IMA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Officer at Large
- Senior Vice President for Programs at Episcopal Relief & Development
Abagail Nelson is the Senior Vice President for Programs at Episcopal Relief & Development. She has worked throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States and with the worldwide Anglican Church, responding to disasters, alleviating hunger, fighting disease and reducing exposure to risk for almost 20 years. Ms. Nelson takes a systems approach to development challenges, and has led broad coalitions of private, public and faith based partners to achieve programmatic impact. Before coming to Episcopal Relief & Development, Ms. Nelson worked with the government of Ecuador on its coastal resource management program and as a financial analyst for several investment banks. She is currently on the vestry of Grace Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, New York, which she attends with her husband and two children, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Job Titles:
- Senior Regional Director, Asia and Middle East
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- CEO
- President
- President & CEO of Corus International
Daniel V. Speckhard is the president & CEO of Corus International, an ensemble of organizations including Lutheran World Relief and IMA World Health. A former U.S. Ambassador to Greece and Belarus, Daniel has had a long and distinguished career in government service under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Daniel's previous positions have included serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary General at NATO and Deputy Chief of Mission in Iraq.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel and Vice President of Compliance for Corus International
- General Counsel, Vice President, Compliance
Andréa M. Wilson is the General Counsel and Vice President of Compliance for Corus International. Prior to her role at Corus, she served as Americas General Counsel, VP Compliance, and Corporate Secretary for Smiths Detection, a leading multinational defense and security equipment manufacturer. She has held several senior level positions in legal, contracts and compliance in the aerospace, education, defense, health, manufacturing and technology industries in private sector and non-profit organizations.
After working full-time as a director of government contracts while completing law school, Andréa started her legal career at Johns Hopkins University, where she combined her many years of business experience with her newly acquired law license to support health and humanitarian programs in developing countries. Over the past 20 years, Andréa has been traveling domestically and globally, honing her legal skills, and growing her expertise while working for Fortune 500 companies such as Honeywell, Raytheon, IBM and UnitedHealth Group.
Andréa is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law where she was president of her law school class and volunteered as a mediator for the District Court of Maryland's Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Office. She has provided pro bono services to the Maryland Foreclosure Prevention Program, offering legal support to homeowners in danger of losing their residence through foreclosure, worked with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for those in need, and volunteered with St. Frances Academy, helping students in underserved communities explore untraditional careers in law.
Job Titles:
- Acting Country Director, Haiti
Bill Shimkus is a retired LC-MS pastor living in Portland, Oregon. He grew up in southern Illinois, attended Christ Seminary, Seminex in St. Louis and served his pastoral internship in Anchorage Alaska. During his forty years in the parish ministry he served congregations in Cottage Hills, Illinois; Wenatchee, Washington; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Honolulu, Hawaii and Portland. For twenty-three years he served as a chaplain in the Army Reserve, primarily in hospital ministry. In addition to the Lutheran elementary schools that were associated with the parishes he pastored, he served on the boards of the Lutheran High School in Hawaii, the Portland Lutheran School and Holden Village in Washington. He held a variety of leadership positions in the church, including circuit counselor and regional vice president.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, HR Process Optimization and Compliance
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President, Finance & Accounting
Job Titles:
- Senior Regional Director, Latin America and the Caribbean
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Business Development
Job Titles:
- Chief Information Officer
Cheri Kase is responsible for defining and delivering Information Technology (IT) strategy and capabilities across the Corus International family. This includes data analytics and business intelligence, development and support, infrastructure, and security and technical services. She provides oversight and direction to IT and business leaders on strategy, standards and opportunities for shared services and economies of scale.
Cheri joined Corus subsidiary Lutheran World Relief in 2018, bringing more than 20 years of information technology experience with major corporations such as AT&T and Legg Mason, as wells as a higher educational institution. She has led a diverse IT team of 50 spread out throughout the United States and overseas for true 24/7 support and managed yearly operating budgets in the millions.
Cheri has done extensive training with non-technical staff on IT issues, managing vendors, implementing software and hardware, onboarding IT staff in remote locations (within the US and overseas), getting overseas offices IT systems up and running both in-person and remotely, working with local telecom/ISP providers overseas, and implementing apps to facilitate staff's work.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She is a veteran of the U.S. Army.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Fundraising Operations and Analytics
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Human Resources Operations
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President, Global Relationships & Resources
Job Titles:
- Senior Technical Advisor, MERL
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Procurement
- Senior Procurement Director
Ahmad Shaker Dadgar serves as the Senior Procurement Director and is responsible for overall procurement and logistics of the organization. He has over 16 years of leadership experience in the field of global health, procurement and government contracts with both for-profit and non-profit organizations.
Previously, Ahmad worked at Chemonics International Inc., under the multibillion dollar USAID award, Global Health Supply Chain - Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM), where he successfully led the strategic acquisition, high-value procurement management and contract activities of a portfolio of 20 countries in Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Ahmad has considerable hands-on experience in USAID-PEPFAR/PMI, WB, WHO, and Global Fund procurement management, and general project operational compliance.
Ahmad holds a M.D. from Kabul University of Medical Sciences (KUMS) and is working towards an M.P.H. in Global Health Policy from The George Washington University. Ahmad's native languages are Dari and Pashto, and he is fluent in Urdu.
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President & Senior Technical Director for Health and Nutrition
- Physician With a BHMS
Dennis Cherian oversees Corus International's Health, Nutrition and WASH work, and serves as its global practice lead. Dennis is passionate about health equity and integrating health in multi-sectoral platforms.
Dennis brings over 25 years of global health leadership and experience in non-profit organizations and government to Corus International. Prior to joining Corus International, Dennis was the Senior Director of New Program Development at Jhpiego, where he supported the growth and diversification of new business development activities. As the Senior Director of Health at World Vision, Dennis led a team responsible for advancing the organizations technical profile and for the acquisition and implementation of a broad range of health programs worldwide.
Dennis also held senior technical advisor and program management roles with Plan International, Medical Care Development International, and the New York State Department of Health, Division of Tuberculosis. He has extensive experience designing and implementing integrated child health and development, tuberculosis/HIV, nutrition, WASH, Global Health Security, and NTDs projects.
He currently serves as the Secretary of the Christian Connection in International Health (CCIH) Board and is the Co-Chair of the CORE Group board.
Dennis is a physician with a BHMS degree from the Mahatma Gandhi University, a Master in Health Administration from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and a Certificate in Psychology of Leadership from Cornell University.
Job Titles:
- National Nutrition Communications Campaign.
- Senior Technical Director - MNCH / FP / RH, MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience
Dr. Ramirez-Ferrero leverages over 25 years of experience in senior technical and leadership positions in sexual and reproductive health and rights. He has worked in global public health for nearly 18 years designing, implementing, and managing integrated MNCH/FP/RH service delivery projects in or for fragile states, including Mozambique and Tanzania, and technical advisor consultancies in India, Burundi, Indonesia, Myanmar, Uganda, and Afghanistan.
Dr. Ramirez-Ferrero has significant experience leading large and impactful projects, most recently as the Technical Director of the USAID Evidence to Action (E2A) project (2018-2021, $290M), COP with Jhpiego for the USAID Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) in Mozambique (2013-2016, $58M), and Country Representative for EngenderHealth in Tanzania and COP for the CHAMPION Project (2008-2010, $26M). Dr. Ramirez-Ferrero also has extensive background effectively collaborating with MOHs and other non-state actors in humanitarian and fragile settings to implement successful health programming.
With specialties in reproductive health program design, family planning, adolescent reproductive and sexual health and rights, and gender-transformative programming, including male involvement and couple-focused interventions, Dr. Ramirez-Ferrero has consulted for the WHO, UNFPA, Promundo, CARE, Save the Children, Jhpiego, and EngenderHealth and has conducted research that has resulted in technical tools, publications, and national strategies and guidelines.
Dr. Ramirez-Ferrero received an MPH in Population, Family and Reproductive Health from Johns Hopkins University, an MSc in Global Health Policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a PhD in medical anthropology and feminist theory from Stanford University. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and speaks advanced level Italian and Intermediate French and Norwegian.
Job Titles:
- Technical Director, Social and Behavior Change
As the Social and Behavior Change Lead for the MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience project, Dr. Kamden Hoffmann serves in a cross-cutting role supporting the project to enhance coordination between development and humanitarian actors and strengthen the resilience of individuals, families and communities, supporting countries on their journey to self-reliance.
Kamden has over 20 years of experience in health and development. Her technical areas span maternal and child health, malaria, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, mental health and physical activity, among others. She has worked in health and development with numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations, including the U.S. Agency for international Development, Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services and University Research Co., LLC. She co-founded INSIGHT: Innovative Social Change in Global Health, a women-owned small business consulting firm focused on social and behavior change capacity strengthening through technical assistance to a variety of U.S. and non-U.S. based clients.
She began her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines, where her passion sparked her to focus on the well-being of the most vulnerable populations globally through social and behavior change and development.
Kamden has a Ph.D. in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, with a concentration on Community-Based Participatory Research, an M.P.H. in International Health Promotion from George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, an M.A. in International Development with an International Health concentration from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, and a dual B.S. degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Tufts University.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- Vice President for Mission, Strategy, and Innovation at Gustavus Adolphus College
Kathi Tunheim, Ph.D., is Vice President for Mission, Strategy, and Innovation at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. In this role, Kathi leads the execution of the Gustavus Acts Strategic Plan, which includes managing the College's National Advisory Boards and Gustavus Women in Leadership group, leading the human resources department, and growing external partnerships that advance the Gustavus mission. Dr. Tunheim has managed training and development at Northwest Airlines and Carlson Travel Network, and served as Director of Leadership Development at American Express Financial Advisors. In 1998, she founded Tunheim Leadership Group, Inc., a consulting firm with a mission to recognize, educate and inspire leadership, team and organization development.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Global Health at Brigham Young
- Senior Technical Advisor, Nutrition & WASH
Dr. Kirk Dearden brings three decades of experience designing, implementing and evaluating a variety of nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs around the world.
He has worked short- and long-term in 35 countries. In both Nepal and Tanzania, Kirk directed programs for two large, integrated nutrition programs for Helen Keller International and IMA World Health. His work in fragile states has focused on neonatal mortality (West Bank/Gaza), development and testing of an NGO manual for measuring infant and young child feeding (Sierra Leone and refugee camps in Kenya), emergency response (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and nutrition (South Sudan), among others.
Kirk has been a professor of global health at Brigham Young and Boston universities, where he trained development professionals and students in the use of quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the impact of programs on health behaviors and outcomes. He has authored 70 peer-reviewed publications covering a range of nutrition and child health topics.
Kirk holds a Dr.P.H. and M.P.H. in international health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed his post-doctoral work at the International Center for Diarrheal Research, Bangladesh, through a USAID child survival fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University. He received his B.A. in Third World Development and Public Health from Boston University.
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Surgeon
- Children 's National As a Surgical Fellow
- President and Chief Executive Officer of Children 's National Hospital
- Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine
Dr. Kurt Newman is President and Chief Executive Officer of Children's National Hospital. Children's National is ranked as one of the top 10 best children's hospitals in the country and number one in neonatology by U.S. News & World Report.
Dr. Newman is a surgeon and recognized leader in pediatric healthcare nationally and in Washington, D.C. Since becoming CEO of Children's National in 2011, he has fostered a culture of patient-centered care and championed a culture of innovation in research, operations and clinical care. Dr. Newman is also a strong advocate for expanding mental health access for kids and has led two national forums on this issue.
Dr. Newman joined Children's National as a surgical fellow in 1984 and became surgeon-in-chief and senior vice president for the Joseph E. Robert, Jr. Center for Surgical Care in 2003. In 2009, he was instrumental in securing the transformational $150 million gift to create the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National. The institute has the bold vision of making surgery for children minimally invasive and pain-free.
Dr. Newman serves on the board of the Economic Club of Washington, Greater Washington Board of Trade, Federal City Council, D.C. Chamber of Commerce, Fight for Children and YMCA Camp Sea Gull/Seafarer. Previously, he served on the Board of Commissioners of The Joint Commission, the Board of Governors of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, and as chair of the Surgery Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is also a past chair of the Board of Directors for the District of Columbia Hospital Association and the Children's Hospital Association (CHA) Board of Trustees. He now serves as the chair of the Governance Committee for CHA.
Dr. Newman is a professor of surgery and pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Public Health. He is the author of a 2017 medical memoir, Healing Children: A Surgeon's Stories from the Frontiers of Pediatric Medicine. The book debuted as an Amazon bestseller in pediatrics and earned national attention and critical praise in The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post and Harvard Business Review. All of the proceeds from his book go to pediatric research.
Job Titles:
- Senior Technical Advisor, Health, Nutrition & Humanitarian Programs
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- President of Concordia College
William Craft, Ph.D., is president of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., a position he assumed in July 2011. Previously, he served as vice president for academic affairs and as the dean of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He is Chair of the Wye Seminar Advisory Council, a program of the Aspen Institute, and a member of the board of the Association of American Colleges & Universities. He was a longtime member of the American Conference of Academic Deans Executive Board. Beyond academic circles, Dr. Craft serves on the board of the Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, External Relations & Engagement
- Vice President, Global Relationships & Resources
Corus' Yesibeth Centeno will be speaking at the virtual 2023 Women in Global Development Leadership Forum, on May 3-4. Live programming in 23 times zones.
Eddie Byrd oversees fundraising, business development and marketing & creative services. He has worked for domestic and international NGOs for the past two decades following a career as a reporter, editor and publisher in business journalism. He joined Lutheran World Relief in 2017.
Eddie previously worked at Pact, where he was the Director of Integrated Communications, leading the international NGO's branding, multimedia outreach and institutional-donor engagement. Previously, he worked at Habitat for Humanity International, including a stint as Director of Communications and Advocacy in Europe and Central Asia, based in Bratislava, Slovakia. He has also served as executive director of a regional food bank.
Eddie's field experience includes work in more than 30 countries. An accomplished photographer and videographer, he earned a bachelor's degree at Georgia Southwestern State University and an MBA at the University of Phoenix. He is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) and Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Job Titles:
- Chief People & Diversity Officer
- Chief People and Diversity Officer for Corus International
Frances Woodard is the chief people and diversity officer for Corus International and is responsible for the overall management of human resources, with a focus on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), a Corus priority.
Frances brings over 20 years of experience in strategic human resources, talent management, and organizational effectiveness.
She has most recently served as Vice President, People & Culture at National Quality Forum, a not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to improving healthcare. She has previously directed human resources at the Walton Family Foundation, Human Rights First, and the ONE Campaign.
Frances earned an M.S. in Management with a specialization in Human Resources and a B.S. in Business & Management at the University of Maryland College Park.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Humanitarian Assistance
Job Titles:
- Project Director, MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- CFO, CGA Technologies
Grace Oforiokuma is the Chief Financial Officer for CGA Technologies. Based in the United Kingdom, Grace has also worked in the U.S., South America and West Africa.
She has extensive experience working in the education and health sectors. This includes serving as Financial Controller at the Education Development Trust (previously CfBT Education Trust), a non-profit organisation providing education services in the UK and internationally.
Grace later worked as CFO at the multi-specialist Reddington Hospital Group, a private group of hospitals and clinics in Nigeria, providing strategic financial management of primary through tertiary healthcare services.
She subsequently returned to the UK and worked as Director of Finance/ CFO and Company Secretary for the Griffin Schools Trust, a Multi-Academy Trust with 12 schools delivering education services to over 9,000 pupils.
Prior to working with CGA Technologies, Grace provided leadership across Finance, HR, IT and Legal as the Finance & Corporate Resources Director/ Company Secretary for Mytime Active, a leisure, health & wellbeing organisation with over 40 sites across the UK. She initially joined CGA in October 2019 as a consultant, later joining the team as a permanent member of staff mid-2020.
A qualified CIMA accountant with an MBA from Henley Management College and Master of Science in Accounting & Finance from the University of Northampton, she is also a qualified Company Secretary with the Chartered Governance Institute. In addition, she holds an advanced certificate in health governance and a certificate in business valuations.
Job Titles:
- Senior Regional Director, West Africa and Haiti
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, CGA Technologies
Hilda M. "Bambi" Arellano retired from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2014, where she worked for more than three decades. She served as mission director in Egypt, Iraq, Peru, Hungary and Ecuador and as the coordinating director for development and economic affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan. Her last assignment for USAID was as the senior development advisor at the State Department's Foreign Service Institute. Most recently, she served as the director of the Scholars in the Nation's Service Initiative at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School.
Jean Hanson served for 19 years as a partner of the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, New York, retiring in 2012. Ms. Hanson's specialties included securities law and corporate finance. During the early 1990s, she was general counsel to the United States Treasury, heading a 2,000-lawyer legal department. Ms. Hanson served two terms as a member of the Securities Regulation Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Ms. Hanson also served as a member and chair of the Board of Regents of Concordia College New York and a member of the Board of Regents of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Domestic Operations
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the MacArthur Foundation
Kenneth Jones II is vice president and chief financial officer at the MacArthur Foundation. Previously, he served as vice president and chief financial officer at the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore. Before joining the Casey Foundation in 2008, he traveled extensively in Africa, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe as CFO of Danya International, a public health and education organization, and Jhpiego, a nonprofit international health affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining the nonprofit sector, Mr. Jones held corporate finance positions at Ford Motor Company, Pfizer, Mirant and Prudential. He has been involved in Habitat for Humanity and Paint the Town.
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President, International Programs
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Marketing & Communications
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President, Operational Effectiveness & Development
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Farmers Market Brands LLC
Louie Castriota provides leadership for Corus International subsidiary Farmers Market Brands LLC, a direct-trade coffee producer. He founded five companies prior to joining Corus International: Leg Up Farm, Able-Services, Leg Up Farmers Market, Adult Care Enterprises and Happy Helpers. During his entrepreneurial endeavors, he also authored an inspirational book called, Leg Up: The Courage to Dream, about his 13-year journey to transform the lives of thousands of children by bringing together all types of pediatric therapies, under one roof, in a unique program model.
Before founding both non-profit and for-profit entities, Louie held media and sales management positions In Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Harrisburg. He previously served as director of sales at Comcast Spotlight, as general and national sales manager at WBFF FOX 45, and local sales manager at WLYH UPN 15.
Louie is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. He has received the Rite Aid Foundation's KidChamp Award, the National Comcast Spotlight Hero Award and the Non-profit Innovation in Management Operations Award. He was named a York Federal Fellow in Nonprofit Community Leadership and led Leg Up Farm's successful Silver LEED Certification. Since Leg Up Farm opened, Louie continues to be active in his community, mentoring nonprofit leaders.
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Managing Director and Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion for Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets
Marcelino Ford-Livene is Managing Director and Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion for Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets. In this role, he leads the team responsible for the delivery and execution of RBC Capital Market's global diversity and inclusion strategy and initiatives. He also works closely with RBC Capital Markets' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) team on global strategy, social impact, and economic inclusion initiatives.
Prior to RBC Capital Markets, Mr. Ford-Livene was Managing Director at Intel Capital, the corporate venture capital arm of Intel Corporation. In this role, he managed assets in Intel Capital's global portfolio of companies and founded the largest executive-in-residence (EIR) program in corporate venture capital. He also provided leadership to Intel Capital's diversity and inclusion initiative outreach efforts, investments and company-building activities. Prior to this assignment, he was the General Manager of Intel's Worldwide Corporate Affairs Group. In this role, he led an international organization across 30 countries tasked with developing and executing strategies, policies and programs that advanced Intel's global brand and long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, corporate responsibility and social impact.
Mr. Ford-Livene also serves on the board of IRIS.TV, a leading video data technology company. He also is a board member of GSG Averigo, a micro-market technology solutions company. He is a founding director of the Digital Diversity Network and a volunteer mentor in the L.A.M.P. Mentor Program, which promotes leadership, community service, and career development for high school students of color in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Job Titles:
- Interim Chief Financial Officer
- Interim Chief Financial Officer for Corus International
Mark Moyer is the Interim Chief Financial Officer for Corus International, overseeing the overall management of the organization's finance.
Mark brings over 40 years of experience in financial management. Most recently, Mark served for 5 years as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for Freedom House, a USAID and US State Department-funded NGO dedicated to expanding freedom and democracy globally.
Prior to Freedom House, he was providing interim CFO services to non-profit organizations, including the Harlem Children's Zone, National Audubon, ASPCA, and a regional council of the Boy Scouts.
His entry into the NGO sector was as CFO for the Institute of International Education, administrator of the US State Department's Fulbright Scholarship and other international education programs.
A licensed CPA, Mark started his career as an auditor with Ernst and Young. He obtained his BBA in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and MBA in Finance from New York University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Development
Job Titles:
- Vice President, International Programs and Operations
Michael Watt is responsible for assuring quality in program delivery and operations and the efficient and strategic management of programs, staff, and offices overseas. He oversees the leadership directly responsible for programs in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and Latin America, global security, and procurement, as well as policies, procedures, and compliance related to international program budgets; office operations, structures and staffing; and staff safety and security.
He is a multi-lingual leader with 27 years of international development experience in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, including work experience in Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Honduras, Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Russia.
Muna Bhanji is a former senior executive with Merck, one of the world's leading biopharmaceutical companies. Among her roles in more than three decades with the company, she served as senior vice president of Global Market Access & Policy, Global Human Health. In that role, she developed pharmaceutical access and affordability strategies in a highly regulated environment, working with key stakeholders to support access to medicines in the US, Europe, Japan, China and the emerging regions of Latin America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Ms. Bhanji has held senior leadership roles of increasing responsibility overseeing US and global business units, including Oncology and Hospital & Specialty businesses.
She recently served on the board of Possible Health, a Nepal-focused NGO that delivers high quality, affordable healthcare to rural, underserved communities. She also previously served on the board of the Foundation of Managed Care Pharmacy, the research, education, and philanthropic organization supporting AMCP, the leading professional association in managed care.
Job Titles:
- Senior Regional Director, ECS Africa
Job Titles:
- Senior Technical Advisor, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning
Dedicated to improving the health and well-being of communities locally, nationally and globally, Nancy Stroupe Kannappan has been conducting economic, social service and public health monitoring, evaluation and research activities for 15 years. Domestically, she has worked with American Indian tribes on behavioral health integration, sexual and gender-based violence, health systems strengthening, research capacity building and youth development projects. Internationally, she has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Tanzania, Mexico, India, Kenya, Thailand and Indonesia on research and evaluation projects ranging from malaria prevention and neglected tropical diseases to refugee mental health.
Nancy has specific technical expertise in infectious diseases, gender-based violence and the integration of behavioral health into primary health care. In her current position, she is responsible for leading monitoring, evaluation, research and learning activities for the Corus health portfolio, as well as building capacity and technical excellence for the organization. She serves as the principal investigator on a population-based Ebola survivor study in Eastern DRC. And she is a senior technical monitoring & evaluation, research and learning advisor with the Momentum Integrated Health Resilience Project.
She holds an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Wyoming, an M.P.H. from the University of Arizona and is a Ph.D. candidate in Epidemiology, also at the University of Arizona.
Job Titles:
- Senior Technical Advisor, SGBV
Noshaba Zafar leads sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) prevention, mitigation and response efforts at Corus International. With vast experience working in diverse cultural contexts, she has led gender equality technical teams in responding to natural disasters, conflict and other emergencies in many countries in Asia and the Middle East.
Noshaba has worked in advisory and managerial roles in the International Development sector for more than 18 years. She joins Corus with experience working for Mercy Corps, Plan International, Oxfam GB, Social Impact, UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF where she designed, evaluated, and implemented gender responsive programs, specifically focusing on program models for young boys and girls. Noshaba has worked closely with country program offices, national governments, local implementing partners, and directly with program participants on issues like Child Early and Forced (CEFM), Sexual and Gender-based violence (SGBV) in & outside schools, sexual exploitation & abuse (SEA) and workplace harassment. She has design gender mainstreamed programs for emergency response, early recovery, and development phases.
Noshaba has a Master's in Social Work and a Master's of Science in Women/Gender Studies.
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President, Rural Economies and Agricultural Livelihoods
Paul Macek oversees the technical quality of the organization's approach to agriculture and economic development and serves as its global practice lead. He is particularly passionate about social impact investing and entrepreneurship on the African continent, where he has lived and worked for over 20 years.
Before joining Corus International, Paul worked with several prominent international relief and development non-profits. He was the vice president for programs at the World Cocoa Foundation, where he managed a global portfolio of programs in cocoa sustainability across agricultural, social, and environmental dimensions. As the senior director for food security and livelihoods with World Vision, Paul led a team responsible for the acquisition and implementation of more than 30 programs and projects worldwide. Paul also held several prominent positions with Catholic Relief Services throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Paul earned a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and holds an M.A. in International Affairs from American University.
Job Titles:
- Corus International 's Principal Policy Analyst
- Senior Director, Public Policy and Advocacy
Paul Miller is Corus International's principal policy analyst and advocate on U.S. foreign policy and U.S. Government foreign assistance programs and budgets. In this role, he draws on more than 25 years of experience in relief, development and human rights, including overseas assignments in Africa and Latin America.
Before joining Corus subsidiary Lutheran World Relief in 2014, Paul was a public policy and foreign aid advisor with Catholic Relief Services, where he also led the Africa team and had assignments in Brazil and Senegal. He also served as the director of international programs at the Landmine Survivors Network.
Since 2003, Paul has been a lecturer at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, where he also earned his Master of Arts in International Studies. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Brown University.
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President, International People & Diversity
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Counsel at the International Law Firm Sheppard Mullin
Phil Atkins-Pattenson is of counsel at the international law firm Sheppard Mullin. For the past 25 years, he has been a partner in the Business Trial Practice Group, handling complex business trials, arbitrations and appeals in state and federal courts, including the successful defense of a $2 billion class action following an 8-month trial. He is the former co-managing partner of the firm's San Francisco office. Throughout his 37-year career, Mr. Atkins-Pattenson also maintained an active pro bono practice. In 2007, he was recognized as a California Attorney of the Year and as Sheppard Mullin's Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for his work as lead outside counsel in a successful 20-year federal court litigation for NRDC that resulted in a comprehensive settlement to restore California's San Joaquin River and its historic salmon populations. Mr. Atkins-Pattenson has been an active member of First Church Berkeley (U.C.C.), where he has served on various ministry teams. He joined the IMA Board in November 2017, and is a member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee. He resides in Glenbrook, Nevada on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor for Faith Engagement at Corus International
Rebecca Waugh serves as Senior Advisor for Faith Engagement at Corus International, in the Quality, Impact, and Learning team. She has more than 25 years of program development and management experience in multi-cultural NGO/not-for-profit environments, including 20 years in the international development and human rights arena.
Rebecca joined Corus organization IMA World Health in 2013 for deployment and served as Deputy Country Director then Country Director in South Sudan before relocating to the Washington DC office and beginning work as Senior Programs Advisor. Her current role with Corus is focused on developing and supporting work with international partners and collaborators in the faith-based sector.
Rebecca's prior experience in international development includes a UN post as Manager of the United Nations Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence against Women and consulting assignments under The KonTerra Group, primarily with UN and faith-based organizations. She has provided oversight of regional/country offices and responsibilities as focal point for HIV/AIDS at Church World Service and led strategic planning at the country office level for CARE International.
Rebecca holds a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University, a Master's of Divinity from Southern Seminary and a Master's in International Development from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Senior Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Global Security
Sandra Boyd is responsible for providing safety and security support for Corus International's more than 800-person staff and assets in 25 countries, through the development of world-wide policies and procedures and the provision of both senior advisory services and hands-on security management and training to field offices.
Sandra has worked at senior levels as a security director or equivalent for Chemonics, DAI, CHF/Global Communities, and the University Research Co. and Center for Human Services, and knows the sector from both the private and non-profit sides. She works collaboratively with other NGOs through participating in a number of international security forums to ensure that Corus is following best practices and engaging in discussions of global security topics at the highest levels.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Master of Business Administration from the George Washington University. She speaks French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Staff
- Chief of Staff at Corus International
As Chief of Staff at Corus International, Shelly Talcott plays a critical role in managing organizational priorities and connecting dots across projects, people, departments and subsidiaries to improve decision-making, increase alignment and help the Corus family work better. Leading the President's Office team, Shelly manages all processes related to the President's Office, the Leadership Team and the support to the Board of Directors. From strategic planning to growth through acquisitions to Corus' Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, she also manages special initiatives and serves as a sounding board to the CEO.
Prior to the creation of the Corus family and transitioning into the President's Office, Shelly worked at Lutheran World Relief as the Senior Director of Visibility, Outreach and Engagement. She has over 20 years of progressive professional experience across the for-profit, non-profit and academic sectors in organizational development, change management, strategic planning and marketing communications.
Shelly enjoys giving of her time to the community, offering leadership on the Albrecht Fellowship Advisory Committee at the World Trade Center Institute, serving on both the Girls on the Run Twin Cities and Girls on the Run Greater Chesapeake Board of Directors for a combined 8 years and delivering food through the Maryland Food Bank. Shelly has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Gustavus Adolphus College.
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Senior Director for Programs and Innovation at ADRA International
Sonya Funna Evelyn is the senior director for programs and innovation at ADRA International. She provides strategic leadership and direction setting for the organization, with a core focus on key program areas of resilience, livelihoods, health, and education. She leads teams of technical, monitoring, evaluation, learning and business development experts who support the design and integration of high impact, poverty reduction programs, implemented across the ADRA network of over 118 countries. Prior to joining ADRA in 2007, Ms. Funna Evelyn worked on reproductive health programs and as a home-based therapist in Northern Virginia, serving the needs of vulnerable populations and recent immigrants from Latin America. She has close to 20 years of experience in organizational leadership and program development and has worked across Africa and Asia. She holds a master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education & Psychology and a master's degree in International Development from the George Washington University Elliot School of International Affairs.
Job Titles:
- Chief Humanitarian Officer
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Associate Director of Presbyterian World Mission
Tamron Keith is the Associate Director of Presbyterian World Mission, with over 15 years of operations management experience, and over a decade of budget development, budget analysis, and financial forecasting expertise. Mr. Keith provides strategy, planning, and operational leadership for the ongoing, dynamic, work of the Presbyterian World Mission (PWM) Young Adult Volunteer program comprising 70 young adult volunteers, the international personnel office supporting 125 mission coworkers, the budget and finance team, and PWM grant-making programs. He also manages the PCUSA international property inventory. He represents PWM and maintains relationships with the PMA board of directors, various ecumenical organizations and stakeholders. He also serves as a member of the PMA expanded Leadership Cabinet.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Impact and Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Grants, Contracts and Compliance