Team

Team

Ben Powell, Managing Partner

Ben became convinced of the power of small business to transform poor communities in Mexico, where he co-founded CityGolf Puebla, a miniature golf course and family recreation center.  After working as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of Management and Budget, he left to attend business school and launch Agora Partnerships. Since graduating in 2005, Ben has been named a Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Entrepreneur, a BMW Foundation Young Leader, and an Ashoka Fellow. He was a Social Venture Network Innovation Award honoree in 2009 and named one of the top 40 under 40 development leaders in Washington, DC in 2010. He has an MBA from Columbia University, where we was awarded the inaugural alumni social innovation award, and an MSFS with distinction from Georgetown University. Ben has a BA with high honors from Haverford College, where he co-founded Tres Nacos Quesadillas Delivery and the Lighted Fools improv troupe.  A native of Cambridge, Mass., Ben lives in Washington, DC with his wife and three children.

Ricardo Terán Terán, Managing Partner, Central America

Prior to co-founding Agora Partnerships, Ricardo started a number of successful businesses including Teranet, a satellite communications company; Portal Americas, the country’s first web portal; and the Nicaraguan operations of LOLITA, a women’s clothing store franchise. Ricardo is founder of the Nicaraguan Young Entrepreneurs Association and has worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank. In addition, Ricardo is an Aspen Institute Fellow for the Central American Leadership Initiative and was a finalist for the Aspen Institute’s McNulty Prize. He holds a BS in Business Administration and an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He lives in Managua.

Alejandro Solís, Finance Manager / Enterprise Development Manager

Alejandro has extensive experience in finance and at Agora has been responsible for managing the Agora Venture Fund, the first impact investment fund focusing solely on early-stage companies in Nicaragua. Previously Alejandro served as the Finance Manager at Lácteos Centroamérica and the Finance Director of the Nicaraguan Customs Service. He graduated from the University of Essex in England where he obtained a Masters degree in General Economics.

Daniela Hammeken, Director of Strategic Partnerships

Before joining Agora Partnerships, Daniela worked on child labor issues and developed a girl empowerment program in Ghana. Soon after, Daniela realized the incredible potential of business to solve social and economic challenges, which led to positions in ACCION San Diego, NYC Small Business Services, and microenterprise consulting in Tanzania. Daniela has BA degrees in International Relations and Psychology from the University of Southern California and an MPA from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service. Daniela speaks Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. At Agora, Daniela focuses on building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, fundraising, communication strategy, and branding.  A native of Mexico, she enjoys board games, foosball, and other socially competitive activities.

Dorrit Lowsen, Chief Operating Officer

Dorrit became enchanted with the idea of business as a transformative power while doing research on microfinance as a graduate student at NYU.  To Agora she brings deep experience in technology management, operations and business process improvement.  Dorrit holds an MBA in International Business and Corporate Strategy from the New York University Stern School of Business, an MS from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a BA from Haverford College.  When she’s not in the office, Dorrit is passionate about food, cooking, and the window they provide into other cultures.

Lissette Cuadra, Program Manager

Lissette graduated from the Catholic University (UNICA), where she obtained a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. Lissette also worked for Mercadeo Empresarial, S.A., a regional initiative that united national universities with the private companies in Nicaragua. Lissette started working with Agora in 2007, where she matched local and international consultants with small businesses to provide strategic and managerial assistance. Currently, Lissette leads several projects that promote impact entrepreneurship in Central America, including the Agora Accelerator and MicroMentor.

Roger Teran, Associate

Before joining Agora Partnerships, Roger worked as an Equity Research Analyst at Merrill Lynch, and then as a Market Analyst and Hencorp Becstone, LC, a boutique investment firm with a focus on Latin America. After having Excel ingrained into his eyes, Roger decided to work for an organization that used innovative financial approaches to help spur sustainable development. He graduated from Boston College with a BA in International Relations and Economics. A native of El Salvador, Roger enjoys ice hockey and eating pupusas, and is considered a true hamburger snob by most of his Agora colleagues.

Tatiana Toruño Roustan, Administrative Assistant

Tatiana graduated from the University of Central America (UCA) in Managua, Nicaragua with a degree in Translation with a distinction in English. She has also studied implementation and application of quality standards in accordance with ISO and has more than eight years of experience working with small and medium-sized businesses, including Cadin – BID. development projects. Tatiana received a scholarship from the German Academic Foreign Exchange Service (DAAD) to study German.

Terioska Guillén, Program Assistant

Terioska graduated from the Nicaraguan National Autonomous University (UNAN-León), with a management degree in Touristic Enterprises. She also completed post-graduate classes in Tourism and Sustainable Development. Before Agora, Terioska worked for five years in León’s City Hall, coordinating various projects in touristic development and strategic planning. She also worked in marketing for the León 2000 Foundation’s Barcelona Project local employment initiative.