Our Staff
We are eager to bring these beautiful paintings to a wider audience, and to educate about the lives of Indigenous and Latina women and men in Central America. Please feel free to contact us!
Girls Carrying Water from the Well at Chichutá Canton, Andrés Curruchich
Rita E. Moran, M.A. - Director and Curator
Rita is the Director and Curator of the Helen Moran Collection. A lifelong activist, she created the Collection in 2007 to promote dignity and human rights for Indigenous and Latina women, Indigenous peoples of Latin America, and undocumented immigrants to the United States. Rita has curated many exhibitions at colleges, libraries, and community centers throughout the country. She can give gallery talks introducing the artworks and the artists, and can also speak on violence against women and the struggle for human rights in Guatemala, as reflected in the Collection.
Rita was an ESL Instructor at City College of San Francisco and Cesar Chavez School for 15 years, where she taught English to Latino/a and Indigenous immigrants. She is currently collaborating with Milagros Vela on the memoir, Walking Through Wars: Why a Faithful Salvadoran Girl Abandoned Her Home. In 2011 she was a member of the Guatemala Human Rights Commission’s delegation investigating violence against women. She earned her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, and her M.A. from San Francisco State University.
Malachy Moran - Director of Marketing
Malachy is responsible for marketing programs and community outreach for the Helen Moran Collection. He has been active in promoting social causes for over 30 years. He is the Executive Director of New World Villages (NWV), a nonprofit organization that he founded in 2006. NWV works with Indigenous peoples in Central America to improve their lives in the areas of healthcare, education, and sustainable farming. From 2016-2018 Malachy served with the Peace Corps in North Africa working in the area of Youth Development.
Currently retired from a large, not-for-profit financial services company, Malachy brings a wealth of both marketing and account relationship management to our team. He earned a B.A. In Business Management from St. Mary's College. He also acquired CEBS certification during his working career and has been a board member on numerous nonprofit organizations.
Maureen Bourbin, M.A. - Curator
Maureen joined the Helen Moran Collection as a curator in 2017. She specializes in researching the symbolism in Spanish colonial devotional artwork, and has worked as a consultant, lectured, curated exhibitions, and published articles on the subject. Maureen currently serves on the Advisory Board of Groundswell at City College of San Francisco. Former Board service includes the Board of Cultural Connections, the California Mission Studies Association, the Museum Studies Special Interest Group of San Francisco State University, and the Treasure Island Museum Association. Maureen received her M.A. in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University.
Catherine Weir - Assistant Curator
Catherine joined the Collection in 2023, helping to catalog and conserve the artworks. She has studied at City College of San Francisco and is currently a student in the San Mateo Community College District, with a special interest in culture, language, and international peacekeeping. Catherine is also Project Coordinator with New World Villages, a nonprofit organization. She has volunteered with doctors and nurses in Guatemala to help bring healthcare access to to Maya communities, and has helped erect communication towers to connect Maya villages with local hospitals.
