Staff and Board

As a member of the team of Conectas since 2006, Asano has a degree in International Relations and a master’s in Political Science from the University of São Paulo. At the organization, she has coordinated the Foreign Policy and Human Rights program, the Strengthening Democratic Space program and she also served as the NGO’s program director. Asano served two terms on the National Human Rights Council, from 2017 to 2020, and she is a member of the São Paulo Municipal Council for Migrant Policy. In 2019, she received the Beth Lobo Women’s Human Rights Award from the São Paulo state legislature.

Júlia Neiva is the former coordinator of the Defense of Socioenvironmental Rights program at Conectas and one of its founders. A lawyer from the Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP), she holds an LL.M. from Columbia University-NY and is a doctoral student in the Human Rights Program at the University of São Paulo Law School. She serves on the Board of Directors of the French human rights organization Sherpa and is a collaborating member of the Arns Commission. 

Gabriel Sampaio is the former coordinator of the program to Combat Institutional Violence and of the Strategic Litigation area of Conectas. He is a lawyer and holds a master’s in Social Relations Law from the Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP). He served as Secretary of Legislative Affairs at the Ministry of Justice from 2014 to 2016 and as a member of the National Criminal and Prison Policy Council from 2016 to 2017 and the National Human Rights Council from 2014 to 2016. He was also a legal advisor at the Brazilian Senate between 2016 and 2019. He is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the São Paulo Police Ombudsman’s Office.

Marcos Fuchs is a lawyer from the Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP). As one of the founders of Conectas, he has been part of the team since 2001, supporting the program to Combat Institutional Violence and the Strategic Litigation and Financial Administration areas. Marcos served as a member of the National Criminal and Prison Policy Council (2013 – 2019) and as vice president of the São Paulo Community Council (2012 – 2014). He is also the executive director and founder of the Pro-Bono Institute. In 2014, he received the Márcio Thomaz Bastos medal from the Ministry of Justice and, in 2015, the pro-bono lawyer of the year award from the International Bar Association.

Andre Degenszajn is the Executive Director of Instituto Ibirapitanga, a foundation created in 2017 by Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles. He was Secretary-General of GIFE, the Brazilian association of foundations, from 2013 to 2017. He has a Masters in International Relations from the Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP) and was a professor of International Relations from 2007 to 2011. He was a founding member of Conectas Human Rights, where he currently serves at the board. He is also a board member of Oxfam Brasil.

President of the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (ANTRA). Anti-fascist military officer, sergeant in the Brazilian Navy, transvestite, feminist. Founder of Marsha Trans Brasil. Coordinator of the annual survey on violence against the trans population since 2017 and researcher on trans people in elections and political violence. She has published research on the situation of trans people in the prison system and booklets on safety for the LGBTQIA+ community. Deputy coordinator of the LGBTQIA+ Legal Clinic/UFF (Fluminense Federal University) and the Preparanem Niterói social entrance exam since 2016. Full member of the National Council for Women's Rights. Laureate of the Marielle Franco Human Rights Medal by the Niterói City Council and the ALERJ Women Citizen Diploma. Elected one of the 100 pioneering women in political leadership by Woman of the world (WoW) and winner of the Faz Diferença Award from the newspaper O Globo Niterói RJ. She is part of Bilboard's Over30 list and of the 100 LGBTQIA+ professionals who build desirable futures.

Foi diretora executiva da Conectas Direitos Humanos de 2005-2011. Anteriormente, foi assessora para a área de Paz, Segurança e Direitos Humanos da United Nations Foundation e para o Programa de Parceria contra a Pobreza e a Exclusão Social da Comunidade Solidária em Brasília; e pesquisadora sênior do Núcleo de Estudos da Violência da Universidade de São Paulo. Ela trabalhou para o Alto Comissariado das Nações Unidas para os Refugiados em vários países (1975-1988). Possui pós-graduação em Economia e Relações Internacionais pelo Graduate Institute of International Studies de Genebra e bacharelado em Economia da Universidade do Cairo.

Marcelo Furtado is the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) and partner at ZScore a traceability platform for environmental assets using blockchain technology. Board Chair at World Resources Institute (WRI) Brazil. Member of the sustainability committee at Duratex SA. Executive director of Alana Family Foundation from July 2018 to March 2020 and co-founder of Believe.Earth. Served from 2016 to June 2018 as the facilitator of the Brazilian Coalition on Climate Forest and Agriculture. Chemical engineer by training with a master degree in renewable energy. Lemann Fellow and a member of the Yale World Fellow program (2011). Executive Director at Arapyaú Institute (2013 to 2017) family foundation that promotes sustainability, justice, education and political activism. Executive Director of Greenpeace Brazil (2008 to 2013).

Natalia Viana is the co-founder and executive director of Agência Pública. She is the author and co-author of five investigative books. Her most recent work, "Dano Colateral" (ed. Objetiva), about civilians killed by the Army, was a finalist for the Shining Light Award from the Global Network of Investigative Journalists, received the Human Rights Journalism Award, and received an honorable mention at the Vladimir Herzog Award for Amnesty and Human Rights. As a reporter and editor, she has won numerous journalism awards, including the Vladimir Herzog, Comunique-se, Trofeu Mulher Imprensa, Gabriel García Márquez, and Ortega y Gasset awards. In 2018, she was recognized as a social entrepreneur by the Ashoka network and joined the Board of Trustees of the Gabriel García Márquez Foundation. A Nieman Fellow at Harvard, she is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Media Integrity of the OAS.

Director of the São Paulo Law School at Fundação Getulio Vargas, where he is Professor of Constitutional Law. Graduated in Law from PUC-SP (1988), Master in Law from Columbia University (1995), Doctorate in Political Science from University of São Paulo (1998) and Postdoctoral from Center for Brazilian Studies (St. Antonies College, Oxford University.) He was Executive Director of Conectas Human Rights and the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime - Brazil, as well as State Attorney in São Paulo.

Journalist and Lawyer. PhD in Public Policy, Strategies and Development at UFRJ, with a thesis on Lobby in the National Congress. Master in Social Policy from the State University of the North Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro - UENF with sandwich at the Free University of Brussels - ULB, Belgium. Policy / Advocacy professional with over 15 years of experience. She is currently a Specialist in Regional Humanitarian Access (Latin America) in the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) - Belgium. He was Institutional Relations and responsible for advocacy at MSF Brasil for 5 years. She was project / advocacy coordinator at the Brazilian AIDS Interdisciplinary Association - ABIA, where she coordinated REBRIP's Intellectual Property Working Group, which brought together 17 civil society organizations, for seven years. She is a professor of Advocacy and Humanitarian Aid in the Professional Master's Degree in Analysis and Management of International Policies: Conflict Resolution and Development Cooperation (MAPI) at PUC Rio.

Sueli Carneiro holds a PhD in Education from USP (University of São Paulo) and founder of Geledés - Instituto de Mulher Negra. Theoretical of the issue of gender and race, created the only Brazilian program of guidance in the area of ​​physical and mental health specific to black women. In 1988 she was invited to join the National Council for the Feminine Condition in Brasilia. She is the author of "Racism, Sexism and Inequality in Brazil", which presents the main advances in overcoming the inequalities created by the practice of racial discrimination.

Theodomiro Dias holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Law School of the Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC/SP), a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Wisconsin (United States) and a Doctor of Laws from the University of Saarland (Germany). He works as a criminal lawyer in São Paulo.

Heloisa Motoki is the founder of Quali Contábil, Influencer of the Women Entrepreneur Network, Special Consultant on the Forum Contábeis website. Graduated in MBA in Controlling, Graduated in Accounting and Accounting Technician, participant in the Entrepreneurship program by FGV / Goldman Sachs - 10,000 women. For 22 years in the accounting market, he has been working directly with small and medium companies in São Paulo.

Luigi Puntel is graduated in Business Administration for PUC-SP, with MBA in Commercial Management for FGV-SP. Specialist in Solution Selling (Sandler Training Brasil 2015/2017), Internationally Certified by PMP® Institute (Project Manager Preparation Training Tech Mahindra2014) and Certificate of Negotiation Communication (Brazilian Society of Neolinguistic Programming - SBPNL). Commercial executive with over 12 years of progressive sales experience. Currently responsible for managing accounts and technology operations for large companies in the Retail segment at Linx S.A., acting for leverage and territorial development, contract negotiation, P&L administration, forecast management and sales pipeline.

Anamaria Schindler is a member of the leadership of Ashoka, an international organization with a focus on social entrepreneurship and social change. She was Global Co-President of Ashoka from 2005 to 2008 and is currently responsible for the organization’s strategy in Latin America. She founded and directed the Arapyaú Institute in Brazil from 2008 to 2011 and worked exclusively with human rights between 1986 and 1995 at the Center for the Study of Violence of the University of São Paulo and also as a columnist for the Valor Econômico newspaper from 2000 to 2005. Schindler is a sociologist with a Master’s and a Doctorate in Sociology from the University of São Paulo and she serves on the boards of a number of civil society organizations in Brazil and Latin America.

Andre Degenszajn is the Executive Director of Instituto Ibirapitanga, a foundation created in 2017 by Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles. He was Secretary-General of GIFE, the Brazilian association of foundations, from 2013 to 2017. He has a Masters in International Relations from the Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP) and was a professor of International Relations from 2007 to 2011. He was a founding member of Conectas Human Rights, where he currently serves at the board. He is also a board member of Oxfam Brasil.

President of the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (ANTRA). Anti-fascist military officer, sergeant in the Brazilian Navy, transvestite, feminist. Founder of Marsha Trans Brasil. Coordinator of the annual survey on violence against the trans population since 2017 and researcher on trans people in elections and political violence. She has published research on the situation of trans people in the prison system and booklets on safety for the LGBTQIA+ community. Deputy coordinator of the LGBTQIA+ Legal Clinic/UFF (Fluminense Federal University) and the Preparanem Niterói social entrance exam since 2016. Full member of the National Council for Women's Rights. Laureate of the Marielle Franco Human Rights Medal by the Niterói City Council and the ALERJ Women Citizen Diploma. Elected one of the 100 pioneering women in political leadership by Woman of the world (WoW) and winner of the Faz Diferença Award from the newspaper O Globo Niterói RJ. She is part of Bilboard's Over30 list and of the 100 LGBTQIA+ professionals who build desirable futures.

Denise Dora holds a degree in Juridical and Social Sciences from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (1983), a master's degree in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex (2000), and a Master's degree in History, Politics and Cultural Goods from the Research and Documentation Center of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, Rio de Janeiro (2011). She has extensive experience as a lawyer specialized in Human Rights, was a Professor at the Law School of the Rio dos Sinos Valley and the Ritter dos Reis University Center and a researcher at the Center for Applied Juridical Research at the FGV São Paulo Law School. Participated in various councils and directorates of civil society organizations, such as the Brazilian Fund for Human Rights, Action Aid and THEMIS - Gender, Justice and Human Rights.

Douglas Belchior, Historian graduated from PUC-SP. He was a member of the National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents. Founder of Uneafro Brasil and member of the Black Coalition for Rights.

Flavia Regina de Souza is a lawyer who graduated from the University of São Paulo Law School and specialized in Tax Law at the Catholic University of São Paulo. She is a partner at the Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados law firm, responsible for its Third Sector Law Department. She has published articles and presented papers on the third sector and pro bono lawyering at national and international conferences, and is a member of the Third Sector Law Commission at the São Paulo chapter of the Brazilian Bar Association. Souza teaches the “Legal Aspects of the Third Sector” module of the “Management Principles for Third Sector Organizations” course of PEC/FGV - Continued Education Program of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, and is the coordinator and a professor of the “Law for the Third Sector” course of GVLaw - Continued Education Program of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation Law School.

Hélio Menezes is an anthropologist, works as a researcher, critic and curator. Graduated in International Relations and Social Sciences, he holds a master's and doctoral degree in Social Anthropology from the University of São Paulo. He is curator of Contemporary Art at the Centro Cultural São Paulo and at the Osório César Art Museum. He was international coordinator of the World Social Forum in Belém (2009), Dakar (2011) and Tunis (2013); and a fellow at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences-Po Paris, 2007) and at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM, 2013). He has been developing research on anti-racist art and politics, modes of sociability and territorialization of black cultural practices in urban contexts, places of the black body in art and anthropological image theory.

Heloisa Motoki is the founder of Quali Contábil, Influencer of the Women Entrepreneur Network, Special Consultant on the Forum Contábeis website. Graduated in MBA in Controlling, Graduated in Accounting and Accounting Technician, participant in the Entrepreneurship program by FGV / Goldman Sachs - 10,000 women. For 22 years in the accounting market, he has been working directly with small and medium companies in São Paulo.

Luigi Puntel is graduated in Business Administration for PUC-SP, with MBA in Commercial Management for FGV-SP. Specialist in Solution Selling (Sandler Training Brasil 2015/2017), Internationally Certified by PMP® Institute (Project Manager Preparation Training Tech Mahindra2014) and Certificate of Negotiation Communication (Brazilian Society of Neolinguistic Programming - SBPNL). Commercial executive with over 12 years of progressive sales experience. Currently responsible for managing accounts and technology operations for large companies in the Retail segment at Linx S.A., acting for leverage and territorial development, contract negotiation, P&L administration, forecast management and sales pipeline.

Malak El-Chichini Poppovic is an independent consultant and was executive director of Conectas Human Rights from 2005 to 2011. Before this, she worked as an advisor for the Peace, Security and Human Rights portfolio of the United Nations Foundation and for the Solidarity Community Partnership Program against Poverty and Social Exclusion, in Brasília, and as a senior researcher at the Center for the Study of Violence of the University of São Paulo. She has worked for the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees in various countries (1975-1988). She holds a postgraduate degree in Economics and International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva and a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Cairo.

Margarida Bulhões Pedreira Genevois, graduated in Social Sciences from the São Paulo School of Sociology and Politics. She has served as president of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of São Paulo and as a member of the Human Rights Commission of the University of São Paulo (USP). She was also a member of the National Council on Women’s Rights and one of the founders of the Brazil Human Rights Fund. In 2008, she received the title of “São Paulo Citizen” for the representativeness of her work in human rights.

Marcelo Furtado is the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) and partner at ZScore a traceability platform for environmental assets using blockchain technology. Board Chair at World Resources Institute (WRI) Brazil. Member of the sustainability committee at Duratex SA. Executive director of Alana Family Foundation from July 2018 to March 2020 and co-founder of Believe.Earth. Served from 2016 to June 2018 as the facilitator of the Brazilian Coalition on Climate Forest and Agriculture. Chemical engineer by training with a master degree in renewable energy. Lemann Fellow and a member of the Yale World Fellow program (2011). Executive Director at Arapyaú Institute (2013 to 2017) family foundation that promotes sustainability, justice, education and political activism. Executive Director of Greenpeace Brazil (2008 to 2013).

Natalia Viana is the co-founder and executive director of Agência Pública. She is the author and co-author of five investigative books. Her most recent work, "Dano Colateral" (ed. Objetiva), about civilians killed by the Army, was a finalist for the Shining Light Award from the Global Network of Investigative Journalists, received the Human Rights Journalism Award, and received an honorable mention at the Vladimir Herzog Award for Amnesty and Human Rights. As a reporter and editor, she has won numerous journalism awards, including the Vladimir Herzog, Comunique-se, Trofeu Mulher Imprensa, Gabriel García Márquez, and Ortega y Gasset awards. In 2018, she was recognized as a social entrepreneur by the Ashoka network and joined the Board of Trustees of the Gabriel García Márquez Foundation. A Nieman Fellow at Harvard, she is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Media Integrity of the OAS.

Director of the São Paulo Law School at Fundação Getulio Vargas, where he is Professor of Constitutional Law. Graduated in Law from PUC-SP (1988), Master in Law from Columbia University (1995), Doctorate in Political Science from University of São Paulo (1998) and Postdoctoral from Center for Brazilian Studies (St. Antonies College, Oxford University.) He was Executive Director of Conectas Human Rights and the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime - Brazil, as well as State Attorney in São Paulo.

Journalist and Lawyer. PhD in Public Policy, Strategies and Development at UFRJ, with a thesis on Lobby in the National Congress. Master in Social Policy from the State University of the North Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro - UENF with sandwich at the Free University of Brussels - ULB, Belgium. Policy / Advocacy professional with over 15 years of experience. She is currently a Specialist in Regional Humanitarian Access (Latin America) in the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) - Belgium. He was Institutional Relations and responsible for advocacy at MSF Brasil for 5 years. She was project / advocacy coordinator at the Brazilian AIDS Interdisciplinary Association - ABIA, where she coordinated REBRIP's Intellectual Property Working Group, which brought together 17 civil society organizations, for seven years. She is a professor of Advocacy and Humanitarian Aid in the Professional Master's Degree in Analysis and Management of International Policies: Conflict Resolution and Development Cooperation (MAPI) at PUC Rio.

Sueli Carneiro holds a PhD in Education from USP (University of São Paulo) and founder of Geledés - Instituto de Mulher Negra. Theoretical of the issue of gender and race, created the only Brazilian program of guidance in the area of ​​physical and mental health specific to black women. In 1988 she was invited to join the National Council for the Feminine Condition in Brasilia. She is the author of "Racism, Sexism and Inequality in Brazil", which presents the main advances in overcoming the inequalities created by the practice of racial discrimination.

Theodomiro Dias holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Law School of the Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC/SP), a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Wisconsin (United States) and a Doctor of Laws from the University of Saarland (Germany). He works as a criminal lawyer in São Paulo.