Karina Claudio Betancourt (they/them) is a community organizer with over a decade of management, advocacy, policy analysis, fundraising and grant writing experience.

Most recently, Karina launched and directed the Open Society Foundation’s $20 million post-Hurricane Maria investment, and worked to weave connections between advocacy and organizing groups in Puerto Rico and in the diaspora.

Before coming to the Foundation, Karina worked at New York City Council where they served as the Senior Director for Community Engagement.

From 2008 to 2014, they were a staff person at Make the Road New York (MRNY), where they oversaw its LGBTQ Justice Project.  They also helped open MRNY’s new office in Brentwood, Long Island, where they supervised its immigration, housing, civic engagement, and leadership development programs.

At Action Lab they will direct La Tejedora, an initiative that aims to weave connections between Puerto Rican activists living in Puerto Rico and in the Puerto Rican diaspora; and to social justice movements globally. La Tejedora is working towards Puerto Rican self determination by supporting leadership development, increasing the capacity to win public policy campaigns and working to increase sovereignty across a range of issues in Puerto Rico.

Karina grew up in Puerto Rico and attended the University of Puerto Rico for their BA. They moved to NYC in 2007, where they attended and obtained an MA from NYU, and where they lived until 2019. They currently live in San Juan, PR with their dog Mango and many plants.