Experience

Congressional Hunger Center

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director, Leland International Hunger Fellowship

  • May 2022 - Present



Independent Consultant

• Washington DC Metro Area

• Principal

  • 2019 - Apr 2022

  * Provide diverse non-profits with advice, training and support in areas ranging from strategic planning and external relations to fundraising, innovation, partnership building, advocacy and communications. * Launched non-profit's fundraising campaign including strategy, talking points, briefs & direct donor outreach. * Authored transformative 2-year strategic plan for non-profit that greatly benefitted from the exercise. * Provide diverse non-profits with advice, training and support in areas ranging from strategic planning and external relations to fundraising, innovation, partnership building, advocacy and communications. * Launched non-profit's fundraising campaign including strategy, talking points, briefs & direct donor outreach. * Authored transformative 2-year strategic plan for non-profit that greatly benefitted from the exercise.



Pathfinder International

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Advisor

  • 2018 - 2019

  * Led the Global Communications Advisory Team, connecting Pathfinder communications staff from Africa, Asia and US in a capacity building network that promotes sharing of health-related best practices and challenges. * Wrote feature articles spotlighting key sexual & reproductive health projects and innovations around the Pathfinder world. * Spearheaded a listening tour with Pathfinder leaders and staff across 19 countries to align organizational and country office needs and strategies. * Advised staff at all levels and locations of Pathfinder on wide range of internal communications issues. * Active member of Pathfinder's iShare CORE team, an international knowledge management board overseeing and strengthening the organization's intranet site. * Represented Pathfinder at 110-country International Conference on Family Planning in Rwanda. Show less



CARE

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Advisor, US Government Strategic Engagement

  • 2014 - 2017

  * Raised CARE's profile & influence with USAID, State & PEPFAR vis-a-vis CARE's work in Health, Gender, Food Security, Education, Democracy & Governance, Economic Dev, Environment & Humanitarian arenas. * Enabled offices in Africa, Asia, Mideast & Latin America to signficiantly increase their impact with USAID. * Trained 17 CARE staff from Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Mali, Sierra Leone and Togo in "Communications and Resource Mobilization". Provide ongoing advice for capacity strenghtening. * Advised President Obama's foreign policy staff on the UN Sustainable Development Goals at related meeting. * Coached CARE Program staff on techniques for successful engagement with bilateral donors and partners. * Successfully advocated for increased USAID & NGO attention and funding to Southern Africa food security crisis in 2016. Show less



Women Thrive Alliance

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director of Education Policy

  • 2012 - 2014

  * Established Women Thrive Worldwide's first ever education program and first work with UN agencies. * Launched successful advocacy strategy that significantly influenced the final language of the UN's Sustainable Development Goal #4 on Education. * Built highly effective coalition with Save the Children &, Brookings, and involved dozens of Global South NGOs in influencing the SDG #4, signed onto by 193 countries for 15 years. * Wrote proposal that brought in 100% of Thrive's education buget and 25% of Thrive's overall budget. * Trained 50 African youth and adults from 24 countries in Kenya (with 3 UN youth leaders and colleagues) in "Advocacy 101". * Provided technical leadership and vision to all of Thrive's education advocacy work and built an effective team. * Introduced myriad Global South NGO leaders to key policymakers within the USG, World Bank, UN, foundations and Ministries of Education,, enabling them to influence education related policies. * Published Huffington Post & DevEx articles. (see below under Publications) Show less



World Wildlife Fund

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Director, Government Partnerships

  • 2009 - 2012

  * WWF's lead representative with USAID, guiding the framing of strategies and relevant policy decisions. * Developed and directed WWF advocacy & engagement strategies with USAID, State, MCC, embassies and US based NGOs. * Built staff capacity throughout WWF to communicate key messages to USAID, State, MCC and corporations by developing clear, concise fact sheets about programs & posting on intranet site. * Launched first ever gender training program for all HQ based Program staff, and a WWF Gender Task Force, enabling WWF to integrate gender throughout its work in 100 countries. * Trained WWF staff on: (1) “Gender Integration in Conservation” and (2) “Building Strong Relations with USAID Missions”. * Integrated gender in successful $30 million USAID climate & biodiversity proposal for Nepal, the largest grant WWF had ever received from USAID. Show less



ChildFund International

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Director, Advocacy and Public Policy Office

  • 2004 - 2009

  * Successfully directed overall DC strategy, advocacy and public policy agenda, supervision of staff and management of CCF's office in DC. * Represented CCF's DC focused interests in Child Health, Child Protection, Youth, Food & Nutrition, Education, Enviornment and Emergencies. * Gave presentations on Capitol HIll and moderated Hill briefings with various coalitions. * Made recommendations to Obama Transition Team in 1/2009 as team of 8 gender experts. Most of the gender integration recommendations for the new administration were adopted. * Propelled CCF from an ad hoc to a strategic approach to advocacy. * Transformed the office and introduced new tools and approaches: DC Update newsletter, CDs with advocacy. * Served as primary spokesperson and negotiator for CCF in DC, with USAID, State, Labor, MCC, and World Bank. * Raised CCF's influence and visibility in Washington, DC, with donor, diplomatic and NGO communities. * Traveled to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and in US to give trainings, meet with institutional donors and partners, and provide advice and assistance with advocacy, public policy and donor relations. Show less



CARE

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Director of USAID Relations

  • 1997 - 2004

  * Developed CARE's strategic policies towards and relations with USAID (providing as much as 50% of CARE's $500 million budget). * Successfully advocated for progressive paid maternity/paternity/breastfeeding/adoption leave policy for all 11,000+ employees worldwide. * Familiarized USAID with CARE's health, education, micro-enterprise, agriculture and humanitarian programs. * Helped shape CARE's Gender Equity and Diversity Initiative through a Program Division level task force. * Represented CARE's interests at the highest levels of USAID, State Department, PEPFAR, MCC and the diplomatic and NGO communities. Gave trainings in Africa, Latin America and Asia. * Played leadership role in NGO community, serving on InterAction's Executive Committee of Board of Directors; as co-chair Development Policy and Practice Committee, and Democracy and Governance Group. * Successfully pitched a Kenya basic education project for Maasai girls to the Washington Post. * Built staff capacity to forge successful public private partnerships. Show less