Fellows

Fellow Chris Truglia working with an Agora Entrepreneur

The Agora Fellowship offers talented individuals the opportunity to play a meaningful leadership role in Agora Partnerships while doing cutting edge work in the field of impact investing and impact entrepreneurship. Graduates of the program join an amazing group of alumni, many of whom attend top business schools, start their own businesses, or work for organizations in the field. The Agora Fellowship provides an incredible opportunity for Fellows to work with entrepreneurs and local Agora staff in Managua.

Meet our current Fellows:

Calvin Shabb, Portfolio Manager

Start date: January 2012

Calvin hails from Winchester, Virginia. Growing up on a farm gave him a taste for the outdoors and getting dirty. He attended Roanoke College earning a BA in International Relations and Spanish. After college he took two years to explore southern Spain while working in a public language school as an English teaching assistant. He returned to complete a MA in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University School of Public Policy, Arlington, VA, and enjoyed his year-long internship at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation in the Small and Medium Enterprise Finance department. Calvin enjoys good food and good music, and hopes to open a restaurant with his two brothers near the family farm in the future.

Renee Ledoux, Investor & Community Relations

Start date: November 2011

 Renee studied psychology and international studies at Boston College. She studied abroad in Dresden, Germany and has traveled throughout Bolivia, Mexico and most recently the U.S. and Canada. Before joining Agora, Renee worked as a Program Manager with Oikocredit, a private Dutch investing institution that invests worldwide in MFIs, Cooperatives, Fair Trade Orgs and SMEs. Renee is particularly interested in learning about sustainable construction techniques and using her amateur electrical skills, and enjoys almost any outdoor activity, especially those involving water.

Karina Vadillo, Portfolio Manager

Start date: January 2012

Karina most recently served as a Senior Portfolio Associate at a non-profit social investment fund, Root Capital, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At Root Capital, where she began as an intern during college, she executed transactions for a portfolio of $50 million under management to clients across Latin America and Africa. In addition, she collected data towards the organization’s social value metrics for impact assessment. Prior to Root Capital, Karina volunteered in San Jorge, Nicaragua for Global Learning, where she provided lessons to underserved elementary schools. Additionally, she spent her junior year studying in Cordoba, Spain. Karina holds a BA in Economics and Latin American Studies from Wellesley College. Born in Peru and raised in Los Angeles, she enjoys running, eating locally and healthy, traveling, and the Lakers.