Patricia Usner
Director of Communications
Pat is accountable for all Communications activities of the organization, including web presence, online networks, film and media projects, printed materials and media relations.
“Working with The Pachamama Alliance is the fulfillment of my deep desire to work for an organization that is making a profound difference for the world. I moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco in 2004 to work for The Pachamama Alliance because of my passion for the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people who live there, having traveled to the Achuar territory of Ecuador for the first time in 1989.”
Prior to her current role, Pat served as Managing Director, and before that, Director of Development, for Pachamama Alliance. Before joining Pachamama, she had a 25+ year career in public relations and marketing, heading her own consulting firm, and working in management roles within major healthcare organizations.
pat@pachamama.org
(415) 561-4522 x103
Ryan Andersen
Online Communications Manager
Ryan is accountable for overseeing the development, maintenance, and strategy of the websites, online social communities, email communications, blog content, and search engine optimization of The Pachamama Alliance and its initiatives.
“Working for The Pachamama Alliance is the dream job for me. I am committed to bringing forth an online presence for The Pachamama Alliance that incorporates the utmost best practices and cutting edge techniques so that we may tell the story of our critical work to many more people around the world.”
Ryan graduated from the University of California Santa Barabara (UCSB) in 2007 with a degree in music composition. During his senior year of college Ryan was the Co-Chair of the Environmental Affairs Board where, among many other activities, he was instrumental in encouraging Chancellor Yang to sign onto the American Colleges and Universities President Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) as a founding member. After graduating from UCSB, Ryan worked as the Executive Assistant to the Founder and Website Project Manager of Greenopia, founded One Night Music, an online venue for live music performances of local and independent musicians, worked with Fairview Gardens, one of the oldest organic farms in Southern California, and directed the Online Communications for the California Student Sustainability Coalition. Shortly after moving to San Francisco the spring of 2010, Ryan began working for The Pachamama Alliance. In addition to his work with non-profit organizations, Ryan composes music which can be found at ryanandersenmusic.com.
ryan@pachamama.org
(415) 561-4522 x116
Liliana Matos-García Peliks
Online Marketing Coordinator
Liliana is responsible for online marketing at The Pachamama Alliance and across its various initiatives. She is dedicated to keeping our community engaged through email, social media and our overall online presence.
“I am passionate about the role that online marketing can have in shifting the way we live and relate with all beings! Working at The Pachamama Alliance is an absolute delight as I dedicate more of my life to help create positive long-lasting opportunities for others.”
Liliana is originally from the Dominican Republic and was introduced to the organization through FOUR YEARS. GO. Prior to coming to San Francisco she worked for IE Business School in Madrid, Spain where she was responsible for kickstarting various marketing initiatives to increase lead generation and conversion rates through the implementation of a CRM and an email marketing outreach strategy. She has an undergraduate degree in business and a masters in marketing from IE Business School. In her spare time Liliana makes beautiful hair accessories and volunteers for 826 Valencia.
liliana@pachamama.org
(415) 561-4522 x 129
Muy Yam
Web Maintenance
A member of the Web team, Muy is accountable for maintenance of multiple websites for the Pachamama Alliance, as well as other online-related items.
“As a person who has plenty of nonprofit experience, I can say the Pachamama Alliance has set the bar high for both personal and professional fulfillment. Working at a nonprofit that strives to preserve the environment is an ideal work setting for me and I feel lucky to be at an organization where the work is rewarding.”
Muy got her BA in Magazine Journalism with an additional focus on Asian American and Women Studies. She loves San Francisco and its food, diversity and culture so much and is still making her way through everything the city has to offer. She is a nonprofit professional trying to make sense of this crazy world through exploring new things and meeting new people, all while eating her way through the city. Her interests include the arts, ethnic and women studies, live music, new media, pop culture, social justice, technology, women’s health and eliminating her carbon footprint. Before joining the Pachamama Alliance, Muy worked for several publications and nonprofits in the Bay Area.
muy@pachamama.org
(415) 561-4522 x 130
Mia Murrietta
Writer
Mia is accountable for writing and editing content across all distribution channels of The Pachamama Alliance and its initiatives, including websites, blogs, emails, and social media.
“I will never want for stories to tell as a member of the Pachamama team. From the incredible founding story to the new dreams of the wider Pachamama community, there’s a powerful narrative emerging about positive human possibility. I’ve been given the opportunity to share that narrative with the world; it’s a challenge that is also its own reward.”
As a life-long writer, Mia has always been fascinated by how people interact – with places, buildings, objects, cultures, food, animals, trees, each other. After training as an architect, she worked for a Swiss watch company until 2008, when she decided to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a nun. A four-month stay at Green Gulch Farm, a Zen Buddhist practice center and organic farm, was her first leap into socially engaged spirituality. She transitioned into the nonprofit sector, becoming the Communications Manager at The Engage Network. Now residing in Oakland, California with her husband and dog, she continues to practice and study Zen while using her design, writing, and editing skills both in her work at The Pachamama Alliance and as a volunteer for East Bay Meditation Center and Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
mia@pachamama.org
(415) 561-4522 x134
Esteban Duarte
Video Manager
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for!” – That quote brought to me a new sense of hope and responsibility towards the future we face, but even more important, towards the present we live in. I envision using the powerful language of media and video to reveal stories, secrets and hidden knowledge to the widest audience possible. That’s why even though I am passionate about new technologies I always go back to basics: the stories that connect us and relate us to the understandings and possibilities of creating a life in balance with our dreams and our surroundings.”
Esteban is a Colombian born-and-raised filmmaker. He studied Communication Sciences and Visual Arts with a double major in Video Production and Journalism at the Javeriana University (Bogota, Colombia). His work has been always at the service of independent and social transformative media. In his time in the Bay Area he has gotten to support the work of projects and organizations such as Link TV, the San Francisco International Film Festival, and several independent documentaries that support the vision of Bay Area change-making nonprofit organizations. Through his life journey he has gotten an intimate understanding of different native indigenous traditions throughout the Americas; these experiences have inspired and shaped his narratives as a storyteller.
esteban@pachamama.org
(415) 561-4522 x112
Mary Earle Chase
Consultant
Mary is an independent contractor currently working with The Pachamama Alliance in a number of projects related to communications and media. She has been a writer and producer of the videos featured in the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium, as well as the recent video, A Call For Our Time: The Story of The Pachamama Alliance. She is an active Awakening the Dreamer Facilitator and trainer of Facilitators in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“My life purpose is to learn about and communicate about our human potential to create a better world. I was drawn to Pachamama’s integration of the three major areas of my own life’s work: environmental sustainability, social justice, and spiritual fulfillment. It is a privilege to have the opportunity communicate about the urgency and opportunity of our times to what I envision will be many of millions of people. I am also grateful to be grounded in the experience of my journey to the Amazon rainforest: being present in the heart and lungs of our planet has given me a profound sense of my connection to our Mother Earth.”
Mary’s path to Pachamama included a number of careers based on following her heart. Since receiving degrees from Duke University and Harvard University in the late 1960s, she has been a teacher and educator, a psychotherapist and life coach, the author of three books, and the writer and producer of dozens of films and videos. Along with her creative partner, Neal Rogin, she has crafted communications for est, The Hunger Project, and The Pachamama Alliance. She raised her two sons on the island of Kauai, Hawaii and now resides in a unique and long-lasting intentional community in Novato, California.