The Chijnaya Foundation Board of Directors announced today that Executive Director Kimmy Mazza will step down from the organization in early 2023.
In her four years working with the Foundation, Kimmy helped establish and manage the Altiplano Water Program as a Program Coordinator in Peru, and later collaborated with the Board of Directors to lead the Foundation as it transitioned from a Founder-led organization to a sustainable nonprofit.
In announcing Kimmy’s resignation, Susan Bourque expressed the Board’s gratitude for Kimmy’s outstanding work over the past four years. She noted the enormous progress the Foundation has made, the expansion of its work in the Altiplano, and the growth of the Foundation’s efforts in health, education and economic development. Bourque commented: “Kimmy has worked closely with the ProDIA team in Peru to expand the Foundation’s reach and impact, she has brought energy and commitment to our efforts and it will be a challenge to replace her. Nevertheless, we look forward to working with her to ensure a smooth transition over the course of the next few months.”
In announcing her resignation to the Chijnaya Board, Kimmy remarked, “It has been a wonderful experience working with The Chijnaya Foundation and I am both sad and thrilled to let you know that I have decided to take an opportunity to work as a Project Manager at the National Renewable Energy Lab here in Colorado. I worked with the Bioenergy group as an intern for 4 years throughout college and I am eager to be able to return to the work with the perspective, knowledge, and experience I have gained from my work in community development. For almost 7 years my career has been focused on supporting community-led initiatives, first with water, sanitation, and hygiene and later on integrated community development with The Chijnaya Foundation. I have always been passionate about using my time to support mission-driven work that is helping to solve some of the many challenges our society faces. As the environmental crisis is becoming more and more urgent, I hope to dedicate this next stage of my career to advocating for a community-driven, just transition to renewable energy. I will continue to embody the values of equity and community-led development that I gained from my time with The Chijnaya Foundation in my future work in environmental sustainability. I appreciate the trust the Board and the Chijnaya community had in me to take on the responsibility of being the Foundation’s first Executive Director and I am grateful for everything I learned and all that we have been able to accomplish together. We have made some big strides these past few years and I look forward to following the continued success of the Foundation and the work in Peru.”
The Board has formed a search committee to identify qualified candidates. A position description is available on the Chijnaya Foundation website and review of applications will begin shortly after.