Beginning a new year always invites us to pause: to look back honestly, recognize what we’ve learned, and then look forward again with hope. At Prospera, 2025 was a year of many lessons and challenges, but also a year of deep alignment with our values. In the midst of uncertainty, we chose to continue placing humanity at the center of everything we do.
Nothing we achieved was individual. Every woman entrepreneur in our programs, every member of our team, and every partner and funder played a role in helping us move forward. Thank you for walking alongside us.
Today, I want to share news that is born from this collective spirit: in 2026, I have invited Maite Gascó Juscafresa to step into the role of Associate Director. Maite has been walking alongside Prospera for eight years; in fact, this week marks her anniversary with Prospera, growing alongside the organization and helping us grow as well. She began as a coordinator, evolved into a team leader, and later assumed the role of manager and Director of Development and Communications, contributing decisively to the growth and sustainability of Prospera. Today, with great care and recognition, this step is an invitation to continue walking together from a role that reflects all that Maite has been—and continues to be—for Prospera.
For those who know Maite, this appointment does not mark a beginning, but rather formalizes something she has been doing for years. Maite has been a constant source of support for me and for the team, approaching her work with professionalism, dedication, and deep care for people.
At Prospera, we go beyond titles at every moment and in every interaction, because we never want to lose sight of the humanity each person brings with them. In a society where individualism often pulls us away from our essence, we believe that mutual recognition, service, accompaniment, and human fulfillment are what allow us to keep growing. That is human-centered leadership. And that is what Maite embodies.
I therefore wanted to open this space for conversation so that her voice can be heard directly here.
Maite, what does it mean to you to step into the role of Associate Director at Prospera?
I never imagined that my journey at Prospera would lead me here. I remember the first time I walked into the office in the Fruitvale neighborhood—nervous, with my broken English, newly arrived as an immigrant, without community… but with a deep desire to contribute to the mission of Prospera, which I fell in love with from the very first moment. Today, I can say with great emotion that Prospera is my chosen family in this country: my “comadres”, my confidantes, my sources of inspiration, my sisters. Being able to continue growing both personally and professionally alongside the team, the board, the entrepreneurs, and our allies is a gift I deeply cherish.
I receive this responsibility with gratitude, humility, and full commitment. As an ally, I am excited to continue building opportunities with the community, and in these times when fear, division, and uncertainty surround us, contributing to lifting our collective voice, working hand in hand with entrepreneurs and their communities, and taking Prospera to the next level—as it deserves—is my mission.
And of course, continuing to collaborate with Claudia Arroyo, with her human-centered leadership, her contagious boldness, and her tireless creativity, is another gift I don’t want to miss.
I am ready to keep learning, growing, and walking alongside all the people who make this mission possible, with a heart full of hope and commitment.
What lessons did 2025 leave you with, after everything that was lived? And how do they influence the way you support Prosper today?
We lived through moments of great uncertainty, with attacks on the community that hurt deeply and very difficult and unfair decisions affecting some of our colleagues. But it was also a year of unity: we went through it hand in hand, listening to one another and learning from each other. We consulted allies and had honest conversations that helped us make complex decisions, always keeping the mission at the center.
This year taught me that there is another way of doing things. That even if we are going against the current, I will lead and support with love, empathy, focus, responsibility, and joy. Always listening, never assuming, and without fear—because what they want is to silence us… and we will not allow it.
I want Prospera to continue spreading its wings and sharing the magic that inspires us, not only in California but in other states as well. Our way of doing things is different, and our challenge is to reach every possible corner, amplify the voice of our community, stand up for those who are not always given space to be heard, and show that collective strength is greater than division, fear, or injustice.
Because together, we do not stop. We keep building opportunities for more powerful women, creating real change, and bringing Prospera the recognition it deserves.
For those who already know Maite, you will recognize her voice in this conversation. And for those who are just getting to know her, I invite you to meet her through these words, to welcome her into this new role, and to congratulate her for the human-centered leadership she has always embodied and that we now recognize from this place as well.
As I look toward this year, I feel deep hope. We will continue strengthening our programs, supporting women entrepreneurs, innovating with care, and sustaining the culture that makes Prospera a deeply human space.
We move forward—TOGETHER. POWERFUL. UNSTOPPABLE.With love,
Claudia
