BIC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Child Rights Campaign Manager
Agustina joined the Bank Information Center in 2021 as a Child Rights Senior Program Associate.
Before joining BIC, Agustina worked on business and human rights, gender equality, and child rights at the UN (including UNICEF, IOM, UN Women, and OHCHR), the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, civil society, and academia in the US and the national government of Argentina.
She has significant experience with multi-stakeholder engagement and building capacity across different actors, from states to businesses. Her most recent role was as Business and Human Rights Consultant for OHCHR Geneva, supporting the implementation of the Responsible Business Conduct Project for Latin America and the Caribbean in nine countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Panama. There she served as gender and child rights focal point and led the drafting process of the Roadmap for the next decade of UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean - towards 2030.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Agustina received her Master of Laws from the University of California Berkeley. She holds a law degree from the University of Buenos Aires.
She speaks Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese.
Job Titles:
- East African Regional Coordinator
Allen started working with the Bank Information Center in 2016 as an External Consultant monitoring disability inclusion in MDB-financed development projects in Uganda. In February 2021, she joined BIC full time as our East African Regional Coordinator. Allen is based in Uganda.
Allen has a passion for ensuring that marginalized groups receive equity and equality. She has influenced policies at the national level to require the inclusion of marginalized groups in development work. Within the region, she also works with partners to influence MDBs and IFIs on environmental and social issues.
Before joining the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU) as BIC's External Consultant, Allen was a program manager at the Agency for Capacity Building (ACB), a local organization in Uganda. She has worked to advance advocacy campaigns on human rights, gender, women's economic empowerment, HIV/AIDs, sexual gender-based violence (SGBV), sexual exploitation and assault (SEA), and violence against children (VAC) at the international, national, and community level. She is well versed with capacity assessment tools and monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
As a trained and experienced human rights defender, Allen received her master's degree in human rights from Makerere University in Uganda and holds a B.A. degree in sociology from Makerere University.
Carolina joined the Bank information Center in 2017 as an Environment Fellow. Before becoming BIC's LAC coordinator, she conducted research and policy analysis around the impacts of World Bank policy loans on territorial governance and environmental rights.
She is passionate about supporting civil society organizations in LAC countries to improve IFIs development outcomes in their countries and promote accountability, participation, and access to information. From her base in Argentina, she will be working with Latin American civil society organizations and local communities to democratize development decision-making in LAC countries.
She has significant experience in advocacy on transparency and accountability issues in Latin America, having served as Project Coordinator at the Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies (FUNDEPS), that works monitoring local governments and for social and environmental justice at the international financial institutions. She also worked as a research associate at a non-profit, Instituto Federal de Gobierno (IFG), where part of her work included monitoring and evaluation of both public policy and corporate social responsibility.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Carolina received her Master's of Science degree in development management from American University School of International Service and a holds a B.A. degree in political science from the Catholic University of Cordoba.
Caroline joined the Bank Information Center in 2020 to support BIC's coalition-building efforts with CSOs and advocacy in the U.S. government. She focuses on educating Congress and government officials about current policy at MDBs, and the important role the U.S. plays in promoting oversight and accountability at these institutions. Caroline is passionate about empowering civil society to have a voice in the legislative process, seeking more equitable and transparent outcomes.
Before joining BIC, Caroline worked in policy at the state and federal level. Her most recent role was in a Congressional office, where she gained direct legislative experience and engaged with a variety of stakeholders on financial services and foreign affairs topics.
Caroline received her master's degree in Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. As a graduate student, Caroline participated in an exchange with The Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland, where she interned at the International Code of Conduct Association, a multi-stakeholder NGO focused on human rights. Caroline holds a bachelor's degree in International Studies from the University of Denver.
Job Titles:
- East African Regional Coordinator
Elana joined the Bank Information Center in 2012 to start up BIC's child rights program. She led BIC's work on child rights before becoming BIC's Director of Social Inclusion and Accountability. She has been instrumental in pushing the World Bank to take aggressive action in addressing gender based violence, and is deeply committed to advocating for reforms that respect the rights of those most profoundly impacted by development activities.
Elana is a human rights lawyer with significant experience working at the international level. Immediately before joining BIC she spent a year in Thailand working at Burma Partnership where she helped local civil society groups report on human rights violations committed by the Burmese military. Prior to moving to Thailand, Elana worked for the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect where she led several campaigns to protect populations at risk of mass atrocities. Elana also has experience working for the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, a branch of the International Labor Organization, and teaching third grade.
Elana received her Juris Doctor from Columbia University School of Law and holds a B.A. degree in Political Science and History from the University of Maryland.
Job Titles:
- Administrative and Research Associate
Emily joined BIC in 2022 as an Administrative and Research Associate.
Prior to joining BIC, Emily worked at a think-tank in Nepal where she researched how the Nepalese Government could meet its Second Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement. She also has spent time researching how cities can equitably expand cycling infrastructure and is an advocate for eliminating the barriers to cycling.
Emily graduated from the University on Toronto in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in political science and environmental studies. She speaks English, Spanish, and Arabic.
Job Titles:
- Independent Consultant
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Independent Consultant
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Independent Consultant
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Researcher
- Asia Consultant
Iromi was Fulbright Professional Scholar in 2015 and was based at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C as an Academic Visitor at the Institute's Center on International Development and Governance. In 2017 she was selected as an Asia Foundation Development Fellow. In 2020 she was featured in Cosmopolitan Sri Lanka on their 35 under 35 list of women leading change.
Job Titles:
- a Policy Associate
- Policy Associate
In 2023, Jack joined BIC as a Policy Associate. He acts as point person for the IFI Working Group, supports the administration of Tuesday Group, and engages the Hill on MDB policy.
Prior to joining BIC, Jack worked in operations on the 2022 and 2020 Warnock for Georgia Senate campaigns. He also worked as a research assistant at Washington CORE, a consultancy focused on the intersection of emerging technology and public policy. There he conducted research on topics such as energy infrastructure, trade policy, and supply chains.
Jack received his master's degree in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics. His thesis focused on the political effects of rising inequality. Jack graduated from the University of Georgia in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in Finance and Political Science along with a minor in Classical Culture. While he was an undergraduate student, he researched State policy as a legislative fellow for GA State Representative Spencer Frye.
Job Titles:
- Communications Specialist
Jake started with BIC in 2023 as a Communications Specialist. He works on BIC's social engagement, along with assisting team members with web updates, project pages, or any other organizational writings.
Prior to joining BIC, he worked for a nonprofit focused on raising taxes on the wealthy and raising the minimum wage. There he worked as a campaigns coordinator for Congressional races as well as a writer for their bi-weekly newsletter on tax news.
Jake graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in Political Science along with a minor in surfing and playing in the sand.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Senior Researcher, Accountability Research Center, School of International Service American University
Katelyn is Campaigns Director at BIC. Katelyn joined BIC's Middle East and North Africa program in 2011, first as an intern and then moving on to manage BIC's program and partnerships in the region. At BIC, Katelyn has focused on issues of civil society and community interaction with World Bank Group projects and policy review processes, pushing for translation of key project documents into local languages, more meaningful and accessible opportunities for stakeholder consultation, and greater recognition of the challenges of engagement in contexts where civic space is restricted.
Prior to joining BIC, she spent time studying Arabic in Egypt and Morocco. Katelyn received bachelor's degrees in Government and Politics and Arabic Studies from the University of Maryland, and a master's degree in Sustainable Development: International Policy and Management from SIT Graduate Institute.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Government Relations Manager, Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia
Kyle is Policy Director at BIC. For the last fifteen years, he has campaigned on human rights, animal rights, ecological integrity, agriculture, nutrition, and energy. Currently, he also chairs the board of the US Climate Action Network, the largest network of organizations collaborating to fight climate change. He is driven to undo policies that reaffirm structural inequities and to see that public institutions are democratic, transparent, and accountable.
Prior to coming to BIC, Kyle worked with other non-governmental organizations including Greenpeace, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Stand (formerly ForestEthics), and the European Environmental Bureau. His successes include legislation and regulations at the state, national, and international levels. He has served as an NGO spokesperson to international media in dozens of countries and numerous outlets in print, radio, and television. Prior to graduate school, Kyle worked in the financial sector on real estate owned, lending, taxes, and insurance.
Kyle received his L.L.M. degree in international law from the University of Kent in Brussels. He completed an M.A. degree in global environmental policy from American University where he spent a semester at the United Nations University for Peace focused on sustainable development. He also has a B.A. degree in international affairs and political economy from Lewis and Clark College.
Job Titles:
- Bank Information Center As Our Environment Director
- Environment Director
Ladd joined the Bank information Center as our Environment Director in January 2018, to lead our work on environment and climate, with a specific focus on the role of forests in sustainable development and the importance of secure land title for indigenous and forest peoples.
Prior to joining BIC, Ladd was the Director for Multilateral Relations at Conservation International (CI), and also consulted with IUCN, leading its work on the World Bank safeguards policies. Before working with CI, Ladd served as a US Foreign Service Officer where his last assignment was as Acting Deputy Director in the State Department's Office of Development Finance, which oversees US foreign policy interests in multilateral development banks. He also served as Development Policy Officer and Liaison to the Millennium Challenge Corporation and U.S. Ex-Im Bank. He also worked as a Second Vice President at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, and as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo.
Ladd holds an M.I.P.P. degree from Johns Hopkins/SAIS, M.Ed. degree from Lehigh University, and a B.A. degree from Colgate University. He speaks French and some Serbo-Croat and Spanish.
Marco joined the Bank information Center in 2024, as Campaign Manager. Before becoming BIC staffer, he collaborated as an independent consultant on several of our projects, including monitoring of WBG and IDB projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, and he was also lead author on BIC's research of WBG's decarbonization of its transport portfolio.
He is passionate about institutional development for governments and NGOs, environmental management and social collaborative processes. Previously he worked as Network Development Officer and Policy Officer for Wetlands International in the Netherlands, as Coordinator of a GEF conservation project in the La Plata basin, and as Planning Director for a municipal government in Argentina. He has also served as Information Specialist at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires and in the Economic Section of the Argentine Embassy in Berlin.
Marco holds a degree in International Relations from Universidad del Salvador and a Masters in Public Management from Universidad de San Andres, and he has extensive experience in climate change, environmental conservation and public participation.
Working from Berlin, Germany, he will support our policy and environmental actions in Asia and Latin America.
Job Titles:
- Bank Information Center As Our West Africa Regional Coordinator
- West Africa Regional Coordinator
Moussa Elimane joined the Bank information Center as our West Africa Regional Coordinator in October 2023, to provide guidance and support to BIC's network of civil society partners in West Africa on issues related to MDB-funded development projects, and to convene and coordinate amongst these groups to participate in MDB policy reviews. He also supports BIC's program of work targeting the African Development Bank.
Job Titles:
- Director, China - Latin America Sustainable Investments Initiative
Paulina, a native Ecuadorian, has been working on environmental justice and community rights in the Amazon for more than 20 years. She was the president of Acción Ecológica and an original Steering Committee member of the Amazon Coalition. She is the co-Founder and Chair of the Board of the Center for Economic and Social Rights in Quito-Ecuador. She was awarded Honorary Membership in the Frente de Defensa de la Amazonía for her advocacy work against Chevron-Texaco. In 2005, she was one of ten Human Rights Advocates invited by the Center for Human Rights at Columbia University for a 5-month fellowship. Paulina has a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and previously worked for BIC as the Latin America Program Manager.
Job Titles:
- Social Worker
- Africa Coordinator
- Bank Information Center in 2012 As a Research Consultant
Phiona currently serves as BIC's Africa Coordinator. Phiona joined the Bank Information Center in 2012 as a research consultant to provide on-the-ground expertise for BIC's Uganda and East Africa projects. She has been key in monitoring World Bank projects in Uganda while pushing for reforms in Bank policies to better protect children's rights in project impacted communities.
Phiona is a social worker with significant experience working at both the local and international level. Before joining BIC she worked with Voluntary Action for development, interned at Action Aid and the The Aids Support Organization. Phiona received her M.A. degree from Oxford Brookes University and a holds a B.A. degree in social work and social administration from Makerere University.
Job Titles:
- Social Inclusion Director
Rachel currently serves as BIC's Social Inclusion Director. Rachel joined the Bank Information Center in 2012 to start BIC's disability rights campaign. Since then, she has actively engaged with the World Bank on disability, child, and LGBTQI+ rights issues, inclusive education, and health. Her work has focused on both policy and operations, looking at how multilateral development bank (MDB) policies support and address the needs of marginalized groups and how development projects impact these groups. She has worked with local partners in-country to identify good practice and gaps in programming to strengthen MDB funded development projects. Prior to joining BIC, Rachel worked at the local and international levels advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities. Rachel has also worked on HIV/AIDS and the prevention of violence against women and girls in Africa.
Rachel received her master's degree in public administration from New York University and holds a B.A. degree in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors