Maria Mesa: Trustee

Trustee

Maria was co-opted to C3SC’s Board in April 2020.

 

I arrived in Wales from Colombia as a political refugee in 1978.

Over the past 40 years, I have been actively involved within the third sector in Wales, in particular developing innovative organisations, projects, and services that respond to the needs of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities. I am the founding member of the Black Association of Women Step Out (BAWSO Women’s Aid), AWETU mental health project, Multicultural Crossroads, the Black Voluntary Sector Network Wales (BVSNW). As a qualified social worker, trainer, adult educator, I combine a broad range of community development, management and grass roots experience with strategic visioning and cross sector partnership working.

I have over ten years’ experience of working at high level management within voluntary and community sectors.

I have a keen interest in the role of women, and BME people within civic society where I have been instrumental in the development of projects and forums that allow groups to be actively engaged with their communities to inform policy development across Wales and the UK.