Carla Budesinsky Santillan

Public Affairs Coordinator

Carla hails from Tucson, Arizona. She went on to graduate from Northwestern University in 2009 with her bachelor’s degree in political science and history with a focus on Latin America. She spent the next two years teaching English in Seoul, South Korea, and then returned to Tucson and the University of Arizona to earn her dual masters’ degrees in Public Administration and Latin American Studies in 2015.

During her time in graduate school, she taught Spanish for undergraduates and went on to learn Portuguese to conduct her master’s thesis research in Brazil on human rights and military dictatorship history. She also volunteered at the International Rescue Committee, where she worked with refugees and members of the Latino community on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services procedures and policies, as well as served as a Spanish interpreter. In 2016 she moved to Washington, D.C. and shortly thereafter joined our public affairs team.

Carla’s favorite drink? “It’s a toss-up between bourbon on the rocks or an añejo tequila, neat.”

Something you should know about Carla? “I am a soccer fan and my favorite team is Argentina. I have traveled and attended games at two World Cup tournaments: Germany 2006 and Brazil 2014.”