Boys Hope Girls Hope has selected KRISTIN OSTBY de BARILLAS as its new President and eventual CEO. Kristin, a widely respected organizational leader and strategist, was Boys Hope Girls Hope’s Vice President of International Development and has led Boys Hope Girls Hope’s regional operations in Latin America since 2005.
“Kristin brings a deep understanding and commitment to the program – and a generosity of spirit to further its results,” said Father Paul Sheridan, Boys Hope Girls Hope’s founder and member of the Board of Directors. “She is an extremely capable manager, well respected by her team and our scholars. Her drive and intellect will ensure the success and expansion of the organization.”
In January, Boys Hope Girls Hope’s Board of Directors initiated a full review of succession plans for key leaders as a component of the organization’s Human Capital Management Plan. The Executive Committee of the Board, in collaboration with outgoing president Paul Minorini, unanimously selected Kristin to succeed Paul Minorini as the next president and CEO.
“Kristin took charge of our small Guatemala program in 2005 and developed it into a program with nine group homes and a certified school – a program we never imagined it could become,” said Mike de Graffenried, Chair of the Boys Hope Girls Hope Board. “We feel very confident that Kristin can lead the whole organization to new heights beyond the very successful position we have already achieved under Paul Minorini and Father Paul Sheridan’s leadership.”
Kristin will immediately assume the role of President, and Paul Minorini will continue in the role of CEO through December 2016, when the full transition will take place. Paul has been President and CEO of Boys Hope Girls Hope since 2001, and formally announced his departure in June. He has overseen the organization’s growth from serving 300 children to serving 1300 children and youth, more than quadrupling its impact. “We have the fortunate blessing of a smooth transition to a proven and inspirational leader,” Paul said. “I will continue supporting Kristin and Boys Hope Girls Hope in any way that furthers the mission and Kristin’s success.”
While at Boys Hope Girls Hope, Kristin has overseen the growth of Boys Hope Girls Hope Latin America in Mexico, Guatemala and Peru. Under her leadership, Boys Hope Girls Hope Guatemala has grown from serving 29 children in 2005 to serving 170 children in 2016. Kristin was also instrumental in opening the organization’s affiliate in Monterrey, Mexico in 2008, which now operates three homes for boys and will open a program for 60 more children this fall.
Kristin received her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2005, and earned a BA from Carleton College in 1998. Prior to her work with Boys Hope Girls Hope, Kristin was on the Senior Leadership Team at Glide Memorial Church and Foundation, San Francisco’s largest social service agency. There she worked with the organization’s founders in leading a program to help faith-based organizations around the US and South Africa empower people living in poverty in their communities and increase diversity in their organizations. Kristin grew up in Annandale, Virginia, and Palo Alto, California. She is married to Benito Barillas and they live in Guatemala with their two young sons. Kristin will continue to be based in Guatemala while spending extended periods of time with Boys Hope Girls Hope’s 18 affiliate chapters and its International Office in Bridgeton, MO.