Partner

Liliana M. López Urrutia is a professional with more than 20 years of experience in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability and is considered an authority and pioneer on the topics in the Caribbean. She was the Founder and Executive Director of ConectaRSE, the first center for CSR in Puerto Rico. From 2001- 2009 ConectaRSE had an important role in educating Puerto Rico’s business leaders through CSR publications, dialogue, workshops/ conferences, benchmarking and strategic alliances. ConectaRSE was the incubator for the emblematic project “Puerto Rico Emprende” that charted the path for El Nuevo Dia’s “Agenda Ciudadana”, “Microfinanzas PR” (BBVA) and “Siembra el Desarrollo del País”(Wal-Mart). Prior to ConectaRSE, she was the Executive Director for one of the most important community development projects in Puerto Rico (Consejo Vecinal Para El Desarrollo de La Península de Cantera), a program that contemplated the reallocation and improvement of living conditions for more than 11,000 residents.

Ms. López has been a consultant for the government of Puerto Rico (Government Development Bank, Tourism Company, Fortaleza) and critical associations such as the Puerto Rico Manufacturer’s Association and Puerto Rico’s Chamber of Commerce regarding their roadmap on sustainability. She has acted as Senior Sustainability Consultant at Grupo Vicini, Cemex, Shell, Wal-Mart, El Nuevo Día, W Hotels/Reig Capital, Bacardí, Merck Glencore Xstrata Nickel DR (Falcondo), and the Junta Agroempresarial Dominicana (JAD). In the Dominican Republic she acted as a catalyst in designing a multi-stakeholder dialogue strategy as a key component for the development of Santo Domingo’s Colonial City and spearheaded dialogue committees for the mining industry in DR and related to the cleanup of Santo Domingo‘s most contaminated river the Ozama.

Ms. López is Cofounder and President of SHE RAISES THE BAR. She has been recognized by Caribbean Business “40 under 40”, BBVA “Essence of Puerto Rico -­- 150 Personalities of PR”, Imagen “Mujeres, con IMAGEN”, Association of Sales & Marketing, among others.

Liliana possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies and International Relations from American University in Washington D.C., a Master’s Degree in Public Communication and Nonprofit Management from Seton Hall University, a Master in Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Accounting from Universidad de Barcelona and an MBA in Fashion & Luxury Management from the Universidad de Navarra (ISEM). She holds Certificates in Corporate Social Responsibility from INCAE and the Pontíficia Universidad Católica de Chile, as well as continuing education courses in Community Relations from Boston College and Colonial City Management from Universidad de La Habana. 

Partner

Iris Cole is a social entrepreneur and Founding Partner of She Raises the Bar, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability consulting firm. Iris’ background includes 20+ years of experience working as an executive and sustainability consultant in both the public and private sectors. She works with investors, businesses, government agencies and NGO’s to help them leverage and execute more impactful social/ environmental investment strategies, inclusive business models, and community dialogue & engagement, as well manage risk and identify strategic growth opportunities through the lens of their stakeholders. Her clients include multi-national, family-owned, and small businesses and start-ups, and her experience in a broad range of industries has helped them foster multi-sector best practices and bottom-line results.

Ms. Cole specializes in the design and management of large-scale, multi-disciplinary projects and cultural change which combine her experience in the areas of start-up, strategic planning, risk management, marketing, corporate responsibility and sustainability. 

In 2017, Iris launched the social enterprise Do Good Artist, an innovative company creating social impact through multi-sector collaborations between the arts and other industries. Do Good Artist and its network of strategic partners are focused on sustainability, innovation through multi-sector collaboration, inclusive economic development and creative industries’ role in creating social change. Do Good Artist’s virtual reality experience on human trafficking has received national recognition and is currently being piloted by the Winston Salem Police Department. 

Iris serves on the Boards of the Hispanic League, Reynolda House, the Arts Council, Flywheel Foundation, and is the Board Co-chair of the REACH Women’s Network. She is a member of the Leadership Winston Salem Class of 2019 and a former Kenan Institute for the Arts fellow at the UNC School of the Arts. 

Director of Economic Development Initiatives

Daisy M. Ruiz Montero is an experienced marketing and business development professional with 20 years of experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Her exemplary research and analytical skills and ability to translate ideas into action are invaluable to the organizations she works with. Ms. Ruiz has vast experience with business development in Caribbean markets. Her expertise covers a wide variety of critical issues including conservation, philanthropy, external affairs, operations, marketing, and raising program funds from public and private sources. More specifically, her key skills include inclusive business development, communications, NGO-Business partnerships, design and implementation of social programs, facilitating start-up development projects, development of sustainability memoirs and case studies, and proposal development.

Ms. Ruiz has been a strategic advisor to the government of Puerto Rico as a consultant and in her previous role as Director of the Communications & Public Relations for the Department of Economic Development (DDEC) & the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO).

As a key member of ERM, a global environmental and social consulting firm, she was able to collaborate on projects in the social/environmental realm for clients such as CEMEX, Shell, and Wal-Mart, among others. Ms. Ruiz has provided research and proposal development for the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Environmental Protection Agency, and other government agencies, and in various industries including pharmaceutical, mining, oil & gas, retail, food & beverage, among others.  She has vast international experience, having worked on projects in PR, Bahamas, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Panama.  

Daisy is the co-founder of the first non-profit dedicated to promoting Social Responsibility in Puerto Rico, ConectaRSE. 

Director of Environmental Initiatives

Ana M. Trujillo Pinto has more than 20 years of experience in the development of integrated conservation projects, investigation and community development and specializes in the areas of environmental mitigation, conservation, urban planning and resiliency. Her leadership in the management of critical environmentally sensitive areas, volunteer programs, community integration and administration of non-profit organizations has made her a leading voice in her homeland of Venezuela, Puerto Rico and other islands of the Caribbean.

Ms. Trujillo distinguished herself as Executive Director of Scuba Dogs Society, an environmental organization in Puerto Rico that is considered a leader in environmental education and handling of solid waste in marine areas. An expert in volunteer management and recruitment, she led the Scuba Dogs’ Coast to Coast program to a volunteer capacity of thousands of persons. Ana was named a Commissioner for Puerto Rico’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service through AmeriCorp. She has led research and volunteer initiatives for various prominent organizations including Casa Pueblo, Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Foundation for Puerto Rico.


Ana possesses a bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the Universidad del Oriente in Venezuela, master’s degree in biology/ecology from the University of Puerto Rico, master’s degree in non-profit administration from the Universidad Sagrado Corazón, Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility from the Universidad Pontificia del Valparaíso in Chile and a Doctorate in Environmental Science from the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras. Her research and publications have centered around assessment of ecosystems, adaptation and urban planning for resiliency, community integration as agents for change in environmental mitigation and sustainability, and reintegration of species into their habitats, among others.