Staff
Martha Maya
Martha Maya is the Deputy Global Director at the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) and the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. She has been with IFIT since 2017. Her work places a strong emphasis on reducing polarisation, fostering dialogue, and advancing regional knowledge exchange to strengthen democracies and address structural challenges.
With nearly two decades of experience in public policy, negotiation, and transitional justice, Martha has served across key sectors of the Colombian government, including security, defence, foreign affairs, and the Office of the Presidency. During the peace process between the Government of Colombia and the FARC guerrillas, she was Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Interior and later at the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, acting as the official liaison in Havana for the agenda item on political participation. Earlier in her career, she also worked in Colombia for the International Center for Transitional Justice and the Ideas for Peace Foundation (FIP) during crucial national junctures on conflict and transition.
Martha previously worked as a journalist and researcher at La Silla Vacía and she has published opinion pieces in the New York Times, El País, and El Tiempo. She is a lawyer and graduate of Universidad de los Andes, with advanced studies in law and public policy, and she holds a master’s degree in Law and Economics (LL.M / MSc).
Working languages: Spanish, English, and French
