Yaris comes from a background of work in the travel and hospitality industry, focused mainly in hotel management, events, and service operations. She is a Chinese descendant who was born and raised in Venezuela. She lived in Guangzhou, China and New York City before moving to San Francisco. Yaris worked for Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Expedia.com before switching to a more social impact focused career. In her most recent job, in the field of economic and community development, she implemented neighborhood revitalization strategies in emerging neighborhoods in San Francisco. As a Project Manager, Yaris planned and executed outreach projects and development initiatives with major community organizations. Yaris holds a B.S. in Hotel Administration from Cornell University. She is super excited for this amazing opportunity at Kiva and looks forward to working with all of the partners in the Philippines, East Timor, and Kenya!