Marina Spindler, Executive Director

Marina Spindler is executive director of the Group of Fifty. Her professional experience includes organizing high-level business summits in collaboration with Foreign Policy magazine, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Andean Development Corporation, the World Economic Forum, Americas Business Council, CAF, ICARE and FRIDE, among others. Previously, Marina worked at the Embassy of Mexico in the United States, organizing global scenario exercises for Intellibridge Corporation and serving as a special advisor to the Ashoka fellow and founder of the Pan ­American Collaborative Emergency Medicine Development Organization. Marina holds a degree in international affairs from George Washington University and has lived all over Latin America. She is married to Dr. Patricio Contreras and the couple has two daughters, who are well on their way to speaking Mandarin.

Lara Ballou, Communications & Program Manager

Lara Ballou is the communications and program manager of the Group of Fifty. Prior to joining the G50 team, she was assistant to the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine, where she effectively managed complex scheduling, streamlined administration tasks and played an important role in media relations and event planning. Lara holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications at Georgetown University, with a concentration in cause communications for nonprofits.