As chief operating officer, Grace Santana oversees all organizational  operations of M2E.  She is responsible for the general oversight of the not-for-profit organization, including launching programs and managing operations in Kenya, Haiti, India, Puerto Rico and Cambodia; securing M2E’s NGO status with the United Nations as well as its Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency; developing all marketing communications, including website, social media and publicity; and supervising business operations, new business development and fundraising, including grant writing, events planning, corporate sponsorship, donor management, merchandising and on-line campaigns.

 

Previously, Grace successfully developed and implemented marketing communication strategies for Fortune 500 consumer product companies, national and international television networks, local small businesses and not-for-profit organizations.  An experienced marketer and writer, she has based her career in Los Angeles, Miami and New York, implementing international campaigns for companies such as Burger King, Anheuser-Busch, Univision, and Coca-Cola.  In addition, Grace has extensive non-profit and fundraising experience, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars via special events, silent auctions and on-line campaigns. 

 

Grace's career in international relations is fortified by her two bachelor degrees in communications and iberoamerican from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.  She earned a certification in Leadership Principles from Harvard Business School and is a licensed Zumba instructor.  A proud first-generation Cuban-American, Grace is bicultural and bilingual.