Head of Programs, Aflatoun International

Rediet is the Head of Programmes at Aflatoun International. Rediet has been working at Aflatoun since 2008 at different capacities. As a Head of Programmes,  he is responsible for the coordination of the Programmes Department team members and oversees Aflatoun's partnerships at a regional and global level. Rediet has a Master's Degree in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies and a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and Social Administration from Addis Ababa University. He has coordinated programs across a range of NGO, INGO, and government actor. He previously managed youth entrepreneurship in Addis and is currently leading work on youth programming at Aflatoun. 

Social Inclusion Officer, World Learning

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Executive Director, Social Impact 360

Allison is a strong believer in this generation’s ability to change the world. She created her first youth leadership project at age 16. After founding the first Big Brothers Big Sisters at the University of Florida, she took her law degree and policy knowledge to Generations United in Washington, DC where she advocated for children and older adults with Children's Defense Fund and AARP on Capitol Hill, at the White House, and the Department of Education. Recruited to Year Up National Capital Region, she helped create the largest youth-serving nonprofit in recent history. She's been helping nonprofits achieve social impact ever since. At SI360, Allison leads more than 1,000 Social Impact 360 alums and students at 12 chapters operating out of major universities, including Duke, Emory, Fordham, and Georgetown.

Social Impact 360 Alumnus & CEO & Founder of LEAD

Kyrah Altman became the President and Executive Director of Let's Empower, Advocate, and Do, Inc. (LEAD) at age 16. After winning $32,500 of seed funding from the 2016 George Washington University New Venture Competition, Kyrah incorporated LEAD as a 501(c)(3) charity and began work to alleviate untreated mental illness in vulnerable communities across the country. Since 2012, Kyrah has received awards including the “Changemaker of the Year” and been featured on Boston’s ABC-TV Chronicle and in the New York Times. LEAD’s mission is to provide training and curriculum to strengthen mental health literacy, promote adolescent wellbeing, and build community resilience. Today, LEAD the industry leader in proactive mental health education, serving schools, camps, athletics, organizations, and corporate America. Kyrah also serves as a national Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor, keynote speaker and expert panelist for her organization.

Youth Program Coordinator, IREX

Chaima Amraoui, is the Youth Program Coordinator at IREX Tunisia, working on the USAID Ma3an program.  Early in her undergraduate career, she spent two years managing sales and business development before shifting to public relation with AIESEC, a youth leadership development organization. She was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship and went to the USA for a year where she continued working with AIESEC Atlanta  while interning at Alliance Française-Atlanta conducting marketing and communications. Chaima is also CEO and co-founder of Makhla, a local enterprise that produces handmade backpacks, crafted by southern artisans using dried palm fronds. She is completing her Bachelors in Marketing and Business Analytics this spring at Tunis Business School

Psychosocial Support Manager, ACDI/VOCA

Gisella holds a master’s degree in Political Science from the Pontificia Javeriana University and a degree in Political Science from Rosario University. She currently works as Psychosocial Support Manager for USAID and ACDI/VOCA’s Program of Alliances for Reconciliation (PAR). She is an expert in the topics of social behavioral change, design and implementation of methodologies for coexistence and reconciliation, peacebuilding, negotiation, and conflict resolution. She has 15 years of experience in the public policy and program implementation and has worked with public and private organizations at the local, national, and international level. She has previously worked as program director of the Colombian Agency for Reintegration, a university professor at Rosario University, Superior School of Public Administration, Colegio Mayor of Antioquia, EAN University and a consultant for IOM, Carpediem Consultores, Fundación ACUA, Fundación Mar Viva, among others.

Regional Programme Development Manager, Freedom of Expression, Transparency and Accountability, Hivos

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Associate Director GWU Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, George Washington University

Stephanie Asher is the Associate Director of Programs for the GW Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. In this role, she manages NSF I-Corps™ and International Lean Startup programs as well as directs data & evaluation systems, stakeholder engagement, and strategic initiatives. Stephanie has trained at and administered regional, international, and virtual innovation and entrepreneurship programs (25+ in the past year) across the U.S. and 4 World Bank regions (EAP, ECA, LCR, SAR). Since 2018, Stephanie has supported more than 135 startup teams in finding their product-market fit through mentorship and customer discovery. 
 Stephanie has an 8+ year record of success in project/program management in the federal government, NGOs, and academia. Her passion is building intentional inclusivity into the realm of tech and entrepreneurship. She blogs for the United Nations Association, US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and other news sources regarding gender equity and diversity & inclusion. 
 Stephanie holds a Master in Public Health from the George Washington University, with a research focus on the contribution of gender inequities to gender-based violence. 

Founding Director, Kibera Community Empowerment Organization (KCEO)

Bio Forthcoming

Vijana Africa

Jacques has five years of experience in social entrepreneurship, serving as the Founder and Director of Vijana Africa, a community based organization in Malawi’s Dzaleka Refugee Camp. Vijana Africa focuses on the promotion of peaceful coexistence, gender equality, and the reduction of poverty and hunger through income generating activities and peer education programs.

Apart from his work with Vijana Africa, Jacques serves as a Learning Facilitator at Jesuit Worldwide Learning, where he coaches online students through various university courses. Jacques holds a Diploma in Liberal Studies from Regis University and is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in Business from Southern New Hampshire University. Representing his home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jacques participated in the 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship in Washington, DC. 

Jacques’ vision is to see a world where refugees are economically empowered, self-reliant, and educated to the highest levels. 

Executive Director, Mozaik Foundation, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Vesna Bajšanski-Agić joined Mozaik in 2008, as Mozaik begun its transformation into a social enterprise. Today, Mozaik Foundation is the leading social enterprise in the Western Balkans, engaged in programs relevant to youth social entrepreneurship and social innovation.

Prior to joining Mozaik, Vesna worked for ten years in various management positions in other national NGOs focused on social justice and she is an internationally certified trainer for Education for Social Justice. She is a Governing Board member of two social businesses that support the disadvantaged and promote reconciliation in an economically sustainable way and a Board member/president of several NGOs in the region. Vesna is serving as a member in Managing Committee and Governing Council of the European Foundation Center in Brussels, Steering Committee of Grantmakers East Forum, SIGN Network, and ISSA.

She has a degree in Economics from the University of Sarajevo. Vesna is a 2012 recipient of the European Marshall Memorial Fellowship awarded by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Project Management Associate, Women in Government Project, Chemonics International, Afghanistan

Lorianne Baird is a project management associate on the USAID Promote: Women in Government project implemented by Chemonics International Inc in Afghanistan. She holds a masters in international relations from University College Dublin with a focus on international development and higher education. Prior to Chemonics, she taught comparative politics at Tallahassee Community College, and ESL in East Java, Indonesia. She is interested in continuing her work focused on the nexus of higher education, gender, and economic development.

Senior Fellow, Project on Prosperity & Development, Project on U.S. Leadership in Development Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

Romina Bandura is a senior fellow with the Project on Prosperity and Development and the Project on U.S. Leadership in Development at Centers for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Her current research focuses on the future of work in developing countries and the United States’ economic engagement in the developing world. She has also conducted extensive research on enhancing the reach and impact of the Multilateral Development Bank system. Before joining CSIS in September 2017, she was a senior consultant at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). She worked closely with clients to design research and manage projects that included index building, quantifying qualitative variables, policy analysis, and strategies for investment and growth. EIU flagship projects include benchmarking indices like the Global Microscope on Financial Inclusion and the Latin America and Caribbean Infrascope project. Ms. Bandura is an economist with 18 years of experience in international development research, policy analysis, and project management. Before joining EIU, she was an economist at the International Labour Organization's Washington office. In her previous capacity as a business manager at DAI’s Economic Growth Sector, she managed a $90 million private-sector development portfolio of projects in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. She has also served as a policy analyst for the UN Development Programme. Earlier in her career, she worked in the banking sector in Argentina. Ms. Bandura holds an MPA in international development from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA in economics from the Universidad Católica Argentina, Buenos Aires

Institutional Fundraising Youth Employment, SOS Children Villages, The Netherlands

Souhila el Baqqali has 18 years of professional experience in international cooperation and development, mainly working in programme management and advisory services both in The Netherlands and abroad. Throughout her career she has been engaged in several projects and programmes with other countries in Europe, Africa and Asia in thematic, humanitarian and development sectors such as education, good governance, work and income (youth employment), human rights and gender. Currently she works with SOS Children Villages The Netherlands and is responsible for institutional fundraising for youth employment; partnership development and youth employment programming.

Director of Programs, Economic & Social Development Management & Training Corporation (MTC)

Bonnie Barhyte is the Director of Programs for the Economic & Social Development division of Management & Training Corporation (MTC). She oversees MTC’s international development assistance projects including the Egypt-based, USAID-funded Workforce Improvement and Skill Enhancement (WISE) project. WISE is providing capacity building and training to help upgrade Egypt’s technical and vocational education and training system, enhance connections between employers and technical schools, and create local partnerships for economic development. As a leader in several international development organizations, including AED, World Learning, and AMIDEAST, Bonnie’s portfolio has focused on economic strengthening through enterprise and capacity development, youth and employee development programs, academic and technical training for youth and adults, and leadership development with an emphasis on community level leadership. Her international service includes experience in the Middle East, Pakistan, Central Asia, and Africa. Bonnie holds a Bachelor’s degree in History/African Studies form Carleton College and a Master’s degree in International Administration from the SIT Graduate Institute.

Director, Center for Research and Statistics, FUSADES

Margarita Beneke de Sanfeliu holds a BS (with distinction) and an MS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, with a concentration on math modeling.  She serves as Director of the Center for Research and Statistics at Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social (FUSADES) and has more than 25 years of experience coordinating interdisciplinary research teams in the design, implementation and analysis of social and economic issues. She has directed and conducted empirical quantitative and mixed methods research, including surveys (household, individuals, enterprises, etc.).   Recent research and publications have focused on: women´s economic empowerment, labor market, youth employability, crime prevention and evaluation of social programs.  She was member of the Economic Equity Task Force of the T20-Argentina. She participates in international research networks such as Southern Voice and Latin American Initiative for Public Policy Incidence (ILAIPP).  She has been lead researcher numerous studies and publications; has presented in national and international conferences. She is the lead researcher in the costing study commissioned by CRS. 

Senior Democracy and Governance Associate, Tetra Tech

Gerardo Berthin is a political scientist specializing in applied democratic governance policy in areas related to local governance, accountability, and citizens' empowerment and participation.  He has nearly 20 years of experience as a program officer/director and/or senior technical policy adviser in the design and implementation of strategies to empower and engage youth in over 40 countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central and Eastern Europe on behalf of international development organizations.

While at UNDP, Gerardo designed the Workshop on Social Audit for Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs, as a means to empower and engage youth and youth organizations. The workshops used as reference the Practical Guide to Social Audit, authored by Mr. Berthin.  He has written and published extensively on youth participation in local governments and will bring lessons to  the session  from his extensive experience.

Currently, he serves as Senior Associate on Democratic Governance at Tetra Tech, one of the largest consulting firms in the United States.  He is a member of the "50/50 Youth" research cluster of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Technical Specialist, Youth & Workforce Development Education Development, Education Development Center, Inc

Rachel Blum has 20 years of international development experience, specializing in youth-inclusive economic growth, and including 5 years working at USAID on youth workforce development and livelihoods projects. She currently works part-time at Education Development Center (EDC) as a Technical Specialist, and also as a freelance consultant to design, evaluate, and provide technical assistance to programs that seek to be youth-inclusive. Rachel has worked in 27 countries around the world, and has published several works including most recently the USAID Feed the Future Project Design Guide for Youth-Inclusive Agriculture and Food Systems. Rachel holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University. 

Co-Founder, EXIT Festival and Share Foundation

Bojan Bosckovic is a Co-Founder of EXIT Festival, and award-winning summer music festival concieved of as a student protest against the civil wars and dictatorship of Serbia in 1999. He is also a Co-Founder of the Share Foundation, which explores the intersection of culture, technology, entrepreneurship and activism, bringing best practices to local activist communities in a form of SHARE conference – a three day event that gathers hundreds of local and regional activists. Bojan holds a master’s degree in telecommunications engineering from the University of Novi Sad, and a master’s degree in business administration from Vienna University of Economics and Business.

Country Director, International Youth Foundation

Ilídio joined the International Youth Foundation (IYF) in 2013 as a Technical Advisor and has been IYF’s Mozambique Country Director since 2016. An expert in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and employment, he has more than 25 years of work experience in the areas of labor market and TVET in Mozambique. Prior to joining IYF, Ilídio worked for the Ministry of Labor as National Director of Vocational Training, National Director of Employment, and National Director of International Affairs. He holds three degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in Portugues Language Teaching from Eduardo Mondlane University, a Master of Arts in Socioeconomic Development from the Higher Institute of Science and Technology (ISCTEM), and a Master of Science in Educational Science from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. A former professional basketball player and President of the Mozambique Basketball Federation, Ilídio is currently President of the Veterans Basketball Association and is known as a basketball television commentator and mentor for young players in Mozambique.

Co-Founder, The Biz Nation

Karen Carvajalino is a passionate dreamer, enthusiastic entrepreneur, author and social leader. Carvajalino is a young Colombian who started doing business along with her sisters with $15 when she was 7 years old and founded Chococar, a chocolate company. Since then she embarked on a mission to dramatically reshape education and take it to those who have no access to it. Karen is the co-founder of The Biz Nation, a movement that empowers youth through productive education, entrepreneurship and technology skills. Besides running 4 successful companies, Carvajalino is dedicated to developing the entrepreneurial spirit in Latin America and inspiring thousands of people around the globe. Karen is a firm believer of education and is passionate about providing children with financial education at a young age. This idea led to her book Parents and Coaches:Unleash Your Children's Inner Entrepreneur. Karen has been nominated to different international awards including the White House Champions of Change award and was also declared Historical and Cultural Heritage of Colombia.

Associate, Agriculture and Economic Growth, Tetra Tech

Ms. Carol Chan has over 15 years of experience working in international development for various public and private donors and in the private sector as an information technology consultant. Currently, she is an Agriculture and Economic Growth Associate at Tetra Tech where she provides technical and financial oversight to the USAID-funded $17 million Kosovo Agricultural Growth and Rural Opportunities (AGRO) Activity and the USAID-funded $22.9 million Democratic Republic of Congo Strengthening Value Chains (SVC) Activity as part of the home office project management team.

At Tetra Tech, she also supports new business development efforts including managing proposals, liaising with subcontractors, conducting scoping trips, and providing written contributions to proposals. She has four years of experience working on agriculture, economic growth, and youth development projects in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Kenya, and the United Kingdom. Prior to an international development career, Ms. Chan was an information technology consultant for six years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Illinois, USA and a M.B.A. from IESE Business School, Spain. 

Senior Project Manager of Workforce and Youth, Economic Growth Division, Creative Associates

Ms. Chard is an international development professional with 10 years of experience in youth and women's programming. She has experience in youth workforce development, value chain analysis and youth entrepreneurship on projects for MasterCard Foundation, USAID, and Inter-America Development Bank. Ms. Chard is particularly effective at building strategic alliances between key stakeholders and partner organizations to improve development outcomes. A youth specialist with expertise in integrating Positive Youth Development principles into program design, Ms. Chard has been responsible for innovative USAID strategic documents regarding youth inclusive development in agriculture. Prior to Creative Associates, Ms. Chard served as the Country Director for Days for Girls Uganda. She holds a MBA and MA in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University. 

International Technical Advisor, Education Development Center (EDC)

Nancy Chervin is a youth and workforce advisor at Education Development Center in Washington, DC. She specializes in work readiness skills training, work-based learning and preparing youth for the jobs of today and the future by connecting educational institutions and employers. She was recently based in Bangkok as the Training Manager for the USAID-LMI COMET project where she oversaw instructor professional development and work-based learning activities for the MekongSkills2Work Network in South East Asia. She has also supported programs in Djibouti, the DRC, Ethiopia, Guyana, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, and Senegal to develop skills in youth so they are more employable and increase their livelihoods.

Senior Multilateral Cooperation Specialist, International Labour Orgnaization

Matthieu Cognac joined international development organizations, first in micronance in Asia and in Latin America, after receiving his MBA and a first career in international banking, . In 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami brought him to the ILO in Indonesia where he managed several youth employment projects; partnering with Government officials and working with local communities to enhance economic growth and provide young people with the education and skills training they needed to enter the labor market. His work led to job creation for farmers and traders with the inauguration of the furst international flights to Banda Aceh; the expansion of financial cooperative networks and the launch of green jobs initiatives. He then joined the ILO regional office for Asia and the Pacific in capacity of Regional Youth Employment Specialist, where he advised Governments, employers and workers organizations on opportunities to create decent jobs. He helped design UN joint programs, implement National Action Plans and launch awareness raising campaigns. In January 2019, Matthieu joined the ILO office in New York. While youth remains an important part of his portfolio, his main role is to liaise with the UN and to collaborate on decent work initiatives.

Sr. Program Quality, Accountability, & Learning Manager, War Child Canada

Brett is currently the Senior Program Quality, Accountability, and Learning Manager with War Child Canada. An experienced Monitoring & Evaluation and GIS professional with over 5 years of field experience working on large complex programs in South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somaliland and many other countries. Extensive involvement in managing and implementing full mobile data collection systems and mobile cash transfer solutions in low resource settings. Comprehensive practice designing and conducting quantitative and qualitative data management across multiple sectors with a particular focus on nutrition, WASH, food security and cash based programming.

Senior Policy Associate, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)

Lisa Corsetto is a Senior Policy Associate at J-PAL, where she manages the Labor Markets sector and serves as a liaison to the J-PAL Latin America and the Caribbean office. Prior to joining J-PAL, Lisa worked at a vocational training center for youth in Nicaragua and researched social safety nets in Mexico. She holds a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley and a BA in economics and a BS in international agricultural development from UC Davis. For her master's capstone project, she consulted with the Inter-American Development Bank's Office of Evaluation and Oversight to study public transportation usage in Peru.

Executive Director, Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP)

Aubrey Cox Ottenstein joined as the Executive Director of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) in September 2019. Prior to joining YPFP, she served as the lead for youth programs at the United States Institute of Peace. In this role, Aubrey elevated the role of youth in peacebuilding and increased the inclusion of young people in peace and security processes. Aubrey has spent most of her career working on issues of inclusion, peace and security. Prior to joining USIP, Aubrey worked in a double-bottom line impact investment fund focused on financial inclusion at Accion International. Earlier, she conducted field-based monitoring and evaluation research for Operation Smile. Aubrey holds a bachelor's degree from the Beatty Business School at the College of Charleston and a master's degree from the School of International Service at American University. She and her husband live in Washington, DC.

Director of Program Development, Economic and Social Development, Management & Training Corporation (MTC)

Diane Crosby is the Director of Program Development for Management & Training Corporation (MTC). For the past 8 years, she has provided senior support to MTC’s workforce development-related international programs and bids. She has over 30 years of experience in public policy, education, governance, and international development fields. Diane served as a policy analyst for the Virginia Department of Education studying legislative and policy impacts on Virginia’s K-12 system. For over a decade she served as a long-term residential advisor on USAID-funded local governance projects in Indonesia, Poland, and Ukraine. Since moving to Washington in 2015, she has worked in international program management and business development in the governance and education sectors in a range of developing countries. Diane holds an MPA with a concentration in Public Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation.

President, YouthBuild International

Tim Cross joined YouthBuild USA in 1996 holding several positions including Vice President of Field Services overseeing the national domestic field operation and then served as Chief Operating Officer for three years before launching YouthBuild International in 2007 and becoming its President. For the last 25 years Mr. Cross has worked in the youth and community development field, first as a line youth worker in community based organizations, and in successive leadership roles in city wide, national and international youth development initiatives. He was the Country Coordinator of the Civil Society Development program which created to two national support organizations providing a range of training and technical assistance to the emerging nonprofit sectors in Poland and Hungary. He consulted to the ImagineNations Group, International Youth Foundation, the World Bank and Open Society Institute on international initiatives focused on youth engagement, training and employment. He directed the ROCA youth center in Chelsea, MA, a comprehensive youth development program, and was executive director of Youth As Resources in Boston. He led efforts to found YouthBuild Boston, the first YouthBuild program replicated outside of East Harlem, New York. He also worked as a foundation program officer focused on refugee and immigrant development efforts, and consulted to several international grant making organizations seeking to build the capacity of youth workers. He holds a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard University.

Deputy Director, Center for Distributive, Labor and Social Studies (CEDLAS)

Guillermo Cruces (PhD in Economics, LSE) is the deputy director of the Center for Distributive, Labor and Social Studies (CEDLAS) at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina. He is also a visiting professor of labor economics at the Universidad de San Andrés and a researcher at Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET). He has worked previously for the UK's Department for Work and Pensions and for the Development Studies Division of the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Executive Director, Global Social Enterprise Initiative, Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business

Leslie Crutchfield is an author, Executive Director of the Global Social Enterprise Initiative at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, and a leading authority on social change.Leslie’s first book, Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits with Heather McLeod Grant was recognized by The Economist on its Best Books of the Year list. Leslie was previously a managing director at Ashoka, the global venture fund for social entrepreneurs, and she cofounded a U.S. nonprofit social enterprise in her 20s. She has contributed to Fortune, Forbes, The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Stanford Social Innovation Review, and has appeared on programs such as NPR and ABC News. Leslie has served on nonprofit boards including SEED Foundation and Kiva, and she volunteered with Crossroads Africa in The Gambia. She holds an MBA and BA from Harvard, and resides in the Washington, D.C. region.

Regional Program Manager, STRYDE, TechnoServe

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Economist, Africa Gender Innovation Lab, World Bank

Clara is an economist with the World Bank’s Africa Gender Innovation Lab. Her main areas of research are in development and behavioral economics with a gender focus. She is particularly interested in human capital (health, education), human capital formation and drivers of motivation (non-cognitive skills, aspirations, personality development, mental health) and their role in economic development. She also works on performance-based incentives and monitoring as tools for improving service delivery. Other fields of interest include risk management and technology adoption among poor farmers. Most of her research is driven by randomized controlled trials conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa and India.

Coordinator of the INCLUDE Secretariat , INCLUDE Knowledge Platform

Marleen Dekker is Professor of Inclusive Development in Africa at Leiden University. She is trained as a human geographer and holds a PhD in Development Economics. Marleen has collaborated in several international research projects in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Togo and Nigeria on social networks, insurance, marriage and intra- household collaboration. Since 2014, Marleen has also coordinated the INCLUDE Secretariat, the Knowledge Platform on Inclusive Development Policies in Africa. The platform supports research, shares relevant knowledge with policy makers and practitioners and organizes international policy dialogues on inclusive development themes both in The Netherlands and in African countries. 

Technical Director, HRH2030 Program, Chemonics International

Rachel Deussom is the Technical Director of the HRH2030 Program at Chemonics International. As a systems thinker and human capitalist, Rachel is a health workforce expert with 15 years of experience focusing on community health, mHealth, HIV/AIDS, and maternal and child health. She has led teams and provided technical and/or operations support across Africa and Asia, contributing to USAID, World Bank, and Gates-funded initiatives. Rachel has developed HRH-strengthening tools and interventions for pre-service education, retention, productivity and performance, community engagement, supply chain management, gender, and information systems. She also held an Adjunct Faculty position at George Washington University and is a DONA-trained doula. Rachel has a B.A. in French from Georgetown University and an M.S. in public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is committed to ensuring people around the world access health workers to live healthier, more productive lives.

Director, Human and Community Development, Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC)

Ms. Dillener has 20 years’ experience in managing development projects, both in the U.S. and abroad. She currently serves as Director in the Human & Community Development Practice Group in the Department of Compact Operations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation.  Before joining MCC, Ms. Dillener managed a project that promoted peace through development and supported community resilience to violent extremism in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad.  Ms. Dillener has also managed education projects in Senegal that addressed issues in teacher training; policy reform; school construction; girls’ education; school governance; youth employability; and math and French remediation. Her other overseas work has included supervising post-hurricane repair and reconstruction activities; supporting the establishment of anti-monopoly commissions and government budget oversight offices; and designing and implementing programs to combat child labor.  Ms. Dillener has developed training curricula and learning materials; organized workshops and conferences; and presented at numerous conferences and workshops. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree, and speaks English and French.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Builder

Over the last 13 years, Mike have been promoting entrepreneurship in 20 countries by designing, leading, and advising donor-funded programs that support startups. These programs include developing entrepreneur white papers for heads of state, designing programs for donors like USAID, the Swiss Government, and World Bank, developing startup training programs, and building networks of support including investors and mentors. He has advised and supported over 50 entrepreneurship support organizations on both their programming needs and how to become financially sustainable. Mike has helped to catalyze and facilitate thousands of successful business people to become mentors to entrepreneurs. He has successfully designed and managed programs that have brought in new forms of financing to entrepreneurs including debt, angel investment and venture capital. Mike has share lessons of what has and has not worked with the greater development and entrepreneurial community through different events, workshops, panels, training and writings in media outlets like TechCrunch, Inc, the Kauffman Foundation USAID market links and many others. Because of this, his work has been recognized by heads of state and by other government dignitaries. Mike is currently writing a book about city economics, have finished 7 marathons, 2 triathlons and summited Mt. Kilimanjaro

Founder and Strategic Director, the CQI Partnership for Gender Equity

For more than twenty years, Kimberly Easson has dedicated herself to improving the lives of small-scale farmers, particularly in coffee and for women. She is the founder and Strategic Director of the Partnership for Gender Equity (PGE), a collaborative research and development initiative of the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) to improve coffee quality, and supply chain resilience with a focus on gender equity at origin. Through PGE, Easson has been a powerful advocate for the integration of household methodologies (such as GALS) in supply chain programs as a means to accelerate shifts in power dynamics in farming households and communities. PGE’s project methodology, which integrates GALS as a core component, has been supported by the InterAmerican Development Bank’s SAFE Platform, and integrated in USAID programs in Ethiopia, Myanmar and Guatemala. Previously, as the Director of Producer Services and Relations at Fairtrade International in Bonn, Germany, she held responsibility for producer capacity building services for over one million Fairtrade producers in 63 countries. She served four years as member of the Board of Directors of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), co-founded the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) and the JavaJog for a Cause, which has raised nearly $100,000 for women in coffee producing communities.

Regional Advisor, Youth Employability, Catholic relief Servies

Kay Andrade-Eekhoff is the Technical Advisor on Youth Employability for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Latin America and the Caribbean. She provides support and guidance to deepen and expand program quality through interventions related to leadership, service and employability for opportunity youth, leading the implementation and scaling strategy for Jóvenes Constructores. She has been a professor in the Department of Political Science and Sociology at the Universidad Centro Americana 'Jos Simeón Cañas (UCA) in El Salvador and worked for 8 years as a senior researcher with the Facultad Latino Americana de Ciencias Sociales (FLASCO), involved in policy related research on topics ranging from labor markets, poverty, social exclusion, violence, governance and international migration.  She has served as a member of the Board of the International Network on Migration and Development and advisor to the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC).   She worked as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program and the PanAmerican Development Foundation, and collaborates extensively with civil society organizations on issues related to youth violence, employability, migration and development in the U.S. and Central America. She holds a master's degree in Urban Planning from UCLA, and has lived in El Salvador since 1994. 

SOS Children Villages, The Netherlands

Souhila el Baqqali has 18 years of professional experience in international cooperation and development, mainly working in programme management and advisory services both in The Netherlands and abroad. Throughout her career she has been engaged in several projects and programmes with other countries in Europe, Africa and Asia in thematic, humanitarian and development sectors such as education, good governance, work and income (youth employment), human rights and gender. Currently she works with SOS Children Villages The Netherlands and is responsible for institutional fundraising for youth employment; partnership development and youth employment programming.

Regional Advisor, Youth Empowerment, BRAC USA

As BRAC USA’s Regional Advisor for Youth Empowerment, Carrie provides technical support to BRAC International countries in Africa on youth programming, including program design, proposal development, and quality program implementation. She is based in East Africa. 
 
Prior to joining BRAC, Carrie was the COO of Kepler, an innovative higher education program serving vulnerable students in East Africa. Carrie led the drive to prepare for expansion and ensured graduates were ready for transition to employment. Carrie was also the inaugural Country Director for the Akilah Institute for Women in Bujumbura, Burundi. She started with Akilah as the Academic Director in Rwanda. 
 
Before beginning her work in East Africa, Carrie served as the National Program Director of Girls for a Change for seven years, overseeing strategy and program implementation. She also served two terms in the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, worked for the Girl Scouts of Silicon Valley, and was a consultant to NGOs for more than seven years. Carrie earned a Master’s in International and Multicultural Education with an emphasis in Human Rights Education from the University of San Francisco.

Project Manager, Dream Factory Foundation (DFF)

Zipho Falakhe is a Project Manager at Dream Factory Foundation (DFF), whose role is to implement, monitor and strengthen the programs at DFF that are designed to help youth and women realize and achieve their dreams against the tides of inequality and social injustice. Zipho is also a Master’s in Public Health student in the Division of Social Behavioral Science at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Her undergraduate qualification is in gender studies and sociology. As a 24 year old young woman from Khayelitsha, a township whose dominant narrative is crime, poverty and HIV/AIDS burden, she is on a pursuit to change disempowering narratives. She is passionate about youth and women’s empowerment as well as sustainable community development. In 2016, she was selected as a Mellon Mays Fellow forming part of the UCT cohort. In June 2018, she presented her research paper titled: Teenage pregnancy, Media and Representations: Contemporary Representations of Black Femininity through dominant media discourses on teenage pregnancy, at the Social Science Research Council Graduate Summer Conference in New York hosted at Columbia University. Her passion for research is in tackling the disproportionate vulnerabilities faced by women in Africa. Zipho is a Mandela Rhodes Scholar in the class of 2019, a fellowship that is focused on strengthening African leadership for social, economic, and reconciliatory change. Her Christian beliefs and values inspire all that she does.

National Council Alumni Chair/Alumna, Social Impact 360

Kate Fagan currently serves as the National Council Chair of Social Impact 360, the first and largest mentorship-based training organization for young social entrepreneurs on college campuses nationwide. Through the year-long fellowship program, young people identify and build solutions to social problems, leveraging their business skills to maximize social impact. Prior to joining the National Council, Kate completed her fellowship at Boston College, served as a mentor to those in the fellowship the following year, and completed an internship with the organization, assisting with communications and fundraising. Social Impact 360's National Council works in tandem with the Executive Director to push forward nationwide initiatives. From improving communication between the national and chapter levels, to developing collateral to bring consistency cross chapters, and planning organization-wide events, the Council of Social Impact 360 alumni work to better the program each year. Outside of Social Impact 360, Kate works as a Marketing Associate for Deloitte, which she joined after graduating from Boston College in May 2018 with degrees in Communications and Management for Social Impact.

CEO/Founder, Red Diamond Compost

Joshua Forte is an entrepreneur & independent researcher on a mission to make nutrient dense foods easily accessible to every living person on the planet. As the founder of Red Diamond Compost, a Barbados based biotech startup which creates a range of organic and biologic soil treatment & crop protection solutions, he has paired his passion for nature with the principles of agricultural science & technology for climate-smart environmental management. Since starting Red Diamond 2014, he has been placed in various entrepreneurship competitions, including the Call-to-Action Entrepreneurship Challenge, the Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre’s, Greentech Startup Bootcamp, and the TIC Americas Caribbean Innovation Competition 2018 in Lima, Peru. Joshua is an advocate and educator of regenerative agriculture & ecosystem restoration. 

Technical Advisor, Work and Learning, FHI 360

Bio Forthcoming

International Programmes Coordinator

Jackie Garcia is a Project Manager professional with a broad experience in development and humanitarian sectors.  She has managed projects in different developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America with multilateral development banks and International NGOs.She is managing various projects with Y Care International in close coordination with the implementing partners around the world, that are YMCAs and YWCAs. She specialises in livelihoods and economic empowerment. Through her work she has been exposed to different context and cultures and she really delights in getting to know new people and new ways of life. This has expanded her competence and knowledge and gave  her the skills and expertise to support the most disadvantaged communities to thrive. She is an Agriculture Engineer and holds a Masters in International Business Administration. She speaks fluently Spanish and English and is always happy to put her French and Portuguese language skills into practice.

Youth Workforce Development Specialist, POTENTIAL Project /Ethiopia

Meselu Mulugeta a youth workforce development specialist and an experienced trainer who has led and coordinated the development of an integrated Mentor’s Guide and Training Manual and conducted training to over 190 volunteer mentors in order to support young people for self- or wage employment in a USAID funded rural youth workforce development project. The volunteer mentors, 54% female, were business people, career professionals or role models selected from local communities who have relevant experience and are interested in supporting and promoting youth. Meselu also provided on the ground technical support to youth facilitators, coaches and volunteer mentors with special attention given towards achieving gender inclusion and has acquired adequate on the field experience to share particularly on best practices to address issues of female inclusion on youth workforce programs in rural settings of developing countries. 
Meselu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, a Master’s degree in Rural design and Development, and a 2nd Master’s degree in Social Work. 

Project Management Advisor - Volunteer, Uniterra A WUSC and CECI Program

Julie Gervais has 8 years of experience in international development. She holds a Bachelor in Business Administration (B.B.A.) and a Master in Public Administration (M.P.A). She started her career as a research officer, and then project manager for Financière agricole du Québec – Développement international. She has been involved in major agricultural insurance and financing projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Julie is currently working in Peru as a volunteer for Uniterra, a leading Canadian international development program that is jointly operated by the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) and World University Service of Canada (WUSC). Her mandate is to support the development of an innovative and inclusive mechanism that will enable vulnerable students to access higher education. 

Director Economic Participation/Senior Technical Officer, FHI360

Dr. Nicole Goldin is Director of Economic Participation at FHI 360, leading the department comprising Work, Youth and Skills, and Inclusion practices. She is also non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and adjunct Professor at GWU Elliott School. She was previously consulting Lead Economist with the World Bank-led Solutions for Youth Employment Coalition (S4YE), Senior Advisor AIYD, Founding Director of the CSIS/IYF Youth Prosperity and Security Initiative, and Senior Advisor State Department and USAID where she led the creation of the Agency's first Youth in Development Policy. She holds a PhD in economics from SOAS, UK. 

Co-Founder, Asante Africa Foundation

Erna Grasz co-founded Asante Africa Foundation with two visionary African women from Kenya and Tanzania. She refers to herself as a Systems Engineer turned Systems Entrepreneur for Global Impact. Originally trained as an Electrical-System Engineer, she spent her early career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and then in Silicon Valley. While spending 25 years in the Corporate world as a senior executive, she earned the reputation as a strategic leader, “organizer of chaos” and with demonstrated success in diverse industries, including medical device, defense research, and semiconductor capital equipment. Erna brings her business savviness to the Non Profit world and is the visionary behind many of the organization’s innovative programs and practices. She has a strong belief in local staff, local partnerships and developing local talent for the long term sustainability. In 2013 Erna was the recipient of the Jefferson Award for public service. In 2014 She received a “Distinguished Engineering” Award for her Innovation in Developing Countries. In 2016 She was a HULT Prize Judge for Innovation in Urban slums ( Clinton Global Initiative).  Recently Erna received the 2018 Gratitude Network Fellowship and Award.

Director of Learning and Influence, Youth Business International

Jessica is the Director of Learning and Influence at Youth Business International. She has nearly 15 years experience in the international development sector, working in programme management and monitoring and evaluation roles across a number of NGOs with a focus on youth development. In her current role she oversees YBI’s research portfolio, including managing the research on future skills for young entrepreneurs that will be presented in the proposed session.

Technical Manager, Peacebuilding & Countering Violent Extremism, Creative Associates International

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Chief Purpose Officer (CPO)/Founder , Radicle Global

Shamoy has been leading youth entrepreneurship initiatives in the Caribbean for over 8 years and is the founder of EarthStrong Youth Fund (EYF), formerly Jamaica School for Social Entrepreneurship (JSSE), co- founder of the Youth Entrepreneurship project (YEP) and founder of TreeHugg Jamaica, a business that promotes environmental consciousness in Jamaica. She has supported over 200 aspiring young entrepreneurs and 27 youth-led organisations through a wide range of business development projects and programmes, many of whom went on to building successful youth enterprises including Javin Williams, of Herboo Botanicals, Melissa Preddie, of Aviola Accessories and Joshua Forte, of Red Diamond Compost. Shamoy recently developed Radicle Global, a resource ecosystem for youth enterprises and organisations operating in the blue and green economy. Radicle connects young changemakers to a network of resources, namely e- learning, funding, mentoring and technical support from young professionals, and gives young professionals first-hand experience as paid consultants. 

Government Liaison Lead, USAID Promote: Women in Government (WIG) Project

Aimal Hakim is a policy and research professional who has worked within the governmental and non-governmental sectors in Afghanistan for more than 15 years in a variety of operational, policy, research, and capacity development roles. He serves as government liaison lead on the USAID Promote: Women in Government (WIG) project.

International Technical Advisor and Project Director, Education Development Center, Inc.

Ann Hershkowitz is an International Technical Advisor and Project Director with Education Development Center (EDC). She has more than a decade of experience in the fields of youth development, work readiness, livelihoods and entrepreneurship, and education and training. She provides technical assistance around curriculum development, training, scaling and institutionalizing work readiness activities with governments, and capacity building to project teams in the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. Ann also directs several multi-million dollar youth employability projects. She leads the development of the Measuring Skills @ Scale tool, and has grappled with the questions around tool development or adaptation in many of the large-scale youth projects she manages. She is an experienced public speaker, and enjoys facilitating interactive and participatory discussions. Ann holds an MA in International Development from American University.

Founder, Going to School

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Senior Policy Associate, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)

Serene Ho is a Senior Policy Associate for J-PAL where she works on policy analysis and communication and manages the Firms sector. Prior to joining J-PAL in 2018, she worked at MIT's Internet Policy Research Initiative, focusing on research related to the future of employment. She has also worked as a project manager in the Industrial and Automation sector in the U.K., Germany and Poland. Serene holds a master's in public administration from Columbia University, specializing in economic and political development. She also holds a Bachelor's in mechanical engineering from the University of Bristol. 

Education Specialist, UNICEF

Iqbal is a development professional focused on quality and equity in education. As an Education Specialist at UNICEF Bangladesh, Iqbal helps develop strategies, frameworks, and operation plans for early learning, adolescent education, and education for out-of-school children. Prior to joining UNICEF, Iqbal worked as an Advisor for Quality Primary Education at Plan International and spent 8 years working for the Bangladesh Children Academy under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs in Bangladesh. Iqbal has a MSc in Early Childhood Development from BRAC University, where he graduated with Highest Distinction and received the Vice Chancellor Award. Iqbal is confident in the ability of education to change the world.

Cheif Executive Officer, Aoun

Sari Hweitat, a Cheif Executive Officer at Aoun inc in Jordan, where he started his entrepreneurial journey by innovating a new business model that disrupts the home services sector by providing a platform where you can find, hire, rate experts with a few clicks.

Under his leadership, Aoun has been awarded locally, regionally, and internationally as a new business model that will shape the future of gig-economy in the MENA region serving over 500 service providers and over 90,000 users in Jordan.

In addition to his role as the CEO of Aoun, Hweitat is heavily involved in the startup ecosystem in Jordan by providing mentoring and support to new entrepreneurs. 

Hweitat believes in the need to employ technological innovation and entrepreneurship to achieve sustainable economic growth and create new job opportunities that guarantee decent living and increase productivity in developing economies.

Corporate Affairs Manager, Walmart Mexico and Central America

Claudia Ibañez has over 26 years of experience in managerial positions in Latin America. Since 2007 she has been working with Walmart Mexico and Central America. She is the Country Representative for Walmart and the Subdirector of Regional Support and Growth. Through these roles she supports the organization by guiding departments to achieve internal results, with focus on development and implementation of growth plans. Claudia graduated from the University of Matias Delgado with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and obtained her MBA from ISEAe/FEPADE in El Salvador with a specialization in international negotiations, awarded by the Anahuac of Mexico. She is currently the President of Amcham, Director of the ANEP Executive Committee, Vice President of Food Bank El Salvador and Fellow of the Aspen Institute's Central American Leadership Initiative. 

Senior Advisor for Youth and Systems Thinking, Independent/Consultant

Clare A. Ignatowski, Ph.D., is an anthropologist with over 25 years of U.S. domestic and international experience in youth development, workforce systems, and education reform. She is currently an independent consultant, as well as Senior Advisor at Creative Associates International. She served in Peace Corps/Cameroon, at the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. At USAID, she co-authored the Agency’s first Youth in Development Policy, developed the architecture for the YouthPower Project, and designed youth projects in over 20 countries. In 2013, she co- founded the Youth Employment Funders Group (YEFG) with donor partners.

Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development Brookings Institution

Bio Forthcoming

Acting Director of Peace and Conflict, Mercy Corps,

Lisa Inks is Acting Director of Peace and Conflict at Mercy Corps, where she leads violence prevention strategy, program design, implementation support, and research globally. Her recent publications include Does Peacebuilding Work in the Midst of Conflict? Impact Evaluation of Peacebuilding Program in Nigeria, “We Hope and We Fight”: Youth, Communities, and Violence in Mali, “Motivations and Empty Promises”: Voices of Former Boko Haram Combatants and Nigerian Youth, and a series of studies on farmer-pastoralist conflict in Nigeria. Prior to her role on the global technical support team, she was the Director of Conflict Management Programs for Mercy Corps in Nigeria, where she oversaw the strategy and implementation of a portfolio of programs working at the intersection of peacebuilding, economic development, and governance. In addition to working as Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Advisor for Mercy Corps in Nigeria, she has worked as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at IREX, as Program Manager for Global Nomads Group, and as a researcher for Search for Common Ground and Mercy Corps in other capacities. She has a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University. 

In addition to working as Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Advisor for Mercy Corps in Nigeria, she has worked as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at IREX, as Program Manager for Global Nomads Group, and as a researcher for Search for Common Ground and Mercy Corps in other capacities. She has a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University.   

Youth Presenter, ACDI/VOCA

Mabel is from Cartagena, Colombia, and is a project participant of the Program of Alliances for Reconciliation (PAR), joint initiative of USAID and ACDI/VOCA in Colombia.  PAR and local implementing partner Fundación Juan Felipe Gómez Escobar (known as Fundación Juanfe) facilitates training for young, single mothers, equipping them with job skills that allow them to access greater economic opportunities and empowers participants by building skills for social change. In the project, Mabel received workforce development training to work in Cartagena’s booming hotel and catering services and has secured a customer service position at a restaurant. Mabel also serves as a Juanfe ambassador for reconciliation, raising awareness with young people from educational institutions in marginalized neighborhoods of Cartagena. She has decided to be part of the solution to violence, intolerance and stigmatization that affects her community by promoting social inclusion, respect for differences and nonviolent conflict resolution.  

Founder & Managing Director, GBRI Eat Fresh

Hadija Jabir is a youth farmer and the managing director of GBRI Business Solutions- a horticulture export company based in Iringa, Tanzania. GBRI specializes in growing vegetables such as sugar snap and green beans and exporting to the European market. She started her business two years ago after failing at a soap making business she began right after graduating from an accounting degree in 2015, and incorporated many lessons learned from her first venture to make GBRI a success. Hadija works with more than 200 farmers who are part of her out growers scheme. She is part of the Feed the Future Tanzania Advancing Youth Advisory Council (AYAC) and mentors other young women. Through this program, she won a grant worth $98,000 to employ more than 300 other youth farmers and grow her export business.

Secretary of Education State Government of Baja California Sur

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Director, Research, RTI International

Eric M. Johnson currently co-directs RTI's Center for Global Youth Employment, with a focus on developing and testing workforce development solutions. Dr. Johnson is an accomplished development professional with 15 years of experience bridging the worlds of academia, policy, and practice. He previously worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) where he led USAID investments in higher education and workforce development, while also acting as Deputy Director of USAID's Office of Education. Dr. Johnson now provides technical expertise and support for RTI's portfolio of youth workforce development projects in India, El Salvador, Haiti, Liberia, Kenya, and the Philippines. He provides thought-leadership for the youth workforce development sector through periodic presentations and publications.

Banyan Global

Since August 2017, Bertin Kabomboro is a specialist in gender, youth and social inclusion within the USAID- funded Feed the Future/DRC Strengthening Value Chains (SVC) Activity. The SVC Activity organizes several activities promoting dialogue and capacity-building on gender equality, leadership, youth participation and women's empowerment, social inclusion of vulnerable groups in the coffee, beans and soybeans value chains. Mr. Kabomboro organizes trainings on the Gender Action Learning System (GALS) methodology in which he follows and evaluates the application in the areas of intervention of the project. Mr. Kabomboro has great experience in identifying and analyzing in-depth the major constraints faced by these groups and then, developing strategies with these groups to solve them. From 2009-2017, he worked at International Alert/UK and International Rescue Committee (IRC) to fight against gender-based violence. He also provided technical assistance in designing and implementing advocacy and outreach campaigns directed at young people and women in DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. Mr. Kabomboro holds a master's degree in gender and development from the Graduate Institute of International and development studies/IHEID, Geneva, Switzerland. 

Consultant, Feed the Future Tanzania Advancing Youth

Neemiah Kahakwa is currently the Livelihood component lead (Entrepreneurship and workforce Development Specialist) for the DAI implemented USAID Feed the Future Tanzania Advancing Youth Activity, he has vast experience in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of economic empowerment programs focused on supporting rural small holder farmers, especially women and youth development through enterprise, value chain development and rural financing especially on market facilitation and promotional activities. Hands on providing technical support, advice, coaching, mentoring, and capacity building to business hubs, SMEs, farmer groups, village saving and lending associations (VSLA) mobile finance and partners to enable them to handle their responsibilities and functions on SMEs/Farmers growth and competitiveness.

Hands on experience in managing and implementing youth employment programs in agriculture/agribusiness through entrepreneurship and employability pathways in Tanzania. he has also served as a Technical Program Specialist, Entrepreneurship for International Youth Foundation (IYF) implemented Via Jiandalie Ajira Project in Tanzania funded by Master card foundation, which creates employment to 17,043 youth in Tanzania through entrepreneurship and employability pathways. He has also served as Senior Business Development Specialist for Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO) Tanzania which supports development of the small industries sector in Tanzania, through enabling policy formulation and direct support to SMEs, to hands-on involvement in the establishment and support of SMEs in both rural and urban areas.

Global Youth Engagement, VSO International

Anne is currently the Global Youth Engagement Officer in VSO where she has been championing development and operationalization of Global Youth Engagement Strategy and strengthening youth engagement to harness demographic dividend and realization of SDGs. She is a youth specialist with over 10 years of experience in designing, managing, capacity building and supporting youth programmes at country, regional and global levels, mainly in youth engagement, youth livelihood, policy and advocacy, partnership and programme development and management deploying volunteering for development approach specifically for and with marginalized and hard to reach youth.  Working with and for youth is her great passion. She has a strong belief in youth potential as change agents and leaders of today “the future is now.”

Career Guidance & Counseling Senior Advisor Workforce Improvement & Skill Enhancement (WISE) Project

Bio Forthcoming

Deputy Chief of Party, USAID Feed the Future Tanzania Advance, DAI Global, LLC

Ngasuma Kanyeka is a recognized thought leader on youth development in Africa with proven experience leading strategies to improve youth entrepreneurship and workforce readiness. Ms. Kanyeka is currently the Deputy Chief of Party for the DAI implemented USAID Feed the Future Tanzania Advancing Youth Activity, which collaborates with local government, private sector, civil society organizations, and young people themselves to change youth perceptions by developing professional and leadership skills among young people aged 15-35, while promoting healthy lifestyles. She also leads Capacitate Consulting, Ltd., a communications and strategy consulting firm, where she has worked with clients ranging from SAGCOT to the Africa Union to lead youth workforce readiness, economic growth, and life skills development strategies. She has served as the lead facilitator for the Africa Union Youth Volunteer Corps, a continental program that has recruited and trained youth to work across all 54 African countries, where she has built the capacity of more than 1,000 young leaders and supported youth-focused policy initiatives; and she managed Je Nifanyeje, a nation-wide radio program for Voice of America Swahili Service that empowers youth to make informed decisions about their health and discussed social-economic issues ranging from entrepreneurship to employment. 

International Research Action Manager, Restless Development

Faith Suwilanji Kaoma is the International Research Action Manager at Restless Development. She is based in Uganda where she designs and delivers new influence strategies to deepen the impact and opportunities for the findings and talents of the Youth Think Tank researchers. Prior to this, Faith volunteered with Restless Development as a researcher under the Youth Think Tank Project funded by the MasterCard Foundation in 2017. She led research on ‘Building Inclusive Agricultural Technologies for Young People’ and worked with 26 other researchers exploring opportunities and barriers for young farmers to scale-up innovations at different stages of the agricultural value chain. She’s also worked with other Youth Think Tank Researchers in East, West & Southern Africa, developing tools and guidelines that can support development stakeholders improve and increase engagement with young people in their programs. Faith has years of experience in Youth Engagement and Grassroots Organizing in low income countries in Africa. In 2015, she co-found an organization- Copper Rose Zambia, a youth-led organization working on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights and Youth Empowerment. She has received countless awards and recognition for her work. Most recently, she received the Zambia Adolescent Health and Innovation Award from SRHR Africa Trust (SAT) Zambia, UNFPA & UNESCO; Zambian Woman of the Year Award Healthcare Champion; and the Queen of England awarded Copper Rose under the Queen’s Young Leaders Award Program in 2017. Additionally, she also worked as an Independent Youth Consultant for Swiss Tropical Health Institute (Swiss Tph) where she did an end review of the UNAIDS project on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) accountability called ACT!2030. Faith holds a BA in Business Administration and is working towards an MSc in International Development Management.

Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Prudential

Sarah S. Keh is a vice president of corporate social responsibility at Prudential Financial. In her current role, she oversees Prudential’s efforts to expand economic opportunity and create inclusive communities through financial resources and skills-based volunteering. This includes leading early talent and workforce initiatives, inclusive economic growth strategies, global emergency response and recovery efforts in disasters and humanitarian crises, nonprofit capacity building, pro bono and board service programs.  
 
Sarah currently serves on the Partners Council of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, the Inclusion & Diversity Committee of the Society of Actuaries, the board of JerseyCAN, and is co-chair of the Newark Education Funders Group. She was also selected as a Presidential Leadership Scholar in the 2015 inaugural class. 
 
She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

ICS Monitoring and Reporting Advisor, VSO

Salina Khatun is the secretary of youth club Asher Alo Jubo Songho where around 40 youth are working together for community development through voluntary activities. Salina’s experience with VSO involves volunteering on the National Citizen Service (NCS) program, a national volunteering scheme organized by VSO. Salina has led and mentored young people, including obtaining vocational training placements for community youth through government training institutes.

It is her aspiration to enage more community youth in vocational training, especially girls and those at risk of early child marriage who have the potential for home-based businesses and entrepreneurship. Salina is currently studying for a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) at National University and leading a coaching center for 10-12 poor community children to learn to read in primary school.

Associate, Evaluation for Development, Genesis Analytics

Tshegofatso Kgasago is a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist in the Evaluation for Development practice at Genesis Analytics. She is skilled in large-scale programme evaluations, designing monitoring and results measurement frameworks, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. She has experience conducting evaluations in the enterprise development, youth empowerment, housing and financial inclusion sectors. She has a particular interest in conducting large-scale government evaluations on the African continent as well as designing programmes and policies that enhance economic opportunity for Africans. Clients that she has advised include the MasterCard Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Department of Trade and Industry, National Treasury, Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Endowment and The Social Housing Regulatory Authority.

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Tshegofatso graduated from Wits University with a BCOM Honours degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management at Wits Business School. She is currently enrolled to complete her Master of Arts Degree in Development Studies at Wits University. Tshegofatso is a member of the Southern African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA) and the African Evaluation Association (AfREA).

Owner/CEO, CareerMe

Anjana is the founder and managing director of CareerMe—a private start-up focused on providing professional career guidance in Sri Lanka. She obtained her higher education qualifications in Hong Kong and worked in Singapore as an Environmental Social Governance (ESG) analyst in the field of responsible investment prior to repatriating to Sri Lanka to start CareerMe. The premise for CareerMe lies in her aim to help Sri Lankan students navigate the world of work. Anjana is keen to propel students into successful career paths that meet their ambitions and help guide the right talent to the right place to support Sri Lanka’s economic development. To this end, she has been involved in customizing CareerMe’s career guidance and advisory services to a form that brings the highest value to both students and parents. CareerMe was the winner of Sri Lanka’s prestigious Digital Social Impact Award in the category of Learning and Education. 

Manager of Education and Youth Practice, Deloitte

Amy Lawson-Stopps is a Manager within Deloitte’s Government Strategy practice. At Deloitte, Amy is a lead within D2international – Deloitte’s social innovation program which connects the ingenuity and drive of the private sector towards solving the world’s toughest challenges. Amy has consulted for a number of organizations around the world focused on global social entrepreneurship such as Atlas Corps and Vital Voices. Amy leads Deloitte’s engagement with the Mozaik Foundation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in scaling operations throughout the region, which have created job opportunities and trained thousands of youth in social entrepreneurship. Amy also leads projects that provide innovative strategies and operating models for US Federal Government clients. She has a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from the University of Mary Washington and a Master in Business Administration from Georgetown University. Amy started as a young leader for the Mozaik project at Deloitte 3 years ago and has tremendous insights into the people, the issues and the lessons learned. 

Managing Director, Strategy & Innovation, Accenture

Ian Lobo is the Strategy & Innovation Managing Director with Accenture Development Partnerships. Ian leads Accenture's Digital for Development business which seeks to foster innovation and increase social impact in developing countries through leveraging the power of digital. Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP) is Accenture's social impact business which works with international development organizations to address complex social issues around the world. ADP channels Accenture’s world-class business and technology skills, insights and capabilities to deliver tangible benefits that enable lasting positive change. Ian has over 20 years of management consulting experience in strategy, new business & foundation start-ups, and collaborative cross sector partnerships in Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East, Australia, and North & South America. Ian has worked on social impact projects with leading international development and private sector clients including World Health Organization, World Food Programme, UN Foundation/Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, UN Sustainable Energy for All, Unilever, Vodafone, Syngenta, Microsoft, WEF Grow Asia, Shell & Shell Foundation, US Environmental Protection Agency, Aspen, The Nature Conservancy, GAIN, CARE, Fairtrade, and World Vision.

, Founder and CEO, Dream Factory Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa & Young Women Transform Prize Grantee

Lusanda Magwape is an admitted Attorney who holds a Masters in Commercial Law. She is the founder of Dream Factory Foundation, an organization that empowers young people with skills that enable them to transition successfully into adulthood and be active citizens through their dreams and aspirations. She has been listed on the 2017 Social Enablers "100 Most Inspiring Social Entrepreneurs Worldwide” and is a Fairlady Santam Women of the Future Awards 2019 Finalist. In 2015, she spearheaded the Emergent Business and Coding Academy, which was awarded with the Google Rise Award and the Young Women Transform Prize by USAID.  As a CIVICUS member, Lusanda was selected to represent the voices of youth-led and grassroots NGOs that seek to have greater access to the EU partnership process at the 2018 EU Partnership Forum. She is also a Global Shaper, an AU/EU Cooperation Hub Youth Expert, and Facebook Community Leader Fellow.

Senior Program Officer, Banyan Global

Rachel is a gender and social inclusion specialist and program manager with expertise in women's empowerment, positive youth development, gender analysis and integration, and project management. She has more than 8 years of experience working in international economic development. At Banyan Global, she manages the integration of gender, youth and social inclusion into USAID Feed The Future projects in Ethiopia and DRC, as well as a health commodity supply chain project in Madagascar. Previously, she was the Program Manager for gender and women's empowerment at the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, an initiative of the United Nations Foundation. She managed more than $1,000,000 in grant funds to local enterprises to scale effective business models for empowering women and youth energy entrepreneurs. While at ACDI/VOCA, she coordinated enterprise development programs based in Mali, Liberia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Sri Lanka, including project start-up and close-out, grant management, and training delivery. Rachel holds a Master of Arts in Public Management from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from George Washington University, with concentrations in International Development and African Studies, and a Minor in Geography. 

Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Educate!

Meghan Mahoney is Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at Educate!, an organization which prepares youth in Africa with the skills they need to succeed in today's economy. As Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Meghan sets Educate!’s strategic direction for evaluation and drives progress on its learning agenda; manages all evaluation design, data collection, and analysis, and oversees evaluation use, learning, and communication of results.

Prior to joining Educate!, Meghan worked for the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT, where she managed J-PAL 's Labor Markets and Youth sector and its cost-effectiveness analysis work. Meghan holds an M.A. in Development Economics and Program Evaluation from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from American University.

Founder & Co-Founder, No Limit Generation & LiveSafe

Samier Mansur is a social entrepreneur, innovator, and writer who is driven by ideas that can help support more just, peaceful, and better organized world. Samier is the founder of No Limit Generation (NLG), an organization that supports thousands of displaced and vulnerable children rise and thrive into their full potential. It does this through an evidence based, trauma-informed digital library of engaging, accessible videos that equips humanitarian organizations, aid workers, and teachers with critical tools to build safe, supportive, and healing environments for children.This initiative builds on his previous work in founding the "Safe Haven" for Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh in partnership with the award-winning JAAGO Foundation. The facility provides 500 Rohingya refugee children and orphans a safe space for learning, play, and healing every day. Samier is also the co-founder of LiveSafe, a revolutionary smartphone app that empowers millions of students, employees, and service men and women with the tools to keep themselves and their communities safe. He has as served various US Govt agencies and initiatives from global policymaking to human rights and security, and facilitation of trade and development programs in the rapidly developing economies. He has over 40 national and international publications on range of topics: from international relations and global policy; to humanitarian intervention, self-improvement, gender, among others. He has spoken on the TEDx stage on the topic of Pluralism and religious identity politics and inclusion; and continues to advise technology companies and global policy makers.

Director, Office of Education Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3), USAID

 LeAnna Marr is the Director of the Office of Education within the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3), USAID, based in Washington, D.C. A USAID Foreign Service Officer since 2004, she served as Education Office Director and Program Officer in Guinea, South Sudan, Sudan (Khartoum) and Macedonia, and was the Program Officer and Acting Mission Director of USAID/Morocco. From 2007 to 2010, she served as USAID’s Senior Education Advisor in the Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs. Prior to joining USAID, she worked as Associate Peace Corps Director in Guinea and as executive director of a non-profit alternative education program in Washington, DC. Ms. Marr has a Master’s in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an undergraduate degree in French from Kalamazoo College. She is married to Richard Stirba, a journalist, and has a stepdaughter, Rachel, who is a social worker in Baltimore, MD.

Founder & CEO, Brighter Investment

While working on a project in Mexico for a real estate developer, Thijs pooled money with some colleagues to support a Mexican student through university. Witnessing the high financial and social returns of this student’s degree first hand, Thijs got an idea: Why not invest in high potential students instead of real estate projects? That is the idea behind Thijs his current company Brighter Investment.

As an aerospace engineer with a business degree, Thijs specialized in the intersection of tech, data and finance. Thijs leads the company and works on the underwriting technology and investment model. Thijs worked as an engineer in the space industry, for a real estate developer, he worked on public private partnership projects and he set up the North American branch for a Dutch software startup. 

Senior Fellow, The Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions

Jamie McAuliffe is a Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions where he leads the Global Opportunity Youth Initiative (GOYI).  Jamie launched the GOYI in partnership with Prudential Financial, YouthBuild International, Global Development Incubator, and Accenture to build a global network of communities that are advancing place-based, cross-sector, and systemic approaches to tackling youth unemployment.  Previously, Jamie was President & CEO of Education For Employment (EFE) where he led the organization during a period of dramatic growth to provide job opportunities for tens of thousands of youth across 8 affiliated nonprofits in the Middle East & North Africa. Prior to EFE, Jamie was Portfolio Manager at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, a foundation dedicated to scaling solutions to help vulnerable youth become successful adults. Early in his career, Jamie worked with Ashoka to support leading social entrepreneurs globally. 
Jamie is an alumnus of Teach for America and the Coro Fellows program. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is a Schwab Foundation Global Social Entrepreneur and a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  

Director, International Development and Partnerships, Sesame Workshop

Chloe Mead is Director of International Development and Partnerships in the Philanthropic Development group at Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street. She oversees relationships with leading international funding partners and pursues new partnership development opportunities to support priority Workshop projects and initiatives. Chloe has worked at Sesame Workshop for 16 years. She originally supported on-air corporate sponsorship efforts in the United States before moving to primarily focus on the Workshop’s international activities, supporting social impact programs in a range of countries in collaboration with a variety of partners. Prior to joining Sesame Workshop, Chloe worked as a communications associate with Common Sense Media, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. Chloe holds a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied English and French Literature and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Youth & Workforce Development Advisor, USAID

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Founder, Future Work Consulting

Branka Minic is President of Future Work Consulting, advising donors, global corporations, governments and international NGO’s on the latest research, best practices and policies for addressing youth unemployment. Branka spent more than 25 years in the staffing industry, most recently as Senior Director of Global Corporate and Government Affairs at ManpowerGroup, in charge of building cross-sector partnerships to support training, employment and entrepreneurship of disadvantaged groups, in both developed and developing markets. Branka is leading on the research we will be presenting in our session.

Senior Director for Leadership Development, YouthBuild

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Director, Evaluation, Millennium Challenge Corporation

Ryan Moore is a Director of Evaluation at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). He manages over 30 education-sector impact and performance evaluations; ensuring the technical quality of deliverables, guiding a sectoral learning agenda, and overseeing contract and budget management.

On an operational and policy level, Ryan has been a key member of MCC’s project development reform efforts, Pay-for-Results working group, industry and academia engagement efforts and other cross-departmental, inter-agency, and partnership initiatives. At the MCC, Ryan also leads the design and operations of the organization's first foray into Results-Based Financing in Morocco for job placement services. Before joining MCC, Ryan worked with TechnoServe in Mexico and spent over 3 years in the Peace Corps in Ecuador. Ryan holds an MPA/ID from Harvard Kennedy School.

Project Manager, Educational Program, Sesame Workshop

Alyson Moskowitz is Project Manager of Educational Programs for the International Social Impact Department at Sesame Workshop. She is responsible for designing curricula and educational materials, managing global programs, facilitating teacher trainings, and collaborating on monitoring and evaluation activities. She currently manages a multi-country financial empowerment project, activities in South Africa, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Alyson has been managing Sesame's global financial empowerment work for four years, leading on project management and educational content review. Working with partner organizations, implementers, and advisors, Alyson is currently leading an educational content revision process for financial empowerment work at Sesame Workshop and is well-versed in financial literacy topics. 

CEO, Generation

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Technical Lead, Youth and Gender Empowerment USAID/Malawi Agricultural Diversification Project, Palladium

Ms. Chikumbutso Mtemwa is the Technical Lead for Youth and Gender at the USAID/Malawi Feed the Future Malawi Agricultural Diversification Activity (AgDiv). AgDiv contributes to USAID/Malawi's Feed the Future goal of sustainably reducing poverty and malnutrition in Malawi. Prior to joining Palladium in 2017, Ms. Mtwemwa had a distinguished, 10-year career in the banking industry, with particular expertise in gender empowerment through finance. Her experience working directly with youth, women, and the banking industry provides her with a unique perspective on the challenges women and youth face in accessing finance and what needs to be done to empower youth and women economically through bridging the financial inclusion gap. Chikumbutso holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Management, a B.A. in Forestry Economics, a Diploma in Banking, and an Executive Certificate in Agricultural Value Chains.

Director of International Programs and Psycologist, YMCA Bogota

Martha is a psychologist with 30 years of experience in developing and delivering social projects for vulnerable people. She has particularly focused on prevention and rehabilitation strategy for homeless young people and children, child-labour, adolescents and young offenders, young women victims of violence and sexual exploitation. 

She has experience working on programs aiming at sustaining economic opportunities and  improving  the living conditions of people, as well as addressing the challenges that these pose on people involved, including staff.  She also worked closely with the private sector and government to improve awareness on challenges that that vulnerable people face on day-to-day basis in Colombia. 

Director of People and Culture, Nando's

Kyla has two decades of human resources experience spanning multiple roles and industries inclusive of Avalere Health and Epicor Software. Her leadership includes leading large teams, building the HR function from scratch, and consulting with senior leaders on HR best practices, technology implementation, compliance, and employee engagement. She has a heart for people and that’s what makes Nando’s the perfect place for her to call home.

Kyla is from Columbia, Missouri and moved to the Washington, DC area 4 years ago with her son. She has been with Nando’s for 3 years and in that time has inspired confidence in her leadership and strength of HR expertise .

Kyla has assembled a formidable team of talented professionals dedicated to Nando’s culture and creating a place where people love to work. Kyla has become the coach to our leaders and is poised  to lead the people team to success as Nando’s grows and expands in the US Market.

Vice President, Economic & Social Development Management & Training Corporation (MTC)

Gregory R. Niblett leads the Economic & Social Development Division for Management & Training Corporation (MTC) and is also a vice president for MTC International Holding Company, LLC. In these roles he oversees MTC’s international development assistance program portfolio. Mr. Niblett has worked in the area of international development assistance since 1992 when he was appointed to serve as a Deputy Assistant Administrator in the U.S. Agency for International Development. Since then he has held executive leadership positions with development assistance organizations including AED, FHI 360, and MTC. He served as a Senior Vice President, COO, and CEO at AED before becoming Chief Strategy Officer for FHI 360. Mr. Niblett has developed and supervised projects in economic development, environment, health, education, and democracy & governance. He is a member of the Society for International Development and is a past chairman of the Board for Child Trends, a youth policy research organization in Washington, DC. Prior to moving into the area of international development, Mr. Niblett was a marketing and communications executive in a variety of private sector organizations in Boston including the Gillette Company and Cone Communications and was the president of Niblett/Devine, a marketing communications firm.

Senior Director of Research, Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion

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National Project Officer, International Labour Organization (ILO), Egypt

Karima is a social rights advocate, currently working as a National Project Officer with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Egypt. She oversees a regional project focused on combatting child labor in Egypt. She began working with the ILO in 2013, on a project to improve the export abilities of Egyptian industries. Karima was responsible for capacity building activities for labor and Occupational Safety and Health inspectors as well as the automation of the inspection system in Egypt. In 2016, Karima took a short hiatus from the ILO to work with the USAID-funded Workforce Improvement and Skill Enhancement (WISE) project implemented by the Management & Training Corporation (MTC). While there she managed the Recruit, Retrain and Retain program. She worked with more than 130 Human Resources personnel in 50 private companies to improve HR systems and build staff capacity with the goal of reducing turnover rates and motivating workers to remain on the job. Within a 2-year period, more than 30 companies had achieved this goal. After working for almost 6 years in the banking sector, Karima pursued her MBA degree at Maastricht University with a focus on international business.

President, Making Cents International

Timothy Nourse is a financial inclusion specialist with over twenty years' experience building the capacity of institutions to serve vulnerable populations and the capability of excluded groups to utilize services effectively. He has helped banks, microfinance institutions and savings groups promoters to understand the needs of new market segments and develop appropriate credit and savings products for them. His work spans both easier to reach adult and urban populations, as well as more difficult rural, ex-combatant, refugee and youth clients who require more tailored solutions.

CEO, Ongoza

Edgar is a data-driven corporate strategist and business analytics professional with a niche for strategic thinking and a passion for numbers. Before joining Ongoza, Edgar was the Head of Business Analytics at Ramco Group Ltd, a $300 million revenue industrial conglomerate in East Africa. He is the founder of a strategy execution consultancy firm and is a former Senior Consultant (Technology, Strategy and Innovation) & Senior Auditor at Deloitte. Edgar has led teams of up to 40 professionals in audit and advisory engagements across diverse sectors including technology, financial services, manufacturing, retail and energy, to name a few. He holds an MBA in Strategic Management from USIU and is a Chartered Certified Accountant.

Program Development Advisor, Global, War Child Canada

Alfred Okech has been with War Child Canada for close to two years - first as the Head of Programs in Uganda and then as the Global Program Development Advisor based in Nairobi providing support to offices across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Alfred has a strong background in peacebuilding programming. His experience includes work with Catholic Relief Services where he was part of a team who developed the conflict early warning tool, which is now widely used by non-governmental organizations and has been incorporated into government planning processes in various conflict contexts.

Director of Migration, Remittances and Development Program, Inter-American Dialogue

Manuel Orozco is the director of the Migration, Remittances and Development Program at the Inter-American Dialogue. He also serves as a senior fellow at Harvard University's Center for International Development and as a senior adviser with the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Orozco has conducted extensive research, policy analysis and advocacy on issues relating to global flows of remittances as well as migration and development worldwide. He is chair of Central America and the Caribbean at the US Foreign Service Institute and senior researcher at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University. Orozco frequently testifies before Congress and has spoken before the United Nations. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of Texas at Austin, a MA in public administration and Latin American studies, and a BA in international relations from the National University of Costa Rica.

Vice President, Technical Services, Making Cents International

In her 25-year career, Christy has designed, implemented, and evaluated holistic youth programs for multiple donors, local governments, and private foundations in the US and internationally. As Vice President, Technical Services, she is responsible for technical leadership, service delivery, business development, and strategy around positive youth development programming. Christy also serves as Making Cents’ Project Director for the USAID-funded YouthPower: Evidence and Evaluation IDIQ. She is passionate about providing opportunities for youth success and for building the capacity of the systems around them.

Co-founder, Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME)

Madan is an entrepreneur & angel investor working at the intersection of youth transformation, creating entrepreneurs, driving rural growth & empowering social changemakers. Madan started his entrepreneurial journey when he co-founded MeritTrac in 2000 as a pioneering idea in skills assessments and scaled it into one of the leading assessments companies in India.

MeritTrac was acquired by Manipal Global Education Services, in 2011. He moved out in March 2013 to pursue the entrepreneurial journey again – in the social impact space. With a vision of transforming rural youth to be entrepreneurs, he founded 1Bridge, a platform that empowers rural entrepreneurs to accelerate abundance of access, choice & convenience to rural citizens, leveraging technology. Today, 1Bridge is present in 40+ districts across South & East India and has over 1000+ rural youth engaged in delivering services to rural consumers. Madan is also the Managing Trustee of Head Held High Foundation, a non-profit that stands for human dignity. HHH focuses on initiatives for poverty eradication like Make India Capable, where a rural youth with no schooling is transformed into work-ready professionals and Global Action on Poverty (GAP) a platform that builds and supports Changemaking communities to eradicate poverty.

Madan is the co-founder of Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME), a network that aims to catalyse large-scale job creation by bringing together Government, Businesses & Civil Society organisations to work collaboratively on igniting a mass entrepreneurship movement Partnering with other Education leaders, Madan is also a co-founder & Director of Sylvant Advisors. Sylvant invests and supports education entrepreneurs and has a current portfolio of 20+ ed-tech companies. He is also a founding Partner of Social Venture Partners, Bangalore and is the Convener of the Million Jobs Mission. He is also an active member of the Governing Council of TiE Bangalore and had served as a Senior Advisor to Tata Trusts between 2015-2016.

Program Manager, International Youth Foundation

Andrea joined the International Youth Foundation (IYF) in 2012 as part of the Youth: Work Mexico initiative and currently works as a Program Manager. Her passion for youth development was inspired by a youth-led social movement that emerged in response to violence in her hometown of Juárez, México. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) in 2009, Andrea worked with private sector organizations in business and industrial marketing. In her role as Program Manager at IYF, she focuses on programs aimed at improving the technical and vocational training system in Mexico. She has gained extensive experience collaborating with IYF's domestic and international partner organizations, providing them technical support in areas such as capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and program management, with an emphasis on initiatives for youth who are not in school or work. Andrea is fluent in Spanish and English, and holds a Master of Humanistic Studies from the ITESM.

Senior M&E Advisor, USAID

Rebecca Povec Pagel is a Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor on USAID’s E3/ED Evidence Team, where she supports evidence building for youth workforce development and higher education programming. Prior to joining USAID, she worked at the Education Development Center on the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research team. She has specific expertise in soft skill measurement, employment measures, and assessment development. A former teacher, she has an M.A. from Johns Hopkins SAIS in International Relations and an M.A. in English from the University of Rochester. 

CEO, Global Knowledge Exchange Initiative (GKI)

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Innovation Lead, SOYEE, Plan International

Sitting at the junction of technology and development, Bo Percival is a self proclaimed "giant nerd", dedicated to uncovering insights at the intersection of behaviour, economics, technology and development. He has worked extensively in digital development for Education, HIV, LGBT rights, Youth Development and WASH; providing support to over 25 countries world-wide. Bo has a Ba. in economics and marketing, diplomas in interpreting and development and is currently completing his masters in psychology and behavioural science. His current position at Plan International as  Innovation Lead for Skills and Opportunities for Youth, is a perfect collision of Bo's expertise and experience.

Program Manager, Youth Integrated Economic Opportunities (YIEO), Save the Children

Julie Perdue is a Program Manager for Youth Integrated Economic Opportunities (YIEO) at Save the Children. She manages multiple USAID and privately funded programs in the area of youth workforce development and youth livelihoods, with a special focus on gender equity. Julie helps drive the youth livelihoods learning agenda, including development of best practices, conducting presentations, and sharing key resources. Previously Julie was at ACDI/VOCA where she supported new business development and award management, co-facilitated gender mainstreaming training, provided technical support for the youth task force, and supported the inclusion of youth and other disadvantaged groups. Julie has a master’s degree in Children, Youth, and International Development from Birkbeck, University of London and BA in Global Studies from American University.

Deputy Project Director, YouLead, IESC

Chrishan is Deputy Project Director and Director of Career Development at USAID Funded YouLead Project implemented by IESC in Sri Lanka. He has more than one and half decades of experience in ICT, Career Development, eGovernance and Education. He is responsible for designing and implementing career development interventions at YouLead Project in Sri Lanka, managing different state / private stakeholders in Career Development and most importantly act as a methodologist to craft youth friendly career guidance strategies and activities in both digital and physical means. His research interests are Disruptive Technology for Career Guidance and counselling, effective eLearning for developing countries, Digitizing and automating processes, ontology design and changing world of work. You may contact him via cpereira@youlead.lk

Professor, Universidad del Valle, Colombia

Maria has PhD in Economics, and is full time professor of economics at Universidad del Valle in Cali. Research interests in youth violence, urban violence, conflict. She leads a research project on strategies for social and labor inclusion of young people marginalized areas of Cali which is founded by IDRC. She is also working on Youth Gang Prevention: An Overview of TIP –Youth without frontiers— program, a comprehensive intervention on youth gangs within eight communes in City of Cali.

Head of Innovation and Business Development, Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola (USIL)

Francisco Planas is leading the creation of a financial vehicle that aims to help more than +2,500 students over the next 5 years, who can ́t afford quality higher education of, achieve their dream of acquiring a bachelor’s degree and improve their social status. He has a strategy consultancy background, having worked for top firms such as Strategy&amp which is part of the PWC network. During his time as a consultant, he has taken part in projects in different countries and industries, always looking to have an impact on his client ́s business. Furthermore, his academic record includes first tire universities such as the Imperial College Business School (MsC in economics and strategy for business) and the University of Navarra – IESE (Bachelors in international economics). 

Director, Chemonics

Andrea Poling is a public health and project management specialist with more than a decade of experience implementing global health programs. Ms. Poling currently serves as the deputy project director for USAID’s Human Resources for Health in 2030 (HRH2030) Program and leads the activity which identifies best practices for increasing youth employment in health. Prior to joining HRH2030, she served as chief of party of the Bangladesh Smiling Sun Franchise Program (SSFP). In Bangladesh, Ms. Poling was responsible for implementing a health services social franchise that has expanded access and availability of quality child, maternal, and family planning health services. Ms. Poling has also supported a tuberculosis project in the Philippines and an HIV/AIDS prevention project in Vietnam. She holds a B.A. in French and international development and an M.P.A. focused in health services management from the Ohio State University.

Youth & Community Strategy Consultant

Bonnie Politz is an independent, Youth and Community Strategy Consultant working on a variety of U.S. and global projects. She has an extensive career focused on ensuring the positive and healthy development of children and youth who grow up in poor and under-served communities in the U.S. and around the globe. Through her work in the public and non-profit sectors as well as philanthropy, Ms. Politz provides leadership within and across sectors at the local, state, regional and national levels to promote the design and implementation of strategic approaches to child and youth success. She has worked with national, state and local governments, youth-serving systems, higher education institutions, corporations, membership associations, and community-based organizations to embed and integrate youth development principles, practices and policies that impact positive youth outcomes. Her areas of expertise include: technical assistance/support, cross-sector/multi-system process facilitation, youth-adult partnerships, strategic planning, training and professional development; and, system-building.

Technical Advisor, Civil Society and Peacebuilding, FHI360

Maria Presley is an international development professional who designs and implements democracy and governance projects. Maria has played lead research and design roles in conflict mitigation, peacebuilding, positive youth development, and civil society strengthening programs that have been implemented in diverse contexts throughout the world. In 2017-2018, Maria was the co-lead designer of FHI 360's USAID/Tunisia Ma3an program, where she worked with partner IREX to pilot the storytelling slam methodology and apply it to the Tunisian youth development context. Maria's design and technical assistance portfolio currently includes countries in West Africa, MENA, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. 

Director, Technical Services, Making Cents International

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Project Coordinator, Dalhousie University

Hannah Pugh is a Project/Research Coordinator with Dalhousie University. Hannah has been working in international development for over 10 years, with experience developing and managing projects focused on capacity building, TVET development, community development, gender mainstreaming, youth education and micro research initiatives in Ethiopia, Romania and India. Currently, Hannah is coordinating the Agricultural Transformation Through Stronger Vocational Training (ATTSVE) project implemented in conjunction with McGill University, MEDA and Jimma University. This 5-year, 18 million CAD project funded by the Canadian 
government is focused on strengthening the educational and economic capacities of agricultural colleges in four regions of Ethiopia to better prepare graduates to enter the workforce.

Hannah has completed Price 2 Foundation and Practitioner certification, holds a Master's Degree in Community Development from the Open University, and a Bachelors Degree in History from Manchester University.

Internship Coordinator Team Lead, USAID Promote: Women in Government (WIG) Project

Lailee Rahimi is the Internship Coordinator team Lead in USAID Promote: Women in Government Project, leading the largest profile of the project which the internship program for more than 3,000young Afghan women. She previously worked as Civil Society Strengthening Director at Counterpart International and Training, and Capacity building department lead at Afghanistan Civil Service Institute (ACSI/IARCSC). Her expertise and working background are focuses on Women Empowerment, Capacity building, Strengthening Civil Society, Policy development, and Strategic Management. In total, she has got 14 years of work experience in the above mentioned field with INGOs. She obtained her Bachelor degree in English Literature from Kabul University and a master degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Washington/ Washington State.

Head of Program, Skills Development, BRAC

Tasmiah Rahman is the Head of Programme for Skills Development at BRAC. She came to BRAC with over 10 years of development experience in Bangladesh and Nepal, including business development, project management, knowledge management, and monitoring and results measurement (MRM) in the sector. Tasmiah graduated from LSE with an MSc in Social Policy and Development focusing on NGO policy and gender. She has completed a women's leadership training from Woman in Public Service Project, and MRM training from DCED.

Executive Director, MicroMentor, Mercy Corps

Anita Ramachandran is the Executive Director of MicroMentor at Mercy Corps. In her role, Anita leads the strategy and implementation of a global mentoring program with the technology platform as its core. She is focused on team management, strategic planning, business development, partnerships, public relations, and thought leadership. She is passionate about empowering young entrepreneurs and professionals with access to knowledge and networks.

She serves as a mentor to students from the PSU business school. She brings with her an extensive corporate and non-profit background. Prior to Mercy Corps, she managed Operations for Xerox’s eCommerce and North American channel marketing business. She was also the co-founder and held a leadership role for 15 years at a local non-profit, SAWERA that assisted South Asian women and children affected by domestic violence since 1997.