KARELIA MARTINEZ CARBONELL PRESERVATIONIST

Her name “Karelia” is of Russian origin. There is a region known as the Russian Republic of Karelia, bordering Finland. In 1893, Jean Sibelius composed Karelia Suite, Op. 11, as a nationalistic ode for the region’s independence. She plans to visit her namesake country soon. Her family immigrated to the United States from Cuba when she was five years old; arriving as refugees at the historic Freedom Tower in Miami. Settling in Riverdale, New York until middle school, her family made the trek south to Fort Lauderdale and finally Coral Gables. She's never left.

Karelia holds a Doctorate in Public Administration with a concentration on non-profit management from Nova Southeastern University. She is one of a limited number of fundraisers worldwide who have earned the CFRE credential (certified fundraising executive.) For her, it is an honor to serve her community as a non-profit professional.

Karelia observes, “It is a noble and rewarding career.” She is especially drawn to the smaller charitable organizations trying to do so much good with so little. She adds, “Many small non-profits just need a bit of professional guidance in order to attain financial viability.”

She is civic-minded and gives back as much as possible. Karelia has served on numerous nonprofit boards in the city including the Coral Gables Museum, the Coral Gables Community Foundation, and is past president of the Junior League of Miami Foundation where she received the Visionary Award. She currently serves on the board of Orchestra Miami, and is president of the Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables [HPACG] where she leads the organization in advancing its' mission of promoting the understanding and importance of historic resources and their preservation.

Initially seeing herself as an accidental preservationist, she explains, “I basically stumbled into serving on the HPACG board back in 2012, lured by one project: the preservation and restoration of the few remaining 1926 White Way streetlights." Today, she's become an ardent voice for preservation. Karelia embraces the calling.

From Cuba to Coral Gables, preserving heritage matters and Karelia accepts the challenge to tell others.