Our founder, Maria Vilma Duran, is a sports and community engagement leader with more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of business, culture, community, and sports. She is a strong advocate for inclusive economic opportunities and leverages her platform to elevate culture while driving meaningful, long-term impact.
In 2018 she founded Central American Collective, a binational and bicultural initiative, to strengthen Central American cultural capital and empower younger generations through the transformative power of art, culture, and community.
In 2022, she co-founded the Festival de Cine y Video Estudiantil Salvadoreño (FECIVES) in El Salvador, an initiative that strengthens film education, supports emerging filmmakers, and fosters the creation of locally rooted content that reflects the country’s identity, culture, and lived realities.
Since 2023, she has organized the annual Central American Heritage Night at the Houston Dynamo, an initiative that has recently evolved into Salvadoran Heritage Night, further expanding cultural visibility and representation.
She is currently advising on the renovation of a sports complex in San Salvador while supporting fundraising efforts to build a multipurpose classroom that will serve the surrounding community.
Her commitment to community extends across borders, leading ongoing impact-driven projects in the United States and Central America.
