Hello/Hola

A Bit About Me

I'm a highly competent and resourceful bilingual professional with over 15 years of experience with problem-solving proficiency and extensive experience leading multidisciplinary teams in Cross-functional program coordination, sustainable development of Indigenous Communities, environmental education, communication, and marketing.

I firmly believe that by integrating innovative perspectives, embracing diversity, and leveraging emerging technologies, organizations can strengthen their resilience and foster sustainable growth.

Bio

Rocío Torres Moguel is strongly dedicated to working at the intersection of environmental protection, education and community development.

With over 15+ years of senior leadership in international nonprofits and social impact programs across Mexico and Latin America, she has planned and implemented all operations in conservation programs, as well as branding biodiversity campaigns for Indigenous communties.

She was selected by the Women's Earth Alliance (WEA) in 2022 as one of the 23 North American leaders who participated in the Grassroots Accelerator program. The program's goal is to empower women who work in conservation to count on the necessary support network and generate results with a greater impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Rocío Torres led the 40-person team at the Sonoran Institute (SI) until July of 2022, dedicated to the restoration of riparian ecosystems, conservation of flora and fauna, hydrology, communication, and environmental education.

Rocío's team at the SI was awarded the 2019 Mexican Federal Government's Nature Conservation Honorable Mention.

In 2020, at the pandemic's start, Rocio developed and executed a training program to strengthen her team's resilience, communication, teamwork, trust, and collaboration. She designed this program to ensure they were prepared to deal with the uncertainty of the times while meeting their objectives, which had to adapt to hybrid work, remote onboarding, and new-hire orientation. By March 2022, her team delivered results that granted them national and international recognition by monitoring the federal water flows of the Colorado River coming from the United States to Mexico for the second time in history. This is the only agreement of its kind in the world between two countries to deliver federal water for environmental purposes with successful results. The Delta program was awarded the first donation given by Amazon Mexico in 2022.

As director of the CRDP, she managed all projects on-site involving partners and donors in the U.S. and Mexico. She served as the media spokesperson for national and international media. Rocío developed bilingual social media and branding campaigns with a small team of two persons and a limited budget. They achieved a 100% increase in Facebook followers in one year (from 5,000 to 11,500 followers approx.).

Rocío defined and developed Sonoran Institute’s first Environmental Education web platform launched by Dr. José Sarukhán Kermez, former Director of the National Commission of Biodiversity (CONABIO) in Mexico. The first online course about the history of the Colorado River had more than 350 participants during its first year from middle school to University levels. The result was 3 times greater than the established goal due to the communication strategy with the support of CONABIO.

Identifying innovative approaches and improved solutions for conservation challenges both motivate and drive Rocío. In 2012, she created the Sustainable Business Area in the National Commission for Protected Areas in Mexico, following the Union for Ethical Bio Trade and Fair-Trade Standards. She accomplished a nationwide program that supported Indigenous Communities in and around protected areas to develop nature-friendly products and services. This program was so successful that it continues strengthening Indigenous families' capacities and the well-being of endangered species like monarch butterflies, jaguars, tapirs, and leatherback turtles.

Her experience creating branding biodiversity & marketing campaigns and producing videos of Indigenous projects in natural protected areas with professional filmmakers has effectively increased sales of their sustainable products and services. Rocío has negotiated and collaborated on projects with governmental agencies: GIZ-Germany, AFD-France, AECID-Spain, JICA-Japan, and with NGOs, artists, and chefs to promote sustainable products and eco-tourism services.

Rocío Torres has been a sustainability consultant for the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and the United Nations Development Program (PNUD). She has worked all over her country, from the Biosphere Reserve of Ría Lagartos in the Yucatán Península, the Monarch Butterfly Reserve in Michoacán, to the Colorado River Delta in Baja California - U.S. border.

She has held conferences in the United States, Peru, and Chile regarding her work with Indigenous Communities in World Heritage Sites - Protected Areas in Mexico. In 2018, Rocío published the article "Strategy for the Creation, Strengthening, and Consolidation of sustainable projects in local communities designated as World Heritage Sites," Santiago de Chile / International Seminar on World Heritage Sites, Chile-Mexico Binational Cooperation.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Rocío's graduate studies at the Japan International Cooperation Agency focused on sustainable development and environmental education for local communities. She also has an MA in Museum Studies and a B.A. in Graphic Design from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. Rocío speaks, reads, and writes fluently Spanish, English, and French.