Bolívar Network Leadership 2023-2024
Co-Presidents
Claudia Castañeda
Claudia Castañeda graduated in 2017 from the University of Virginia with a double major in Foreign Affairs and Spanish Literature and Culture. At UVA, she participated in the Latinx Student Alliance as a Community Outreach Chair, as a mentor in the Peer Mentoring Program, as a volunteer for Southwood and Sin Barreras, and lived at La Casa Bolívar. After her time at UVA, she volunteered with AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and in 2023, she finished a master’s in International Economics and Latin American Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS. Currently, she works at an EdTech Nonprofit in New York.
Claudia Bonilla
Claudia Bonilla graduated from the University of Virginia in 2017 and double majored in American Politics and Spanish Literature and Culture. At UVA, she was part of the Latinx Student Alliance, the Peer Mentoring Program, and La Casa Bolívar. After UVA, Claudia worked in nonprofits focused on higher education policy and workforce development through a lens of economic mobility. Most recently, Claudia works at a nonprofit focused on advocating for older adults where she conducts policy research and analysis to support the development of the organization’s public policy priorities and positions.
Jason Puryear, Vice-Chair for Admissions
Jason Puryear graduated from the University of Virginia in August of 2009 with a B.A. in History. He was actively engaged during his time on Grounds as an Hermano of the Alpha Epsilon Chapter of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., a founding brother of the Men’s Leadership Project, a mentor for the Peer Mentoring Program, a volunteer with the Latino Student Admissions Committee, and in many leadership roles within the Multicultural Greek Council. He’s a proud first-generation, AccessUVA college graduate who currently works with high school students to prepare them for postsecondary education through the Upward Bound Programs at Virginia Tech. Upward Bound is a 100% federally-funded TRIO Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education that provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. He’s excited about the opportunity to lead the Admissions Committee this year!
Danny Navarro, Admissions Committee
Danny Navarro has been working in the civic engagement space for ten years. A native of Miami, FL, Danny began his career in several political campaigns in the region. He was instrumental in winning Florida for President Obama in 2012, orchestrating the largest voter turnout the county had seen to date. He made his move to D.C. in 2014 where he has worked with Voto Latino, State Voices, Feeding America, and other nonprofit foundations. He is currently coaching youth soccer with Vienna Youth Soccer Academy & expanding his soccer travel social media account, TravelFutbolFan. He received his bachelor’s in History from the University of Virginia and his master’s from George Mason University.
- Isabel Argoti, Admissions Committee
Karly Fuentes-Paredes, Chair for Alumni Community Engagement
Karly Fuentes-Paredes is a Class of 2024 graduate from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, where she earned her B.S. in Commerce with concentrations in Marketing, Information Technology, and Strategic Brand Consulting. As a first-generation student, Karly was highly engaged on Grounds through CIO involvement inclusive of PMP, PLUMAS, and COLA. She also supported UndocUVA’s mission as Social Media Chair, engaged with prospective Latino students through the Outreach Student Admissions Committee, helped establish the chapter of ALPFA at UVA, and fostered the community of Latinos in business as President of the Latinx Student Network at McIntire. Some key highlights of Karly’s time at UVA were studying abroad in Milan, Italy, reaching NSAC Nationals through the Promotions class, and becoming an Hermana of Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc.
Originally from Northern Virginia, Karly now resides in New York City where she begins her career as a Marketing Analyst at a financial services institution. She is excited to join the Board as a new graduate and supporting Bolivar’s growing alumni network!
Cinthia Fernholz, Chair for Fundraising & Development
Cinthia is an experienced manager, investment banker and entrepreneur, with particular expertise in corporate development, strategy, finance and planning. She currently works in the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, where she leads Development. She has previously worked at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup, Deloitte & Touche and Goldman Sachs. Cinthia has a broad international exposure working in the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. She founded, grew and sold a children’s clothing company. She also sits on the board of ProMujer International and For a Brighter Venezuela. Cinthia is a native of Bolivia. She holds a BS from University of Virginia and received her Harvard MBA in 2002.
Gina M. Flores Stumpf, Chair for Fundraising & Development
Most recently, Gina M. Flores Stumpf served as the Vice President of Development and Corporate Relations for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) where she led the organization’s fundraising strategy and formalized processes. Prior to CHCI, she has served as a nonprofit professional and fundraiser for education, arts, and advocacy organizations. Gina served as chief of staff at the Association of Children’s Museums, and a development leader at SkillsUSA, The Washington Center, the Smithsonian Institution, and UnidosUS. She also served as a program manager at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).
Gina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature from the University of Virginia, and an MBA from Yale University. Of Colombian and Mexican descent, born in Panama, Gina has sought volunteer and professional experiences that promote diversity initiatives and celebrate Latino achievement.
Miguel Bacigalupe, Graduate Student Engagement Committee
Miguel Bacigalupe graduated in 2008 from the University of Virginia with Highest Distinction and Phi Beta Kappa honors. He majored in History and Latin American Studies and a minor in French. At UVA, he lived at La Casa Bolívar and spent a semester abroad in Valencia, Spain. After his time at UVA, he pursued a master’s degree at Stanford University and upon graduating, moved to Brazil, where he not only worked in wind energy logistics, but also perfected the Portuguese he had learned at UVA. After deciding that he wanted to change careers, Miguel matriculated at Columbia Law, where he was a student attorney at the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic and served as the Editor-in-Chief of a renowned corporate law journal. Ever since graduating from law school, he has clerked for a federal judge at the Eastern District of Virginia, one of the most prestigious federal courts in the country, and is currently working as an antitrust litigator at a prominent international law firm in Washington D.C.
Stephen Aporta, Professional Development Committee
Stephen Aporta graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA from the College of Arts and Sciences. During his time at UVA, he was also a member and treasurer of La Sociedad Hispanica.
After graduation, Stephen pursued a career in management consulting with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and later with Accenture. After Accenture, he started down his entrepreneurial path and cofounded a legal and financial advisory firm in Latin America as well as a seed investment fund, serving as interim CFO for one of the invested companies.
In 2006 Stephen successfully developed and ran a startup operation in the insurance and catastrophic damage sector. In 2008, he founded another company, Emergence Consulting, returning to management consulting where he continues to lead business transformation initiatives for private and public sector organizations, focusing in the areas of strategic advisory, methodology implementation, human capital, process re-engineering, and IT transformation. Stephen also serves as a Harvard Business Review Advisory Council Member, Advisor to the Bank of America Advisory Panel, and Mentor / Member of Executive Operations of the GSB-LEAD Incubator and Startup Accelerator (LISA). He received his Executive Education from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Alejandro Nava Moncada, Vice-Chair for Professional Development
Sean White, Vice-Chair for Scholarship & Awards
Sean White graduated from the University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences in May 2004, majoring in Environmental Science and minoring in Anthropology. Spending most of his time on campus in the newly-expanded Clark Hall, he assisted faculty and graduate students investigating soil and water interactions. In addition to performing funded laboratory research into nitrate cycle chemistry, he attended meetings of the Bolívar network and was impressed by the dedication to academic success.
Bringing his University research experience to the private sector, he performed environmental remediation studies throughout Virginia for construction and engineering firms. Since earning a Juris Doctor in 2011, he has been involved in developing energy and land use regulations across multiple state government roles. Of Mexican descent, he looks forward to seeing the ongoing educational success of the network’s scholarship recipients.
- José Diaz-Rivera, Scholarships & Awards Committee
- Alisa Negron, Scholarships & Awards Committee
Aslan Azar, Chair of Undergraduate Student Groups
Aslan Azar is a McIntire ’23 graduate who is half Mexican and Iranian and lives in the DMV area. In between his work as an Account Executive for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Aslan is an avid runner who’s passionate about community engagement and helping uplift the Hispanic and Latino community.
Vacant Positions:
- Secretary
- Vice-Chair for Social Media & Communications