Maria Guadalupe Torres is a full-time Professor at the University of Sonora, where she serves as head of the Department of Economic-Administrative Sciences, as well as working as a bachelor's and master's thesis advisor. Maria Guadalupe holds a master's degree in administration and a bachelor's degree in public accounting from the University of Sonora. Her research areas include entrepreneurship and competitiveness. She has also been the manager of Business Law Firm (an advice and consultancy center for MiPymes) since 2012. Maria Guadalupe is also a member of the Network of Latin American Studies in Administration and Business (RELAYN) in addition to having published many academic papers. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: Women's Economic Empowerment Leadership Program (WEEL)

As a result of this eight-week program, 52 women gained access to knowledge and tools specially designed to empower entrepreneurs in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. The project involved mentorship and also live training, which taught the participants entrepreneurship skills such as how to create business plans, plan for growth and profitability, and networking and financial skills, allowing the women to transform their lives and businesses at whatever stage they were in. The training program served as a springboard to jumpstart collaboration, learning, teaching, and transforming realities. The WEEL Program brought the best tools, resources, experts, and training to empower women to not only overcome adversities but to take massive action to achieve their goals.

Through the generation of 52 business plans, a direct benefit and impact on the community is through the generation of new ventures, which some of the participants have launched with the help of the skills they gained in the training. This will continue to improve the income level of women and therefore their quality of life, having a huge benefit for the city of Nogales, Mexico well into the future.

Press conference, with representatives from the United States Consulate General in Nogales, Sonora, the Nogalense Institute for Women, and the Department of Economic Development of the Municipality of Nogales, Sonora, along with Maria Guadalupe

Project participants pose with Maria Guadalupe and the Consul General of the United States in Nogales, at the project’s graduation ceremony

"WEEL has been a program with a lot of energy, we always wanted more time to continue learning, [and] they taught me things I didn’t know about how to manage my business." - Maria Guadalupe Torres

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Maria Guadalupe was a participant in the IVLP Project Entrepreneurship as the Engine of Prosperity and Stability - Small Business Development, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center.

Maria Guadalupe's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "Thanks to the experience of the IVLP program in the entrepreneurship modality, I was able to meet and connect with people who have implemented strategies for the economic growth of their regions. Through this project I seek to economically empower women in vulnerable situations through knowledge of tools for the preparation of business plans and therefore make positive changes in my community."

U.S. Communities Visited

Washington, DC; Orlando, FL; Chicago, IL

Country: Mexico 

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