Karina Calderon is the Deputy Director at the Lawrence Partnership (LP). She is responsible for managing several initiatives, such as the Venture Loan Fund, a collaboration between 11 financial institutions that aims to assist small business owners who are not able to get loans from traditional banks, and the Merrimack Valley Small Business Technical Assistance Program, where the LP provides grants to at least 15 small businesses to assist them with any strategic needs that will help them grow. She also had the opportunity to collaborate with the Lawrence High School and their career readiness program, where she successfully connected the school with local employers who provided internship opportunities and a job shadow all-day event for the students. She is currently a Board member at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center as well as an Advisory Member of Community InRoads, a non-profit organization that provides volunteer professional and technical services to smaller non-profits from the area. One of the things she enjoys the most is being a connector between the community and the Cultural Inclusion program. This program trains professionals of colors on non-profit management and prepares them to serve on non-profit Boards.

​Karina is originally from Dominican Republic but lives in Methuen with her blended family of six: her partner, Alvaro Perez, and their kids Alvarito, Gabriel, Aimee, and Camilha. She spends her spare time on her business: Kreative Gestures by KC, which is a personalized merch and t-shirt shop. You can find her either fulfilling orders or educating herself in the latest software and techniques to keep her business competitive in the current market.

​Prior to moving to USA, she studied architecture for three years at PUCMM, a well renowned university in Dominican Republic. She later decided to switch majors, so she enrolled in Northern Essex Community College (NECC) and obtained an Associate’s Degree in Business. Right after, she enrolled at UMASS Lowell to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.