Helena Monteiro

Helena Monteiro is the Executive Director of the Brazil Office at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University. She brings over two decades of international experience in social development, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector.

Before joining Harvard, Helena served as CEO of WINGS (Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support), a global network of more than 140 organizations advancing philanthropy, giving, and private social investment across over 50 countries. Under her leadership, WINGS launched major initiatives to strengthen philanthropy, particularly in the Global South.

Her career spans leadership roles in areas such as civil society strengthening, sustainable development, and philanthropy development. She has worked with institutions including the Canadian Public Health Association, the Organization of American States, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and the Institute for the Development of Social Investment (IDIS).

Helena has also contributed her expertise through various advisory and governance roles. She served on the Telefónica Sustainability Advisory Panel (2018) and the UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee (2012–2016). She has spoken at numerous international conferences around the world and has delivered continuing education courses in sustainability, philanthropy, and social development.

She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work with a focus on Public Policy from the University of Toronto, is a Senior Fellow at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at the City University of New York, and was a Global Health Fellow at the Pan American Health Organization. Her work has taken her across the globe, giving her deep insight into both local and global development challenges. Her broad international experience and interdisciplinary background significantly enhance her strategic contributions to the academic and institutional development of the Brazil Office at Harvard.