Latin MBA Association

Our mission is to represent Latinx MBA students and share our culture and heritage with the rest of our cohort to promote the importance of diversity and inclusion in society.

Our vision is to be a platform of people that help the entire Smith community reach goals. We are beyond our association. We celebrate diversity and practice inclusion, being a club that welcome people from different communities to learn, enjoy and grow.

Our objectives are: spread our cultural heritage with the Smith MBA community, design and implement events that add value to our careers in terms of network and preparation to the professional life post-MBA and reinforce the community beyond classrooms by implementing affinity events.

Club Email: smith-club-lambasa@umd.edu
Group Email: rhsmith-lambasa-group@umd.edu

Board Members

Sofia Villanueva - President

My background combines financial acumen, client and supplier relationship management, and strategic decision-making. I’ve led supplier and partner negotiations across borders, implemented localized growth plans, and optimized ROI through data-driven analysis and scenario planning. Currently pursuing my MBA at the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business with a concentration in Finance and AI Strategy, I’m passionate about capital markets and helping individuals and families achieve their long-term financial goals through structured, data-informed strategies. Fluent in English, Spanish, German and Italian, with professional proficiency in other languages, I bring a global and multicultural perspective to every relationship. I am also an entrepreneur. In Peru, I founded a startup dedicated to help women find fashion solutions while feeling confident and secure.

Chris Vivas - VP of Finance

Chris is an MBA candidate specializing in Finance and Business Strategy & AI, with ten years of international banking experience across London, New York, Lima, Mexico City, and Shanghai. His work has centered on the corridor between Latin America and global capital — SPAC IPOs, Structuring Credit and Working Capital facilities, executing multi-currency settlement across five jurisdictions, and coordinating legal, risk, and treasury partners to bring cross-border transactions to close at institutions including Deutsche Bank and responsAbility Investments. A Smith Fellow and Graduate Assistant, he is deeply committed to expanding access for Latino professionals in finance and has served his community through A Small World, Rotary International, and the Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce since 2015. He brings that network to LAMBASA, connecting Smith's Latin American community to opportunity on both sides of the hemisphere.