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#bewild2020 

50+ Speakers From Government, Civil Society & the Private Sector

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2020 inspiring speakers

OPENING speaker

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Pat Mitchell

First Female President of PBS & CNN Productions |
Trustee, Skoll Foundation & Acumen Fund
Founder and Host TEDWomen

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Pat Mitchell

Pat Mitchell

Pat Mitchell is a lifelong advocate for women and girls. At every step of her career, Mitchell has broken new ground for women, leveraging the power of media as a journalist, an Emmy award-winning and Oscar-nominated producer to tell women’s stories and increase the representation of women onscreen and off. Transitioning to an executive role, she became the president of CNN Productions, and the first woman president and CEO of PBS and the Paley Center for Media. Today, her commitment to connect and strengthen a global community of women leaders continues as a conference curator, advisor and mentor. In partnership with TED, Mitchell launched TEDWomen in 2010 and is its editorial director, curator and host. She is also a speaker and curator for the annual Women Working for the World forum in Bogota, Colombia, the Her Village conference in Beijing, and the Women of the World (WOW) festival in London. In 2017, she launched the Transformational Change Leadership Initiative with the Rockefeller Foundation focused on women leaders in government and civil society. In 2014, the Women’s Media Center honored Mitchell with its first-annual Lifetime Achievement Award, now named in her honor to commend other women whose media careers advance the representation of women. Recognized by Hollywood Reporter as one of the most powerful women in media, Fast Company’s “League of Extraordinary Women” and Huffington Post’s list of “Powerful Women Over 50,” Mitchell also received the Sandra Day O'Connor Award for Leadership. She is a contributor to Enlightened Power: How Women Are Transforming the Practice of Leadership, and wrote the introduction to the recently published book and museum exhibition, 130 Women of Impact in 30 Countries. In 2016, she served as a congressional appointment to The American Museum of Women’s History Advisory Council. Mitchell is active with many nonprofit organizations, serving as the chair of the boards of the Sundance Institute and the Women’s Media Center. She is a founding member of the VDAY movement and on the boards of the Skoll Foundation and the Acumen Fund. She is also an advisor to Participant Media and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mitchell is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia and holds a master's degree in English literature and several honorary doctorate degrees. She is the author of Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World. She and her husband, Scott Seydel, live in Atlanta and have six children and 13 grandchildren.

PLENARY SPEAKERS

 
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Susanna Mudge

Chair, Board of Directors
Chemonics International

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Susanna Mudge

Susanna Mudge

President and Chief Executive Officer Susanna Mudge came to Chemonics in 1992 and has served the company in many key leadership roles, including as executive vice president, senior vice president of the Latin America and Caribbean region, and as director of several of the company’s larger programs. She brings in-depth global expertise in strategic private sector development, organizational development, trade and investment promotion and sustainable natural resource management. Ms. Mudge joined the firm as a director in the then Central Division, responsible for leading a private enterprise development indefinite quantity contract (IQC). She then served as a director in the Europe and Newly Independent States (ENI) Division, where she oversaw several large privatization and enterprise restructuring-related projects. In 1996, she took on technical leadership of the firm’s private sector development practice and served as a centralized technical director and adviser to Chemonics’ growing portfolio in export finance, enterprise development and product marketing. Ms. Mudge was appointed Senior Vice President of the Latin America and Caribbean region in 1998, and during her tenure, grew the region from four programs in three countries to 26 projects in 14 countries. She also served as acting Chief of Party of one of the firm’s flagship projects, the Peru Alternative Development project, in 2004-2005. During her seven-year tenure as executive vice president, Ms. Mudge led several critical corporate initiatives, including leading the Transaction Committee that led to Chemonics becoming 100-percent employee-owned. Ms. Mudge sees quality project management as “inextricably linked to business success because that is what differentiates us and makes us competitive.” Raised both in the U.S. and in several countries in Latin America, she began her career as a regional development and tourism specialist for the Organization of American States, then as a privatization specialist with Ernst and Young, responsible for managing marketing and investment projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Ms. Mudge holds a B.A. from Oberlin College and an MBA from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

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Tine Knott

Senior Vice President
DAI

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Tine Knott

Tine Knott

Tine Knott oversees the development, marketing, and delivery of DAI’s development solutions for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the State Department, and other U.S. Government clients. Tine previously served as Vice President of DAI’s Center for Secure and Stable States, which she launched in 2017 with a mission to raise the bar for development and security programming in fragile environments. For the three years prior, she was DAI’s Managing Director for Governance, Transition, and Stability, where she was responsible for the company’s portfolio of good governance, stabilization, political transition, countering violent extremism, peace building, citizen security, and public financial management work. Before joining DAI in 2011, Tine spent 15 years with USAID, including assignments in Ghana, Jordan, Mozambique, and Peru, as well as in Washington, D.C.

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ellen yount

Vice President
MSI, a Tetra Tech Company

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Ellen Yount

Ellen Yount

Prior to her career in international development, she was appointed by Governor Tom Ridge (R-PA) to serve in his Administration, serving as the youngest female Director of Communications in state history. Ellen has been a champion of female leadership, from promoting and mentoring young women in the Balkans where she ran a democracy NGO, to training government officials and women political activists/candidates in Serbia, Indonesia, Jordan, Croatia, Timor-Leste and Libya.

Lisa MAy

Exec. VP: HR & Corporate Communications
RTI

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Lisa May

Lisa May

Lisa May is the executive vice president of human resources and corporate communications, leading the department as a member of the executive leadership team and advising on human resources strategies, policies and practices, and key people-related initiatives. She has more than 25 years of experience in strategic human resource management, with demonstrated expertise in talent acquisition, leadership development, executive coaching, and organizational design. Prior to joining RTI, May was the head of human resources for AAIPharma Services Corporation and Cambridge Major Laboratories, where she established human resource strategies and developed comprehensive systems and programs across the company. Previously, she served as the vice president of HR for the Global Operations organization at Hospira, Inc. May has earned certifications in mediation, workforce development, and coaching skills.

Simi Nwogugu

Executive Director
Junior Achievement Nigeria

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Simi Nwogugu

"Simi Nwogugu is the executive director of Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN), which she started in 1999, after she served as a JA volunteer in New York. Simi started her career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs after studying economics and English at Mount Holyoke College, and it was at Goldman that she was introduced to JA New York. After setting up and running JA Nigeria for three years, she left to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School, after which she worked at MTV Networks in Business Development and Corporate Strategy for a few years before launching HOD Consulting, Inc., a New York-based leadership development firm that helps major corporations retain and advance high-performing women, particularly women of color. After a decade of entrepreneurship, Simi returned to her role as executive director of JAN in 2016, to help the organization expand its economic empowerment programs to reach one million young people across Nigeria. JA Nigeria has reached over 980,000 in- and out-of-school youth in Nigeria, and Simi's goal is to build the capacity of the organization to reach one million youth annually."

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Sylvia megret

Chief Operating Officer
ACDI VOCA

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Sylvia Megret

Sylvia Megret

Ms. Megret is a strategic and resourceful management, operations, and business development executive with over 25 years of experience working with mission-driven international development organizations. She brings proven expertise in convening and building successful global teams. She is skilled in the conceptualization and institutionalization of innovative business systems, enhancing efficiency and continuous process improvement. Ms. Megret is recognized as problem-solver, mentor to staff at all levels, and thought leader.

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Shiro Gnanaselvam

Executive VP; Chief Operating Officer
Social Impact

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Shiro Gnanaselvam

Shiro Gnanaselvam

Shiro has built her career scaling and repositioning organizations. As the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Social Impact (SI), Shiro brings over 25 years of international development experience in program, operational and leadership roles to develop and execute SI’s corporate strategy. Shiro has been instrumental in charting SI’s growth as a global management consulting firm that advances development effectiveness through monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity building services. Her talent for developing strategy and translating it into action has allowed her to serve organizations ranging from for profit consulting firms such as Pricewaterhous Coopers and IBM to government agencies the Millennium Challenge Corporation, multi lateral agencies such as the World Bank and non-profits like Africare. Shiro is passionate about building high performing teams, using data to drive high-impact decision making, and mentoring and coaching. She was born and raised in Sri Lanka and moved to the U.S, to obtain her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College. She also has an MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a M.B.A from the University of Maryland.

Jay knott

Chief Business Officer
Abt Associates

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Jay Knott

Jay Knott

Jay L. Knott is the Chief Business Officer at Abt Associates, overseeing all of the company’s business operations, including its wholly owned subsidiaries, Abt Australia and Abt Britain. He is a member of the Leadership Committee. Mr. Knott serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for International Development, Washington chapter (SID-W).

StÉphanie Oueda Cruz

Head of Gender and Diversity
IDB

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Stephanie Oueda Cruz

Stephanie Oueda Cruz

Ms. Oueda Cruz ensures that all operations, when relevant, have a positive impact to lead to a more gender balanced society. She has spear-headed the initiative to foster programs that also include other under-represented groups, such as afro-descendants, LGBT, indigenous people and people with disabilities.

workshop & roundtable speakers

 
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Shanna Marzilli

CMO & Chief Human Resources Officer
Plan International USA

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Tessie Sane Martin

Shanna Marzilli

Shanna Marzilli is the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer at Plan International USA, an international humanitarian and development organization that partners with adolescent girls, children and donors around the world to overcome oppression and gender inequality. In her role, Ms. Marzilli overseas all individual giving to Plan, which includes nearly $20 million a year from Plan’s sponsorship program, as well as partnerships with corporations and foundations. She is responsible for building the Plan brand through marketing, communications, public engagement and advocacy initiatives. In her role as Chief Human Resources Officer, Ms. Marzilli has led the implementation of Plan’s total compensation philosophy, including expanding Plan’s maternity and paternity leave policy, and she is responsible for Plan’s internal diversity and inclusion initiative..

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JT Saunders

Senior Consultant
Korn Ferry

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JT Saunders

JT Saunders

As an innovative talent advisor, JT has developed a reputation for working across organizations to help leaders to recruit, retain, and develop engaged, high performing talent committed to advancing an organization’s strategic agenda. Prior to joining Korn Ferry, ran a highly competitive leadership development program for high-achieving college students. JT holds a Master’s degree from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

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renuka iyer

Chief Human Resources Officer
World Resources Institute

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Renuka Iyer

Renuka Iyer

Renuka is a certified human resources leader with over two and a half decades of global experience in human capital management. In her role at World Resources Institute she leads the creation and implementation of HR strategies, policies, and processes that align and support the Institute’s vision, mission, and strategic objectives and advises the executive team on WRI’s global talent strategy. She has a multitude of experience ranging from start-ups to large organizations, in the commercial and nonprofit sectors. She has led diverse teams and worked with 18 countries across Asia, Africa, and South America. Her expertise is in talent acquisition, employee engagement, succession planning, and organizational development. Prior to joining WRI, she has worked with Population Services International, International Executive Service Corps, Infor-SoftBrands, Levi Strauss & Co. and consulted with the Grameen Foundation among others. Renuka has an undergraduate degree in economics and a master’s in business administration from India. She is a certified Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR®).

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deborah borg

Chief Human Resources & Comms Officer
Bunge Limited

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Deborah Borg

Deborah Borg

Deborah is responsible for people, culture and communications strategy and operations for the 35,000 employee global Agribusiness and Food organization based in New York. She is a seasoned business and human resources leader with a proven track record in general management and developing people and culture based programs in support of business performance and growth.

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laine joelson cohen

Director
Citi Learning

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Laine Joelson Cohen

Laine Joelson Cohen

Laine is the North America Director and leads Global Relationship Management for Citi Learning. She is responsible for the delivery of Citi’s suite of Leadership and Executive Development programs and acts as an internal Advisor across Citi’s Businesses and Functions.She is also an Executive Coach, and in 2017 was selected to be part of Marshall Goldsmith’s “100 Coaches”.

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amb. bonnie jenkins

Founder & Executive Director
Women of Color Advancing Peace

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Bonnie Jenkins

AMB. Bonnie Jenkins

Bonnie D. Jenkins, Ph.D., is the Founder and Executive Director of Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation and a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. She is an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. From June 2009 to January 2017she served, with the rank of ambassador, as Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs at the Department of State (DOS) where she was the U.S. representative to the G7 Global Partnership and the DOS lead to the Nuclear Security Summits. Prior to her service at DOS, Dr. Jenkins was a Program Officer at the Ford Foundation for US Foreign and Security Policy, a Counsel on the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission), and a Counsel for the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. She is a retired Naval Reserves Officer. She was also a fellow at the Belfer Center at Harvard University’s JFK School for Government. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia; an LL.M. from Georgetown University; an MPA from the State University of New York at Albany; a J.D. from Albany Law School; and a B.A. from Amherst College. Ambassador Jenkins serves on the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board of the National Academies.

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Divina Gamble

Senior Client Partner
Korn Ferry

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Divina Gamble

Divina Gamble

Divina Gamble is a Senior Client Partner and Global Nonprofit, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise Practice Leader. She is also a member of the firm’s Board practice and Diversity practice. In partnership with a colleague in financial services, Ms. Gamble launched and co-leads the firm’s work in Impact Investing. Ms. Gamble specializes in the recruitment of senior leaders within the nonprofit, corporate social responsibility, association, and education arena. She has placed CEOs, C-Suite leaders, and Board Members for regional, national and international organizations, start-up and renowned foundations, leading social service organizations, arts and cultural centers, and some of the world’s most prominent associations. Ms. Gamble has conducted searches for organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Feeding America, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, American Cancer Society, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Communities in Schools, Partnership for a Healthier America, YWCA, National Resources Defense Council, the Business Roundtable, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Within academia, she has conducted searches for Presidents, Provosts, Deans and other senior leaders for public and private colleges and universities within the U.S. and abroad. These institutions include the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Howard University, University of Virginia, and University of Chicago. Ms. Gamble joined Korn Ferry from Discovery Communications, Inc. where she worked on the Global Project Management team. Prior to Discovery, she served as an academic counselor in the dean’s office at Georgetown University and as a charter school teacher in Washington, DC. Ms. Gamble received a Bachelors and Masters of Arts from Georgetown University. She served as a chair for the Georgetown University Alumni Admissions Program and co-founded the Georgetown University Alumnae Giving Circle in partnership with the Center for Social Justice. Additionally, she is a Pipeline Angel, served on the Board of Directors of Girls Inc DC, is presently on the board of Melwood Inc., and is a member of the National Black MBA Association Advisory Council. Ms. Gamble was inducted into the NextGen/Calibr Network, an extension of the Executive Leadership Council, the premier network of the most senior African American executives in Fortune 500 companies.

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JEn Dalton

Founder & CEO
BrandMirror

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Jen Dalton

Jen Dalton

Jen Dalton has 15+ years’ experience in brand strategy. In 2012, she launched BrandMirror, becoming a certified master personal brand strategist. In 2016, Jen published The Intentional Entrepreneur, a bestselling book that shares her process for building your personal brand as an entrepreneur. She has spoken to and coached thousands of individuals and entrepreneurs about how to stand out.

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Lucina Di MEco

Sr. Dir. of Girls' Education & Gender Equality
Room to Read

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Ellen Yount

Lucina Di Meco

Lucina Di Meco is a senior gender expert and women’s leadership advocate. She currently leads Room to Read’s Gender Portfolio, supporting nearly 100,000 girls in Asia and Africa. Through her career, Lucina worked to support the gender equality work of international nonprofits like Vital Voices, International IDEA and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, UN agencies (UN Women, UNDP and UNIDO) and the OECD. Lucina has a Magna Cum Laude in Political Science from the University of Turin, a Master in Development Economics from the University of East Anglia, and is a Harvard Women and Power and a Bellagio Alumna.

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Maxine Somerville

VP Human Resources
EngenderHealth

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Maxine Somerville

Maxine Somerville

Maxine is responsible for the management, administration and coordination of the human resources function at EngenderHealth as well as the development of the global HR vision, mission, and strategy for the organization. Maxine guides and manages the overall provision of HR services, policies, and programs for all offices and employees in the US. Maxine has 20 years of multi-faceted experience in human resources including compensation, training and development, and benefits. In addition to her practical human resources experience, Maxine earned a Master of Public Administration with a focus on human resources from The George Washington University.

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CArol PEasley

International Development Professional
USAID

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Carol Peasley

Carol Peasley

During her career with USAID, Carol held senior positions in Washington and overseas, including as Mission Director in Malawi and the Russian Federation, and as Counselor to the Agency and Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa. She also served in Nepal, Thailand, and Costa Rica. After leaving USAID, Carol worked in the non-profit sector, including as CEO of the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) for four years. She is currently an independent consultant and serving as Chair of the board of Plan International USA. Carol holds a BA in economics, an MA in development economics, and an MA in management.

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Christel Tshikudi

Chief of Party, Ghana
ACDI VOCA

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Christel Tshikudi

Christel Tshikudi

Christel Tshikudi is the chief of party of the Feed the Future Ghana Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement II (ADVANCE II) Project, funded by USAID. She provides leadership to all aspects of the project, including overseeing planning, refinement, and implementation of project activities. Christel was previously the deputy chief of party for the project. She joined ACDI/VOCA in 2015, supporting projects in Mali, Tanzania, and Guinea along with new business development. Christel has supported projects in West Africa for more than a decade, including five years for the USAID-funded West Africa Agribusiness Trade Promotion Project prior to ADVANCE II.

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Georgia Beans

Vice President
ACDI VOCA

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Georgia Beans

Georgia Beans

Georgia Beans took a non-traditional path to her work in the field. She became a COP after supporting field-based programs from the U.S. for almost 20 years, first as a contract specialist supporting USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and then managing the operations of US-based NGOs. Georgia worked in Asia and Africa supporting programs including democracy and governance; health; nutrition; HIV/AIDS; micro-enterprise development, local capacity building, agriculture and natural resource management for bi-lateral and private sector donors. She believes seasoned COPs don’t have to be technical experts but rather enablers of good development through capable management, facilitation and leadership.

Ann Hudock

President and CEO
Counterpart International

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Ann Hudock

Ann Hudock

Ann Hudock is President and CEO of Counterpart International With more than 25 years of international development experience, Dr. Hudock’s passions include democracy and governance, women’s economic empowerment, finding innovative solutions to addressing closing civic space, network strengthening and activism, and workplace mentorship and professional development. Democracy and governance issues are the foundation of her career, as one of the first Democracy Fellows at USAID in 1997. Dr. Hudock currently serves on the advisory board for the University of Dayton Human Rights Center, is co-chair of SID-W’s Democracy, Rights, and Governance Workgroup, and is also on the Advisory Committee for USGLC.

Dr. Christine Sow 

President and CEO
Humentum

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Dr. Christine Sow

Dr. Christine Sow

Dr. Christine Sow is a dynamic results-oriented executive with 25 years of proven success growing, managing and leading public sector and non-profit global health programs and institutions, including 15 years of residence in francophone Africa. She is a proven partner who has worked with boards of directors to develop and implement sustainable change and expand resources and partners. A recognized thought leader and public speaker, she has deep experience in technical programming and advocacy on sexual and reproductive health and rights, malaria, HIV and child survival and is a skilled operations director who has provided oversight to team

Monica Gadkari

Chief of Party
Social Impact

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Monica Gadkari

Monica Gadkari

Ms. Gadkari has 11 years of experience working in international development in different roles and sectors. With Social Impact, she served as Chief of Party in Ghana, Liberia, and Vietnam. With Women’s Campaign International, she served as country Director, managing programs to support women’s groups as they advocated for change Liberia. She is an expert trainer and can support, maintain, and build a strong team. She has an MPA in Management from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Before all this, Monica was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Romania.

Albert E. Smith Jr.

Dir. of Corporate Diversity and Inclusion
Chemonics

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Albert E. Smith Jr.

Albert E. Smith Jr.

A collaborative, strategic, and results-oriented leader, Albert E. Smith, Jr. is an organization learning and development practitioner, corporate diversity and inclusion strategist, and movement intellectual at Washington, D.C. based Chemonics International. His professional services and practice specialties include coaching, keynoting and group facilitation, leadership development, cultural audits and needs assessment, curriculum design and delivery, and enterprise-wide system integration. Trained in black cultural studies, queer theory, religious studies, ethics and critical race studies, Albert’s passion for justice and equality sits in the nexus of academia, community development, corporate social responsibility, public policy and grass-root activism. He is fiercely and unapologetically committed to advocacy for those "behind glass walls." Albert is a road warrior, art collector, style aficionado, master storyteller, and by some accounts, an "angelic troublemaker," who has a natural knack for words and a mastery for understanding what big audacious ideas will help organizations win the future.

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Kelly Saldana

Director, Office of Health Systems
USAID

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Kelly Saldana

Kelly Saldana

Coming Soon!

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Mrim Boutla

CEO | Career Coach | Adjunct Faculty
Cognaction | Georgetown SFS | UMD

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Mrim Boutla

Mrim Boutla

Dr. Mrim Boutla is a cognitive neuroscience PhD turned executive coach. At Brown University, the IU Kelley School of Business, Georgetown SFS, and through her social enterprises, Dr. Boutla has distilled neuroscience and psychology insights into tools that have helped 5,000+ professionals thrive in careers that blend financial return with social impact and environmental stewardship. Dr. Boutla speaks across the US and internationally on trends in emotional intelligence and the future of purpose-driven work. Dr. Boutla earned her Bsc/MA in Psychology from UCLouvain, her PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from the University of Rochester, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University.

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Anne steen

Executive Director
GU SFS Graduate Career Center

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Anne Steen

Anne Steen

Anne coaches and mentors industry leaders, executives and students as they look to move into the next phase of their career. Anne is an ICF certified Executive and Leadership Coach (PCC) and Career Management Coach. Anne leads the vision and strategic initiatives for career and leadership development in the Georgetown School of Foreign Service.

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Michael Amilcar 

CEO
Cook Ross Inc.

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Michael Amilcar

Michael Leslie Amilcar

Michael Leslie Amilcar is CEO of Cook Ross Inc. She joined the company in 2007, and served as managing partner, overseeing the strategic direction and day-to-day operations for over five years. Under her leadership, Cook Ross has grown dramatically building upon an almost 30-year legacy of organizational transformation work. Currently, the company has over 40 full-time employees and a highly experienced consultant network dispersed across the globe. Driven by a passion to bring about social change in the world, Michael’s experience and accomplishments reveal a relentless dedication to developing a human-centered approach to strategy and solutions. A native of Chicago, Michael earned her degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and is an Executive Coach trained by the prestigious Academy of Coach Training. Wife, mom, entrepreneur, activist, adoptive family advocate, and self-proclaimed change agent, Michael hasn’t met a challenge she felt could not be solved with the right people working together. She is proud to be at the helm of Cook Ross, working with a talented and passionate team, and partnering with courageous and committed clients.

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Frantzie Saint Juste

Senior Project Manager
DAI

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Frantzie Saint Juste

Frantzie Saint Juste

Frantzie Saint Juste is an international development practitioner with extensive experience managing USAID-funded projects in sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti. Her technical work has focused in the areas of democracy and governance, climate adaptation, agriculture and food security, civil society strengthening, education and youth development, and capacity building. Her longstanding commitment to improving the quality of life within developing countries, stemming from her own roots in Haiti, has guided her professional and academic career. Frantzie is currently a Senior Project Manager at DAI Global, where she manages two Feed the Future initiatives in Tanzania that aim to tackle food security through empowering youth and strengthening land rights for women and vulnerable groups. Before joining DAI, Frantzie was a Project Manager at Chemonics International where she supported agriculture policy reform in Ghana, governance and civil society strengthening in Somalia, and climate adaptation and resilience in coastal cities of Mozambique. Frantzie holds a Master of Development Practice from the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Florida.

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Lucy Jodlowska

Executive Director
Wallace Center at Winrock Intl.

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Lucy Jodlowska

Lucy Jodlowska

Lucy Jodlowska is the Executive Director of the Wallace Center at Winrock International, which develops partnerships, pilots new ideas, and advances solutions to strengthen communities through resilient farming and food systems. Besides leading Wallace, Lucy is also an adjunct instructor at Johns Hopkins’ Advanced Academic Programs, where she teaches on social enterprise and financial management, and is a 2019-2020 RSF Social Finance fellow, where she’s working on initiatives to leverage capital as a tool for positive change. Prior to her current work, Lucy worked in international development for seven years, focusing on social enterprise development in Nicaragua, Zambia, Uganda, and Peru. She currently serves on the board of EOS International and on the advisory board of Women Impact Investing Network (WIIN). Lucy has a BA in Political Science and Spanish from University of Illinois and an MPA and MBA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Roopa dhatt

Executive Director and Co-Founder
Women in Global Health

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Roopa Dhatt

Roopa Dhatt

Dr. Roopa Dhatt is a passionate advocate for gender equality in global health and a leading voice in the movement to correct the gender imbalance in global health leadership. Determined to build a movement to transform women’s leadership opportunities in health, Dr Dhatt co-founded Women in Global Health in 2015. Today, Women in Global Health has more than 20,000 supporters in more than 90 countries and continues to grow. Dr Dhatt leads a team of 30 volunteers focused on supporting a diverse group of emerging women leaders, engaging global health executives to transform their own institutions, and growing the Women in Global Health movement. With more than 12 chapters on four continents, Women in Global Health is changing the conversation about women’s leadership in health at global, national and local levels.

Susan Markham

Co-Founder and Partner
Smash Strategies

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Susan Markham

Susan Markham

Coming Soon!

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Molly Tschang

Founder & CEO
Abella Consulting

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Molly Tschang

Molly Tschang

Molly Tschang helps senior management build powerful chemistry to lead together and commit to each other’s success. She equips her clients' organizations with the practical skills to Win As One...which companies often never even try to do. Molly hosts the “Say It Skillfully” radio show on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel and video series on LinkedIn. She is a member of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches initiative and has held executive leadership positions at Cisco Systems and U.S. Filter, where she led the integration of over 80 acquisitions globally. Molly provides pro bono strategic advisory services to Community Solutions (homelessness) and Three Dot Dash® (youth mentoring).

Elizabeth Salazar

Sr. Program Manager & Gender Specialist
NCBA CLUSA

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Elizabeth Salazar

Elizabeth Salazar

Elizabeth Salazar is an international development manager and gender advisor. She has 15 years of experience supporting and managing domestic and international development programs in the areas of economic growth, cooperative development and health. At NCBA CLUSA she leads the Gender Working Group and provides guidance and technical assistance on gender integration and mainstreaming, including addressing gender and women’s empowerment using a human rights framework. She was previously a Program Officer at the Georgetown University Institute for Reproductive Health, where she supported women’s health, gender equity and violence prevention programs. She holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs and a Bachelor’s degree in Human Rights and Social Justice.

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Julia Barfield

Founder
The Power of Pay

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Julia Barfield

Julia Barfield

Julia Barfield is the Founder of the Power of Pay (POP), a non-profit fighting the gender wage gap by providing scholarships to women in unpaid internships. Julia has her B.A. in Anthropology and Hispanic Studies from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. She received her master’s in public health and social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Julia has had unpaid internships in three states and D.C. Julia can’t wait to see the day the gender pay gap doesn’t exist. Until then, POP is her attempt to make that day come sooner.

Chris proulx

Global Director
Humentum

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Chris Proulx

Chris Proulx

As global director for member engagement and learning at Humentum, Chris is responsible for leading the global convening, learning, and conferences activities for the organization. He is focused on helping members derive the most value out of their involvement with Humentum and their engagement with the membership community. His priorities are focused on connecting practitioners across the community with each other, with our expert-led learning events, and with our industry partners to build skills and drive organizational results. Before the merger of LINGOs with Humentum and Mango to create Humentum, Chris had been serving as LINGOs’ president and CEO since 2014. Chris joined LINGOs in late 2014 as the CEO, replacing founder Eric Berg. In this role, he led the strategy for the organization, focusing his efforts on increasing the reach of current programs, establishing new partnerships that elevate learning and capacity building in our sector, and increasing the visibility and awareness of LINGOs’ work. Prior to joining LINGOs, Chris spent over twenty years working at the intersection of learning and technology, including most recently serving as CEO of eCornell for ten years. As the leader of Cornell’s online learning company, he focused on growing new markets for the programs while also mainstreaming online education as a critical strategy for the faculty and academic leadership on campus. Chris launched his career in hospitality with Aramark and Discovery Zone after completing his Bachelor of Science from Cornell University.

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Lisa Tarantino

Principal Associate
Abt Associates

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Lisa Tarantino

Lisa Tarantino

Lisa Tarantino is a Principal Associate at Abt Associates, Inc. where she is the Director for Sustainability and Transition for USAID’s global Local Health System Sustainability project. Lisa has led international development programs in more than 20 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, SouthEast Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa.

Charlotte Nhlapo

Global Disability Advisor
The World Bank

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Charlotte Vuyiswa McClain-Nhlapo

Charlotte Vuyiswa McClain-Nhlapo

I am the Global Disability Advisor for the World Bank Group and a global thought leader on disability rights and inclusion. As Disability Advisor, I work with and support operational teams across the World Bank to ensure that Bank policies, programs and projects are inclusive of persons with disabilities. In 2010, I was appointed by U.S. President Barak Obama to lead USAID’s work on disability inclusive development, from developing policies and country strategies to technical assistance for program implementation. Prior to this, I worked as a senior operations officer at the Bank to integrate disability inclusive development into operations in the East Asia Pacific and Africa regions. Earlier in my career, I was appointed by President Nelson Mandela as a Commissioner to the South African Human Rights Commission focusing on social and economic rights, disability rights and child rights. I also served as a project officer on child protection for UNICEF. I hold Law Degrees in international law and administration from the University of Warsaw, Poland and Cornell Law School.

Victoria cooper

Senior Vice President
Chemonics

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Victoria Cooper

Victoria Cooper

Victoria Cooper is currently the senior vice president of Chemonics’ East and Southern Africa regional business unit. Ms. Cooper is a proven public policy and administration expert with more than 30 years of experience designing and managing complex development projects in Africa for USAID, DFID, and the World Bank. Previously the chief of party of the USAID Digital Liberia and e-Governance Capacity Building Activity, Ms. Cooper has demonstrated expertise in designing governance and institutional strengthening frameworks and developing public sector policies. She previously served as the chief of party on the USAID Governance and Economic Management Support Project in Liberia. Ms. Cooper holds an M.B.A. in international finance from Columbia University and has held several senior leadership positions managing multidisciplinary teams across various technical sectors. Through her work on more than 10 donor-funded projects in Ghana, the Gambia, Liberia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone, she has spearheaded capacity building and reform in more than 85 ministries, agencies, and commissions across sub-Saharan Africa.

Chema Gargouri

Founder and President
Tunisian Association Management

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Chema Gargouri

Chema Gargourit

Prior to her career in international development, she was appointed by Governor Tom Ridge (R-PA) to serve in his Administration, serving as the youngest female Director of Communications in state history. Ellen has been a champion of female leadership, from promoting and mentoring young women in the Balkans where she ran a democracy NGO, to training government officials and women political activists/candidates in Serbia, Indonesia, Jordan, Croatia, Timor-Leste and Libya.

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Traci Baird

President & CEO
EngenderHealth

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Traci Baird

Traci Baird

Traci’s passion for global health was cemented on her first trip to Ghana in 1995 where she met brilliant and passionate women’s health professionals, negotiated a groundbreaking operations research project with the ministry of health, and had her first lesson in African drumming. Since then, Traci held many roles at Ipas, a global sexual and reproductive health and rights organization, ultimately overseeing its programs across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Subsequently, Traci served as CEO of SHIFT NC, a nonprofit organization working to improve adolescent and young adult sexual health across North Carolina. Traci is currently the President and CEO of EngenderHealth, where she works closely with the organization’s talented global leaders to establish strategy and increase impact. A focus of her leadership is organizational effectiveness and ensuring that EngenderHealth “walks the talk” of gender equality. Traci has a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina, and a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University, with a concentration in Women’s Health.

 

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