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Denise Vargas is a Honduran poet and the Executive Director of El Hogar Projects in Honduras, the first Honduran Executive Director in the organization´s 40+ year history. In this role, Denise is committed to supporting the growth and sustainability of El Hogar´s mission to provide children from traditionally undeserved communities the opportunity to lead productive lives and become the future leaders of Honduras, by incorporating an entrepreneurial vision to its educational framework and operations. Denise has over 20 years of executive-level experience, specializing in business model innovation, organizational and team development, and entrepreneurship. She is the founder of Impact Strategies, a consulting and training company that specializes in supporting leaders and entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on programs for women and youth.
Previously, Denise was the Commercial Manager of Ultramotor and Motomundo for almost ten years, during which she led a fourfold market share growth and helped position both brands as the clear market leaders in Honduras.
Denise has a special interest in projects that seek to level opportunities for women and girls. For four years, she worked in New York as Counselor for the Honduras Mission to the United Nations, where she spoke before the General Assembly and the Security Council on topics related to women, poverty and war.
Denise is a poet and a firm believer in the power of art in transforming individuals and societies. Denise has published two poetry books, "Martes como toda la vida" (Costa Rica, 2016) and "El ruido de la ciudad que abandonas" (Ecuador, 2022). Her work has been translated to English and Italian and has been included in anthologies from many countries. She was a member of the poetry workshop Alicanto. She majored in Romance Languages and Psychology at Dartmouth College, and later completed an MBA. Denise is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Italian. She is a fellow of the Central American Leadership Initiative and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
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