BUILD.org welcomes former BizWorld CEO Thais Rezende as new President
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., (Apr. 19, 2021) — BUILD.org welcomed Thais Rezende as their new President this week. Rezende, who will work closely with CEO Ayele Shakur, will join BUILD’s national leadership team to lead the vision and execution of BUILD’s strategic growth plan – including geographic expansion through satellite partnerships and the development and rollout of the organization’s digital transformation strategy.
Rezende comes to BUILD from BizWorld, having formerly spent the last seven years as CEO where she grew the organization to serve over 800,000 students worldwide. She launched BizWorld’s innovative YES! Program to support young entrepreneurs to gain access to tools, mentorship, and capital needed to make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality. Rezende holds an unwavering commitment to making economic opportunities and entrepreneurship education accessible to all students, particularly those from traditionally underserved and underrepresented backgrounds.
“I’m thrilled to join such a dynamic organization and work with the incredibly talented BUILD team!,” exclaimed Rezende. “I’m convinced that today, more than ever, we need to come together and put our energy and passion behind supporting solutions that create a better and equitable world, and BUILD is doing just that by BUILDing a diverse new generation of entrepreneurial leaders and change-makers!”
She brings strong managerial experience, entrepreneurship content expertise, and experience translating and scaling entrepreneurship education into impactful digital learning experiences to the organization. Rezende started her career in the non-profit sector with a focus on micro-enterprise development. For eight years, she led the growth of innovative programming and the organizational expansion at Women’s Initiative for Self Employment. As the lead developer of the successful business propulsion program “SuccessLink,” she was able to set a new national standard for entrepreneurship support services that became a national model.
“We are so excited to welcome Thais to BUILD; she brings unmatched experience and expertise in blended programming that will help take BUILD’s in-person and digital programming to the next level,” shared CEO Ayele Shakur. “We look forward to working with her during this pivotal time in BUILD’s growth as we launch our BUILDing Generation E campaign to bring entrepreneurship education to every high school across America.”
Rezende’s background also includes work in journalism, both TV and print. She formerly worked for the Mexican Consulate as part of The Mexican Communities Abroad Team where she helped implement and develop health, education, and business trade programs.
Discover more about her work and BUILD.org’s free digital curriculum for high school educators at http://www.build.org/virtual.
