Pepper Hayes loves to crunch numbers and look for patterns in data. She uses these insights to coach BUILD’s development teams to raise the funds we need to support BUILD students. As Director of Development Operations and Communications she maintains our infrastructure for fundraising operations and oversees donor communication and stewardship. As an entrepreneur herself, Pepper knows first-hand how empowering the experience can be and was immediately drawn to BUILD’s mission, which inspired her to leave her career in law in 2014 to join the BUILD team. Pepper is an enthusiastic cat-lover and blogs about her knitting adventures in her spare time. She holds a BA in History, Philosophy, and Gender Studies from Westminster University and earned her JD at the Boston University School of Law.

Maria Raftelis has more than a decade of fundraising experience in education. Before joining BUILD, Maria served as Associate Director of Foundation Relations at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. In this role, she oversaw fundraising for the Center of Radiological Research (CRR) and worked with medical faculty across the College to raise funds for research. Prior to Columbia University, Maria served as Grant Writer at the City College Fund, the fundraising organization of the City College of New York (CCNY). During my nine year tenure at the City College Fund, Maria expanded the College’s portfolio of institutional donors to double institutional giving. 

Maria resides in the Bronx with her husband and son. A graduate of the New York City public school system, Maria believed every student should have access to an excellent education that inspires them to dream and achieve their full potential.

Maria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Individualized Studies from New York University and a Master’s degree in Social Science from the University of Chicago.

Cindy Pineda is a mission-driven educator with over 10 years of experience who has dedicated her life to youth development, fighting social injustices and closing the achievement gap. She cares deeply about future generations and seeks to leave a legacy through everything she does. Hailing from the sunny city of Los Angeles, she attended the University of California Berkeley, where she received her Bachelors’ in Psychology with a minor in Public Policy. Upon graduation, Cindy interned in Washington DC, working on educational policy reform on Capitol Hill. While in Washington, she moved on to work as an Academic Advisor for a non-profit organization called Upward Bound, chaired the Policy Committee for the District of Colombia of Consolidated Services and worked for the US Census Bureau. Her interest in international education came after she worked on and led various Latin American education development projects in Colombia and El Salvador. Being a huge advocate for social change and multicultural exposure, Cindy was devoted to bring students of all backgrounds together to share their stories and experience the world from different perspectives. This interest led her to pursue a Master’s in International Education with a focus on development at New Yok University. While at NYU, she continued her career as the Assistant Director of the Field Projects office. There, she managed the daily operations of all civic engagement, college preparation and community outreach programs with NYC public schools, and designed first-year college programs. At BUILD, Cindy has spent the last 4 years instilling and developing entrepreneurial lessons to a budding group of students in NYC communities. Her innovative ideas and program design have been instrumental in improving the student experience. She serves as an imputation to the first graduating class to become the best they can be, add value to others lives and explore the world as evidence by lessons learned in her travel of over 30 countries. Cindy is obsessed with tacos and french-fries., and loves to try new foods wherever she goes. On her free time, Cindy likes to work out, do yoga, run, cook, show off her dancing skills or just sit at a park on a sunny day and read a good book.