Tatiana Pacheco
Administrator
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Tatiana, a native of Peru, began working at MAB in 1997. She came aboard to help coordinate the financial activities of the Camisea Project in the Lower Urubamba region of Peru. "I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to work on a project in my country and a remarkable adventure to join Smithsonian scientists and Shell engineers to work in an undisturbed, rich area doing conservation the right way," she says of her reason for joining the MAB team.
Since then Tatiana's role has expanded to managing all of MAB's logistics, including contracts, budgeting, procurements, personnel actions, travel, training course development and insurance. An expert in the Smithsonian Institution's policies and procedures, Tatiana also handles requests for outside information and works frequently with MAB's overseas teams.
Tatiana, who speaks English and Spanish and reads French and Portuguese, was originally a Spanish teacher and translator. She has a degree in translation and interpretation form the Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima, Peru. And though not a scientist, by accurately budgeting MAB's spending she feels she plays a vital role in the success of its projects and in the financial security of the entire program.
"Being part of such a great team makes it so special for me to work here," she says. "Even though I am not a biologist, working with such a motivated team of conservation biologists has made me understand and respect biodiversity more. I have come to appreciate how nature works and our role in it."
