IESC Announces Tarek Nabhan International Achievement Award Winner, María José Morales
Established in 2013, the Tarek Nabhan International Achievement Award recognizes staff members in our overseas offices who regularly go above and beyond their normal job responsibilities to achieve excellence. The award is named after Tarek Nabhan in recognition of his 31 years of service to IESC.
For 2024, we honored our winner María José Morales, who serves as the Organizational Capacity Building Specialist for IESC’s activities in El Salvador. As a lawyer with a master’s degree in international law, she has brought exceptional technical depth and professionalism to our team since joining in July 2023.
In her role, Ms. Morales works closely with key public institutions, fostering relationships built on mutual respect and a shared vision for progress. She has also built a dynamic partnership with IESC’s local implementing partner, COEXPORT. She provides direct support to companies pursuing international certifications, such as Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status and compliance with the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), organizing specialized training, facilitating technical assistance, and ensuring each participant is supported and empowered to achieve results. Her unwavering commitment to excellence combined with her collaborative approach have earned her deep trust and respect from both public and private sector stakeholders.
Her leadership has been instrumental in ensuring that all stakeholders meet their commitments. Through her clear communication, persistent follow-up, and effective coordination, she helped achieve an impressive $6.7 million in leverage in El Salvador. Ms. Morales also stepped in to address gaps in implementation, keeping participants actively engaged in sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity building activities, even though agricultural activities were outside of her scope of responsibilities. Her ability to coordinate across teams, anticipate needs, and manage details reflects her exceptional sense of ownership and commitment to her work.
María José Morales’ dedication, strategic leadership, and exceptional service have strengthened IESC’s work, elevated our partnerships, and delivered measurable impact for participants in El Salvador. Her professionalism and proactive engagement exemplify the kind of sustained excellence this award was designed to recognize. She not only fulfills her responsibilities with distinction, but she also elevates the entire team through her integrity, initiative, and commitment to IESC’s mission.
