Announcing Camilo Mendez as chief financial officer

January 21, 2020

We are excited to welcome today Camilo Mendez as the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation’s fourth chief financial officer. He succeeds Cynthia Evans, who has served Dodge and its grantees for 25 years, most recently as chief financial officer and interim president and CEO.

Mendez, of Montclair, brings to the position nearly 20 years’ experience across the public, private, and social sectors.

“We are thrilled that Camilo is joining our team at this exciting time for the Dodge Foundation,” said Tanuja Dehne, Dodge Foundation president and CEO. “Camilo’s experience in finance and impact investing will help Dodge identify opportunities for innovation and put us on a successful path toward ensuring our investments align with our vision of an equitable New Jersey through creative, engaged, and sustainable communities. We are grateful to Cynthia for her leadership, financial stewardship, and all the ways she supported the Foundation’s staff and grantees so they could do their best creative work.”

In his role at Dodge, Mendez will oversee all finance and accounting functions and ensure the strength and sustainability of the Foundation’s financial resources to ensure future impact.

Mendez previously was chief financial officer at Pro Mujer, an international women’s organization committed to positively impacting the lives of its clients and their families. He joined Pro Mujer in 2014 as an investment officer overseeing the organization’s debt portfolio and in 2017 was promoted to director of global investment and treasury. In his role as CFO, Mendez led his team in designing a funding strategy for the group, providing financial analysis for affiliates and managing debt structuring needs.

Mendez’ career has included positions with Oikocredit where he was responsible for managing and growing a portfolio of equity investments in South America, at BlueOrchard Finance where he managed and established the firm’s Latin America office in Peru, and at Moody’s Structured Finance where he rated the financing of low-income construction in Mexico.

Mendez holds a Master’s in international relations from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor’s in Latin American studies and history from Oberlin College.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to translate my skills within international development to a more local context, right here in my adopted state of New Jersey,” Mendez said. “I am compelled by Dodge’s commitment to equity and look forward to exploring new opportunities to align mission, program, and financial resources of the Foundation.”