Pretrial Justice Institute
200 East Pratt Street, Suite 4100
Baltimore, MD 21202

(667) 281-9141

Guisela Marroquín
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Guisela Marroquín

Executive Director

she/her/ella

At the forefront of my identity are my Latine roots as an immigrant from Guatemala. From a young age, I became a natural advocate as a result of the adversities my family and I encountered. My culture and the traditions we maintained instilled in me a strong sense of community and taught me about the resilient spirit and creativity of those viewed and treated as “others” within society. My educational journey was also marked with adversity as I navigated being first generation and moving away from family for the first time. However, it allowed me to witness different settings and models which helped me gain a deeper understanding of systems and how different disciplines and sectors intersect and impact one another in support of, or to the detriment of social justice.

The path less traveled led me to community organizing as a means of empowerment and transformative change. I have many years of experience in the non-profit sector, serving in roles as a direct service provider, advocate and crisis manager, pursuing legislative advocacy and litigation efforts at the New York Civil Liberties Union. I served as Director of Training and Engagement at the Advocacy Institute, developing and presenting curriculum for advocates and organizers, strengthening a network of experts to push legislative changes through bilingual tools and training spaces across New York State. I have worked on campaigns that address education, immigrant justice, criminal justice, police accountability and reproductive justice—in particular the intersectionality of all these issues.

My engagement with philanthropy began as a founding member of the Hudson Valley Community Funding Committee at North Star Fund, which I served on for seven years. I then joined the New York Women’s Foundation as a Program Officer and moved up to the role of Senior Director of Programs at the New York Women’s Foundation, overseeing grantmaking and community engagement efforts across the Foundation’s investment strategies. My role included the oversight the Foundation’s two collaborative funds, the Justice Fund and the NYC Fund for Girls and Young Women of Color, both seven-year initiatives in partnership with other funders to maximize investments in the criminal justice space and investments to girls, young women and gender-expansive youth with a racial justice lens. In 2020 I was excited to join the Board of the Pretrial Justice Institute and served as Board Chair since 2022.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences and a Master’s in Social Work with a concentration in Community Organizing, Planning and Development. I live in New York State with my husband and our dog child, Harlee, for Harlem, a birthplace for renaissance and artistry.

What would your colleagues say is your superpower?

That I always bring the whole team along and elevate their leadership. I love the energy and seeing what is possible with a power team! ⚡️