Amanda Kistler

Acting President

Amanda Kistler (she/her) is the Acting President at CIEL. For over 14 years, she has helped to shape the organization’s strategic vision and translate it into ambitious but achievable goals and plans across issue areas. She supports CIEL programs to be strategically aligned and effective, and enhances communication, transparency, and accountability across the organization. Amanda leads CIEL’s strategic planning, human resources, development, and communications teams.

Amanda joined CIEL in 2010 to coordinate its work supporting Indigenous communities defending themselves against large-scale mining projects in Guatemala. As CIEL’s Guatemala Mining Campaigner and later Program Associate, Amanda coordinated the International Coalition Against Unjust Mining in Guatemala (CAMIGUA) and developed international strategies to compliment grassroots resistance to destructive extractive projects in Mesoamerica.

In January 2013, Amanda began CIEL’s communications department as Communications Manager, tasked with multiplying the organization’s impact and creating a dynamic and coherent communications strategy to advance its program goals and strengthen CIEL’s role and reputation. In her role as Director of Communications & Development, Amanda also led CIEL’s fundraising strategy, including grants management/foundation support and individual donor cultivation and engagement.

Prior to joining CIEL, Amanda worked in Guatemala for with the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) as an international human rights observer, accompanying human rights defenders and connecting international campaigns and networks to support and amplify grassroots social movements. She continues to organize locally with NISGUA and is a member of its Board of Directors.

Amanda earned a B.A. from Vassar College in Latin American and Latino/a Studies with a concentration in Comparative Political Science.

Amanda can be reached at akistler@ciel.org.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.