Brian Holst Email & Phone Number

Juneau, Alaska

* Responsible for promoting economic development in the Capital City of Alaska. Manage staff and additional consultants working on discrete projects at local, statewide and national level. Implement a cluster-based approach to economic development. Support entrepreneurship through technical assistance, training, and credit or equity financial support.

Serbia

Chief of Party, Community Revitalization through Democratic Action (CRDA) Program, 2001-2006 * Chief of Party of large $40+ million USAID funded CRDA Program. The area of operation was southern and eastern Serbia, encompassing the contentious areas along the Macedonian border and along the Kosovo administrative line—supporting 32 municipalities directly. * The diverse CRDA program operated around four programmatic pillars: Civic Participation, Infrastructure, Economic Development and the Environment. This integrated community and economic development program was run through a network of democratically formed community councils and business leaders at the local level. * Coordinated a high-caliber local and ex-patriot staff in five offices, plus numerous NGO and private sector partners. * Launched the program simultaneously in over 60 communities throughout the area of operation, initiating 67 projects in just 90 days from the signing of the agreement. * Led the program for five years, delivering over 1000 projects worth over $50 million, including substantial local cash and in-kind contributions. Chief of Party, Serbia Contingency Planning and Economic Security Program, 2006-2007 * Responsible for the start-up and implementation of a $20 + $10 million contract under US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Instability, Crisis, and Recovery Programs Indefinite Quantity Contract. * Programmed in Economic Security in southern Serbia along the Kosovo boundary in areas where the risk of conflict was highest. The Disaster Preparedness and Planning component worked throughout Serbia, primarily assisting local self-governments to be prepared to respond to natural disasters or humanitarian crisis. Prepared contingency plans for Serbia and Montenegro.Community Infrastructure Development Program, 2001-2004 * Oversaw implementation of $6.5 million project in the Presevo Valley of Southern Serbia, initiated while civil unrest was still prevalent.

Nicaragua

Country Director, Nicaragua, CHF International While based in El Salvador, developed a strategy and identified funding to enable CHF International to open a country office in Nicaragua. Delivered risk mitigation and erosion control programming.

El Salvador

Chief of Party, Mitch Integrated Reconstruction Activity, El Salvador (1999-2001) * Led $11 million USAID funded Hurricane Mitch Integrated Reconstruction Activity to help communities to rebuild their lives and reduce their vulnerability to future disasters. * Guided full-time staff of over 100 implementing programming in agriculture production, the construction or reconstruction of schools, small infrastructure development, housing construction, environmental management, disaster preparedness, economic reactivation, and environmental management all through highly participatory methodologies. * Negotiated agreements with government agencies, private contractors and international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the management of two international NGO partners on the agreement.

San Salvador, El Salvador

Latin America Regional Finance Advisor, CHF International * Provided technical assistance to public and private institutions on credit and housing related matters, including a major multi-national corporation and with the US Department of HUD. * Assessed lending programs in Bangladesh, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Peru. * Managed a series of technical assistance contracts with the Government of Guatemala and the Inter-American Development Bank as an expert consultant to prepare criteria, guidelines and operations manual for the participation of NGOs, private enterprises and formal financial institutions in a US$100 million land legalization, community upgrading, home improvement and new core house construction program. Performed a study of the Acquisition of Lots through the national subsidy program, including assessing the impact of the subsidies on the price of land. * Led a consultancy team to assist BancoSol in Bolivia to assess the feasibility of diversifying its portfolio to include housing loans.

El Salvador

As Country Director in El Salvador, implemented and managed a diverse portfolio, highlights include: * Led the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA)-funded Earthquake Emergency Shelter project which built over 11,000 emergency shelters, 25 provisional hospital wards, 50 provisional health centers, 100 provisional school rooms, and rehabilitating 1000 water wells; all within five months after the devastating earthquakes; * Implemented the Municipal Planning and Community Development project, a US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) activity to carry out intense planning and development in marginal communities in the San Salvador Metropolitan area; * Designed and initiated an innovative savings-led credit program with a local commercial bank for low-income families needing home improvement loans; * Assisted the Social Housing Fund manage their subsidy program for improvement/ construction grants to 15,000 low-income families; * Led a Condominium Assessment in coordination with the Government of El Salvador to evaluate condominiums and multi-family high-rise dwellings as popular housing alternatives; * Executed Watershed Management and Soil and Water Conservation projects funded by the US Department of Agriculture in El Salvador and Nicaragua; * Adapted to the Central American context a US Federal Emergency Management Agency activity, Project Impact for Disaster Mitigation, for Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. * Supported (and briefly led) CHF’s Local Environmental Program and Policy Initiative (LEPPI) in six Central American countries that organized community participatory committees to conduct environmental risk analysis, examine risk management alternatives, and prepare local environmental action plans for Municipal Governments.

Paraguay, Costa Rica, Russia

* Trainer: US Peace Corps, Russia, August - December 1994, Saratov; October 1992 - February 1993, Vladivostok. Designed and implemented the first training program for the US Peace Corps in the Russian Far East (1992) and the second phase of the program in Western Russia (1994). Trainer: CHP International, January - May 1994, Costa Rica; May - August 1993, May - September 1992, Paraguay. Prepared Peace Corps Volunteers as small business consultants. * Entrepreneur: Tower Trade, Asunción, Paraguay: 1993 - 1994. Started-up an international trade company. Imported US manufactured computer hardware into Paraguay.

Paraguay

* Developed training materials and trained enterprise owners in basic business skills at the Paraguayan Foundation for Cooperation and Development which provides credit and training. * Worked with an organization supported kids working and living in the streets of Asuncion. Developed Cooperative to support families and working youth.* Extended service one year as a Volunteer Coordinator and supported 45 Volunteers in small business, cooperative, youth promotion and shelter projects.

Education record

Education record