Industry Director
Bay Area Community Resources

California Hub | USA

Mariana Lopez Quintanilla is an Industry Director with By Area Community Resources (BACR) in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA.  After attending college in her native country, Mariana started her journey in the educational field in Venezuela, working in early childhood education and leading academic and family support services for students with ADHD in 6th – 12th grades.  Her professional career in the U.S. started managing a program for refugee youth with Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services (GCJFS) and The Florida Center of Survivors of Tortured (FCST) – Family and Youth Services in Miami Dade County.  At GCJFS, she led a team of staff and volunteers that ensured families had a support system that helped them understand the educational system and gave students the resources they needed to develop academically and socially to their fullest.  

At BACR, Mariana’s career has evolved over the last 14 years, serving thousands of students who benefit from Family Services (Community School Models) and Expanded Learning Programs (after-school and summer offerings).  Mariana’s purpose has been to serve the whole child by providing high-quality expanded learning programs, mentoring programs, empowering and engaging opportunities for parents, and connections with the community to leverage resources that aim to deliver favorable outcomes for the students and families she serves.  She is passionate about working toward equity in education, implementing strategies to develop quality programs, and finding resources that inspire students and staff to learn and grow.

In 2014, Mariana received the BACR Best Practices Award for the Expanded Learning Industry and a Golden Bell Award from the Marin County Office of Education for Student Programs.  She completed a fellowship in 2016 with the National Equity Project and, in 2020, the National After School Matters Fellowship with the National Institute of Out of School Time.  In 2022, Mariana received a Non-profit Management and Leadership certification from Duke University.  In addition, she is now embarking on the Compassionate System Master Practitioner Certification Program to gain the knowledge and tools to help her implement long-lasting changes by inspiring others to be agents of change in education despite facing different social statuses or political views.