“Lover of details, planning, organization, and travel.”
“Lover of details, planning, organization, and travel.”
As Events and Meeting Coordinator for Healthy Places by Design, Gabriella provides logistical support and organization for various on-site events and virtual meetings. Gabriella primarily assists with County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, Aetna Foundation’s Cultivating Healthy Communities initiative, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Social Isolation project.
Gabriella graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Management and Society. Prior to joining our team, Gabriella served as the Director of Carolina Athletic Hospitality, a sub-branch of Colonnade Group. In this role, Gabriella oversaw game-day hospitality and premium seating management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for all home football, basketball, and baseball sporting events. She also served as the Assistant Director for Carolina Athletic Hospitality, where her primary responsibility included the coordination and execution of rental events in the Blue Zone at Kenan Stadium.
An eastern North Carolina native, Gabriella enjoys walks with her dog, international travel, and true-crime podcasts. When it comes to her personal connection to our work, Gabriella explains:
“I grew up Hispanic in a predominately white community in eastern North Carolina, raised by my white single mother. As a result (which I was not aware of at the time), I did not fully identify as Hispanic. When I arrived at UNC Chapel Hill, peers in classes would ask “What are you?” in terms of my ethnicity. I didn’t understand why I was asked this question—didn’t I look white, just with dark hair and eyes? It was then that I began to truly understand my diversity and the role it would play in my social interactions, among other things. I am excited to see how these unique experiences contribute not only to the Healthy Places by Design team, but to the communities we serve.”