Maria O. Alvarez

About Maria O. Alvarez

Hello there.I\'m a mission-driven leader with over 20 years of experience spanning the media, philanthropy, social impact, and corporate sectors—across countries, languages, and cultures. At the heart of my work is a passion for building from the ground up: new programs, teams, partnerships and more.I\'m an strategic storyteller: I enjoy partnering with executives and team leaders to create and share stories that are compelling, inspiring and help people understand the why behind the work. I believe in the power of storytelling to elevate both external and internal communications. In my current role as the Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Development at Hively -a nonprofit serving families in Alameda County, California- I lead branding, internal and external communications, marketing and fundraising efforts. Over the last 2 years, I\'ve been building a new team and putting systems and processes in place to run an impactful, results-oriented department.Throughout my career, I\'ve worked with global, national and local companies in both the private and non-profit sector in South, Central and North America. A few things about me:* I’m a builder. I thrive in start-up environments and bring an entrepreneurial mindset to every challenge.* I’m an authentic, servant leader, committed to mentoring and growing inclusive teams.* I believe in storytelling + data—together, they fuel powerful narratives of impact and transformation.* I practice self-aware leadership, grounded in personal growth and reflection.* I’m a creative problem-solver, always seeing challenges as invitations for innovation and growth.* I\'m a learner, curious, out-of-the-box thinker. My areas of expertise include:* Social entrepreneurship & philanthropy* Strategic marketing & communications* Content marketing * Audience engagement (bilingual: English–Spanish)* Internal Communications Let\'s connect. I\'m always open to meeting new people, and engage with like-minded colleagues.

Experience

1. VP, Communications and Development

   Hively

   Dec 2023 — Present · San Francisco, CA, US

   In this newly-created role, I\'m leading all marketing, communications and development efforts across the organization and building a diverse team to support this work. I\'m intentionally building a team that reflects the diversity of Alameda county. Representation and diversity matters a lot to me.I\'m overseeing branding, messaging, external relations, events, integrated digital marketing, media outreach, social media channels, internal communications and fundraising efforts. As part of the Leadership team, I add my knowledge and expertise to organizational strategy and day-to-day operations and act as advisor to the CEO and other senior leaders.

Education

• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile - Santiago

  Master Degree, Communications

  2002 — 2003

• California State University - East Bay

  Certificate , Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management

  2007 — 2008

• University of California, Berkeley

  Professional Certificate, Science of Happiness at Work

  2019 — 2020

• Central University in Venezuela- Universidad Central de Venezuela

  Bachelor, Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs

  1990 — 1995