Who We Are

The Women's Justice Initiative is a Guatemala-based organization dedicated to combating gender inequality and ending violence against indigenous girls and women in rural communities.

Our Mission

The Women’s Justice Initiative improves the lives of indigenous Guatemalan women and girls through education, access to legal services and gender-based violence prevention.

Our Vision

Our Approach

Meet the Team

Kate Flatley
Executive Director

Kate is a lawyer with over fifteen years of experience working for non-governmental organizations developing and implementing projects and conducting research in the fields of women’s rights, access to justice, and public health.
Gabriela Palacios
Administrative and Human Resources Director

Gaby joined the WJI team in 2021 leading the implementation of administrative and human resources strategies. She has a degree in Industrial Psychology with a Master’s Degree in Management and Strategic Development of Human Talent, both from Rafael Landívar University. She has more than 10 years of experience...
Viviana Patal
Legal Director

Viviana Patal joined WJI in 2013. As WJI’s Legal Director, she is responsible for designing and implementing the Legal Services Program and oversees the organization’s team of lawyers and paralegals.
Elvia Raquec
Programs Director

Elvia is a social worker by training with an emphasis in Development Management, having graduated from Rafael Landívar University. She has experience implementing programs that promote human rights in indigenous communities and has completed training in other Central American countries.
Andrea Tock
Director of Impact and Learning

Andrea joined WJI in January 2020 as the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator. She is responsible for leading WJI’s Impact and Learning efforts for the constant improvement of the organization in terms of program development and the response provided to women.
Nora Worthington
Director of Development and Communications

Nora Worthington joined WJI in 2022 as the Director of Development and Communications. She holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development, International Policy and Management from SIT, and an undergraduate degree in Latin American Studies from Fordham University. Nora has worked within the non-profit industry in multiple countries,...
Ingrid Camacho
Senior Franchise Manager - PepsiCo

As Senior Franchise Manager of PepsiCo in Guatemala, Ingrid is in charge of the markets in El Salvador and Nicaragua. Ingrid develops and leads the strategy of the beverage business, establishing long-term plans, investment plans, and innovations for the company. Additionally, she leads the relationship with CBC, the...
Will Durbin
Senior Policy Advisor - Independent Consultant

Will works in international development; his work has spanned climate and environmental policy for an air pollution consulting firm, poverty measurement at the World Bank, and global health innovation at the US Agency for International Development. He is currently a consultant to a government in the Caribbean on...
Clara Ferraro
Partner and Head of Investor Relations - Tiger Global Management

Clara is the Co-Head of Investor Relations and Analyst Recruiting at Tiger Global Management, LLC, an investment firm based in New York City. Tiger Global deploys capital globally through its public equity funds and private investment partnerships.
Abigail Ford Winkel
Dept. Obstetrics & Gynecology - NYU School of Medicine

Abigail Ford Winkel (Abby) is an obstetrician-gynecologist in New York City. She is Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Education and Residency Director in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York University School of Medicine and an attending physician at Bellevue Hospital which is the oldest public hospital in the country and the flagship of New York City Health + Hospitals.
Thea Handelman
Tax - Zillow Group

As Vice President of Tax at Zillow Group, Thea leads the development and execution of comprehensive tax planning to help the company achieve its business and financial targets. Thea and her team also ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
María Isabel Mayorga
Research Fellow - Population Council

María Isabel Mayorga is a Research Fellow at the Population Council’s Guatemalan office. In this role she identifies and nurtures strategic partnerships related to Social and Behavioral Science Research (SBSR) and the International Program’s strategic partnerships model. She actively engages in meetings with partners in Guatemala and the...
Sergio Melgar
Executive Vice President and CFO - UMass Memorial Health

Sergio was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) of the UMass Memorial Health in January of 2014. For the past 31 years, Mr. Melgar has been working with health care and academic institutions. Prior to his appointment in 2014, he participated in the acquisition and...
Eric Knight
Senior Trader - Jane Street Capital

Eric Knight is a Senior Trader at Jane Street Capital, a quantitative trading firm headquartered in New York City. Having been with the company for more than 20 years, he has experienced trading a wide range of assets, including ETFs, ADRs, options, and cryptocurrencies. Having a mother who...
Katie Newman
Partner and Senior Tax Counsel - Apollo Global Management

Katie Newman is Senior Tax Counsel at Apollo Global Management in New York, specializing in tax matters with respect to Apollo’s private equity funds, their investors and their investments worldwide.
Brian Regan
General Partner - Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe

Mr. Regan is a General Partner of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (“WCAS”), where he focuses on healthcare investments and is a member of the Firm’s Management Committee.
Gabriela Roca
Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability - Corporación AG

Gabriela Roca is the Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability of Corporación Aceros de Guatemala, where she oversees the legal, communication, and relationship management of the Corporation. She was a founding partner of the firm QIL+4 ABOGADOS, where she spent nine years providing legal and consulting services to energy project developers and banking entities to finance projects in the electricity industry in Guatemala. 

WJI Partners

Our work would not be possible without the support of our invaluable partners.

Reports and Financials

Transparency is important to us. See the progress we’ve made over the years and the ways in which we’ve used your generous donations to help us achieve our mission.

Stay in touch with us!