More About Our Team

Directors

Anne Kraemer / Chief Executive Officer

Anne is an anthropologist and a co-founder of Maya Health Alliance | Wuqu’ Kawoq. She has served as Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer since 2009. Her passion is amplifying the voices of women and girls to foster community-driven, high-impact, culturally and linguistically appropriate programs that promote health and reproductive rights in underserved indigenous Maya communities. Anne trained as a cultural anthropologist at the University of Kansas, where she received her master’s degree and completed doctoral coursework. She received a Fulbright scholarship in 2007. Anne lives in Guatemala with her daughters. She speaks Kaqchikel and Spanish.

Jill Hodges / Chief Communications and Development Officer

Jill joined in 2020 to lead our communications and development efforts. She has worked as a reporter, producer, analyst, and communications strategist in media, government, non-profit, and higher ed in a variety of locations in the US and internationally. Before joining Maya Health | Wuqu’ Kawoq, she was Communications Director at the Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society at the University of California, Berkeley. She has a master’s in public health from the University of Washington School of Public Health and a master’s in law from Yale Law School. She thrives on connecting people and ideas to advance health equity.

Marfa Castillo / Financial Director

Marfa became Director of the Wuqu’ Kawoq Finance Department in August 2023. She is originally from Salamá, Baja Verapaz. Marfa worked for more than 11 years at WINGS/ Alas de Guatemala Association, first as an accounting assistant and then as a general accountant. She is inspired by the opportunity to contribute to improving her country and help those in need through her work. She aspires to use her knowledge to strengthen Wuqu’ Kawoq’s financial department to help the organization realize its mission and vision.

Peter Rohloff / Chief Science and Innovation Officer

Peter is a co-founder of Wuqu ‘Kawoq | Maya Health Alliance in 2006 and he splits his time between Boston, where he is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, and Guatemala, where he serves as our Chief Science and Innovation Officer. Peter received his MD / PhD from the University of Illinois and completed residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. Peter’s interests lie at the intersection of indigenous language support and global health delivery in Guatemala, and he leads our large team of researchers and clinicians in conducting innovative mixed methods research. He speaks Spanish, Kaqchikel, and K’iche ‘.

Waleska López Canu / Chief Medical Officer

Waleska is originally from Patzún, Chimaltenango and is proudly Kaqchikel Maya. She received her medical doctorate from the Autonomous University of Mexico and completed her clinical training at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala. Waleska has worked extensively in Mexico and Guatemala for Ministry of Health programs to extend coverage to rural areas. Her previous leadership experience includes managing a large team of healthcare providers serving in dozens of rural communities in the Department of Chimaltenango. She originally worked with Wuqu ‘Kawoq in 2010-11 and returned to our team in 2014.

Team Leaders

Andrea Aguilar / Center for Indigenous Health Research Director

Andrea Isabel Aguilar Ferro assumed the leadership of the Center for Indigenous Health Research in October 2024, although she had previously worked on some of our research projects. She is an anthropologist and researcher, graduated from the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. She has completed various postgraduate studies at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the University of Granada, and the University of Lodz.

Her previous experiences include involvement in various national and international organizations, such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the United Nations, and the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP). She is passionate about contributing to the creation of situated knowledge to improve the health of all people and has dedicated much of her work to women’s health and rights.

Carol Teleguario / Diabetes Program Coordinator

Carol is a free spirit who enjoys spending time in the Guatemalan countryside and visiting natural wonders such as Semuc Champey. She is also passionate about social justice issues and holds a degree in Indigenous Rights along with her nursing license. This combination of interests has made Carol a perfect fit for Maya Health Alliance, where she works as an educator in our diabetes program helping local Maya patients manage their illness.

David Flood / Principal Investigator and Staff Physician

David is a physician who helps coordinate our clinical, research, and training initiatives, especially those related to chronic diseases and malnutrition. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, his master’s degree in international health policy from the London School of Economics, and his training in internal medicine and pediatrics from the University of Minnesota. In addition to his role at Wuqu ‘Kawoq, he is a doctor and researcher at the University of Michigan. He speaks Spanish and Kaqchikel.

Esteban Castro / Medical Researcher

Born and raised in Chimaltenango, Guatemala, Esteban is a kind-hearted and dedicated medical doctor with a global perspective. As the first person in his family to complete university, he is deeply committed to breaking barriers and creating opportunities for others. He completed medical school in Guatemala City and has honed his skills through internships in Colombia, Chile, and the United States.

Driven by a commitment to equitable healthcare, Esteban worked for two years at a diabetes care clinic in Antigua, Guatemala, focusing on patient education and accessibility. Currently, he leads our maternal & infant health program, collaborating closely with traditional midwives to improve health outcomes in rural Guatemala. Beyond his professional achievements, he is a nature enthusiast, traveler, and yoga practitioner. Guided by his mission to uplift others, he strives to create a healthier, more compassionate, and equitable world.

Enma Carolina Coyote Ixén / Mobile Maternal & Infant Health Manager

Enma is originally from Patzún, Chimaltenango, and joined our team in March 2015 as the coordinator of the maternal & infant health program. She later became the program manager until 2020. After a professional break, she returned to Wuqu’ Kawoq in 2024.

She has studied nursing, and her favorite hobby is engaging in outdoor activities. Enma admires the organization’s commitment and dedication in seeking innovative solutions to address health needs in the most vulnerable communities in Guatemala, as well as the way services are provided with cultural relevance.

Eddy Roquel / Operations Manager

Eddy has served in a variety of roles since joining the team in 2016 as a support staff and driver. He has trained as an agronomist and in business management and played an instrumental role in the Wuqu’ Kawoq community gardens project from 2018-2020, sharing his knowledge with rural Guatemalan families and helping them find healthy and affordable food options. In 2022, he was promoted to lead the Operations Team, which is responsible for ensuring the effective and timely transit of supplies, medications, and team members across hundreds of communities in Guatemala’s Central Highlands. Eddy loves the outdoors, especially the Boca Costa area and the lush, forested areas of the Altiplano. He is a loving father who enjoys a close relationship with his son.

Eva Ordoñez Tuiz / Child Development Research Program Manager

Eva is a professional nurse who manages our community efforts in chronic kidney disease and early childhood development.

Irma Yolanda Pilo / Mobile Monitoring Doppler Ultrasound Study (MoMDUS) Coordinator

Irma is originally from Sololá, and currently lives in Tecpán. She is an Early Childhood Education Teacher and professional nursing technician. She studied nursing in college she started working as a Nutrition Technician and recruiter for the Saqmoló team, managed the Maternal and Infant Health team and now is the coordinator for the Mobile Monitoring Doppler Ultrasound Study. She admires the respect, regardless of language and origin, that the team offers in supporting rural communities in rural Guatemala.

Lily Ajú / Family-Centered Nutrition Program Coordinator

Lilian manages the thriving Family-Centered Nutrition Program. She started with Wuqu’ Kawoq in 2015 as an interpreter for Kaqchikel-speaking patients. She served as a research assistant and coordinator before becoming a program manager. She takes joy in earning the trust of patients who have lost confidence in the health system. Lilian is very adventurous and loves to go on excursions with her family. One of her greatest inspirations is her mother, a small business owner in Tecpán.

Magdalena Guarchaj / Child Development Research Program Manager

Magdalena is one of our Investigations Managers. She also is a nurse practitioner and manages our diabetes lifestyle and community outreach programs. She is K’iche Maya. In 2020, she represented Wuqu’ Kawoq in the El Colectivo committee, which joined forces to bring information on health, education, violence prevention, and Covid-19 prevention to rural communities via radio. She has experience in working with children, families and communities.

Merida Isabel Coj / Human Resources Manager

As Human Resources Manager in this organization, Mérida has led initiatives to strengthen the professional development of employees. Her management is characterized by implementing inclusive policies that promote both individual and collective growth. Outside of work, she is a loving mother who spends time with her son riding bicycles, attending soccer matches, or watching movies.

Nelly Analuisa Sequén Gómez / Awards and Partnerships Manager

Nelly is from Chimaltenango, but she lives in the surroundings of La Antigua Guatemala. She is professional in the field of International Relations, degree obtained from the Galileo University; she also has two masters, one in International Law from Universidad San Carlos, and double major in Management of International Cooperation Projects by International Iberoamerican University of Mexico and from The European University of the Atlantic of Spain. Nelly has extensive work experience in the non profit area in Guatemala, experience that she treasures while she continues to work with love and care towards the people Wuqu’ Kawoq serves.

Sandy Mux Xocop / Trainer

Sandy learned about Maya Health Alliance through a nurse who visited her town every week to work with people with diabetes. After hearing about the organization and its philosophy, she decided to apply for a position. She now works as a Trainer in the Women’s Health program. Every day, she feels she can make a difference in society and change people’s lives.

Susana Tambriz / Women's Health Program Manager

Susana began her work at Maya Health participating in the Family-Centered Nutrition Program and Community Clinics. Later, she coordinated projects focused on chronic diseases and is currently leading the Women’s Health Program. Her greatest satisfaction is empowering women to understand their bodies, how they work, and to make life-changing decisions for their health. She dreams of a future where Maya women have control over their bodies, where girls are allowed to be girls and not mothers, where they live free from violence, and where motherhood is a desire, not an obligation. She firmly believes that education, collectivity, and sisterhood are essential pathways to support women in their learning processes.

Yoli Juarez / Health for Life Program Manager

Yoli is Manager of the Health for Life | Salud para la Vida Program. She is a registered nurse and expert in leading community health programs. She initially worked in our Family-Centered Nutrition Program for two years before focusing on women’s health. She has led the expansion of the Salud para la Vida program since 2019, and now oversees a team of 28 spread across the Highlands of Guatemala. Prior to joining Maya Health Alliance, she worked in the Ministry of Health for more than a decade on programs to extend health coverage to rural areas.Yoli’s family is the center of her life. Her daughters inspire her to work hard every day to give them and her patients a bright future. She loves it when her family gets together for a movie or Christmas dinner.