Sonia Moldovan Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

Lead the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Program Department, partnering in 10 countries and across 5 U.S. regions, including LA county to drive sustainable change. Provide oversight of a $300 million annual grant portfolio as well as strategic and evaluative leadership, supporting a dedicated team focused on expanding opportunities, scaling effective solutions, and enhancing impact. Our work spans key areas, from reducing homelessness to fostering thriving environments for children and youth.

California, United States

Established and coaching a team of strategy and evaluation experts to lead cross-departmental collaboration, strategy design, and learning for a $350 million annual grant portfolio.Support program teams implement and learn from equity/locally led development approaches, and grantee feedback.Developed an organizational approach for evaluating impact within seven strategic portfolios and unrestricted grant-making portfolios for program areas including Foster Youth, Global Early Childhood Development, Refugees, the $2.5 million Humanitarian Prize, and the Equity Fund.Secured funding for research and data infrastructure grants across LA County, aiding policy makers in decision-making regarding guaranteed income projects and measuring progress in poverty alleviation.Leading on analysis of strategy progress including briefs and presentations to communicate strategy impact and lessons learned effectively to grantees, Executives, and the Conrad Hilton Foundation Board.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Professor for graduate evaluation course focused on international programs at the Elliott School

Washington Dc

Successfully spearheaded the prioritization of Evaluation and Learning within the leadership and program team, resulting in increased allocation of resources, both in terms of staff commitment and budgetary support.Mentored a team of research and evaluation experts to support the use of evidence for decision making on programs and portfolios.Developed and implemented MEL strategy for a $450 million portfolio in collaboration with country offices and experts from geographies served.Fostered a culture of learning and reflection by co-facilitating strategy sessions with local staff on flagship programs (over $50 million).Managed the roll out and adoption of the data collection platform in forty countries to measure and communicate organizational impact.Represented Mercy Corps at conferences and stakeholder meetings with key government officials, bilateral donors, and private sector partners. Managed a portfolio or research and evaluation grants to inform country strategies and communicate impact.

Led a team of monitoring, evaluation, and research advisors.Developed and implemented learning and evaluation strategy for a $350 million portfolio covering governance, workforce development and education programs in collaboration with country teams and grantees.Developed a community of practice focused on cross-organization learning, with a focus on integrating lessons learned from domestic and international programs.Designed and implemented evaluations, assessments, and learning agendas and developed organizational metrics to capture impact.Developed program strategy and conducted strategy reviews for $20-$60 million programs in Indonesia, the United States, and Uganda.

Led a team of evaluation and communication advisors supporting program teams in over 20 countries.Guided the development of a five-year organizational strategy for a $500 million portfolio during a period of remarkable growth for the organization.Reported portfolio results to executives, board members, clients, and project staff.Managed evaluation contracts and grants across different sectors, including refugees, livelihoods, and education.

Provided technical strategy and evaluation assistance and:Developed resilience index to measure impact of Counter Violent Extremism programDeveloped evaluation plan for $30 million Community School Education Project in JordanManaged mid-term Evaluation for USDA McGovern Dole food for Education Program in CambodiaDeveloped social assessment tool for World Bank funded project Developed M&E Plan for third party USAID funded monitoring program in AfghanistanConducted internal reviews for USDA funded projects in Senegal/Gambia Implemented outcome mapping and most significant change story approach on existing projects to inform strategy and communicate impact

Managed USAID, World Bank, and Department of State-funded projects totaling $25 millionManaged an economic impact assessment for 20 Priority Infrastructure Projects (PIPs) as part of the Silk Road Initiative in AfghanistanLed assessment teams in developing detailed work plans, data collection methods, and final recommendations for clients

Responsible for grant-making oversight for USAID economic development funded program in Kyrgyzstan ($21 million) and empowering youth in Lebanon ($23 million) Regularly briefed USAID executives, Congress, and State Department Facilitated strategy and management review sessions.

Managed USAID, WB and ADB funded projectsDesigned strategy and measurement frameworks for large infrastructure and technical support programs in Afghanistan, the Philippines, and South SudanConducted gender assessments in South Sudan and AfghanistanSubmitted and presented a paper on “Private Sector Participation and Challenges in Afghanistan’s Transport Sector”, in Delft, Netherlands for the Symposium (European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy)Co-author of “Public Private Partnerships: Risks to the Public and Private Sector,” a working paper presented at the Global Conference on Business and Economics, Boston, in October, 2006Co-author of “Socially Inclusive and Gender Responsive Components for Road Sector Projects: A case Study from Timor-Leste,” to be published as an example of “best practices” for the ADB, and funded by ADB

Master Of Arts, International Economic Development

Bachelor Of Arts, International Studies (International Studies And Political Science)