Our Team

Mike brings extensive executive and investment experience to the CEO role. For more than twenty-five years, Mike has been an entrepreneur, investor, and impact investor in Seattle. In 1997, he co-founded aQuantive, a publicly-traded family of leading digital marketing companies, including Avenue A, Atlas, and DRIVEpm. After the sale of aQuantive to Microsoft in 2007, Galgon served as its Chief Advertising Strategist until 2009. Upon leaving Microsoft, he worked as board member and investor starting and growing a variety of Internet startups, including Krux, Buuteeq, and Flexe. In 2015, he co-founded Pioneer Square Labs, a Seattle-based startup studio and venture fund, where he served as Managing Director, and later as Venture Partner. Pioneer Square Labs launched more than thirty venture-backed companies during his tenure. Along the way, Galgon served on a variety of non-profit boards, including The Bush School, The Thacher School, and Summit Public Schools. Prior to founding aQuantive, Mike served with Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) in inner-city Boston, and as a diving officer in the U.S. Navy. Mike holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in economics from Duke University.

Prior to his work at GP, he served as President of ShoreBank Pacific, the first commercial bank in the United States with a focus on environmentally sustainable community development. Mark has more than 30 years’ experience in banking, lending, and investment management, including serving in executive roles at Homestead Capital, Bank of the Northwest, First Interstate Securities and First Interstate Bank of Texas. An active community member, Mark served as a member of the Board of Directors of BRAC Bank, a development bank known for its work with small business lending in Bangladesh, as a representative to the Board of BRAC Bank Afghanistan, on the Board of Directors of XacBank, a microfinance bank in Mongolia, and as a Board member of two commercial banks in the US. Mark is professionally fluent in Spanish and has significant humanitarian volunteer and business experience in Latin America. Mark received his bachelor’s degree with honors from Brigham Young University and his MBA, with concentration in finance, from Rice University.

Prior to joining Global Partnerships' staff, Curt worked for thirty years at JPMorgan Chase, where he held various leadership roles, including Managing Director and Region Manager for JPMorgan Chase’s Pacific Northwest commercial banking team. As Region Manager, he was responsible for portfolio growth, relationship management, and credit quality of the region’s commercial customer base, focusing on businesses with revenue from $20 million to $1 billion. Curt also served as the head of the JPMorgan Chase’s Market Leadership Team and was a member of JPMorgan’s regional foundation, supporting programs related to workforce readiness, financial inclusion, and community development.

Curt serves on the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and is Chair of the Finance Committee for Greater Seattle Partners, the region’s economic development organization. He has served on the board of directors of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Red Cross Wisconsin, and was Global Gifting Coordinator for his church where he helped to establish a long-term relationship with a rural village in El Salvador. Curt holds a BS in Finance and an MBA, both from the University of Iowa.

Prior to joining Global Partnerships, she was a partner with the international law firm DLA Piper LLP (US) for nearly ten years, where she represented investors and technology companies of all sizes. Prior to DLA Piper, Megan was General Counsel of a wireless company, an attorney with Venture Law Group, and a clerk to a federal judge. She holds a BA with highest honors from Pitzer College and received her law degree with honors from Harvard Law School.

Tara joined GP in 2009 and during her tenure at the organization she has worked across the Social Investment, Research and Impact, and Social Venture Fund teams. Her approach to impact investing is informed by academic, professional, and entrepreneurial experience addressing the issues of poverty, gender, and conflict. As a Fulbright Scholar, Tara researched the gender-differentiated effects of the armed conflict in Colombia and was part of a start-up tackling the socio-economic reintegration of displaced families. Tara holds a BA in political science from Vassar College and a certificate in executive leadership from the Albers School of Business at Seattle University.

Nathalia’s professional background includes seven years working for Citigroup in New York and Colombia, analyzing economic trends, and giving investment recommendations on Latin America’s financial assets. At Carnegie Mellon University, she worked as a research assistant employing large-scale data analysis tools to analyze the impact of foreign-born workers in the US economy. Nathalia holds an MS in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a BA in Economics from Universidad de los Andes.

Before joining Global Partnerships, he led the development of the impact investment portfolio at the Eleos Foundation as their Executive Director and a founding board member. Over the course of his career with several private equity partnerships, Jim invested in multiple industries across North and South America. He co-founded and sold a Spanish-language media company and a national Hispanic marketing and public relations firm. Jim holds an MBA degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and graduated with honors from Harvard College.

Carlyn joined GP in 2009 and through her time at the organization, she has gained a strong understanding of how to best meet our impact-first investing objectives through quality lending processes and strong collaboration. Study abroad experiences in Ghana, Guatemala, and Spain initially inspired her to work for an international organization like GP. Carlyn holds a BA in international studies with concentrations in business and Spanish from Elon University.

She joined GP in 2019, bringing experience advancing economic opportunity and gender equity in emerging markets through programmatic and strategy roles at global organizations including Women’s World Banking, the Peace Corps, and FINCA International. Meghan holds an MPA from the University of Washington Evans School and a BA from Georgetown University.

Melissa joined GP in 2020, bringing experience in international affairs, nonprofit management, fundraising, and donor relations. She is passionate about building global solutions to challenges like poverty and economic inequity, and that motivation is the thread connecting her prior roles with the Pacific Council on International Policy, the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California, and the Foreign Policy Association. Melissa holds an MBA from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Pomona College. She lives in Seattle with her husband Jeff and two sons.

Prior to joining Global Partnerships, he spent twelve years in the alternative investment industry, with his last role as Chief Financial Officer of a hedge fund in New York City. Michael has experience in various facets of the financial sector, with a background in fund accounting, financial modeling and budgeting, audit, tax planning, human resources, compliance, and operations. He has also been involved with several not-for-profit organizations throughout his career. Michael holds a BA in Accounting from Western Washington University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Beth has been with GP since 2006. She spent the first six years working with in operations to support the Development & Finance teams. Her passion for making a positive impact locally and globally has led her to academic and travel experiences in various parts of Latin America and Spain. Beth holds a BA in Spanish Literature from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA.

He leads the due diligence team through the evaluation and selection process of potential partners that have social and credit profiles aligned to GP’s mission. With eighteen years of industry experience, Ricardo has previously worked for the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, the largest development bank in Central America. There, he evaluated MFIs and implemented core-banking and other information system solutions. Ricardo holds a BS in industrial engineering and an MBA from his native Colombia.

Aaron takes the lead on documenting our loan transactions and all the related coordination with our partners and attorneys in Latin America. He brings experience in the areas of contractual, corporate, transactional, and international law. Licensed to practice law in the country of Mexico and licensed in the United States as a Foreign Law Consultant in Washington State, Aaron has done a variety of legal work for different law firms and corporations and has taught International Law in Mexico. Aaron has his law degree from the Escuela Libre de Derecho de Puebla in Mexico and his Master of Laws in International Economic Law from the University of Houston Law Center. Aaron was raised in Puebla, Mexico, and has lived in the Seattle area for over a decade now.

Sophie joined Global Partnerships in February 2018. Prior to joining Global Partnerships, Sophie worked in the Finance department at a growing software company in Kirkland, WA. She holds a BA in International Studies with a minor in French from the University of Washington.

Prior to joining GP, he was a Case Manager at Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP in New York City, where he worked on a number of public interest and pro bono cases supporting victims of racial and gender discrimination and harassment. He also spent a year teaching middle school English in Changsha, China, and worked with the Enlace Project in El Sauce, Nicaragua to develop tourism programs highlighting the specific history and culture of the region.

Jonathan holds a BS in Applied Mathematics and a BA in Classics from the University of Rochester. He spent a semester abroad in Italy, where he studied ancient civilizations, culture, and language.

Carolina brings strong experience in strategic analysis and partner engagement in both the social and private sectors, including five years as a consultant with McKinsey and oversight of three government cash transfer programs reaching 6.7 million households per month. She was most recently a Project Manager for Generation.org, a social initiative focused on transforming career paths of vulnerable youth. She started her career in the legal field and holds a master’s degree in both law and business from Northwestern University.

Paola is an international development professional with ten years of experience unlocking business opportunities and promoting growth in Latin America and the Caribbean, including seven years at ProColombia where she championed the influx of foreign direct investment and international cooperation to support Colombian SMEs. Most recently, Paola was a Program Associate at 2X Global, a global membership and field-building organization focused on advancing gender lens investing.

She holds a master’s degree on Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Barcelona and a BA in Government and International Relations from Externado University in Bogotá.

Paola comes to GP with several years of experience working in global development across Latin America and Africa. She believes in the power of applied research to drive institutional strategies and brings with her a strong multi-disciplinary approach to research and analysis. Prior to joining she completed her PhD in Sociology (BUAP) focused on the history and daily struggles of Malawian NGOs. Paola also holds a BSc in Mathematics and Economics from UDLAP and an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Oxford.

Jairo joined GP in 2024. As an impact professional, Jairo has a decade of experience in Latin American and Asian markets. His background includes seven years of experience as a Portfolio Director with Incofin Investment Management, a Belgium-based impact fund manager, and three years of experience across companies such as Fitch Ratings and Citibank.

As a complement to his role, Jairo is a professor at the Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administración (CESA) in Bogotá, where he teaches Inclusive Fintech, analyzing the impact of new technologies on the development of new solutions to challenges faced by excluded populations. This includes digital finance, healthcare, food value chain, and insurance for the agricultural sector.

Prior to joining Global Partnerships, Katie acted as a Communications Intern for the Steinberg Institute, a nonprofit public policy organization. There she aided in the development and production of the organization’s blog, California State of Mind, communicating the disparities in mental health care. In addition, she’s worked in state and local government – as a Finance Fellow for Congressman Josh Harder’s re-election campaign and as a Legislative Intern for Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry.

She is a recent graduate from the University of California, Davis. She holds a BA in International Relations, alongside minors in French, Human Rights, and Professional Writing.

Prior to joining in October 2022, she was a fellow at the Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship at New York University School of Law and served as a supervising attorney for the International Transactions Clinic. Angela began her legal career at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, advising on complex cross-border transactions in the Latin American region and supporting the firm’s pro bono efforts, and later served as in-house counsel for two global companies. Shifting to the non-profit sector in 2017, Angela practiced transactional public interest law, supporting microenterprises and non-profit organizations across New York City. Angela holds a JD from the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law. She is a member of the bar in New York and Washington State and is a native Spanish speaker.

Prior to her work at GP, she focused on economic, social, and environmental issues in financial institutions, Colombian government, non-profits, and start-ups. She co-founded ID Social, a consulting and advisory focused non-profit firm in Colombia, and has previous knowledge in structuring and managing of social innovation and impact models, analysis and financial projections, and strategic partnerships.

Taylor joined Global Partnerships in February 2016 and holds a Master of Science in Global Studies and International Relations from Northeastern University as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Spanish from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

In her role, Joan leads investment strategy, partner engagement and due diligence processes, ensuring that each partnership strategically aligns with Global Partnerships' mission to expand opportunity for people living in poverty. She joined Global Partnerships in November 2024. Joan has a background of over 11 years that spans managing investments in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Her career includes roles in both regional and international investment funds, where she developed expertise in impact investing, blended financing and capacity building of social enterprises. As a complement to her role, Joan has also facilitated several incubator and accelerator programs where she has trained entrepreneurs in various entrepreneurship modules. Joan holds a BSc in Actuarial Science, is a CFA Level III candidate, and is a 2x Global Forum Member.

She joined Global Partnerships’ (GP) Managua office in October 2011. Her background includes over fifteen years of experience analyzing microfinance institutions and consulting on microenterprise development projects with organizations including Catholic Relief Services and UCADE, a faith-based organization that supports community development projects. Sixta holds a BA in public accounting and finance from the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN) and has done graduate work at UNAN and the Central American Institute of Business Administration (INCAE).

Benjamin brings over 18 years of experience in portfolio management, impact investment, investment analysis, SMEs and agriculture financing, business development, and project management in East Africa. He has extensive experience in microfinance management, credit, financial services, and strategy. Benjamin is very passionate about impact and community development. He most recently worked with adOpes Limited as an Investment and Credit Manager in charge of the East Africa Portfolio. His prior experience includes working with the Grameen Foundation as well as serving as COO of Juhudi Kilimo Limited, a leading MFI in Kenya. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from United States International University.

Caitlyn comes to GP from a career in social impact having worked on project implementation at the World Bank Group (WBG), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), UN Women, and the Organization of American States (OAS). She holds an MA in International Economics and International Relations from Johns Hopkins - SAIS and a BA with honors in International Studies and Spanish from the University of Washington.

Prior to GP, Marcela worked for over six years in the pharmaceutical and consumer goods sector, specifically on strategic planning, marketing, and managing innovation projects for Colombia, Ecuador, and Central America, using agile and design thinking methodologies and consulting on creative problem solving and service design tools.

She comes to GP with the desire of building a career in the non-profit sector, focusing on sustainable development and fighting poverty.

She holds a BSc with honors in Economics and International Business from Universidad Icesi in Cali and has conducted studies in Data Science and Creativity.

Bob has previously worked with technology and data for several nonprofit organizations, including Accelerator YMCA and Facing the Future (a program of Western Washington University). He has also worked with information systems and global logistics in the expedition cruise industry. Bob holds a BA in English Literature from Ithaca College.

Prior to joining Global Partnerships, Tyler interned for the Port of Seattle, a government agency that oversees the seaport, where he worked in the Aviation Finance and Budget department located in the Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA-TAC) Airport. There he assisted the team’s financial analysts in their annual budgeting process for the Port’s business partners that are part of the SEA-TAC airport. Tyler took on the position of club president at Central Washington University’s (CWU) Beta Alpha Psi Chapter, working to expand CWU's professional network by inviting business professionals to engage with the university and helping students explore career opportunities. Tyler holds a BS in Business Administration, alongside minors in Economics and Aviation Management from Central Washington University.

His duties include performing qualitative and quantitative financial analysis, with emphasis on credit analysis, helping review different types of business models and developing investment recommendations, and supporting the Social Investment Team monitoring investments from screening and loan origination to exit of our portfolio in Latin America & the Caribbean. He has five years of industry experience as the Country Manager in Nicaragua for OIKOCREDIT, as well as experience in the credit departments of commercial banks and retail companies. He has a BA in Business Administration from Florida International University as well as an MBA from INCAE.

Prior to starting with GP in July 2022, Joel served as the Interim Executive Director of a criminal legal system reform nonprofit in New York City (The Focus Forward Project) and consulted with a variety of nonprofits and businesses on the intersection of communications and technology, including The New York Times, Knight Foundation, and Harmony Institute. He is a co-founder of the Prosocial Design Network, holds an MPA in Economic and Political Development from Columbia University's School of International and Public Administration (SIPA) and a BA in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Chicago. Joel was born in Seattle, has acted professionally in theater, film, and voiceover, and has traveled to over 70 countries across all seven continents.

Prior to joining Global Partnerships, she worked for more than 6 years in the microfinance sector in a series of roles where she led rating assessments and collaborated with microfinance institutions and other stakeholders in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. She also worked with an audit firm and an international NGO, among others. She has a keen interest in the development sector and believes that impact-first investing is key to improve the lives of people living in poverty.

She holds a master’s degree in accounting and financial management from CESAG (Dakar, Senegal) and a certificate of expert in microfinance from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

Aziz has valuable experience through roles in international development, the public sector, and consulting, where he has been involved in projects focused on public works, technical assistance, infrastructure, and sustainability & climate change. He has worked with institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank, Contraloría General de la República, and KPMG. As an economist and political scientist, he brings a unique perspective to complex challenges and is dedicated to making a positive impact on society through his work.

Having held leadership roles at RappiPay and Aritmétika, he has been integral in projects centered around financial modeling, corporate finance, and strategic planning. In his previous role at Aritmétika, Santiago was entrusted with managing key investor relationships, which included leading significant fundraising initiatives.

Santiago holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de Los Andes and is a CFA Charterholder.

More recently, she worked as an ESG analyst in Paris, France, focusing on the environmental, social and governance analysis of companies with impact investment and sustainable development in the European and North American markets for an asset manager.

Carol holds a BS in Finance and International Trade and post-graduate studies on Capital Markets from Universidad del Rosario in Bogota, Colombia, and an MBA from EAE Business School and Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain.