Expertise
Silvia is in charge of facilitating and conducting research that involves the participation and close collaboration of university faculty, students and staff with community partners in projects designed to further community development. She is a member of the Community Engaged Research Group, whose mission is to develop, support, and sustain community-engaged and community-based participatory research at IUPUI.
Between 2016 and early 2018, she had a double appointment at IUPUI sharing her time between the Office of Community Engagement and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She coordinated a two-year research project that led to the publication of the Global Environment Philanthropy Index in April 2018, conference papers and journal articles. She has been actively involved in supporting local organizations to measure the progress and impact of projects and programs aimed at improving the quality of life of urban neighborhoods in Indianapolis.
She is heavily involved in two research projects aimed at analyzing the implementation and results of university initiatives in the community and supporting a group of School of Public and Environmental Affairs capstone students and the Haughville neighborhood leadership in the development of an action plan to improve public safety in the neighborhood.
Silvia came to the U.S. in 2010, spent two years at IU Bloomington as Research Scholar in the School of Education and moved to Indianapolis in 2012, when she came to IUPUI. She has a PhD in Development Studies from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, a Master’s of Education from Harvard University, and a Master’s of Public Affairs - Non-Profit Management from IUPUI.
