› Craft To Commerce

› Enrich Artisan Lives

› Preserve Global Heritage

OUR TEAM

Our team is the driving force behind our mission—fostering trust, inspiring loyalty, and empowering artisans worldwide through every meaningful interaction.

Our team is a dedicated group of leaders, innovators, and advocates with a shared commitment to supporting artisan businesses and fostering sustainable economic growth. Each member brings a wealth of expertise and a deep passion for empowering artisans, preserving cultural heritage, and promoting fair, responsible business practices. Together, they provide strategic guidance and vision, helping HANDMADE to MARKET achieve its mission of building a thriving global community where artisans can succeed and share their craft with the world.

William Kruvant

President & Chairman of the Board

Bill Kruvant served as the President of Creative Learning from 2005 to 2017. After earning a Doctorate in Economics in International Development from American University, Bill worked in both the private and public sectors, collaborating on foundation-funded research projects in the areas of energy and civil rights.

Headquarters Office - United States

Maud Obe

Director of HANDMADE to MARKET

Maud Obe has over 18 years of experience designing and managing economic empowerment and development projects for the artisan sector across the globe. She has supported over 5,000 artisan businesses, connecting them to local, regional, and international markets, and has successfully managed programs funded by USAID, MCC, The World Bank, and other organizations. As Director, Maud leads the strategic vision of HHANDMADE to MARKET. Fluent in French, English, and Spanish, she holds a Master’s in International Development and Social Change from Clark University.

Blake Kent

Associate Director

Blake brings over 20 years of experience in international development, specializing in project planning, implementation, operations, and security management for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. He supports business development efforts that promote locally led initiatives, human rights, economic and social development, and peacebuilding. Blake holds a BA in English Literature from Baylor University and an MS in International Relations from Troy University. A U.S. Army veteran and former Peace Corps Volunteer in Kazakhstan, he has worked extensively across the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, East Africa, and Central America.

Rachel Landale

Senior Manager of Programs and Operations

Rachel is a seasoned project management professional with over 10 years of experience in non-profit programs, operations, and financial management. Since joining Creative Learning in 2014, she has specialized in knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation, and strategic communication for diverse donors. Rachel is dedicated to empowering vulnerable individuals in the artisan sector by fostering market access, preserving cultural heritage, and ensuring sustainable impact. She holds a BA in International Studies with a minor in Anthropology and French, along with a concentration in African Studies and Peace & Conflict, from Washington College.

Lauren Barkume

Training Director

www.laurenbarkume.com

Lauren Barkume is the Training Director at HANDMADE to MARKET. Since joining in 2006, Lauren is an expert in international development, artisan programs and training. Lauren spent nearly 9 years based in South Africa working directly with entrepreneurs, artisans and small businesses in the region, developing community co-created programs, designing and running practical business skills workshops for small business owners, and working in collaboration with artisan communities across Southern Africa. Lauren is also a photographer who has taken many of the images on this website. Lauren cares deeply about facilitating responsive, community driven development.

Lauren Hamamy

Program Specialist

Lauren brings a blend of marketing and project management expertise to the HANDMADE to MARKET team. She has a passion for cultural preservation and deep commitment to empowering local artisans within their communities. She has spent over a year in Latin America collaborating directly with artisans, cultivating a profound interest in textiles and pottery. Lauren has a strong appreciation for other cultures and forging meaningful connections, and has documented her journeys abroad through photography. Lauren has a Bachelors of Business Administration, with an emphasis in Marketing and Spanish.

Claire Kroger

Training & Communications Specialist

Claire Kroger is the Training and Communications Specialist at Creative Learning's HANDMADE to MARKET division. She is passionate about economic development and community engagement, and enjoys bringing these two topics together in her work. Claire has a Bachelors of International Studies from American University, with an emphasis in peace and conflict studies and French. 

Hannah Klein

Associate Training Manager

Hannah Klein is the Associate Training Manager at HANDMADE to MARKET. As a former Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji and e-Commerce Manager for a fashion jewelry brand, Hannah has grown an interest in cultural preservation, community development, and helping the expansion of small businesses globally. Hannah has a Master’s in Public Administration, concentrating in International Management at American University, and has a BA in International Business with concentrations in Global Supply Chain Management and Spanish.

Mexico Offices

San Cristobal de las Casa – Chiapas

María Eugenia Pineda Meléndez

  • María Eugenia Pineda joined Creative Learning in 2012 as Director of Aid To Artisans Mexico. She founded Mexico’s office and since then she has developed and implemented projects to strengthen the artisan sector, the entrepreneurship of rural women and their financial inclusion in several States of Mexico such as Yucatán, Campeche, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Chiapas. Maria Eugenia also enhances the generation of strategic alliances for territorial development.

    Maria Eugenia (Maru) has worked for the National Technical Unit of the Strategic Food Safety Project that belongs to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as National Coordinator of the Community Promoters for Food Safety Program. Also, she was the State Coordinator in Chiapas and Evaluator Coordinator. She is expert in project direction with gender perspective and has coordinated a School of Leadership and Political Participation of Women.

    Pineda has more than 25 years of experience in rural development, and she has directed NGOs related to topics regarding gender, women rights, food safety, among others. Maru was born in Mexico City and currently lives in Chiapas. She has studies in financial administration and certifications in rural development, learning processes facilitation and social leadership. She has a son and loves gardening.

Jesús Alberto Gómez Ton

  • Jesús, from Huixtan, Chiapas, speaks Tseltal and Tsotsil. He holds a degree in Law and Social Work. In 2019, he joined the ATA team as a field facilitator for community savings and micro-businesses. Jesús is passionate about transforming families’ lives by improving their income and ensuring a sustainable quality of life.

Melissa Morales Díaz

  • Melissa Morales holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communication from the Autonomous University of Chiapas and is a communications professional specializing in digital marketing for both nonprofit and for-profit sectors. She has worked as a communications specialist, marketer, community manager, social media manager, photographer, graphic designer, and data analyst in private companies and nonprofit organizations, including CSOs and NGOs.

    She is a feminist and anti-racist activist, human rights defender, and supporter of survivors of gender-based violence and child sexual abuse. She has worked as a consultant in communications, organizational communication, marketing, and digital marketing for collectives and organized groups fighting for social causes such as enforced disappearance, defense of civic space, environmental protection, sexual and reproductive rights, gender-based violence, and child sexual abuse.

    Currently, she serves as a Marketing and Communications Specialist as part of the Manos Vivas 2.0 project at HANDMADE to MARKET.

Maria Del Rosario Cohou Huchin

  • Originally from Calkiní, Campeche, is an indigenous speaker of the Peninsular Maya language. She holds a degree in Food Industry Engineering and a Master’s in Food Science and Biotechnology. In 2019, she joined ATA as a Promoter for the “Manos Vivas” project by Aid to Artisans. Due to her exceptional performance, responsibility, and commitment, she now serves as the Food Area Coordinator for the “Manos Vivas 2.0” project.

Ericka Novelo

  • Ericka Novelo Pérez, from Mérida, Yucatán, joined Aid to Artisans Mexico at the start of the Manos Vivas project in 2018. With over 9 years of experience in the artisanal sector, she has worked with various organizations on product development and the implementation of design, production, and collaboration methodologies and strategies. In 2024, she joined Universidad Vizcaya de las Américas as a faculty member in the Fashion Design program, teaching Experimental Design.

Edgar Lemus

Edgar Lemus

  • He is a great advocate for evidence-based action as a mechanism to improve the efficiency of development programs and amplify their reach.

    He has worked for over 12 years to innovate public service from various institutions: public, private, multilateral, and community-based. All through the implementation of data-driven initiatives to enhance the technical capacities of local governments and reduce data gaps in order to inform decision-making processes on pressing challenges.

    He has also collaborated with the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (CONEVAL) and multiple local government agencies in Latin America and the Caribbean to promote monitoring and evaluation of social programs with projects in diverse sectors such as: housing policy, urban development, climate change adaptation, disaster risk management, transportation, active labor market policies, education, etc. In the year 2024, he joined Creative Learning as a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist.

Cesar Martin Velázquez

  • César Martín Velázquez Hernández holds a Master’s degree of Sciences in Sustainable Rural Development and serves as the Legal Representative of CONIDER S.C., where he has accumulated over 15 years of experience in community processes, social organization, leadership training, and various aspects related to agricultural production such as coffee, vegetables, and poultry, among others.

    This experience has enabled him to generate and implement projects of various kinds related to rural development in marginalized areas, such as the PESA (Program for Sustainable Rural Development) and projects with various donors including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, National Social Investment Monte de Piedad, TIDES Foundation, Gonzalo Río Arronte Foundation, Rotoplas Foundation, and Walmart Foundation.

    He also has experience in the private, social, and public sectors in environmental issues, having served as director in Chiapas for CONABIO (National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity), where he worked with social organizations of coffee and honey producers.

    Currently, he specializes in the formation and implementation of territorial alliances, leading the management of two municipal projects in Chiapas with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, involving 10 civil society organizations.

Lorenzo García

  • Lorenzo García was born in the State of Mexico on December 3, 1961. He completed his high school studies in the State of Hidalgo and later pursued studies in Philosophy and Theology at Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico City as part of a training program oriented towards religious life. Subsequently, he specialized in Human Development at the Gestalt Institute of Humanistic Psychotherapy in Mexico City. He worked in foundations and civil society organizations focused on the educational sector and promoting productive projects in indigenous communities in the state of Chiapas. He also conducted personal work as a humanistic psychotherapist focused on the individual, and conducted workshops on self-esteem, communication, conflict resolution, leadership, gender, human rights, and teamwork for teachers, parents, and governmental and civil society organizations and groups. He participated in a training program for peace and positive conflict transformation in Guatemala City, CA, and was in charge of the Committee for Unity and Community Reconciliation within a religious community with missions in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Currently, he resides in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, and works part-time at the Komon Atel Alliance, formed by eight civil society organizations, focusing on a culture of peace in the municipality of San Juan Cancuc. 

Virgilio cruz

  • Virgilio Cruz, originally from a community in the Municipality of Tila, Chiapas, Mexico, is an indigenous speaker of the Tzeltal language. He is an agriculturist and has a degree in Business Administration, with over 10 years of experience in the labor field in his home state. He serves as a facilitator in the development and establishment of Community Savings Funds, and has received training and diplomas in Financial Education. He has worked as a change agent in the Strategic Food Security Project, a program created by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Currently, he is involved in the Komon Atel Alliance, comprised of eight organizations in the Municipality of San Juan Cancuc, Chiapas, Mexico, focusing on Income Generation. He facilitates processes for financial inclusion within households, contributing to development in the area.

Heydi Elena Gutiérrez Rincón

  • She graduated as a Nutritionist in 2012 from the University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas (UNICACH).

    She began her work as a facilitator in the area of Community Nutrition in 2014 in the Strategic Project for Food Security (PESA) in the municipalities of Chilón, La Trinitaria, and La Independencia in Chiapas. She provided assistance to families in rural areas with very high levels of marginalization in the state, especially focusing on children with malnutrition. She continued her work from 2019 to 2022 with ADR DICADEM S.C. and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in the municipality of Sitalá, conducting training processes for nutrition promoters, cooking workshops, talks on nutrition, deworming campaigns, among others. She also collaborated in the AFASPE program at the Ministry of Health in the “Thousand Days: Healthy Life” project, providing care to pregnant women and children up to 2 years old.

    Over the years, she has gained experience in community projects, learning various areas such as income generation, food production, and the backyard. She considers studying Community Nutrition to have been a good choice as it has allowed her to learn about customs and traditions in the municipalities where she has worked as a nutritionist. Her challenge now is to learn the Tseltal language. She considers herself a hardworking, strong, enthusiastic woman, with fears, but also with the desire to overcome those fears and continue discovering new experiences that will help her in her social and professional life. One of her greatest motivations is her son, for whom she strives to give her best every day.

    Currently, she works as a facilitator in the area of comprehensive health in the third project of the “Growing Together Alliance” (Alianza Crecer Juntos – Sitalá, ACJS) in rural indigenous communities where Tseltal is spoken.

Pauliño Montejo Córdova

  • He is an environmental engineer graduated from the University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas, with a master’s degree in science teaching, specializing in biological sciences, from the Technological University of the Selva. He has undertaken various studies in food and nutritional security by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), dialogical communication by the Health, Food, and Nutrition Alliance (ASAN), as well as in project management and direction in water, sanitation, and community water management.

    He has collaborated with different civil society organizations in the coordination, design, and execution of projects focusing on community water and sanitation management, advocacy in natural resource management, biodiversity, water, watershed management, and climate change. Additionally, he has been involved in processes of promotion, awareness-raising, strengthening, and support of community managers in water, sanitation, and forest resource management in the territories of indigenous peoples and communities.

Liliana Arely Trujillo Aguilar

  • Liliana, from San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, is the administrator for the ATA Mexico project in Chiapas and Yucatán. She holds a degree in Public Accounting and has extensive experience working with other NGOs. Liliana is known for her honesty and transparency in accounting with various stakeholders collaborating with HANDMADE to MARKET

Miguel Angel Flores

  • Miguel Angel Pérez Flores was born on January 17, 1983, originally from the community of Guaquitepec, Municipality of Chilón, Chiapas. He is a speaker of both Tseltal and Spanish. Since childhood, he has worked in agriculture alongside his parents and, currently, with his own family, cultivating milpa and coffee.

     

    He holds a degree in Law and has been collaborating with civil society organizations since 2004, focusing on the development of participatory and self-managed processes with the Tseltal people in the communities of Sitalá, Chilón, and Ocosingo. This experience has allowed him to understand the social and cultural context of the communities and serve as a mediator in social situations, seeking alternative solutions.

     

    Miguel has received training in participatory education, financial literacy, conflict mediation, agriculture, and aquaculture, which has expanded his experience in strengthening the processes of the organizations he has worked with. On a personal level, he has contributed to the growth of his family's entrepreneurial ventures. Since February 2025, he has been part of Handmade To Market as a field coordinator in Sitalá.

Merida – Yucatán

Blanca Asunción Itza May

  • Blanca, a native speaker of Peninsular Maya from Chumayel, joined ATA in 2020, contributing her knowledge and experience in entrepreneurship and community engagement. Her hard work has led her to become the coordinator of two artisanal business zones, providing support to savings groups.

Fredy Tamay Ek

  • Fredy is a native Maya speaker from the community of Huechenbalam, Yaxcabá, Yucatán, recently joined the ATA team as a Field Coordinator, overseeing savings and micro-entrepreneurship initiatives in Yaxcabá. An agronomist specializing in designing, executing, and evaluating agroforestry systems, Fredy contributes his expertise in community learning with focus on social management. He also capable to identify endemic plants and trees of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Mexico city

Ignacio Mazariegos Gómez

  • Ignacio Mazariegos Gómez is originally from Guaquitepec in the municipality of Chilón, Chiapas. He is a speaker of the Tzeltal language, a facilitator in Agroecology, Appropriate Technologies, and Community Communication.

    He has 9 years of experience in agro-technological work, accompanying communities in the municipalities of San Juan Cancuc, Sitala, and Chilón. Since 2009, he has taken courses and received diplomas in Communication Sciences, focusing on Audiovisual Communication, Graphic Design, Communication, and Photography.

    Currently, he collaborates with the Komon A’tel Alliance, consisting of 8 Civil Society organizations based in the Municipality of San Juan Cancuc, Chiapas, Mexico. He is responsible for the Communication area in the “Constructing Dialogue Spaces” Project in San Juan Cancuc, Chiapas.

Luis Manuel Cruz

  • Luis Manuel Cruz Mendoza is originally from San Juan Cancuc, Chiapas, and is a proud Bats'il Winik Tseltal Maya. He holds a degree in Environmental Sciences from the Universidad Tecnológica de la Selva, along with a Master's degree in Natural Resources and Rural Development from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur. He currently works as a facilitator on Health and Water issues within the civil society alliance, Komon A'tel. 

    His professional background spans years of experience in social and environmental research, with a focus on developing sustainable alternatives that promote well-being and equity in rural communities, primarily in the Highlands of Chiapas and other regions of his state. He has dedicated his work to creating projects for the sustainable management of natural resources, contributing to improving the quality of life in these communities and strengthening their capacity to face the growing environmental and social crises. 

Sitalá – Chiapas

José Alfredo Moreno Díaz

  • He was born in Bachajón, Chiapas, and is a native speaker of the Tseltal language. He has a degree in agronomy with a master’s in global marketing, and has over 19 years of experience in rural development in indigenous communities in Chiapas.

    He has primarily collaborated with civil society organizations, serving as a facilitator at CONIDER in the municipality of Sitalá and as coordinator of the Special Program for Food Security (PESA) at AMBIO, which belongs to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Additionally, he has been the coordinator of the Organic Products Regulation and Promotion Program. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and engaging in activism through Jlumaltik, a territorial collective in his municipality.

    He joined the Grow Together Alliance for Sitalá (ACJS) in 2019 as a facilitator for the strategic objective of income generation to strengthen coffee, honey, and handicraft-producing organizations, community savings groups, and the creation of a collective brand for the commercialization of local products in the second project. In this third project of the ACJS, he once again joins to monitor and strengthen activities such as the solidarity market, managing in the short, medium, and long term.

Susana Estela Valle García

  • She holds a Ph.D. in Political and Social Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); she also has a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies (IPN) and completed a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology (UNAM).

    To date, she has 18 years of professional and academic experience in areas such as poverty, environment, public policies, indigenous territories, agroecology, and climate change. Additionally, she has 8 years of experience in monitoring and evaluating the impact of social projects by NGOs in the States of Mexico and Chiapas, as well as in evaluating environmental conservation policies implemented by the federal government in the Lacandon Jungle, Chiapas.

Elena Gómez

  • Elena is a native speaker of the Mayan languages Tseltal and Tsotsil, hailing from Huixtán, Chiapas, Mexico. She holds a degree in Educational Psychology with a specialization in Human Development, community leadership, conflict mediation, and Mayan psycho-spiritual guidance. As the national director of the Manos Vivas 2.0 project in Chiapas and Yucatán, she contributes to process analysis, developing strategies across various geographical contexts, and advises on savings and micro-business methodologies. Elena has been part of the team since 2017.

Marbella Silvano Guzmán

  • A Tseltal indigenous woman from Bachajon, Chiapas, Mexico, Marbella holds a degree in Public Accounting and Finance, with training in rural business development and Human Sustainable Development training. She learned the cross-stitch technique from a young age and has been part of the ATA Mexico team since 2016. Marbella is a specialist in textile techniques and passionately advises quality artisanal groups for national and international markets in the highlands of Chiapas. She is a talented individual and a facilitator in human development topics.

Norma Ericka López

  • Norma Erika López Morales is an Indigenous woman from the Zona Urbana community in Oxchuc, Chiapas, and a native speaker of the Tseltal language. She holds a degree in Language and Culture from the Universidad Intercultural de Chiapas, Oxchuc campus. Norma works as a facilitator, translator, and interpreter in Tseltal.

    She has been working in civil society organizations for 10 years, focusing on the following topics: youth, gender, identity, leadership of Indigenous women, sexual and reproductive health rights, traditional midwifery, and the empowerment of Indigenous women in the economy.

Carmela Peraza Poot

  • Carmela is from Tixmehuac and a speaker of Peninsular Maya, began her artisanal career at the age of 10, mastering hammock weaving techniques. In her pursuit of improving her craft, she met ATA and joined it in 2020 as a Field Promoter. Her continuous learning, local knowledge, and commitment have elevated her to the role of Field Coordinator.

San Juan Cancuc – Chiapas

Juan Vázquez Méndez

  • Juan Vázquez Méndez holds a degree in Sustainable Development and has over 8 years of experience supporting community processes in indigenous communities in the Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. He is a native speaker of the Tzeltal language, which enables him to work as a translator and interpreter with an intercultural and participatory dialogue approach.

    Juan has worked as a consultant, project advisor, and director in local civil organizations in San Juan Cancuc, in the Highlands of Chiapas. For over 14 years, Juan has focused his professional interest and experience on generating proposals for alternative projects in indigenous communities, promoting and strengthening the capacities and skills of young people, while also contributing to improving their quality of life and decision-making processes, always prioritizing the recognition of the human rights of indigenous peoples and communities.

Ulises orozco

  • Ulises Orozco is a professional originally from Oaxaca de Juárez, currently residing in San Cristóbal de las Casas. He has studies in Economics and Community Development, with a specialization in Geographic Information, Statistics, Territorial Analysis, Planning, and Monitoring and Evaluation.

    With 15 years of experience in federal and state government institutions and programs in Oaxaca and Puebla—such as FOFAE, SEDAF, SIAP, SAGARPA, INEGI, SEDESO, Finanzas Puebla, PESA, among others—he has participated in the planning, execution, monitoring, follow-up, and evaluation of governmental projects and strategies focused on Sustainable Rural Development.

    Additionally, he has collaborated for over 8 years as a private consultant with more than 10 municipal councils in the planning and managing of development projects for communities with high levels of marginalization, social disadvantages, and poverty.

Radaí David Pérez Oleta

  • He graduated from the Intercultural University of Chiapas, majoring in Language and Culture. He was born in Petalcingo, Tila, Chiapas, on October 30, 1990, and is a native speaker of the Tseltal language. He is a sociable, friendly, and committed individual.

    He completed his elementary and high school education in his locality. In 2018, he began his adventure in local media communication by working in radio in his community. Later, in Yajalón, a neighboring municipality, he worked at a commercial radio station.

    In May 2014, he joined the first licensed community radio station in the region, where he served as coordinator until 2018. He was also commissioned as an interim teacher by the SEP (Secretariat of Public Education) at a bilingual school for a period of two years.

    He has collaborated with the Lego Foundation in translating 20 stories about child care and health into Tseltal, as well as with other NGOs. In 2023, he became a fellow of the Mayan Languages Digital Activism program (Rising Voices), dedicated to creating content on digital platforms, a program in which he still participates as a digital activist.

    Currently, he is part of the team of the Grow Together Alliance Sitalá project as a facilitator in the area of communication and dissemination.