New Executive Director of El Hogar Projects in Honduras Announced
February 3, 2020The Board of Directors of El Hogar Ministries (EHMI) is pleased to announce that Denise Vargas has been hired as the new Executive Director of El Hogar Projects (EHP) in Honduras – the first native Honduran Executive Director in the organization’s 40-year history. This decision comes after an extensive search and selection process that began in the spring of 2019.
Denise has over 20 years of executive-level experience, specializing in strategic planning, business model innovation, organizational development, and entrepreneurship. She has led and directly contributed to the growth of a variety of organizations both in the private and nonprofit sector, combining successful market strategies with process optimization, and team strengthening for agile and collaborative decision-making. She has a passion for learning and personal transformation and has been involved in developing executive education programs for entrepreneurs and young adults as an independent consultant. Denise holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Universidad Tecnológica de México (UNITEC/ITESM) with emphasis on finance, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in psychology and in romance languages from Dartmouth College. She is a fellow of the Central American Leadership Initiative (CALI) and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN). Denise is a poet, editor, and cultural activist. She lives in Honduras.
“I am truly excited to have been selected as the new Executive Director of El Hogar Projects in Honduras, and deeply compelled by its mission to provide vulnerable children with the opportunity to become the future leaders of Honduras. I am committed to furthering its vision of incorporating a more entrepreneurial endeavor into its educational framework.”
Denise will take over the day-to-day operations of El Hogar Projects from the Rev. Matthew Engleby – EHP’s Executive Director since 2011. Throughout his nine-year tenure, Matt’s passion and commitment to the welfare and empowerment of EHP’s students has made a lasting impact on them, their families, and their communities.
Matt has agreed to extend his work with El Hogar through the end of 2020 to focus on a series of important strategic tasks in Honduras, and to continue to contribute to fundraising operations in the U.S. Matt will now hold the title of Chief Strategy Officer.
