ALEGRIA LEADERSHIP TEAM
Our Leadership team commits their time and talents on an ongoing, volunteer basis to accomplish our mission. ALEGRIA: Hope through Art does not yet have a dedicated, paid staff. Be a part of creating it. Give today. 

Shay Grabowski Founder and Creative Director, Board of Directors
shay@wearealegria.org

Shay is the Founder and Creative Director of ALEGRIA. Shay is responsible for the vision and execution of ALEGRIA’s work. She founded ALEGRIA over cafecitos in Lima and living-room conversations in New York City. A grad of Savannah College of Art and Design, Shay is an artist, designer, and animator by trade, creating work for her favorite clients, Nickelodeon and MTV. She is obsessed with the concept of using one’s creative voice to give a platform to children who otherwise wouldn’t be heard in the world, and can’t wait to see this movement grow to creatively invest in the many children living in orphanage communities throughout the Andes. Her favorite word in Spanish is ‘iluminar’, which means ‘to enliven, to light up, to illuminate, to enlighten’. Bo Bartlett said it best: “The job of the artist is to wake the viewer up”.


Amelia Charles Design Director
amelia@wearealegria.org

Amelia is a visual communicator with a passion for representing ALEGRIA’s heart through innovative branding, campaigns, and creative community projects. She studied communication design and graphic design at FIT, graduating summa cum laude. She has exhibited at The Openhouse Gallery, "Connectivity" exhibit, and Saltspace in New York City. Adopted from Chile, she has lived daily with an appreciation for opportunities, which has stirred her desire to pay it forward. In faithful anticipation, Amelia looks forward to seeing the growth in the children by fostering freedom through creativity.

Erin Conroy Design Director
erin@wearealegria.org

Erin hails from Colorado and now spends her days in NYC mobilizing the ALEGRIA creative community through large-scale projects and campaigns while reveling in creating all things visual: branding materials, creative campaigns, and the like. Erin graduated summa cum laude and as a Presidential Scholar from FIT. She is a graphic designer who grew up frequently volunteering in an orphanage in Mexico, which broadened her perspective and gave her a passion for bearing hope. She has a (slightly pretentious) theme for her apartment: “whimsical, eclectic, French country.”


Kathleen Clancy Program Director, Board of Directors
kathleen@wearealegria.org

Kathleen sits on the Board of ALEGRIA and oversees the development and execution of ALEGRIA’s programming. Kathleen and her husband have found their way to Brooklyn where and are one step away from purchasing their “how to be a hipster” kit. She attended Miami University in Ohio to pursue her degree in Early Childhood Education. She quickly found out that teaching behind a desk didn’t suit her and ventured into the world of non-profit youth development. Kathleen has been working in this field for the last six years, creating programming that helps adolescents in under-served communities blossom. She is currently the Program Director for the New York branch of a national youth development organization. She is an art lover and occasional doer and couldn’t think of a better organization to spend her free time supporting.

Rachel Graves Program and Operations Coordinator, NYC
rachel@wearealegria.org

Rachel oversees logistics for ALEGRIA’s large-scale Joy Projects in orphanages and serves as a translator for ALEGRIA.  Born and raised in Concepción, Chile, she calls Latin America home. Within a week of graduating from Baylor University with a degree in International Studies, Rachel moved to Bangkok, Thailand to work as an English teacher. She spent the following year working with a non-profit in La Paz, Bolivia that took on sexual abuse cases. Rachel then relocated to New York because of her love of public transportation. Rachel shimmies to the beat of her own djembe (drum). Rachel works to create bridges between creative worlds in New York and Latin America for ALEGRIA. 


Megan Shuffle Curriculum Development Coordinator
megan@wearealegria.org

A transplanted Texan, Megan is thrilled to be working alongside both dance industry and education professionals of New York City to develop artistic curriculum for the beautiful and bright kids of South America. At home in New York City, Megan devotes herself to full-time dance students from across the globe at Broadway Dance Center, the world's largest commercial studio. Her personal essays on the transformative power of dance and community have been published in The Curator, an international arts and culture magazine. She loves combining these ever-mingling worlds to share human experience and cultivate community in the arts, and considers herself nothing but fortunate to be able to use her love every day in the heart of the Theater district. She believes that tending to the growth of an artist's heart in every child should hold hands with the practical needs of life. 


Erika Martínez, Operations Director, Lima
erika@wearealegria.org

Erika is a Psychologist who has worked in Human Resources for several private companies. She graduated with a degree in Psychology from Ricardo Palma University and went on to specialize in Human Resources at Pontificia Universidad Catolica of Peru. Erika enjoys modern dance, photography, yoga and acrobats, and can be found para sailing or bungee jumping throughout Peru. Since 2005, she has visited La Comunidad de La Sagrada Familia to work as a translator for English speaking teams of volunteers. Erika and Shay met during one of these experiences, and Erika began to help by coordinating logistics in Lima.  Erika is very proud to be part of ALEGRIA doing something significant for the kids. She dreams of ALEGRIA growing to support more orphanage communities of niños in need.

Claudia Reyna Bacalla, Artist Coordinator and University Liason, Lima
claudia@wearealegria.org

Claudia was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She studied Industrial Design at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica of Peru. Claudia participated in the XIII Design and Decor Expo CasaCar Peru in 2008 under the theme “Turn a House Inside Out.” She currently works as a freelance product designer. In her work, she focuses on environmentally sustainable products, combining Peruvian elements and materials with functional and contemporary design. Claudia’s parents instilled in her the value of giving without expecting in return. One of her favorite phrases is “Do good without looking at who it is for,” which she learned from her grandmother. Claudia believes that every child should have the same opportunities to learn, and that resources should not be an obstacle for a child to develop their talents. Claudia loves working with ALEGRIA because it is not only a chance to share her passion and design expertise, but an opportunity to love the kids and know their stories.


Renee Chan Finance Director, Board of Directors
renee@wearealegria.org

Renee oversees the finances and business development strategy for ALEGRIA. She is also a valued member of our Board of Directors. Renee is a proud Canadian. She is a Chartered Accountant and an auditor for a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company. Renee is passionate about travel, which she is fortunate to have a job that requires her to travel around the world. Through her travel, she has been able to cultivate her passion for other cultures, diversity and served as an incredible opportunity to build relationships with potential ALEGRIA supporters. Renee is excited to connect the New York and South American communities to empower children in South American orphanages through creativity.

Chinae Alexander PR and Communications Director
chinae@wearealegria.org

Chinae works to communicate the vision, mission, and the overall message of ALEGRIA to the public. She is the Director of Public Relations and Marketing at a luxury design firm, DESIRON, in NYC and her passion is to support artists by advocating in the creative industry. Through her work she has managed large scale projects with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, the Setai NY, as well as many television, film, and print publication projects. She also works as a publicity consultant for individuals, non-profits, and companies, her specialty being branding and business development. As a former Southern debutante, Chinae wanders the NYC streets in search of reputable Tex-Mex, legitimate sweet tea, and lives to prove that chivalry still exists. Chinae is most excited about continuing a movement of joy, humanity, and giving an artistic outlet to the children in Latin American orphanage communities who have little but love much.

Desiree Gaitan Events Coordinator
desiree@wearealegria.org

Des coordinates events in New York that benefit ALEGRIA. Des is a renaissance woman, lover of fashion, travel and popular culture. You can take the girl out of the Valley, but not the Valley out of the girl. Desiree’s desire is to connect New York society with orphanage communities in Latin America. She currently works as Executive Assistant to international editors of Vanity Fair. Desiree is delighted to see her passion for creativity, culture, children, and New York City collide with the amazing vision of ALEGRIA . She believes in the power of expression, and looks forward to giving children of Latin America a platform to share the world through their eyes.



Jerrold Jackson Research Strategist
jerrold@wearealegria.org

Jerrold leads ALEGRIA’s research efforts involving the measurable impact of art and expression on the lives of the children we work with. He also develops strategies for grant writing, organizational development, and training purposes within ALEGRIA, as well as helping to develop partnerships with like-minded organizations. He is a child + family therapist at one of NYC’s leading community-based medical centers, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Research, with a focus on health services research within low-resourced communities. He is extremely competitive when playing the vertical board game "Connect Four", and has never lost a match.


Matt Curtis Development Strategist
matt@wearealegria.org

Matt designs and executes the development strategy for ALEGRIA and works with Renee and Jerrold to create a sustainable organization. Though he studied marketing and finance at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, he has a (not-so) secret passion for all expressions of creativity.  He currently works for the ecommerce division of a luxury fashion retailer where he uses customer data to make more informed business decisions. Matt discovered his passion for the people and culture of Latin America after living in Santiago de Chile for 6 months.

BOARD. We are seeking experienced advocates invested in building ALEGRIA to serve on our Board of Directors. We’d love to dialogue with you about our vision and Board requirements. Contact Renee.

ADVISORY COUNCIL. Are you an expert in your field and can commit to using your skills to advance this movement? Join our Advisory Council. Email us.

CREATIVE ROSTER.  We cultivate a roster of creatives (any discipline) interested in volunteering their skills to serve the organization on a project basis. Sign up! Send us an email to erin@wearealegria.org  Email Subject: Add me! CREATIVE ROSTER

VOLUNTEER.  We have a roster of volunteers ready to mobilize for special projects and events. Throw your hat in the ring. Email desiree@wearealegria.org Email Subject: Add me! VOLUNTEER