Victor Lopez
Mexico and Central America Initiative Co-Lead
Program Officer
Natural Resources and Climate Change
Ford Foundation
Victor is a Program Officer with the Ford Foundation in the Mexico and Central America office. Originally from Guatemala, due to civil war, Victor also grew up in Nicaragua, Cuba and Mexico.
Victor began his career working with rural communities in Jalapa, Guatemala, where he gained first-hand experience with issues of deep inequality, racism, injustice and extreme poverty. While working as forester, forest fire fighter and cooperative manager, he also developed an appreciation for the ancient tradition of community local governance, organization and solidarity.
Victor is a Co-Founder of the Community Forestry Association of Guatemala, Utz Che’, a network of indigenous, peasant, fisherfolk and other rural communities organizing for protection and sustainable management of forests and communal lands in their territories. He was Utz Che’s first Chair and then Executive Director from 2006-2016. Victor also led the young leaders training initiative at the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB) from 2017-2018, and is a member of The Forests Dialogue Steering Committee and Global Witness Advisory Board. His life is dedicated to promoting respect for human rights, dignity, self-determination and community organization in Central America.