CONNEXUS CORPORATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Project Manager With
Abby is a Project Manager with Connexus Corporation, providing logistical and administrative support for current and future projects, including the annual Cracking the Nut Conference. Prior to joining Connexus, she worked as an English Teacher in Ziguinchor, Senegal while on a Fulbright Grant and in Sens, France as part of the Teaching Assistant Program in France. She also has experience working as a Research Assistant at The George Washington University's Institute for African Studies and as an Editorial Assistant for the academic journal Anthropological Quarterly. Abby holds a B.A. in International Affairs and French Language, Literature, and Culture, and she has a working knowledge of French.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Project Manager With
Aiden is a Project Manager with Connexus Corporation, providing logistical and administrative support for current and future projects, including the annual Cracking the Nut Conference. Prior to joining Connexus, he served as a Legislative Intern in the Office of U.S. Congressman Jamie Raskin, as well as a Constituent Services Intern in the Office of U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen. He spent a semester studying at the University of Nice - Sophia Antipolis in Nice, France, and is fluent in French. Aiden graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Government & Politics and French Language & Literature.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Project Manager With
Alana is a Project Manager with Connexus Corporation, providing administrative and logistical support for current and future projects including the annual Cracking the Nut Conference. Prior to joining Connexus, she was a Compliance Coordinator for ACES, an international education organization working with high school exchange students on U.S. State Department Scholarships. Her experience and interest in International Development stem from her time as a Peace Corps Volunteer working on public health projects in Mali and Guinea. She holds a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Wyoming and has a working knowledge of French.
Almaz is a Staff Accountant at Connexus Corporation, providing financial support in AP entries, project invoices, and other financial and administrative activities. She has prior experience working in several financial positions for International Medical Corps' Ethiopia Mission. As a Volunteer, she supported the financial department in their day-to-day financial activities. As a Finance Assistant, she supported proper handling of the company petty cash and payment processing. As a Finance Officer, she worked on document review and Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. She holds a B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Admas University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Anita is an economist with 30 years of experience in international and US finance and private sector development. She is a Rural and Agricultural Finance expert and has led Connexus since its inception in 2007. Anita has overseen several USAID-funded projects, including Connexus' work on USAID/Ghana FinGAP and USAID/Rwanda's Private Sector Driven Agricultural Growth project and Huguka Dukore (Youth Development project). In Senegal, she led a team to conduct market research on small and medium enterprise (SME) finance. Previously, she managed the Financial Sector portfolio for Chemonics International, overseeing projects related to SME finance, insurance, leasing and investment funds, as well as regulation and supervision of microfinance institutions. As executive director, Anita transformed the MicroFinance Network into a leading policy institution by developing and promoting microfinance best practices. In Mali, she was the Associate Program Director for Peace Corps' Small Enterprise Development program, supporting 60 volunteers who provided technical assistance to businesses and microfinance institutions. Anita has designed and led participatory trainings in English, Spanish and French.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Operations
Laura is an economist by training with 20 years of experience providing technical assistance and support to small businesses. She has experience working on youth and extending financial services to them in Africa. Prior to serving as Connexus's Vice President of Operations, Laura spent 10 years as an Economist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC, working on pesticide and agricultural issues. Most recently, she was President of Shenandoah Brewing Company, a small, family-owned and operated microbrewery in Alexandria, VA.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Public Private Partnership Director, Feed the Future West Africa Trade and Investment Hub Activity
Lotfi is an accomplished manager and private sector expert with 14 years of experience in sustainable partnerships, market assessment, finance and investment, government reform, and project management. He is currently serving as the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Director for the Feed the Future West Africa Trade and Investment Hub Activity. Based in Dakar, the PPP Director is catalyzing private sector investment in the region by working with leading buyers, processors, and producers to demonstrate the commercial viability of West African farmers and firms. Previously, Lotfi was the Regional Director for USAID's LPFM II Program and World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, where he provided technical leadership, effective management and actively engaged with private and public actors. He also served as Program Director for USAID Trade Africa Côte d'Ivoire Program, which generated over $15 million in sales of livestock and agricultural products and facilitated over $16 million in investment in the cashew processing sector. While serving as Finance and Contract Manager for the West Africa Trade and Investment Hub, he managed a $5 million budget to provide capacity building to producers, processers, and exporters as well as technical support to SMEs and financial institutions to improve access to finance and investment, grant disbursement to public partners, and international seller-buyer linkages. He is fluent in English and French and is highly proficient in Arabic.
Matthew is an IT Specialist with Connexus Corporation, providing computer security, support, and administration, developing web applications, and leading the digitization, application, and testing of the Impact Strengthening Development (ISD) Assessment Tool. He specializes in software development and has over twenty years of experience working on both hardware and software issues.
Job Titles:
- Associate With
- Project Associate
Paul is a Project Associate with Connexus Corporation, providing logistical and administrative support for current and future projects, including the annual Cracking the Nut Conference. Prior to joining Connexus, he worked as an English teacher in Lille, France as part of the Teaching Assistant Program in France. He spent a semester studying abroad at the University of Nice - Sophia Antipolis in Nice, France and is proficient in French. Paul graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in History and French Language & Literature.
Job Titles:
- Project Director
- Project Director, USAID Generating Equity and USAID Land for Prosperity
Rashmi Ekka serves as a Project Director for Connexus, supporting the USAID Generating Equity and USAID Land for Prosperity projects in Colombia. She is an international development practitioner with 14 years of experience working to increase access to finance and developing agriculture market systems. Her technical expertise is in agricultural market systems development, food loss and waste, financial inclusion and entrepreneurship development. Most recently, She developed a Food Loss and Waste Value Chain Selection Guide for USDA and led it's pilot in Kenya and Costa Rica. Previously, Rashmi managed USAID Feed the Future Horticulture Innovation Lab's projects to reduce postharvest losses in horticulture in Rwanda and Burkina Faso (2016 - 2019). Rashmi holds an MBA from the University of California, Davis and a BA in Economics from the College of Wooster, Ohio. She has worked in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, India, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Rwanda, Uganda, USA and Tanzania, and she has lead projects remotely in Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Job Titles:
- Associate With
- Project Associate
Savannah Kopp is a Project Associate with Connexus Corporation, providing logistical and administrative support for current and future projects, including the annual Cracking the Nut Conference. Prior to joining Connexus, she was a fellow with the Advocacy Project. Savannah graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Economics and a Minor in International Development and Conflict Management.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Programs
Todd Crosby is Vice President of Programs for Connexus. Previously, Todd was the Senior Technical Director for Resilience and Food Systems and Chief of Party for NCBA/CLUSA on Yaajeende, USAID Senegal's flagship food security project in Senegal from 2010-2015. Yaajeende pioneered the "Nutrition Led Agriculture" methodology, a food systems approach to resolving issues of food security, hunger and malnutrition by strengthening local market actors, notably Community Based Solution Providers, to support the production, trade, and consumption of healthy foods. Todd holds an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and has over 23 years of experience working in community development in West Africa in Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, and Ghana. His technical expertise focuses on the use of private sector business approaches such as value chain, last mile agents, micro-finance, social marketing, and social franchising for community-based rural development.