Population Council Research that makes a difference

Alejandra Maria Colom

Program Director

Alejandra Colom is a social scientist with 10 years' experience conducting applied research, developing and managing projects related to adolescence, natural resource management, and local governance in Central America, East Timor, the United States, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Currently, she acts as program coordinator for the Population Council's Guatemala office, overseeing "Abriendo Oportunidades" and maternal health projects.

As an applied anthropologist, she has participated in several multidisciplinary projects in conflict and post-conflict contexts. Prior to joining the Council in June 2010, she was associate director of Rainforest Alliance's forestry program in Guatemala. She also worked as a consultant for the World Wildlife Fund, Agreco, and other national and international organizations dedicated to conservation, livelihoods, forestry, and sustainable development.

Colom holds a B.A. in cultural anthropology from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, a master’s in applied anthropology from the University of Maryland, and is currently working on her dissertation to obtain her Ph.D. in anthropology at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.