Mercedes de Guardiola is a strategic communications and public relations leader and Senior Manager at Varnum Street Strategies, where she advises frontier technology companies and funders at the intersection of innovation and policy. She specializes in translating complex technical breakthroughs into earned media campaigns, executive communications, and strategic narratives for policymakers, researchers, investors, and press. Her clients operate across fields such as quantum technology, space, AI, nuclear energy, and health.

Mercedes has built her career navigating complexity, from directing communications for federal innovation challenges to developing brand strategy for Fortune 100 companies. At Luminary Labs, she led national campaigns, executive communications, earned media strategies, and stakeholder engagement for federal and private innovation programs. Her programs accelerated treatments and artificial organs for people with kidney diseases, the development of Lyme disease diagnostics for active infections, solutions to reduce Veteran suicides, advancements in measuring Earth’s magnetic field for GPS, and pre-apprenticeship programs for adult learners to address America’s labor gaps.

Beyond her professional work, Mercedes is a published bioethics historian specializing in the intersection of science, public policy, and community impact. Her book, "Vermont for the Vermonters": The History of Eugenics in the Green Mountain State (Vermont Historical Society, 2023), overturned previously accepted understandings of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific field of selective human breeding that became the basis of Nazi Germany. US Representative Becca Balint called it "essential reading" and the Vermont Political Observer named it one of the most important Vermont history books ever written. She has presented her research at Harvard, Dartmouth, and Middlebury, and continues to advise on policy responses and assist victims' families. Forthcoming research will focus on America’s national eugenics movement.

Mercedes was elected to serve as Director-at-Large on the Board of Directors of the New York Junior League (July 2026-2029), where she co-chairs Journey to Achievement, a partnership with the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award USA mentoring young people in leadership development. One of the city’s oldest nonprofits, the NYJL trains women to lead programs and advocate for New York’s women, children, and families in partnership with more than 60 community-based organizations. She previously chaired the League's parks restoration program with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and was recognized as a Woman to Watch in 2020 for exemplary service to New York City.

As a member of The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Associates Committee and Children's Committee, Mercedes supports groundbreaking cancer research and pediatric patient care. Since 1946, the Society of MSK has raised more than $300 million to enhance the patient experience and supporting research that saves lives.

Mercedes is a Dame of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, one of the world’s oldest humanitarian organizations and a lay religious order of the Catholic Church with permanent observer status at the United Nations. Since 2020, she has chaired the Order’s St. John Committee, which supports the Order’s global humanitarian works. Today, the Order of Malta cares for people in need in over 120 countries, providing urgent medical aid, mobile clinics, and refugee assistance in active war zones, during natural disasters, and in areas affected by epidemics. In 2025, Mercedes was conferred the Cross pro Merito Melitensi, the Order's distinction for exceptional service.

Mercedes earned her B.A. from Dartmouth College with a double major in History and Art History, receiving the Jones History Prize for best thesis in U.S. history and the Adelbert Ames Fine Arts Award for achievement in Art History.