Nelly Florez

Nelly has a Master of Science and Bachelor in Biology with Specialization in Plant Biology, is bilingual (English-Spanish), and has 12 years+ experience working for international research NGOs, supporting global fundraising efforts and bilateral agreements/projects with partners such as Bezos Earth Fund, Sall Family Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, among others.

She has extensive proven experience in prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of funders, leading the coordination of negotiations over US$5 million in gifts. She has knowledge of working with globally distributed teams from different disciplines, backgrounds, and multi-disciplinary stakeholders (funders, scientists, administrative teams) in India, Italy, the U.S., the U.K., and Central and South America. She has experience coordinating regional initiatives, like the Global Plants Initiative, a US$70M initiative funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with a presence in more than 70 countries and 270 partners across the globe.

 Nelly serves as the principal liaison between the Alliance and the two charities, Bioversity International USA, and Bioversity International UK, supporting the organizations’ fundraising and operational needs.  She also coordinates board activities between BI-UK, BI-USA and The Alliance of Bioversity International-CIAT. 

At the Alliance, Nelly leads the development of the platform and internal processess to work with philanthropists. her role includes design of innovative research experiences for donors, coordinating and supporting donor relations.