Welcoming Alejandra Sanchez to the Concordia Team

We’re excited to have recently welcomed Alejandra Sanchez to our team as Partnerships Coordinator. She holds a double degree in sociology and psychology from Wesleyan University and previously worked at Open Society Foundations developing advocacy communications for women’s rights and domestic violence issues. As Partnerships Coordinator, Alejandra researches programming opportunities and provides networking and membership support to our community. This week, we sat down with her to learn more about her background and vision.

In your opinion, what is the most important aspect of a Concordia partnership? What do you look for in a partner organization? 

As a long-time supporter and advocate of womxn’s rights, my first instinct when evaluating partnerships is to see how organizations are centering womxn in their mission and advocacy. This means that I look for how women entrepreneurs are being supported, whether those who choose to be mothers are afforded childcare and maternal health care, or whether young women are being protected and their educational needs are being met. 

How has your advocacy work at Open Society Foundations prepared you for this role with Concordia?

I think my experience at Open Society Foundations has given me the tools to speak up when I see that we shouldn’t partner with a particular company, due to my knowledge of, for example, an open lawsuit or problematic history in a region. It is important not to sacrifice integrity because it is a slippery slope, and I try to remind myself and the people I work with of that. Once you let one thing slide, it is much easier to do it again, and then we are simply reproducing systems of violence that hurt those we are trying to help. 

Concordia aims to advance a more sustainable, equitable future. What does that future look like to you?

I think every corporation should be invested in social impact. That department should be the priority when climate change, women’s reproductive rights, children’s welfare, refugee safety, etc. are constantly threatened. Sustainability is about choice, and some of our choices are more impactful than others’ choices. Every day, we make decisions that will affect us in the short term and long term, and the decisions made by corporations with immense monetary power weigh more! Thus, sustainability needs to become an instinct rather than an afterthought. 

For more, you can find Alejandra’s bio here.