Our People

Lana Abu-Hijleh became the Country Director for Global Communities-West Bank and Gaza in 2003. Before joining Global Communities, Lana was Assistant Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program for the Palestinian People (UNDP/PAPP) for 17 years. She fulfilled a series of technical and policy development roles with progressively increasing responsibility.

Lana is the first woman to join the Board of Directors of the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) and the Bank of Palestine Group, promoting gender equality and youth engagement in the private sector. She is a fellow of the Aspen Institute Middle East Leadership Initiative, through which she launched the globally acclaimed Youth Local Councils (YLCs) Initiative. She is the 2017 winner of the prestigious John P. McNulty Prize for leadership. Lana is the founder and Chairwoman of SHIAM-Youth Make the Future organization and Intersect-Innovation Hub, which aims to support the Palestinian innovation ecosystem. She is a member of the Palestinian Businesswomen Forum, the global Young Presidents Organization (YPO/WPO), and the Palestinian highly acclaimed dance troupe El-Funoun. In 2015, the BBC named Lana one of the 100 most inspirational women in the world for the positive example and the hope she provides for young Palestinians.

Ameha Aytenfisu has over 20 years of experience in technical and managerial roles in development and humanitarian response programs. His technical experience includes Productive Safety Net Program, Joint Emergency Operation Program, livestock production and marketing, dryland resource management and agricultural research in dryland areas.  

Ameha holds a master’s degree in Farm Forestry from Hawassa University, he is a Certified Manager, a Certified International Program Manager and a Certified Project Management for Development professional. He is trained and experienced in the application and use of ArcGIS and statistical software packages, as well as in conducting biodiversity analysis and econometric analysis and modeling. 

Before PCI, Ameha worked for Save the Children International/Ethiopia country office as the Senior Program Manager for over seven years and in the Transformation to Food Security-Development Food Assistance Program (T2FS-DFAP) and PSNP programs. Through his 20-year career, he has worked in food security, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH) and NRM, climate change/DRR, livestock production and emergency response proposal development. 

Lisa Bain is the Senior Director for Global Communities United States (U.S.) & Border Programs.  She has 20 years of experience designing, implementing and evaluating health programs to achieve health equity. Lisa works to align U.S. programs with national quality standards and has extensive experience including leadership of perinatal health programs including Global Communities’ Healthy Start program (funded since 2007).  

Previously, Lisa was the Project Manager for two chronic disease focused programs funded by HRSA and NHLBI which provided patient navigation and Community Health Worker training for the Somali, Latino and Filipino communities struggling with chronic diseases. Lisa is a certified LEAN Six-Sigma practitioner with additional training in project management, childbirth education, patient navigation and mental health first aid. Lisa started her career as Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa, focused on HIV education and teacher training. 

Nick Ford is the Chief of Party for Pamoja Tuwalishe, the largest school feeding program in Tanzania that is partnering with the Government of Tanzania to build the national school feeding program.  Nick is an accomplished international project leader with 26 years of successes leading teams to design, fund and execute complex, multi-million-dollar portfolios in challenging operating contexts in Africa, the Balkans, Asia, and the Middle East. Nick lives with is life partner Jen and their two children, Isabel, and Charlie.

Jeyathevan Kaarththigeyan (Kaarthi) is an accomplished international development professional with over 19 years of experience in technical and leadership roles for institutional donor funded projects. He is specialized in the design and implementation of conflict mitigation, governance, civil society strengthening and reconciliation programs using a localized approach. Additionally, Jeyathevan has extensive experience in livelihood development and humanitarian assistance. 

In 2018, Jeyathevan joined the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) SCORE activity implemented by Global Communities as a Deputy Chief of Party. He steadily progressed to take on the role of Chief of Party in October 2022 and is the first national Chief of Party for this activity. Jeyathevan has worked on numerous USAID funded projects but also has experience working for the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) in Sri Lanka where he served as a Senior Project Development Officer. Jeyathevan’s experience working in a complicated and volatile country context such as Sri Lanka amidst the aftermaths of varied conflicts including a 30 yearlong armed conflict has positioned him well to anticipate and manage risks, to think and work politically and to be skilled in adaptive management.  

To support his work in conflict mitigation, reintegration, stabilization and peace building, Kaarthi has completed coursework for a master’s degree in Conflict and Peace Studies from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and has also recently commenced a master’s degree in International Relations at Liverpool University.

Philippe LeMay has over 25 years of experience as Chief of Party in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Throughout his career he has led numerous multidisciplinary and multicultural teams. Philippe works collaboratively with public and private stakeholders including governmental institutions, donor agencies and international and national non-governmental partner organizations. He has managed large and complex government contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants with cumulative budgets of over $300 million and a staff of over 500 employees.  

In addition to proven leadership and management experience, Philippe has technical expertise in institutional capacity building and governance, education, health and nutrition, agriculture and livelihood, water and sanitation, social marketing, social and behavior change communication, community mobilization and performance and quality improvement systems. 

Eva Karina Mejia Saravia has more than 15 years of direct experience working with international donors and implementing national-scale programs in coordination with key stakeholders. She has worked with the Government of Honduras, civil society and community-based organizations to accomplish organizational goals over her 20-year career. She joined Global Communities in 2005 and since then she has held diverse positions, starting as field technical officer, Grants Manager and Director of Finance and Administration.  

In November 2015, Eva was promoted to Country Representative for Global Communities in Honduras. Under her leadership, and in less than three years, the country office and portfolio has experienced remarkable growth and positioning. The country office success was acknowledged by Global Communities with the Outstanding Team Award in June 2017. 

Eva has experience managing and overseeing programs in public health, economic development, micro watershed management, climate change adaptation, humanitarian assistance and other social services, where participatory processes and capacity-building methodologies are key program principles. She has extensive work experience in project and organizational management, procurement, grants management, finance, human resources and compliance with multiple donors’ regulations.  

Eva was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and holds a Master of Business Administration; she is fluent in Spanish, English and French. She also has served as professor postgraduate faculty. 

Fernanda Mello has been with Global Communities since 2017 and is now Director of Programs for Brazil and Argentina. In addition to managing team operations, she is also responsible for the design, strategy and implementation of programs in both countries. Her main focus is to ensure that staff, partners and program participants develop the necessary tools and capabilities to become leaders who are involved in their communities. Fernanda graduated with a degree in Teaching and Social Communication and holds Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Communication and Participatory Methodologies. She uses her knowledge to fight for more just, equitable and prosperous communities for everyone – especially women and girls.

Dominic Osei is a seasoned expert with over 14 years of experience in environmental compliance, sustainable development, water treatment technologies, community development, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) delivery. Before joining the NGO sector, Mr. Osei worked in the private sector, promoting water treatment technologies for both potable and wastewater, and managed several projects in the private sector. He has demonstrated strong environmental monitoring and project management skills. He has several years of experience in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector in Ghana. He has played pivotal roles in key projects such as USAID’s Ghana WASH (G-WASH), Water Access, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Urban Poor (WASH-UP), and WASH for Health (W4H). Dominic has demonstrated exceptional technical expertise in designing, implementing, and managing WASH initiatives ensuring environmental considerations were factored into facility designs and construction, and has significantly contributed to research on factors influencing successful community-led total sanitation (CLTS) and the design and construction of affordable superstructures to enhance the Digni-Loo, a product he also helped develop.

Dominic’s leadership capabilities are evidenced by his role in leading a team to develop questions for the Trial of Improved Practices (TIPs) research, aimed at promoting nutrition-sensitive WASH behaviors. Since October 2017, he has served as the Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for the W4H project, where he oversees Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), spearheads Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA) efforts, and works in conjunction with other USAID projects. Currently, he continues to advance his impactful work in the WASH sector as the Chief of Party for the USAID Enhancing WASH Activity.

Olga Oyier is a public policy professional of 14 years who brings a wealth of expertise and experience to her role as Kenya Team Lead for Global Communities where she doubles up as Project Director of CLEAR+ funded by USAID.

Her stakeholder engagement and network-building skills have elevated Global Communities’ profile and built robust relationships with public sector actors at the national and sub-national levels, private sector, academia and development actors. These skills were honed in her previous role as a Regulatory Reforms Specialist at the IFC/WBG, where she worked with the Government of Kenya to implement the highly successful business environment reforms.

She is a graduate of the prestigious Master of Public Policy from Strathmore University Business School and holds a BSc International Business Administration from United States International University Africa. She completed her Graduate International Module for Global Leaders at New York University – Wagner School.

Lourdes Romero has been the Program Development Manager for Argentina since 2018, the year Global Communities was established in the country. She is responsible for leading and overseeing the implementation of community development programs and projects aimed at improving the living conditions of vulnerable communities in various provinces across the country.

In her role, she has led initiatives with both the public and private sectors, focusing on critical areas such as education and food security. She consistently seeks to promote inclusion, environmental care, community participation, and opportunities for women and youth in the region.

With a dynamic personality, Lourdes prioritizes teamwork and interpersonal trust. She holds a degree in Social Communication, with specializations in HR management and agile methodologies. Her experience in the third sector includes roles in corporate communication, human resources, and business.

Justin brings 15 years of experience implementing impactful humanitarian and development programs across Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, the Philippines, Yemen, and Ukraine. In his diverse roles with Global Communities—spanning Turkiye, Syria, Yemen, and Ukraine—he has been instrumental in developing key management and implementation systems that drive efficiency, accountability, and resilience in challenging environments. Justin’s leadership extends across various technical sectors, where he has fostered innovative approaches and adaptive strategies to meet evolving needs on the ground.

Currently serving as the Acting Country Director of Ukraine, Justin oversees the strategic direction, coordination, and management of the Ukraine portfolio. He is responsible for guiding program operations and ensuring alignment with organizational and donor goals.