Zak Paster – Founder
After graduating college with a B.S. in Business and a B.A. in Spanish, Zak moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina to work for Zurich Financial Services. During his time there, he helped set up investment and retirement plans for employees working in U.S. multinationals. After Argentina, Zak moved to Brazil and began doing strategy consulting work for local public and private institutions. He also completed an AIESEC internship in the north of Rio de Janeiro, which exposed him to the region where our headquarters are located. After one year in Brazil, Zak founded Community in Action in the Complexo do Alemão favela, establishing a model that has supported our expansion to 10 favelas across the city. His ultimate goal was to design an organization that could act as a platform for social entrepreneurs to deliver community outreach programs, working closely with local residents and NGOs.
After five years in Latin America, Zak returned to the U.S. to complete his MBA with a concentration in Consulting and Sustainable Enterprise at The University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill. For his summer internship, he worked as a Foreign Service Intern for the Department of State at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia and Consulate in Rio de Janeiro. Currently, Zak is working as a Strategy Consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington D.C., primarily focusing on large-scale transformation programs for federal government clients. He provides strategic planning, project management, IT delivery, and operating model design support for diverse public-sector initiatives. During his time at Booz Allen, via the Extension School, he completed a Master of Liberal Arts with a Government concentration at Harvard University.
Luiza Paster – Founder
Luiza is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She has been working with non-governmental organizations that provide social services to underserved residents for the past 20 years. Her involvement with community leaders began when she was in high school. Since then, Luiza has worked in hospitals that attend to cancer and HIV/AIDS patients; she has provided counseling services to impoverished residents in favelas around Rio; and she has collaborated with local schools to provide educational services for underprivileged children.
Luiza helped launch Community in Action when the initial legal processes and business plans were developed in 2004. In April 2005, she oversaw many of the community outreach initiatives, networking with diverse stakeholders throughout Rio’s favelas. She worked with public entities, community organizers, and volunteers to develop social programs and lift Community in Action off the ground. Luiza also recruited new team members to expand the NGO in its infant stages and established many long-term partners to ensure sustainability. Her connection to women in the community drew in many committed volunteers, who are still with us today. Luiza received her B.S. in Business Administration and MBA from the Universidade Catolica de Brasilia.
Laura Ramos – Operations Manager
Laura grew up in Europe and moved to Latin America in 2017 to explore social development projects. She worked in non-profits in rural Honduras, developing a children’s literacy program and coordinating informal education curricula in an underserved community; in Guatemala City, where she worked with victims of sexual abuse and trafficking through community outreach, education and empowerment workshops; and in Colombia where she consulted on international projects for women’s empowerment through financial inclusion.
She speaks five languages (English, Spanish, German, Portuguese and French), has a degree in Product Design from Bournemouth University (UK), and is currently studying for a certificate in Human Sexuality Education at University of Michigan (USA).
Evie Ross – Strategic Advisor
Evie grew up in Norwich, England and graduated from The University of Nottingham in 2017, with a B.A. in Spanish and Portuguese. During her degree, Evie spent a year in Barcelona and Rio de Janeiro. Her time in Rio de Janeiro was spent volunteering in Rocinha, where she developed her passion for social work and Brazil. After graduating, Evie was keen to return to Rio de Janeiro and continue working in the communities, leading her to join Community in Action in November 2017.
Rosângela Maria dos Santos – Administrative Manager
Rosângela lives in the Complexo do Alemão favela with her husband, son, and daughter (one mile from Community in Action). Rosângela has been working with Community in Action as the Administrative Manager since 2006 and was one of our founding Board members. She is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization: managing local finances, registering students and volunteers, teaching classes on sandal decoration, and continuously networking with community stakeholders.
Rosângela believes that Community in Action has enormous potential, given the collaborative environment and the popularity in the favela. She looks back when this project began and marvels at the growth that has taken place since 2004. She says Community in Action has changed her life and has given her the opportunity to become a leader. For 20 years, Rosangela worked as a house-keeper and was never given autonomy for what she did. At Community in Action, however, she is known as a primary community liaison and is loved by everyone involved.
Jorge Batista – Community Leader
Jorge lives in the Manguinhos favela and is currently studying Nanotechnology at Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). He joined the Community in Action team in 2015 when we partnered with his urban garden project in Manguinhos. Since then, Jorge has been a key team player, offering support and advice to implement many outreach projects throughout Rio de Janeiro, helping with day-to-day operations while working closely with volunteers.
Tamires Domingos – Community Leader
Tamires lives in the Vidigal favela and is the director of Playlife, one of our NGO community partners. She joined the Community in Action team in 2016 when we partnered with her soccer and English project. Since this time, she has been an integral part of our athletic and educational programming, working hard to develop a large community space in Vidigal, communicating with key stakeholders throughout her community, and supporting many international volunteers.
Walmir dos Santos – Brazil Board Chair
Walmir was born in Rio de Janeiro and grew up in the Complexo do Alemão. He has been with Community in Action, as an active Board member and advocate, since we began in 2004. Walmir not only knows everyone in the community, which has helped build our local network over the past eight years, but he also understands the importance of keeping this vision alive to continue offering educational services in the favela. His dedication and commitment to the NGO has helped us navigate the legal landscape of non-profits in Brazil and establish partners throughout the region. In addition, Walmir’s insight and awareness of the environment has allowed us to shape programs that target those in most need.
Walmir works as a community health agent for the municipality of Rio. He spends his days visiting homes in the area to support residents with health problems, while promoting health prevention best practices. He stopped studying when he was only 13 and began working full-time. After joining our team, however, he returned to school and is now is studying pedagogy at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UREJ) (one of the best universities in the state). Walmir hopes to continue working for the government, either at the state or federal level. Although he has many priorities, he stops by our main office almost every day. His commitment to community outreach and social change are above and beyond the norm. Walmir is a community leader and an indispensable member of our team.
Tia Bete – Local Board Member
Tia Bete has lived in the Complexo do Alemão since she was 10 years old and has been actively involved in social work throughout the community for the past 40 years. She is a mother, grandmother, and a friend to many people in the community. Tia Bete is currently the director at Oca Dos Curumins, a community center and NGO that hosts hundreds of children and adults every week, offering: literacy classes, tutoring services, capoeira training, computer training, women’s empowerment groups, cultural events, seminars, and much more!
Tia Bete joined the Community in Action team in 2009 and helps with key decision making regarding local activities. She also supports day-to-day operations and works directly with CiA team members and volunteers.
Local Volunteers and Partners
Aside from this operations team, we work with countless volunteers in the region to sustain our programs. Community residents teach classes, provide manual labor support, and continuously offer their services in-kind or at discount prices. In addition, we work with partners throughout the Complexo do Alemão to develop new outreach programs that make the biggest impact. NGOs, schools as well as public and private institutions allow us to work through unique avenues reaching those most in need. Without the local Community in Action network, we would not be where we are today. They are the true change agents behind this vision.