Our mission is supported by our small team of volunteers in the U.S. and abroad. Our entrepreneurial forces combined with our compassion and determination are the key to our effectiveness.
Our Team.
Maja Muric
Co-Founder, President
and Board Member
Maja is a former professional tennis player from Croatia, a war torn country that has inspired her to get involved in helping children and people in need around the world. Her time from 1991- 2000 as a professional tennis player provided her with the opportunity to see the world and ultimately settle in the USA. Maja has over 20 years of experience working in the non-profit world as an Executive Program Director where she has been responsible for the organization’s infrastructure and program management. In her career Ms. Muric has held a variety of roles needed for the success and implementation of self-sustainable programs around the world. She is currently the Director of Galactic Unite, a Virgin Galactic outreach initiative.
Yanaris Nieves
Co-Founder
and Board Member
Yanaris interest in finding new avenues for economic and social change in national and international impoverished communities led to the foundation of Humanitarian Wave. She has over 15 years of experience in developing and coordinating programs in not for profit sector, and she holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Vermont and a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University. Yanaris is also the co-founder of Argo Performance, an engineering and smart building consulting firm based in San Diego, California.
Sara Clevenger
Director
and Board Member
Sara is recognized in the corporate, university and consulting worlds for her organizational development, communication, assessment and managerial skills. She held executive and management level positions with United Airlines and Stanford University. Within both, she was involved in numerous internal organizational studies where she was called upon to conduct organizational assessments, recommend changes, implement and, in some cases, directly manage the results of those recommendations. Clevenger is a graduate of the University of Arizona and studied organizational development at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business. Over the past sixteen years, Clevenger has provided consulting services to primarily higher education for the purpose of improving organizational effectiveness.
Claudia De Leon
Program
Director
Claudia is based in Zihuatanejo, Mexico and has been with Humanitarian Wave since its inception. She heads up the development of all Humanitarian Wave programs and projects in Mexico. Claudia is a psychologist and her practice is located in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.