Cris Rivera
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & OPERATIONS
Originally from southern Maryland, Cris came to Durham in 1990 for school and decided to stay in the Bull City for as long as it would have them. They are a graduate of both Durham Technical Community College (accounting) and Duke University (literature/cultural studies/film), and have thrived on providing operational, strategic, and administrative support services for small businesses and organizations in the advocacy, education, and social justice arenas—anywhere a critical alignment of mission and organizational values leads to the redistribution of power and resources.
A former retail food buyer, documentary videographer, nonprofit auditor, and accounting instructor, Cris is a CPA and SHRM certified senior HR professional. Prior to DPSF, Cris served as Finance Manager for Student Action With Farmworkers and Finance/HR Manager for Durham Co-op Market, two positions that solidified their commitment to having equitable workplaces that “walked the walk” – having the right team and organizational culture is as crucial as any external stakeholder to executing on your mission.
Pre-pandemic, Cris was the ad hoc parish chef for First Presbyterian Church of Durham and recently earned a master of public theology degree at Union Presbyterian Seminary.
If there's any spare time, Cris enjoys hiking, photography, fly-fishing, posting highs and lows on Instagram, and experimenting in the kitchen.