from Georgetown University in 1989 and an MBA from the Kellogg Business School in 1996.