11/21/2024. Welcome. I am very pleased to announce that I have been appointed as Country Representative, Rwanda with Church World Services (CWS). CWS is charged with implementing US Department of State and US Citizenship and Immigration Services contracts involved in processing and preparing African refugees for resettlement in the US through the Resettlement Support Center Africa (RSCA). Our Rwandan Country Program also supports Rwandan based refugee camps and provides aid to other vulnerable populations throughout the country. After many years of working with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) I am looking forward to being a part of the talented and compassionate CWS team. The position is based in Kigali, Rwanda.

The IRC works to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usIIa6gdiuYAs a member of the Senior Management Team for IRC's Resettlement, Asylum, and Integration(RAI) program, I led new office development initiatives and served as interim Executive Director for offices in leadership transition. I oversaw resource development, external communications, administrative and programming operations, HR/Talent management, and provided technical support to offices across the IRC network. I oversaw the design and delivery of high quality, compliant refugee resettlement programming that fostered self-reliance and promoted successful integration into communities. Notable outcomes:• Supervised programming initiatives such as the IRC’s innovative “New Roots” program helping refugees become food secure and contribute to communities. New Americans learn to grow their own produce, identify local food resources, enter urban agriculture, and participate in local farmer's markets. Other special programming focused on legal and immigration services, women’s and children’s protection, housing, healthcare case management, education, and job placement to foster self-reliant households.• Collaborated with federal, state, and local officials to execute statewide human services delivery and refugee resettlement contracts.• Managed field office budget’s ranging from $1.5 million to $36 Million. • Supported IRC’s advocacy initiatives through direct contact with State and US Congressional representatives. • Oversaw filed office HR operations and supervised staff ranging from 17 to 220 employees.• Oversaw grants management and met with donors.• Supervised office Operations/Logistics and the implementation of IRC’s Strategy 100 strategic plan.

As CEO, I ensured the organization operated effectively during the COVID crisis. Led the staff, Board of Directors, and stakeholders through changes in the organization’s internal and external operations. Improved agency’s approach to meeting County collective impact goals through strategic cross-sector collaborations in food security, health, housing, and workforce development. Defined United Way’s role as a force that advances solutions through community engagement, and effective program planning and implementation. Notable outcomes: • Worked with grant recipients, such as Just Food Food Bank of Douglas County to design innovative services in response to COVID-19: Just Food's warehouse modification, curbside pick-up, individual meal production, a mobile food truck, and food pantries to support University students and a newly formed Indigenous Community Center. • Distributed nearly $1,000,000 in grants in 2020-2021 to 20 local non-profits to provide direct services, including a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiative to vulnerable residents. • Advanced the organization’s leadership by participating in a County driven Food Policy Council, Human Services Coalition, and an Anti-Poverty Coalition.• Wrote organization’s 2021 - 2023 Strategic and Community Impact Plan incorporating a 2-Generation approach (https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/two-generation/what-is-2gen/) to antipoverty programming while aligning with County collective impact goals, including regional food security goals. • Worked closely with indigenous leaders to establish the Indigenous Community Center of Lawrence to promote native health, culture, education, and food security.• Developed regional Americorps program to build the capacity of non-profits in a time of limited resources.• Generated external engagement via social media, local media, and a United Way Connects thought leadership video forum meant to inspire accountability and action on critical community issues.

As an emerging country of tremendous beauty and distinctive Southeast Asian culture, Myanmar is afflicted by prevailing civil unrest and poverty, especially in rural areas. In 2018, I responded to an opportunity to served for a short-time as Executive Director for the Shanta Foundation and led a team of 18 staff members in Myanmar and 5 in the US focused on reducing poverty through programs in food security, agri-business, clean water, infrastructure, and health care. We worked to cultivate healthy communities and improve quality of life. During this time, I drafted a grant proposals and expanded operations in Shan and Magway regions and oversaw the design and implementation of of anti-poverty programming, including logistical support to the Village Aid Project (Engineers Without Boarders) to support lifesaving water infrastructure projects. Soon after my assignment, I was named CEO of a United Way in Kansas and returned to the US to assume my new leadership responsibilities.

Led the planning and delivery of IRC’s Strategic Plan 2020, focused on revitalizing the agency’s mission and direction for Southern Arizona. Developed staff that delivered a range of human services to documented refugee clients and other underserved populations throughout Southern Arizona. Notable outcomes:• Led change management process using the Client Centered Approach to improve direct services.• Implemented US Government resettlement activities for newly arrived refugees and designed and executed anti-poverty programming to support low-income households in Southern Arizona. • Established financial partnerships with Newman’s Own Foundation, Kellogg Foundation and the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona to support food security, workforce development, and women’s empowerment initiatives. • Partnered with the University of Arizona and Pima Community College to offer continuing education programming (on-line and on-campus) for students and refugee clients; served as Guest Lecturer.• In 2017, raised $2.5 million, and grew individual donor contributions by 200%.• Designed a Career Development and Financial Services (CDFS) program that delivered innovative services through a Bundled Service Model while implementing a Bridge to Manufacturing program to improve household income and net worth via financial literacy, career planning, and job training. Increased workforce development participation to 96% up from 62% the year before.• Implemented research-informed Nutrition, Food Security, and Agricultural Development program to address food insecurity in underserved populations in Southern Arizona.• Expanded awareness of wellbeing issues surrounding refugee and other marginalized populations via IRC Presents lecture platform with 70 public addresses per year. • Achieved “fully compliant” ratings on financial and programming audits from US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM), DHHS, and and AZ’s Dept. of Economic Security.

As a leader in the U.S. Peace Corps, I served as Country Director for two tours of duty in The Gambia in West Africa and the Island Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific. The Gambia is small West African country, with nearly half of the urban population living in poverty and 70% of the rural population surviving in an economy sustained by farming, fishing, and some tourism on the coast. Similar to the Gambia, the Tonga poverty rate was also high, with one out of every five persons living below the poverty line. As the Country Director, I worked with the governments of New Zealand, Japan, Tonga, The Gambia, France, and the US to provide life-changing technical training to residents in health care, small holder agriculture, agri-business, small business development, teacher training, environmental conservation, climate change resiliency, marine conservation, ecotourism, and water management. In both countries, I managed a $2.8 million budget, staff of 37, and 87 Volunteers. I supervised the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Small Project Assistance Fund to support Peace Corps Volunteer and village-led project development. I also served as a leading lead diplomatic rep of the U.S. Gov't.In Tonga I launched a Tongan Extended Community Education Project (TECEP) in support of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. I also led several key development initiatives focused on water management, marine conservation and education.In the Gambia, I implemented the Ambassador's Emergency Relief Fund requested by the Pres of The Gambia and US Ambassador Pamela White. The relief effort saved an estimated 8,000 lives in 10 villages classified by the UN as IPC 4-5. I also improved the Peace Corps Volunteer experience by directing an expanded language and cross-cultural training program and applying a "Meaningful Work" approach to Volunteer site development.

Action Against Hunger (AAH/ACF) is an organization dedicated to saving the lives of the severely malnourished while helping vulnerable communities meet nutrition and food security needs. In Uganda, we worked with refugees and host community farmers providing technical training in small holder agriculture and food storage and farming supplies (seeds and tools) .Uganda has faced many ongoing challenges: low economic growth, an influx of refugees from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a long struggle against the Lord’s Resistance Army, a violent opposition group that has terrorized the north. Hunger is one of the major issues in northern Uganda, and the prevalence of undernutrition especially among children continues to be an emergency. As Country Director for Action Against Hunger’s/Action Contre La Faim International (AAH/ACF) Uganda County Program, I led a team of 250 international and Host Country staff members and managed an annual operating budget of $10.5 million. I was also elected by in-country International NGOs (INGOs) to represent the INGO community of agencies on the UN’s Inter-Agency Standing Committee for Nutrition and Food Security. Our work was focused on providing front line humanitarian aid in the form of food aid, agricultural training and supplies, clean water, and sanitation to refugee camps in four regional sites: Kampala, Apac, Gulu, and Lira districts. Notable Outcomes:• Increased funding for ACF to reach a total of $10.5 million through UNICEF and ECHO contract awards;• Built partnerships with the Ugandan government, INGOs and local agencies;• Strengthened UNICEF sponsored Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programming, including borehole drilling and handpump installation; response to cholera outbreaks in refugee camps; and the management of therapeutic and supplementary feeding feeding centers.

The humanitarian crisis in Darfur was the result of brutal attacks on black African farmers in the region by the Janjaweed militia. Tens of thousands were displaced and many died as a result of the violence. Following a crisis meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and his team in the fall of 2003 in Khartoum, I led Concern Worldwide’s response to the crisis by establishing an office in Khartoum and a relief-operations base in Al Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan. As the Sudan Country Director, I led a team of 25 staff members implementing humanitarian aid projects across three sites in West Kordofan, Khartoum, and West Darfur. Our main focus was West Darfur where we distributed non-food items (NFI) and managed food distribution sites together with UNICEF. We served nearly 16,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP's) living throughout Al Geneina, an additional 20,000 in an IDP camp on the outskirts of the town known as Krinding camp, and an 43,000 + more people in makeshift camps north of Al Geneina along the Chad border. I partnered with other humanitarian and government agencies, including the Al Geneina Emergency Forum, which consisted of representatives of Concern Worldwide, UNICEF, the World Food Program, Save the Children, Medair, and MSF France. All were passionately dedicated to alleviating the mass suffering and human rights abuses that were widespread throughout the region.

In the past 15 years, more than $80 billion has been spent on social projects aimed at socio-economic development in Azerbaijan. I directed one of the initial investment programs sponsored by World Learning and the United States Agency for International Development.I establish a new World Learning office in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2002. I managed a $5.3 million budget, while leading an international team to provide government training, educational exchange and professional business training to improve opportunities for Azeri citizens. With a goal to deliver sustainable development, we made significant progress implementing a multi-million dollar USAID funded Task Order know as the Strategic Technical Approach for Results Training (START). It was intended to improve Azeri business practices, support good governance by educating lawmakers in parliamentary procedures and the drafting of legislation, and provide higher education opportunities. Through our innovated "Town Hall Meeting" process we engaged the Azeri government and citizens in communities across the nation driving the completion of the nation’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan (PRSP). We also launched a Muskie Graduate Fellowship international student exchange program that involved Azeri students and US-Based HBCUs.