Marielena joined the CWC Affiliate team in 2019. She is an experienced Grant professional who specializes in research, grant readiness assessments, project management, and coordinating grant submissions. Before entering the nonprofit sector, Marielena spent 12 years in education, specializing in special education and bilingual education, and earned her Master of Education from UCLA. That experience sharpened her ability to build rapport and facilitate discussions among diverse stakeholders—skills she now applies to the grants process, working closely with program staff to define needs and shape best practices across fundraising and development.

Marielena is an active member of the Grant Professionals Association and she has her GPC Certification.