MSI UNITED STATES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director Marketing Manager, Facebook & Instagram
- Marketing Manager at Facebook
Alexis is Marketing Manager at Facebook and Instagram, where she has worked on helping small businesses and nonprofits build and grow their online presence.
Her career focus is scaled marketing for technology companies, previously working at Epsilon, a leading performance marketing agency with clients such as Google and Apple, as well as Brilliant Earth, a socially responsible e-commerce retailer of conflict-free diamonds.
In 2008, Alexis spent three months in Sierra Leone working with MSI as a research assistant. Since then, she has been a passionate advocate for MSI's work. With three generations of family members involved in women's reproductive health, she feels deeply about MSI's mission.
Alexis previously served as a board member for Spark, which supports international grassroots women's organizations. She received her Bachelor's Degree in International Relations and her Master's Degree in Organizational Theory from Stanford University.
Job Titles:
- Board Liaison & Leadership Gifts Associate
Job Titles:
- Global Chief Financial Officer
- Non - Executive Director
- Vice President
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Grants and Foundation Relations Manager
Coralie is a Grants & Foundations Relations Manager, managing MSI US's institutional grant portfolio.
Coralie has been with MSI for two years, and has 8 years of financial and project management experience, previously working within the global wine and fashion industries prior to joining MSI. Having most recently served in MSI's finance team, she brings a wealth of knowledge with her to the foundations team and is strongly committed to MSI's mission.
Coralie holds a Bsc in Business Management from Queen Mary University of London and is studying towards a MA in Education, Gender and International Development from University College London (UCL) with a major in African Studies and Education.
In her free time, Coralie is a board member for a small local run charity in West London that is focused on community development, she loves outdoor adventures and visiting new countries. She is English & French, has an international background having lived in 5 European countries and now resides in Philadelphia, USA with her partner and her dog.
Job Titles:
- Director / Principal, the Bridgespan Group
Elena Otero was selected to Chair the MSI United States Board in 2023. She is an experienced global consumer business leader with a demonstrated track record of success in the consumer product goods industry. Elena brings a wealth of marketing expertise to the MSI US board with almost two decades of experience leading marketing efforts with consumer giants, Procter & Gamble and The Clorox Company in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the United States. Elena has an Executive MBA from The Wharton School, and MBA in marketing from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion in Caracas, Venezuela, a Master of Engineering in Manufacturing Engineering, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Boston University.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director / Chair, MSI Board
Glenda is a skilled professional in the area of large-scale organizational change and brings a wealth of experience from the not-for-profit and commercial sectors.
She brings substantial board experience as chair of the MSI Board of Trustees; co-chair of the International Rescue Committee Overseers, where she served on the board for 12 years; co-chair emerita of the Women's Refugee Commission, and US co-chair and board member of Tusk USA, which supports innovation in conservation in Africa. She also chaired the Board of Directors for the Northwest Connecticut Centre for Family Service and Mental Health.
Glenda has worked in corporate executive roles for several large companies, including Millipore, and Reader's Digest and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which seeks to strengthen and defend the humanities and arts as central to the well-being of diverse, fair and democratic societies.
Glenda's consulting experience includes the restructuring of British Airways North America Sales and Marketing; the restructuring of the Human Capital organization at the NY City Department of Education; and the roll-out of and related advocacy of research regarding race-sensitive admissions policies in colleges and universities.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director / Alumni Ventures Group
Gokul Sundar brings to the MSI US board a deep and vast network within fintech and tech ecosystems, built while serving in VC and Corporate Development roles. He is a Venture Capital Fellow with Alumni Ventures Group, NY, one of the world's most active VC funds. Previously, he served as Research Manager, Strategy & Operations for Blockchain30 in New York and was an Analyst and Economic Consultant with Monument Economics Group in Washington, DC Gokul has an MS in Data, Economics and Development Policy from MIT, a Master's Certificate, ChinaMed Business Program from Peking University in Beijing and a BS in Economics from Penn State University.
Job Titles:
- Director / Innovation and Corporate Development Executive, J.P. Morgan Chase
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Individual Giving
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Philanthropy
Kate Greenberg joined the MSI United States team as the Senior Director of Philanthropy in September 2023.
Kate has 20 years of experience helping to guide generous gifts for top-tier organizations from individuals and family foundations.
Most recently, Kate led a team working with donors residing across the western region of the US for CARE USA, and she has expertise working in international community development, conservation, education, human rights with previous experiences at World Wildlife Fund, Right To Play, American Jewish World Service and the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, among others. Kate holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Kate started her career serving in the United States Peace Corps in Honduras. Following that, she spent 13 years in New York City and now resides with her family in Evanston, IL, a suburb of Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Digital Marketing
Kirsten is a Development Associate providing support to the Individual Giving team.
Kirsten comes to MSI with two years of development and fundraising experience at the community level, working for the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center. Prior to that, Kirsten worked as the Administrative Manager at the National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation for six years, where she assisted the Director of Administration and the President and CEO in managing board member relations and business operations.
Kirsten earned her MA in Public Administration from George Washington University in 2020, with a focus in nonprofit management, and received her BA in Political Science and International Studies from SUNY Brockport.
Kirsten loves to read and is constantly updating her Goodreads and browsing for future reads. She lives with her fiancé and their two cats, Tonks and Lupin, and has been an animal care volunteer with the Humane Rescue Alliance since 2019.
Lauren is a Human Resources and Recruiting professional focused on culture advocacy and creating a great work environment for her MSI US colleagues.
Lauren joins MSI with six years of Human Resources and Recruiting experience in a variety of industries, organizations, and subject areas thanks to a consulting background. She focuses on recruitment, employee experience, benefits administration, and information management and is thrilled to support these areas for MSI.
She earned a BS from Virginia Tech in Human Development with minors in Psychology and Communication. Lauren has also earned the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification from the HR Certification Institute and recruitment certifications from AIRS by ADP.
Lauren is a life-long resident of Northern Virginia where she, her husband, and their pets enjoy all the amenities the DC area provides. She loves spending time with family and friends, streaming movies and TV shows, being in Pilates, and having indoor and outdoor fun all around DelMarVa.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Global Prospect Development
Maddie is a Grants Officer providing support to the Foundation Relations team.
Maddie recently completed her undergraduate studies in International Relations at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. During her time as a student, she worked remotely as a youth department intern for the International Rescue Committee's San Jose office.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Philanthropic Partnerships
Meghan is an international public health professional with business development, strategy and program design experience.
Meghan has been with MSI for over 12 years. Previous to joining MSI United States, she served as the Senior Program Design and Development Advisor for MSI Reproductive Choices in Asia and the Middle East, based in New Delhi, India. She directly supported seven country programs including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Yemen in new business development, fundraising, and strategy development. She also provided leadership on global business development initiatives.
Previously, Meghan worked with Chemonics International, a USAID contractor, for three years. At Chemonics, she worked collaboratively with teams across the organization on new business development to secure multi-million dollar awards across multiple sectors including health and environment in Asia and Latin America.
Meghan has an MPH in global health and a BA in international affairs and Latin American studies from The George Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Regional Director for Its West Asia
Dr. Mohsina Bilgrami is a pioneer in sexual and reproductive health.
She established MSI's program in Pakistan in 1991 and oversaw its expansion from just one clinic to more than 100. Under her leadership, MSI expanded outreach services all over the country to underserved and marginalized families and partnered with more than 700 private health care providers.
In her most recent role at MSI as Regional Director for its West Asia, Dr. Bilgrami managed a diverse group of over 3,000 employees and provided technical support to five countries - Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Yemen.
Dr. Bilgrami retired from MSI in 2020, after almost 30 years with the organization. She has a bachelor's degree in Medicine from Dow Medical college and a Public Health Diploma in Community Health Sciences from Aga Khan University, both in Pakistan.
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing and Communications
Job Titles:
- Director / Innovation and Corporate Development Executive, J.P. Morgan Chase
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director / Designer, Builder, Thinker
Owen is a Designer, Partner and Client Relationship Executive at IDEO.
He works across IDEO on global initiatives, spending his time at the cross-section of brand, business and organizational design. Owen brings his creative expertise to an array of different sectors. His portfolio includes clients such as Pacific Life, HBO, Microsoft and Toronto Pearson Airport.
Since joining IDEO in 1998, Owen has led various core initiatives. He started IDEO's first cross-disciplinary studio, bringing together engineering and design; he has led the San Francisco studio; and he launched the company's presence in Asia. Additionally, Owen co-founded IDEO's online school, IDEO U.
Owen's father was the medical director at an MSI clinic in London for over 20 years. Owen fondly recalls spending time at the clinic after school and during holidays, where he met the staff and clients whom MSI supported every day. His passion for MSI's mission continues, as he mentors and coaches the Sexual Reproductive Healthcare practice at IDEO.org, the non-profit sister company of IDEO.
Owen graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with a Master's Degree in Industrial Design, and in 2017 he received his Honoree Doctorate in Design from the University of Wales. He is married and lives with his wife and two sons in the Bay Area.
Never afraid to push boundaries, Phil took the fight for sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights to U.S. Courts in numerous legal challenges, including in the Supreme Court.
Job Titles:
- Special Assistant to the President
Job Titles:
- Director of Philanthropy, East Coast
Sara Sussman Kirkwood joined the MSI United States team as the Director of Philanthropy in September 2023.
Sara has 15 years of experience helping to building sustainable funding streams for organizations in the sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice movements. She cares deeply about facilitating authentic relationships between donors and the critical work that they make possible.
Prior to joining MSI US, Sara served as the Senior Director of Development, Physicians for Reproductive Health where she lead a team that doubled the organization's budget. Sara began her career at EngenderHealth and has also worked with the Guttmacher Institute, the Lung Cancer Research Foundation, the Bronx Community Health Network, Miracle House and many small local nonprofit organizations. Sara holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Rochester and an MPA from CUNY - Baruch.
Sara lives with her family in Maplewood, NJ, a suburb of New York City. In her free time you can find Sara making pottery, hosting dinner parties, or reading a good book.
Job Titles:
- CEO of MSI Reproductive Choices
Simon Cooke, the CEO of MSI Reproductive Choices, said: "Phil Harvey was a serial entrepreneur, thinker and author who dedicated his life and career to defending liberty, freedom of speech, and sexual and reproductive health and rights around the world. As a co-founder of MSI and PSI, and founder of DKT, the legacy he leaves is enormous."
Susan Rich is an accomplished philanthropic leader with over 25 years of experience in international family planning and reproductive health issues.
She served as the Vice President of the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) from 2013-2017 where she cultivated a portfolio of international programs funded by private foundations and non-USG partners such as UNFPA, the World Bank and DFID. Susan has also led development for PRB programs funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates, Hewlett and Packard Foundations. From 2013-2015 Susan managed the IDEA project, funded by USAID for $20 million over 5 years.
Previously, Susan led the team that developed the Gates Foundation's first $600 million, five-year family planning strategy. While at Gates, she also collaborated with major governmental donors in the UK (DFID), Germany (Kfw) the Netherlands and US (USAID), as well as the Hewlett, Packard, MacArthur, Ford and United Nations Foundations.
Susan also brings experience directing multi-million dollar grant portfolios at UNF and Wallace Global Fund. She has an extensive leadership portfolio that includes chairman of the Board of the Funders Network on Population, Reproductive Health and Rights. Susan has a track record of convening key donors and stakeholders, as well as raising awareness through public speaking and media collaborations.