Karina Claudio Betancourt

Karina Claudio Betancourt (they/them) is a community organizer with over a decade of management, advocacy, policy analysis, fundraising and grant writing experience.

Most recently, Karina launched and directed the Open Society Foundation’s $20 million post-Hurricane Maria investment, and worked to weave connections between advocacy and organizing groups in Puerto Rico and in the diaspora.

Before coming to the Foundation, Karina worked at New York City Council where they served as the Senior Director for Community Engagement.

From 2008 to 2014, they were a staff person at Make the Road New York (MRNY), where they oversaw its LGBTQ Justice Project. They also helped open MRNY’s new office in Brentwood, Long Island, where they supervised its immigration, housing, civic engagement, and leadership development programs.

Kari is currently directing La Tejedora, a Puerto Rican-led initiative which is building an infrastructure for movement leaders on the archipelago to fight alongside allies in the diaspora and globally for Puerto Rican self-determination, decolonization and climate justice. La Tejedora is being incubated and amplified at the Action Lab.

Kari grew up in Puerto Rico and attended the University of Puerto Rico for their BA. They moved to NYC in 2007, where they attended and obtained an MA from NYU, and where they lived until 2019. They currently live in San Juan, PR with their dog Mango and many plants