PFD - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Economist
Anjali Kumar is an economist and evaluator with over 30 years experience in international development. Anjali worked at the World Bank in all regions of the world, covering macroeconomic policy and project finance to all sectors, and was an Advisor in the Finance vice presidency. At the Bank's Independent Evaluation Group, she led teams of up to thirty people on major corporate and global policy evaluations of the World Bank, from its poverty reduction strategies to its corporate procurement policies, its role in the global financial crisis, its fiduciary oversight and its systems for monitoring and evaluation and results measurement. She has presented papers on evaluation methods at the American, Canadian and European Evaluation societies. Following her recent retirement at the end of 2018, Anjali is a consultant evaluator of UK government projects in development and a contributor to non-profit organizations in the area of development. She holds a Ph. D in economics from the University of Cambridge, UK. Anjali has published extensively on a range of topics in the area of international development and speaks French, Spanish and Madarin Chinese in addition to English and Hindi.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Advisory Member and Board Emeritus
Job Titles:
- Benin Director
- Chief of Party for PfD 's Benin
Cynthia Taha is the Chief of Party for PfD's Benin office where she leads the Pineapple Processing for Export (PINEX) and Growing Resources for Enhanced Agriculture Enterprises and Nutrition (GREEN) projects in southern Benin. PINEX will strengthen the pineapple value chain at all levels while GREEN seeks to help vegetable and fruit farmers to improve production and increase crop revenues. Prior to her work with PfD, Ms. Taha led USAID educational projects, USDA agricultural projects as well as a USDO anti-trafficking project. Through her experiences at PfD and elsewhere Cynthia has attained skills in project design, monitoring and evaluation, and management. Ms. Taha has lived and worked in Benin for 18 years and she speak both French and English fluently. She holds a Master's degree in Administration.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Economist
Dale Miller Hill is an economist with over 35 years of experience in international development. Her work at the World Bank Group included: leading operations in Africa, Asia and Europe, field office management; research including World Development Report on Food Security; resource mobilization and global partnerships; evaluation (Independent Evaluation Group); and management advisory services to "information for Development" (infoDev), a global partnership program aimed at bridging the digital divide. She also participated in a staff exchange program with Save the Children in London. After retirement, Ms. Hill worked for the American Red Cross (International) as Senior Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Advisor and provided consulting services on philanthropy, public-private partnership, fiduciary oversight, and M&E. More recently she has led evaluations in the following areas: Caribbean and Eurasian HIV/AIDS programs, Haiti shelter assistance, labor markets research, innovation competitions, disaster management, post-conflict assistance, urban renewal, water sector improvements, business advisory services, capacity building, and distance learning. She holds an MPA in Economic Policy from Princeton University and a BA in economics with highest honors from the University of Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board
- Board Member and Trustee at Partners for Development
Damilola Odetola is a board member and trustee at Partners for Development. Passionate about cooperative values and the informal sector, Mr. Odetola has over a decade of business and finance experience. Mr. Odetola is currently the Relationship Manager at National Cooperative Bank in Washington D.C. It was here where he serves as the main contact for borrowers, fostering existing and new relationships to ensure effective relationship management. Mr. Odetola has also held management positions in several other banks within the United States and abroad. In Lagos, Nigeria he was a supervisor of banking operations at Chartered Bank PLC. As a supervisor, he coordinated the payment of military pensions across the nation and contributed to the development of a more efficient process leading to a 27% decline in costs. Mr. Odetola holds both a Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Science in Finance from Walsh College.
Dan Lee holds over 12 years of experience across government, health care, higher education, and finance. Dan is currently a strategy officer at the International Finance Corporation, the private sector investment arm of the World Bank. Previously, he was the Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Governor Charlie Baker, where he shaped policy as well as supported strategic operations within state agencies across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Dan began his career in Washington as a staff assistant in the Executive Office of the President at the White House, covering domestic and economic policy. Following his time in the public sector, Dan was named a presidential fellow to the president of Dartmouth College. Upon completion of his fellowship, Dan helped launch and became the founding program officer for the Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science. Dan received a BS from George Washington University, an MPH from Dartmouth College, and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Advisory Member and Board Emeritus
- Advisory Trustee
Deirdre LaPin is an advisory trustee and Board Emeritus at Partners for Development. With a Ph.D. and MPH, Ms. LaPin is a scholar and international development specialist with a background in academia, government, multilateral agencies, and the private sector. From 2008 to 2009 she was a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in the Smithsonian Institution researching the social history of the Niger Delta. Subsequent to her academic career, Ms. LaPin joined UNICEF as a senior official in Benin Republic and Somalia, where she initiated new strategies for health, water supply, and strategic planning. She later became manager of a worldwide project for the USAID Office of Health and Population. Ms. LaPin is currently an Associate in the African Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania and a consultant for the private sector and international development agencies on best practice social policy and investment.
Donna Ellis has been working as a Senior Accountant for PfD since 2005. During that time she has been a key component to a multitude of proposals and has consistently managed and prepared the internal budget. Ms. Ellis previously has experience in a similar position at the House of Ruth where she was in charge of annual reporting for all government contracts. She has also held positions with the International Republican Institute, Lockheed Engineering and Management Services Company and holds technical certificates from USDA for nonprofit entities. Ms. Ellis attended the University of Maryland for her undergraduate degree in education.
Job Titles:
- Cambodia Director / Country Program Director Cambodia
- Partners for Development 's Country Program Director
Dr. Im Sarun has served as Partners for Development's Country Program Director in Cambodia since 2009. Prior to his current position, Dr. Sarun was the Executive Director of Partners for Development Cambodia (PfDC) - a local Cambodian NGO affiliated with PfD. Dr. Sarun also served as country program director for four years under the Canada South East Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Program, as well as working with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and a range of NGOs based in Phnom Penh such as Reproductive and Child Health Alliance and Transcultural Psycho-Social Organization. Dr. Sarun earned a MD from the University of Health Science in Phnom Penh and later, as a Fulbright Scholar Dr. Sarun achieved a Master's in Public Health from St. Louis University with a focus on International Community Health Education and concentrations in Behavioral Science, Program Planning and Management and Monitoring and Evaluation. Dr. Sarun also speaks Khmer, English and French.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Executive Director of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture
Dr. Marco Ferroni is the Executive Director of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), based in Basel, Switzerland. The Foundation's mission is to modernize small-scale farming in low- and middle-income countries through sustainable intensification, diversification and the activation of value chains. SFSA incubates and tests scalable solutions for smallholders, catalyzing uptake and dissemination through commercial partnerships. Dr. Ferroni is a Swiss citizen with a PhD in agricultural economics from Cornell University. Before joining SFSA, he held executive and advisory positions at the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank in Washington, DC.
Job Titles:
- Program Director
- Nigeria Director
Ediri Kingsley Iruaga is currently serving as Country Program Director in Nigeria. Previously Ediri served as Deputy Country Program Director in Nigeria. He was born in Delta state, Nigeria and has a Master's degree in Agronomy from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Nigeria. Before joining PfD, he had over 10 years of experience in community development, program design, implementation and evaluation with substantial focus on women and youth. He is experienced in developing proposals, project reports and designing entrepreneurship training for micro and small enterprises and loan recipients (women and youth) in underserved and conflict areas. His area of specialization is microfinance and business development services and he is a master trainer for a curriculum which PfD helped to develop which is entitled Nigerian Agricultural Enterprise Curriculum (NAEC).
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Board
- Ex - Officio / Executive Director, Ex - Officio Non - Voting Member of Board of Directors & Secretary on the Board
- Executive Director of Partners for Development
Jack Marrkand is the Executive Director of Partners for Development, having been in this position from 1991-2002 and again from 2007 to the present. He is also an ex-officio non-voting trustee on the PfD Board of Directors and in this capacity serves in the officer position of Secretary. Mr. Marrkand worked with staff and partners on operationalizing PfD's initial programs - in Cambodia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Somalia, Rwanda, and Nigeria -- and in developing its policies and procedures. He has extensive experience in food aid management, especially monetization programs; has previously run or worked for programs with other international NGO in Africa - Catholic Relief Services, Technoserve, and Africare; and in the 1980s served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso. Also, between 2004-2006 Mr. Marrkand worked as Executive Director for Sustainable Food Center in Austin, TX and for Habitat for Humanity of Southern Maryland. He earned an M.A. in International Development and Social Change from Clark University, having written a thesis on literacy. Mr. Marrkand lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, two children, and several pets.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Advisory Member and Board Chair Emeritus
As a Co-Founder, Joel Montague is a long-standing trustee to Partners for Development. With over 30 years of experience, Mr. Montague has been a trustee of various nonprofit organizations including the US Committee for Refugees, the National Council for International Health and PfD. Mr. Montague has had both long-term and short-term assignments in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, garnering substantial hands-on experience in the developing world. Mr. Montague has a MA in Political Science from John Hopkins and a MS in Public Health from the University of North Carolina.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Chairman / Board Member, Trustee and Chair of Resource Development Committee
Lanre Williams-Ayedun has over twelve years of experience in international development program design, implementation, and management. She started at PfD as a Program Intern and subsequently held positions as Health Advisor in PfD's Abuja, Nigeria office as well as Program Manager at PfD's headquarters. Since 2009, Ms. Williams-Ayedun has worked for World Vision, Inc. She currently serves as Deputy Director for the Child Development and Protection team, where she manages a team of Program Management Officers supporting a multi-million dollar global portfolio of child protection, education, youth workforce development, gender and gender based violence, and disability inclusion projects. Ms. Williams-Ayedun holds master's degrees in International Development and Public Health from The George Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Trustee and Chair of Board Recruitment Committee
Michael Chommie is an accomplished professional with over 25 years of experience in designing, implementing, and monitoring & evaluation of global health and community development programs. He has over 10 years of Chief of Party-level experience in Africa and Asia, where he cultivated an exceptional ability to create partnerships with commercial entities, local NGOs, civil society groups and all levels of government. He has worked with a diverse network of partners, including USAID, DFID, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EC, The Global Fund, KfW, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, development banks / social investors, and UN agencies. Until recently Mr. Chommie was the Managing Director of Population Services International-Europe. Mr. Chommie also has significant experience implementing projects in fragile / post-conflict states, including Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pakistan, Rwanda, Somalia, and South Sudan. In addition to his talent for cultivating partnerships, Mr. Chommie is also sought after for his executive coaching and mentoring skills and for his organizational development experience including governance, compliance and advocacy. Mr. Chommie has MA in International Administration and lives in Geneva, Switzerland.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Trustee
Nancy Pendarvis Harris is a Chair on the PfD Board of Directors. As Vice President at JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), she focuses on strategic planning, new business development and new initiatives. For three decades, Ms. Harris has led programs in reproductive health, maternal-child health, health systems and integrated health and development. She has directed large worldwide programs and country programs, fostering her understanding of the context in which development efforts and advocacy operate. Her large professional network and proficiency in languages enables her to communicate effectively with policy-makers, program managers, governments and private voluntary agencies. Ms. Harris is a former Peace Corps Volunteer and she has a Masters of Public Health from UCLA.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Sophal Ear, Ph.D., is a tenured Associate Professor of Diplomacy & World Affairs at Occidental College in Los Angeles. He taught political economy and how to rebuild countries after wars at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and international development policy at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. His career highlights include consulting for the World Bank, Assistant Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme in East Timor, a TED Fellowship and Fulbright Specialist. Aside from PfD, Dr. Ear serves on several other non-profit Boards, including the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Refugees International, and the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. He has authored several books including Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy (Columbia University Press, 2013). He also wrote and narrated the award-winning documentary film "The End/Beginning: Cambodia" based on his 2009 TED Talk. A graduate of Princeton and Berkeley, he moved to the United States from France as a Cambodian refugee at the age of 10.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Advisory Member and Board Emeritus
- Retired Chief Economist from the World Bank
Steve O'Brien is a retired Chief Economist from the World Bank. For 24 years, Mr. O'Brien was employed by the Bank and held the positions of Senior Economist for Eastern Africa, Division Chief for Operations in the Philippines, Chief Economist for West Africa and later for Sub-Saharan Africa, Chief of Regional Mission for Eastern Africa and Kenya, and lastly as Adviser to Human Resources on field office staffing. Since his retirement in 1997, Mr. O'Brien has worked on several projects relating to economics, corruption, aid policy, and development. Steve received his Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and his Masters in Economics from Stanford University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Steven Hansch has been a trustee of PfD since 2003, and a friend of PfD, following its activities since the early 1990s. He also serves on the boards of several other non-profits, and has worked in the world of private voluntary organizations for most of his career, including field work with CARE, International Rescue Committee, the Refugee Policy Group, Tufts University, and Food Aid Management. Trained in epidemiology and nutrition, he has worked for UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank, teaches university-level courses, and is a Fellow of the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University. Mr. Hansch has spent time in the field in each of the countries where PFD works, including travel to its health clinics in eastern Nigeria, visits to agro-processing sites in Bosnia, malaria-control sites in northern Cambodia, and with partners in Dar es Salaam. Mr. Hansch has a Master's in Public Health from Boston University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Social Scientist With a
Wasiq Khan is an interdisciplinary social scientist with a PhD in economics from the American University. The focus of his academic research has been the history of trade and economic development in Africa. Dr. Khan has taught at the University of Texas at Austin, American University, the University of Saint Mary, Franklin University Switzerland, and most recently at the American University of Nigeria where he was Chair of the Economics Department. Dr. Khan has published research on the economics of the transatlantic slave trade, the evolution of intra-regional trade in Africa, and the economic divergence between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. For brief periods during his academic career, he has worked as a development consultant - first with the World Bank's "AIDS Campaign Team for Africa" where he specialized in the cost-benefit analyses of HIV/AIDS projects. He also served as a consultant and macroeconomist with the Social Development Unit for the Middle East and North Africa where his research on youth unemployment in Morocco were incorporated into the World Bank's Country Assistance Strategy for Morocco. Most recently, has served as a consultant to the Danish Technical University and the United Nations Environmental Program on the economics of climate change in Northeast Nigeria. He is currently on the roster of consultants who assist the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in their efforts at quantifying the impact of their climate-related projects. Dr. Khan was a Trustee at Partners for Development from 2004 to 2011 and then, after a decade's hiatus, rejoined the Board of Trustees in December 2021.