ELIANA GODOY

Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service

Master of Public Administration, May 2011

Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy

Bio and Resume (.pdf)

An immigrant, mother, cultural activist and social entrepreneur, Eliana Godoy developed her interest in social justice while growing up in Bolivia, where she witnessed poverty, dictatorships and discrimination against indigenous communities. As a child, she used performance poetry to express her community's struggles. This landed her a role in a children's television show, where she convinced the producer to include vignettes illustrating the realities of life for street children. After migrating to the U.S., she confronted racism and the hardships that often come with being an immigrant. Her experiences inspired her to start Art for Change, an award-winning organization dedicated to creating innovative art and media programs that inspire people to take an active role in social justice.

Originally based out of her apartment in East Harlem, Art for Change has engaged more than 1,000 emerging and established artists. Through numerous participatory programs, Eliana has created a platform where citizens can play an active role in addressing their own social problems through art. One of AFC's programs, a youth empowerment exchange between Bolivia and the U.S. called "ExplorArte," has been replicated internationally.

Eliana also started Carlitos Café y Galeria, an East Harlem cultural landmark. By presenting cutting edge, community-driven cultural events, film screenings, performances and exhibitions, it inspired a number of community entrepreneurs to begin similar ventures around Harlem.

Eliana's work has been featured and recognized in major Spanish language newspapers and television stations, and by awards such as the Union Square Awards and The Hope Community Leadership Award. She sits on numerous boards, funding panels and curatorial committees, including: Art for Change, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York State Council for the Arts, La Casita at Lincoln Center and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is currently the Executive Director of Girls Career Workshop, an organization dedicated to inspiring girls to pursue higher education.

As a Wagner student and Reynolds Fellow Eliana is studying innovative philosophies and practices employed to address economic development, displacement and emigration. She will use her education to develop a network of small, locally-owned social businesses joined by cooperation and mutual sustenance, allowing people to stay and build within their communities. It will provide an alternative to the dominant mode of addressing economic development and job creation, which tends to focus on attracting corporations and people from outside. She is interested in exploring ventures that provide opportunities for youth, artists and women.