Maria oversees CESR’s programmatic work and team and leads our collaborative efforts to advance a Rights-Based Economy. Her experience of working over the last fifteen years on the right to education, privatization, and tax justice in various countries is invaluable for our efforts to build bridges between movements and groups working on human rights, economic and climate justice. Before joining our team, Maria coordinated the Tax and Education Alliance, a partnership of international and regional tax justice and education constituencies. The Alliance aims to make a transformative breakthrough in the domestic financing of public education through progressive tax reforms and builds members’ capacities to undertake collaborative research and advocacy. Maria has previously worked for ActionAid International, the Right to Education Project, Human Rights Watch, and the Universities of London (Birkbeck) Roehampton, and Bielefeld. She holds a Ph.D. in Education and Human Development from Bielefeld University, an MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics,  an LLM in Fundamental Rights from Universidad Carlos III, and a Diploma in Education from UC Berkeley.

Laura guides CESR's financial strategies. Her expertise spans across strategic planning, financial management, and operational efficiency, ensuring the organization's sustainable financial growth and robust framework. Laura's background includes key roles such as Finance and Operations Director at Liberty (National Council for Civil Liberties), and earlier positions at Rice Search Partners Ltd. and Rice & Dore Associates Ltd., where she led business administration efforts. Working on a freelance basis for CESR, she applies her vast experience to enhance our mission, focusing on financial health.

With more than 15 years as a human rights advocate, Mahinour’s work focuses on utilizing international human rights law as a practical tool to decode how the current global economic model produces intersectional injustices and to find, together with partners, inspiring pathways for change. Her passion lies in building bridges and creating cross-field strategies with social movements, CSOs, and decision-makers to mobilize collective power through a rights-based agenda to transform the global economic system towards a de-colonial, green, and gender-just economy that works for the people and the planet. Before joining CESR, Mahinour worked at several human rights organizations on debt and development issues, tax, and environmental justice on the national and regional levels in the SWANA region. She also worked as Senior Programs & Research Officer at the Law & Society Research Unit at American University Cairo, where she helped build the Unit’s strategy and oversaw the implementation of its work on law, society, and human rights in post-revolutionary Egypt. She holds a BA in political science and an MA in international human rights law from the same university.

Martha’s work bridges economic justice, gender justice, and human rights. She focuses on advancing gender equality in global tax policy, sovereign debt, and corporate accountability through rigorous research and advocacy. Central to her role is promoting feminist, rights-based alternatives and holding powerful actors accountable for perpetuating inequality. With a Master’s in Economics from North West University, South Africa, Martha is a macroeconomic expert on trade, investor behavior, and savings and investment. She brings extensive experience in socio-economic rights advocacy. At Ndifuna Ukwazi, she used budget analysis to push for equitable access to basic services and affordable housing. At Isandla Institute, she promoted the right to decent shelter, and at Open Society Foundations, her work spanned fiscal justice, trade, and sustainable livelihoods. At CESR, Martha drives our gender justice agenda. She works to dismantle systems that perpetuate gender inequality and discrimination. At the same time, she promotes transformative policies to build systems rooted in dignity and equality for all.

Peninnah leads CESR’s work advancing linkages between climate justice, human rights, and economic policies. She particularly looks at climate finance from a reparations framework. She also contributes to CESR’s broader programmatic efforts, including advancing a rights-based economy, fiscal justice, and equitable global economic governance. With over seven years of experience in trade, investment, and fiscal policy, she has led policy research, advocacy campaigns, and reform efforts aimed at improving governance, transparency, and accountability in trade, debt, and climate finance. Before joining CESR, Peninnah held key roles at SEATINI Uganda and Uganda Debt Network, where she managed complex projects and authored policy briefs and articles addressing socio-economic challenges affecting marginalized communities. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies from Uganda Christian University, a Master of Arts in International Trade Policy and Law from Uganda Martyrs University, and postgraduate certifications in Project Planning and Management (Uganda Management Institute) as well as Project Monitoring and Evaluation (Makerere University).

Matt Forgette is a legal researcher and consultant specializing in the intersection of climate justice and tax justice. A former postgraduate fellow, Matt continues to support our Climate Justice work as a consultant while also serving at NYU Law’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center. Over the past year, he has contributed valuable research and analysis on the UN Tax Convention, debt restructuring, and the links between climate change and human rights. Matt creates accessible resources that help unpack complex international legal frameworks (such as the evolving Loss and Damage Fund and UN negotiations) making them actionable for advocates and policymakers alike. He holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law, where he focused on international human rights law, and a B.A. in international studies from the University of Mississippi, where his thesis examined South-South cooperation between China and Latin America. His interdisciplinary background and commitment to global justice continue to inform his work at the intersection of law, policy, and climate action.

Eunice oversees CESR’s financial and operational systems, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and accountability across the organization. With over 10 years of experience as a grants, finance, and operations specialist, Eunices has managed complex financial portfolios, multi-currency and multi-year grants, and provided strategic insights to guide decision-making. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Finance from KCA University, a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Banking from Moi University, and certifications in Project Management, Grant Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Accountability and Learning. In addition to financial expertise, Eunice plays a key role in recruitment, onboarding, and providing logistical support for staff, contributing to CESR’s overall effectiveness in advancing a Rights-Based Economy.

Luke Holland leads on CESR’s communications. Irish by birth, he started his career as a journalist with with titles including The Irish Times, Channel 4 News (UK) and El País, before moving into the world of human rights and economic justice. He was Network Manager with Tax Justice Network for seven years, and has also worked extensively as an independent human rights researcher, for organizations such as Christian Aid and Coalition 2030 Ireland. Luke is an avid videographer and animator, and holds an LLM in Poverty Reduction and Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

Constanza provides strategic advice on the implementation of CESR’s gender justice work and the intersections between gender, international human rights, and global economic systems and actors. She has over 12 years’ experience in strategic advocacy, inter-disciplinary research, and collaborative programme implementation. Prior to joining CESR, she led the Transforming Economics and Development through a Feminist Approach programme at International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP), where she applied feminist participatory methodologies to mutual learning, knowledge building, and human rights advocacy strategies in collaboration with partners across the Global South. Her experience also includes practicing as a civil litigator, advising on complex commercial and regulatory disputes, and working with legal clinics, NGOs, academic institutions, and multilateral organizations on the rights of women, Indigenous peoples, rural communities, migrants, refugees, and the protection and security of human rights defenders and international justice. She holds a Masters in International Human Rights Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Masters in Social and Political Thought from York University. She speaks English, Spanish, and basic French, and is Argentinian-born with roots in Southern Europe, Canada, and Malaysia.