Monique Mancilla
Director of Operations
Why IOI:
Opting for complete transparency, IOI's Sustainability and Strategic Partnership Director, Daniel, is my husband and had been working for IOI for some time when the opportunity arose to join the team. I had already heard so much about IOI's exciting projects, their contribution to conservation and the local community, and sharing this data with the rest of the Study Abroad and International Volunteering Industry and so with a background in marine biology, conservation, volunteering and volunteer management both in and out of the field, joining the IOI team just made sense.
My IOI role:
I am IOI's Director of Operations. This means that I’m involved in most aspects of the running of our programs in Galapagos. I am the point of contact for all of our program volunteers, group participants, agents, students, professors and visiting researchers, serving as the go-between for participants and field staff. I also work closely with field staff on field logistics, training, and enforcing Health and Safety. As someone who has volunteered and worked both in the field and in the office for various NGOs and other volunteer organizations, my experience and attention to detail work hand in hand to make sure that all of our participants and field staff have all of the information they need so that everyone has a fantastic experience during every stage of the process.
Life prior to IOI:
In 2005 I made my way to Mahahual, Mexico to volunteer on a Marine Conservation project with GVI (Global Vision International). I was asked to stay on as part of the field team and ended up spending nearly 4 years living and working in the field in Mahahual and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve in Tulum, Mexico where I was Expedition Leader, Divemaster, boat captain and where my passion most lied- trainer to our volunteers of the local fish and coral species as well as reef monitoring techniques. This experience inspired me to return to university to complete an MSc in Water and Coastal Management as part of a joint European Masters in Plymouth, UK and Cadiz, Spain. I fell in love with the south of Spain and stayed to work on my thesis in a subject new to me- the effect of nutrients in the sea grass meadows in the Cadiz Bay. From there I moved to Costa Rica, back to Mexico, had babies, moved to Cape Town, South Africa, eventually back to Mexico, and now I’m living in Mallorca. In the interim I’ve worked for GVI and a Namibian NGO, OANA, as well as worked as an Emergency First Response and SCUBA dive instructor and started a small business selling reusable, sustainable outdoor products on Amazon.
Just me:
I’m from the US but have been living abroad since 2005. I’m repeating myself here but it speaks to who I am:
In 2005 I made my way to Mahahual, Mexico to volunteer on a Marine Conservation project with GVI. What I didn’t know was that I would fall absolutely in love with the coral reef, diving, the Mexican culture, speaking Spanish and the field team. They asked me to stay and this completely changed my life! I had been passionate about conservation since I was a kid and my many years as a competitive swimmer and ocean-enthusiast growing up on the coasts of New Jersey and California made me and marine conservation in the Mexican Caribbean the perfect fit!
This led to further studies, living in other countries, amazing travel experiences, SCUBA diving whenever and wherever I can and now, trying to create a passion for conservation, asking questions, and love for the outdoors in my inquisitive and thankfully, already very conservation-minded kids.
