Global Leadership
Alberto Wilde
Alberto Wilde is a business administrator with more than 26 years of experience in project management, finance, and business administration and joined Global Communities in 2003. He has a master’s in Corporate Finance. Alberto has successfully implemented complex and multi-dimensional projects in economic development; governance; capacity building; water, sanitation, and hygiene; and small, medium, and large infrastructure projects in Bolivia, Haiti, and Ghana.
Alberto has led water and sanitation projects in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas, providing strategic direction for capacity building, developing innovative, scalable solutions for low-income communities, and linking microfinance with the WASH sector. He also provided strategic leadership on the Youth Engagement in Service Delivery program, building the capacity of public and private sector actors for value addition and employment creation for youth within selected solid waste value chains. Alberto has also directed the implementation and management of IncluCity- Improving Governance and Services for Ghana’s Urban Poor Program. The program built the capacity of both public and civil society actors for inclusive governance, planning, budgeting, and revenue generation for improved service delivery. He has overseen projects funded by USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and The MasterCard Foundation. Over time he has leveraged several millions of dollars from the private sector and developed long-lasting partnerships. Currently is successfully leading the WASH for Health program implementation across Ghana by bringing an innovative behavioral-led approach transforming water and sanitation, especially for the people in most need. In 2016 he designed the Digni-Loo, an affordable and easy-to-install plastic slab, which received much recognition from various stakeholders.
Alberto Wilde
Ameha Aytenfisu
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.
Ameha Aytenfisu
Carl Hammerdorfer
Carl Hammerdorfer has been Chief of Party for the Kosovo Up to Youth program since July 2021. He has lived in Prishtina, Kosovo for over six years and was previously COP on USAID Kosovo’s Transformational Leadership project.
Although much attracted to entrepreneurship during his time at university, in 1988 Carl was drawn to international development and joined Peace Corps as a water-management resources volunteer in Mali. In 1991, he transitioned to Eastern Europe, working in cooperative development and agribusiness for ACDI/VOCA for almost ten years. In 2000, he launched an innovative cooperative incubator in Phoenix, Arizona that built and supported several national purchasing groups made up of hundreds of SMEs across the United States. A combination of development and entrepreneurship experience led Carl to build the Impact MBA program at Colorado State University. He also established SEAF’s first African agribusiness investment fund in Tanzania.
Carl has a Bachelor of Art from Arizona State University, and a Master’s of Business Administration from Colorado State, and spent a year on a DAAD scholarship in Heidelberg, Germany.
Carl Hammerdorfer
Dorothy Tlagae
Dorothy Tlagae has been a Country Director for Global Communities since 2012. Dorothy has 25 years of experience in managing and implementing social development programs with a specific emphasis on HIV/AIDS, Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Gender, Reproductive Health, and Youth Development. Throughout her career, she has worked for local NGOs, the United Nations, the U.S. Government, and the International NGO sector and is the current Vice-Chairperson of the Global Fund Grant Coordination Mechanism for Botswana.
She is a devoted Sports Administrator involved at grassroots and developmental levels. She is a former board member at Botswana Judo Federation, BNOC Local Organizing in 2019. She was on the International Working Group on Women in Sport-Legacy Committee in 2018.
Dorothy holds a master’s in Development Studies and an Executive Master’s in Sports Organization Management. Her personal value statement is, “Transformation happens when society recognizes the strength that lies in each one of us. Supporting children and their families to identify and solve challenges they face not only empowers them but also builds resiliency to face future challenges.”
Dorothy Tlagae
Indrajit Chaudhuri
Indrajit is the Country Director for Project Concern International (PCI) India. He is a management professional and a development thinker, working for nearly two decades towards conceptualizing and leading multiple large development initiatives in various sectors in India and other countries in South and Southeast Asia.
He led the successful implementation of the flagship initiative of PCI, called JEEViKA Technical Support Program, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the state of Bihar as the Chief of Party. The program developed from a successful, scalable model for integrating health and nutrition interventions in community platforms and is currently replicated across India.
Before PCI, Indrajit worked as the Director, Monitoring Learning and Evaluation in CARE India, where he established an innovative mechanism called, Concurrent Measurement and Learning. He also led the development of the first comprehensive mobile health application in India, which scaled nationally. Before CARE, Indrajit worked with other organizations such as Save the Children and PRADAN, where he spent much time in remote tribal areas of India designing and implementing programs and conducting ethnographic studies with marginalized tribal communities.
Indrajit has a master’s in Business Administration in Forest Management from the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal.
Indrajit Chaudhuri
Lana Abu-Hijleh
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.
Lana Abu-Hijleh
Pascale Wagner
Pascale Wagner has lived in Guatemala and worked with Mayan populations for over 20 years. She serves as Global Communities’ Country Director in Guatemala. In her role as the Country Director, Pascale is responsible for the direction, coordination, and management of Global Communities diversified program portfolio in Guatemala, which includes integrated sexual and reproductive health; maternal, newborn, and child health; food security; education, disaster risk mitigation and capacity building for indigenous local community-based and development organizations.
Since 2010, Pascale began successfully implementing a McGovern Dole Food for Education program with a multi-sectoral staff in Huehuetenango. The program is in its final phase and shows progress towards the sustainability of school feeding, hygiene, and improvement to the quality and results of education.
Pascale was directly involved in the response after the Haiti earthquake. She oversees a diversified program portfolio, which currently includes an urban upgrading program in peri-urban areas in Guatemala, an Emergency Food Security Program, a Covid-19 Response, and an initiative for the empowerment of women and adolescents. Pascale holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Science and postgraduate diplomas in Community and Grassroots organizations development and sustainability. She is fluent in French, English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
Pascale Wagner
Yvonne Mulenga
Yvonne Mulenga is Executive Director for Project Concern Zambia, an affiliate of Global Communities. Under Yvonne’s leadership, Project Concern Zambia successfully transitioned from Project Concern International in 2019 as a local entity and immediately became one of the first recipients of USAID funding in sub–Saharan Africa under the New Partnership Initiative Program. Yvonne leads a team of close to 40 staff and five indigenous NGOs to implement a five-year USAID-funded child-and adolescent-focused HIV/AIDS epidemic control program.
Since 2000, her program management experience has spanned the fields of HIV/AIDS, maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), nutrition, laboratory and supply chain management strengthening, cervical cancer screening, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). Her interest is in advancing evidence-based approaches and developing sustainable community health and social systems to achieve HIV epidemic control in Zambia. She has served as co-investigator and country coordinator on several implementation studies on HIV epidemic control and co-morbidities such as HIV/cervical cancer. She has also served as Country Coordinator for the World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) Foundation-funded study on improving data for decision making in cervical cancer programming (IDCCP).
She has a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Essex, United Kingdom.
Yvonne Mulenga
Senior Leadership
Carrie Hessler-Radelet
Carrie Hessler-Radelet is the President & CEO of Global Communities. She previously served as President & CEO of Project Concern International (PCI), a global development organization that drives innovation from the ground up to enhance health, end hunger, overcome hardship and advance women & girls—resulting in a meaningful and measurable change in people’s lives. Carrie led a bold effort to bring together PCI and Global Communities to expand the scale and impact of proven programs. The merger became effective on September 1, 2021.
Prior to PCI, Carrie served as Director of the Peace Corps (2012-2017) and Deputy Director (2012-2015), leading America’s iconic international volunteer service organization with programs in over 65 countries. At Peace Corps she led historic reforms to modernize and strengthen the agency to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
Before being appointed to the Peace Corps by President Obama, Carrie worked as the Vice President and Director of the Washington D.C. office of John Snow, Inc. (JSI), overseeing the management of public health programs in 85 countries around the world. Her decades of global health work also included serving as the lead consultant on the first Five-Year Global HIV/AIDS Strategy for President George W. Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), working with USAID in Indonesia on maternal and child health and HIV programming, founding the Special Olympics in The Gambia, and serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer with her husband in Western Samoa.
Carrie is passionate about empowering communities to discover their own sustainable, innovative solutions to poverty. She holds a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Boston University.
Carrie Hessler-Radelet
Sheila Crowley
As the Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer at Global Communities, Sheila Crowley monitors and facilitates various moving and interconnected parts, enabling teams to work more effectively and efficiently across the organization globally. In her role, Sheila oversees IT, People & Culture, Communications, Strategy & Learning, Safeguarding and Global Security.
Previously, Sheila served as Acting Director of the U.S. Peace Corps; she spearheaded the development of the Peace Corps five-year strategic plan and implemented key program initiatives across global operations. She also served as a Peace Corps Country Director in Romania and Indonesia. Sheila also served as Vice President of Volunteer and Institutional Engagement at Habitat for Humanity International. She oversaw its global volunteer impact strategy, which included developing and recruiting the next generation of Habitat volunteers.
Sheila has a bachelor’s in History and in Russian Studies from Penn State, a Master’s of Science in Information Science from Drexel University, and completed a DE&I Certificate from Cornell University. She is also a certified yoga teacher and scuba diver.
Sheila Crowley
Khalid Kabeer
Khalid Kabeer has been working with Vitas Group since 2012. Before becoming CEO in August 2021, he was the COO of Vitas Group. Khalid brings over 18 years of cross-functional experience in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) lending. At Vitas Group, he is responsible for developing and executing its global business strategy in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.
During the last two years, he led the process to redefine the vision and spearhead an ambitious long-term shift to a data-centric, digital-first lending model for MSMEs. Khalid is involved in the group’s digital transformation and resultant change management and the establishment of Vitas Ventures, an early-stage fintech venture investment portfolio. Before joining Vitas Group, he led the transformation of the small enterprise lending operations of Kashf Foundation into Kashf Microfinance Bank. Khalid was also a pivotal member of the transformation team, which led to establishing the bank in 2007 and serving as its first CFO.
Earlier, as the CFO of Kashf Foundation, one of the largest microfinance institutions in Pakistan, he led a debt transaction that raised debt from commercial banks, the first transaction of its kind in microfinance in Pakistan.
Khalid Kabeer
Billy Blake
Billy Blake is Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Global Communities, where over the past 19 years, he has built the information technology (IT) department and global IT workforce. In this role, he champions information and communications technology use as a strategic enabler for Global Communities operations worldwide. He leads efforts to use technology in new and innovative ways that enhance the organization’s ability to carry out its mission.
Billy provides strategic leadership to align investments in digital development, knowledge management, and information technology with the organization’s business strategy. He is responsible for the Global Communities technology roadmap that supports business process improvements, innovation, impact, and organizational growth. Billy has more than 20 years of experience in technology, specializing in cloud technologies, infrastructure, business systems, data, analytics, ICT4D, support services, management, governance, and policies/procedures supporting multiple industries.
Billy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Shenandoah University.
Billy Blake
David A. Weiss
David A. Weiss became President & Chief Executive Officer of Global Communities (then CHF International) in 2010, having previously been a member of its Board since 2004 and Chairman of the Board from 2008-2010. With the merger with Project Concern International (PCI) in April 2020, David became CEO, with PCI’s President & CEO becoming President of Global Communities. David now serves as a Senior Advisor to Global Communities.
Prior to joining Global Communities, David was Senior Policy Advisor at the global law firm DLA Piper for 13 years.
David spent 18 years with the Federal Government, including Special Assistant to the Director of the Peace Corps; member of the U.S. Foreign Service; Economic Officer in Haiti; Staff Assistant to the Secretary of State; Senior Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State; Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for North American Affairs in charge of NAFTA; and other senior positions in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. David received the U.S. Department of State’s Superior Honor Award.
He has a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. David is a member of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition; InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based NGOs; and is on the Board of Advisors of New Perimeter, DLA Piper’s Global Pro Bono Initiative.
David A. Weiss
Mario Jabbour
Mario Jabbour is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Global Communities. In this role, he manages Global Communities’ financial operations, supervising global financial planning, grants and contracts, audit and compliance, and information technology. Mario has more than 20 years of experience in finance, accounting, compliance, and audits. He served as Global Communities’ Controller and Chief Accounting Officer in charge of general accounting and audits of Global Communities and its subsidiaries. Mario began his Global Communities career in 2006 as Internal Auditor.
Before rejoining Global Communities in 2020 as Vice President, Mario was Vice President for Finance and Accounting at Blumont, where he had a broad supervisory responsibility of all financial activities. Mario has a Master of Science in Finance and is the author of “Operational Auditing.”
Mario Jabbour
Deborah Harris
Deborah Harris has more than 20 years of experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion and strategic human resources. She has served in senior leadership positions in local, state, and federal governments as well as in the nonprofit sector. She has worked as a consultant for nonprofit organizations, helping them to leverage the full capacity of their greatest resource, people.
Deborah has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Washington Adventist University. She is a Cornell University Certified Diversity Advanced Practitioner, a certified Leadership Coach, and a certified Human Resources professional (SHRM-SCP.) Deborah is a native Washingtonian who enjoys reading, gardening, and serving as a lay chaplain at a local hospital.
Deborah Harris
Eric O'Neill
As General Counsel, Eric O’Neill advises Global Communities on legal risk, manages legal matters, and oversees partnerships with external legal counsel. As Chief Ethics Officer, he provides corporate leadership and advice on corporate integrity issues, conflict-of-interest avoidance, and Global Communities ethics adjudication process. Before joining Global Communities, Eric practiced law at the global law firm DLA Piper. He has broad legal experience in government contracts, due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, procurement ethics, internal investigations, and employee corruption cases.
Before this, he worked for the United States Department of Justice, where he conducted internal investigations related to national security matters. Eric received his Juris Doctor with honors from The George Washington University School of Law and is admitted to the Maryland and District of Columbia Bars.
Eric O'Neill
Pia Wanek
Pia Wanek has more than 15 years of experience in the donor community and the NGO world. She has directed Global Communities responses to various crises, including the West African Ebola epidemic, the 2014 war in Gaza, and the ongoing Syrian and Yemen conflicts. She worked for USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance for six years, predominantly on East and Central Africa emergency response programs, and supported the civil-military portfolio at the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and strategic planning and policy development at the Consular Affairs bureau at the State Department.
Pia has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and International Studies from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in Anthropology and Development.
Pia Wanek
Melissa Silverman
Melissa leads a creative team working to tell the story of impact. She is responsible for implementing organizational brand strategy and managing advocacy and media outreach as part of a comprehensive approach to engaging key audiences and stakeholders.
Melissa is a strategic communications professional with over 15 years of experience across the public and nonprofit sectors. She was appointed to lead communications at the Peace Corps by the Obama Administration and has served as a communications director and speechwriter to members of the U.S. House and Senate. Melissa previously worked on political campaigns at the national, state, and local levels and has served in senior communications roles with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator.
Melissa is a graduate of the University of Virginia and a native of North Central Florida. She currently resides in Washington, DC.
Melissa Silverman
Kelly Van Husen
Kelly Van Husen has over 16 years of experience in the international development field, with a focus on humanitarian assistance, stabilization, and post-conflict transition programming. As Vice President, Humanitarian Assistance, she oversees Global Communities’ humanitarian programming and business development and sets the strategic direction for the Humanitarian Assistance department. Previously, Kelly served as Sr. Director, Humanitarian Business development, where she led Global Communities’ humanitarian business development efforts and played an integral role in establishing and growing the organization’s Syria portfolio.
Kelly previously worked for Blumont, managing programs in West Africa. Before that, she worked for Development Alternatives Inc, managing stabilization and transition programs in Afghanistan, and supported humanitarian response programs and business development efforts with Global Communities in Indonesia.
Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Political Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a master’s degree in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kelly Van Husen
John McWeeney
John McWeeney is the Vice President for Strategic Growth and Partnerships at Global Communities. He provides overall direction and guidance for the execution of business development, private fundraising, and other strategic resource mobilization efforts within the Sustainable Development department. John manages the Strategic Growth and Partnership team, which develops and executes resource development strategies using an evidence-based approach to increasing Global Communities’ effectiveness and efficiency in securing resources.
Prior to joining Global Communities, he served on the executive team at PCI, a Global Communities Partner, as Senior Director of New Business Development. Also, he worked at the Academy for Educational Development (AED), where he helped secure new project awards and contracts for AED’s Global Health, Population, and Nutrition Group. John is a recipient of the 2017 Humentum Excellence Award, Honorable Mention, in Finance, Grants & Contracts and holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Boston College.
John McWeeney
Richard Shumann
Richard Shumann joined Global Communities in 2005 as a Technical Officer and is now Senior Director for Development Finance Operations, supporting financial inclusion work and liaising with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. He also serves as Chief Risk Officer for the Vitas Group, where he manages and monitors financial, market, and strategic risks for the parent company and its lending subsidiaries. He also is the Board Chair of Vitas Palestine.
Richard brings 25 years of experience in strengthening companies to better serve low-income clients, especially with financial inclusion. His skills include credit policy, governance, internal audit systems, risk management, and negotiating with lenders. His career began with serving in the Peace Corps in Guinea, and he has lived and worked in Mozambique, Angola, and Burundi. He is fluent in English, French, and Spanish and has a solid command of Portuguese.
He has a bachelor’s in Economics from Macalester College, a General Course Certificate from the London School of Economics, and a master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton University. He is also a Certified Expert in Risk Management – Microfinance from the Frankfurt School. Richard lives outside of Washington, DC, with his spouse, two children, and two cats.
Richard Shumann
Technical Leadership
Cara Endyke-Doran
Cara Endyke-Doran, MPH, MSN, RN, is an advanced practice nurse with nearly 25 years of experience leading large international health programs focused on women’s, children’s, and adolescent’s health. Her technical areas of expertise include maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, gender, and HIV prevention, care, and treatment. She is a thought leader who sits on global task forces and advisory groups. Cara is an innovative and effective problem-solver who adapts and responds to evolving program needs. She has held long-term assignments in Mozambique, Zambia, and Nicaragua and provided technical support to programs in Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa. She has her master’s degrees in Public Health and Nursing from Johns Hopkins University. She speaks Spanish and Portuguese.
Cara Endyke-Doran
Dennis Mello
Since March 2020, Dennis Mello has been the Director of the Women Empowered (WE) Savings Group Program at Global Communities, having held various roles with WE since 2014. In this role, he leads technical and programmatic support for all aspects of savings groups programming, including women empowerment, male engagement, life skills, business skills, digital financial capability, and inclusion.
Before joining Global Communities, Dennis worked in various project management roles as a U.S. Air Force Officer and construction manager. He also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Vanuatu.
Dennis holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He has a master’s degree in International Economic Development from the University of California, San Diego, School of Global Policy and Strategy.
Dennis Mello
Emily Galloway
Emily has more than ten years of experience working domestically and internationally with displaced and crisis-affected populations. With Global Communities, she is responsible for providing technical support and guidance to humanitarian protection programs, including Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence, and leading protection mainstreaming efforts within the Humanitarian Assistance portfolio. Emily also has experience in Safeguarding and PSEA in emergency response and is dedicated to ensuring we provide support to communities safely and with dignity. Prior to Global Communities, Emily worked for the International Labour Organization, primarily implementing child labor programming in Somalia. She has also supported refugees newly resettled in the U.S. in many capacities.
Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in Peace & Conflict Studies from the University of St. Andrews.
Emily Galloway
Mazen Fawzy
Mazen Fawzy is an international development professional whose career spans more than 25 years with over half of them overseas leading programs. His experience includes senior-level project portfolio oversight, implementation leadership, project design, and technical support. Mazen’s technical focus is in community-based food security & resilience, small-medium scale agribusiness development, and integrated school feeding with geographical experience across Africa, Asia, Central America, and the Middle East. As a Senior Director at Global Communities, he leads their Food Security, Climate Action, and Economic Opportunity technical division and previously belonged to other large U.S.-based development organizations. Mazen holds a Master of Science in International Agricultural Development from Cal Poly University, completed undergraduate studies in Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania.
Mazen Fawzy
Mindy Hochgesang
Mindy has more than 25 years of experience working in the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning field, focusing on international public health and HIV. She has worked in domestic and international (low-resourced) settings with national governments, non-governmental organizations, and technical assistance agencies. A significant focus of her career has been to strengthen capacity and systems to access high-quality, relevant data and use data for improving programs, demonstrating technical excellence, and advancing thought leadership.
Before Project Concern International (PCI) merged with Global Communities in 2021, she led the PCI Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning team (2017-21). Before PCI, she worked in various capacities to strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems at the Department of Defense’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Program’s (DHAPP) program headquarters. She worked for more than a decade in the PEPFAR/CDC field offices in Malawi and Mozambique. She also has worked in domestic public health and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco.
Mindy holds an undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in Public Health at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She is fluent in Portuguese.
Mindy Hochgesang
Nordyn Yacine
Nordyn Yacine joined Global Communities to serve as Chief Digital Officer for Vitas Group in 2019. During the last two years, Nordyn defined and implemented digital foundation pillars to enable Vitas Group to become an agile, digitally-led and data-driven enterprise. He created a digital lab to favor Fintech partnerships to enable Vitas Group to grow faster in current and future markets. He managed a Tech Center of Excellence of 25 tech experts based in Belgrade, serving our clients and developing future business disruptive products.
Before joining Global Communities, Nordyn worked in the Fintech industry and was e-commerce director for MasterCard Europe. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Nordyn Yacine
Stacey Williams
Stacey Williams joined the Global Communities team in July 2020 as Director of the Human Trafficking Prevention and now serves as the Director of Safeguarding. She is an experienced social justice practitioner with a background in human trafficking prevention, safeguarding, and survivor-focused initiatives. Stacey has over 20 years of global leadership experience providing technical assistance, program management, and developing collaborative teams and relationships within and across organizations such as IOM, Mercy Corps, and UMCOR in Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the U.S. She holds a master’s in Public Health from Columbia University focused on forced migration and is also a certified Yoga + Meditation Instructor.
Stacey Williams
Board of Trustees
Carrie Hessler-Radelet
Carrie Hessler-Radelet is the President & CEO of Global Communities. She previously served as President & CEO of Project Concern International (PCI), a global development organization that drives innovation from the ground up to enhance health, end hunger, overcome hardship and advance women & girls—resulting in a meaningful and measurable change in people’s lives. Carrie led a bold effort to bring together PCI and Global Communities to expand the scale and impact of proven programs. The merger became effective on September 1, 2021.
Prior to PCI, Carrie served as Director of the Peace Corps (2012-2017) and Deputy Director (2012-2015), leading America’s iconic international volunteer service organization with programs in over 65 countries. At Peace Corps she led historic reforms to modernize and strengthen the agency to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
Before being appointed to the Peace Corps by President Obama, Carrie worked as the Vice President and Director of the Washington D.C. office of John Snow, Inc. (JSI), overseeing the management of public health programs in 85 countries around the world. Her decades of global health work also included serving as the lead consultant on the first Five-Year Global HIV/AIDS Strategy for President George W. Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), working with USAID in Indonesia on maternal and child health and HIV programming, founding the Special Olympics in The Gambia, and serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer with her husband in Western Samoa.
Carrie is passionate about empowering communities to discover their own sustainable, innovative solutions to poverty. She holds a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Boston University.
Carrie Hessler-Radelet
Richard Celeste
Richard (Dick) Celeste has an unusual career trajectory. Following his education at Yale University and Oxford University, he worked at the Peace Corps headquarters; as Personal Assistant to the U.S. Ambassador in India; in real estate development; served as a state legislator in Ohio and as Lt. Governor. After a stint as Director of the Peace Corps, Dick was elected to two terms as Governor of Ohio. Dick then headed a small economic development consultancy until 1997, when he returned to India as U.S. Ambassador. From 1990 until Dick departed for India, he chaired the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable at the National Academy of Sciences.
In 2002, Dick became the 12th President of Colorado College and served for nine years. He has been and is a member or chair of several corporate and not-for-profit boards. He and his wife Jacqueline have a son, Sam, 22, and he has six grown children from a previous marriage.
Richard Celeste
John Potter
John H. N. Potter is a Partner of Strategy & PwC’s strategy consulting business, where he advises global clients on matters of strategy, operations, mergers & acquisitions. He joined PwC through the acquisition of Booz & Company, where he was the U.K. Managing Partner, and led the integration of the two firms. Previously, he spent more than 20 years at Booz & Company and precursor firm Booz Allen Hamilton, helping clients first in North America, then relocating to the U.K. to serve clients in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Prior to consulting, John flew aircraft for the U.S. Navy, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander. John served on the Board of Directors of Booz & Company and Project Concern International (most recently as Chair). John received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University), and an M.M.M. from the McCormick School of Engineering (Northwestern University).
John Potter
Hillary Thomas-Lake
Dr. Hillary Thomas-Lake is a senior international development professional with more than 25 years of international development experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Her areas of expertise include philanthropy and partnership development, democracy and governance, conflict management, community-based social enterprises, corporate social investment, negotiation and mediation across a range of international development sectors, including inclusive social and economic growth, with the principal focus regions of the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa.
Hillary is the founder and CEO of the Washington-based international development consulting firm HillTop Development Strategies, where she provides technical direction in the design, implementation, management and evaluation of ethical international development projects and initiatives. She has particular expertise in Africa and the Caribbean, with long-standing experience in Haiti. Previously, Hillary was the managing director and co-founder of LTL Strategies. She designed and implemented development strategies and projects for clients in more than 40 African countries, the Caribbean and Latin America. Additionally, she has worked with the WorldSpace Foundation, the Africa-America Institute, the United States Department of State and Africare, Inc., based in Senegal.
Hillary is fluent in eight languages, including French, Portuguese, Haitian Kreyòl and Spanish. Hillary holds a bachelor’s degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, a master’s degree in International Public Policy, a master’s degree in International Relations and a doctorate in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Hillary Thomas-Lake
John Duong
John is the founder of Kind Capital, an impact investing platform and investment firm to drive scalable sustainable impact profitably. He was formerly the Managing Director and Founder of Lumina Impact Ventures, the $50 million impact investing arm of the Lumina Foundation. Previously, John was the Program & Portfolio Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, managing over $110 million MRI and PRI investments portfolio. The portfolio spanned across funds and direct investments and making grants to further the field of impact investing. John started his career as an investment banker at J.P. Morgan, Citigroup and Merrill Lynch in various roles including M&A advisory, credit risk analysis, equity research, capital structure optimization and corporate finance in both debt and equity products. He has extensive for-profit and nonprofit board experience including Cell-Ed, Upswing, BrightHive, Credly, Global Communities, Vitas Group and AAPIP.
John is a Kauffman Fellow; he earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and Executive Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management. Born in Cambodia, John immigrated to the U.S. at a young age. He and his parents are survivors of the Khmer Rouge concentration camp and were sponsored to the U.S. by the Catholic Sisters of St. Francis in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
John Duong
Joseph Abbate
Joseph Abbate is a finance executive with more than 20 years of experience in finance with companies such as ResMed, Cymer, Sunrise Medical, Brooktree Semiconductor, and Unisys, with his role just prior to ResMed as CFO of a software startup. In addition to his primary responsibilities of strategic financial planning and operational management, he has developed his roles more broadly to include operations, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and joint ventures.
He received a bachelor’s degree in Finance from San Diego State University and a Master’s of Business Administration from West Coast University. Joe served on Project Concern International’s Board of Directors since 2012 and after our merger has continued to serve on Global Communities’ Board of Directors.
Joseph Abbate
William C. Lane
William C. Lane is a 40-year Caterpillar veteran and President Emeritus of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. Bill is one of the business community’s leading advocates for free trade and global engagement. As the leader of a global team of government affairs professionals, Bill has been responsible for Caterpillar’s advocacy in support of competitiveness, trade liberalization and economic growth. From 2005 to 2007, Speaker Hastert appointed Bill to the HELP Commission, a presidential committee examining the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from Penn State and attended the University of Cologne in Germany. Bill is a 2011 Penn State alumni fellow and an adjunct professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. He was also a certified management accountant.
William C. Lane
Erin Barringer
Erin Barringer is a Partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Dalberg Advisors, Regional Director of Dalberg Americas and Co-Lead of Dalberg’s global health practice. She has more than 15 years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies, foundations, governments and multilateral organizations on strategic planning, program design, innovative financing strategies, market entry and growth strategies, and monitoring and evaluation projects, including unique sector experience in global health.
Before joining Dalberg, Erin worked at Endeavor Global as a director of Endeavor Insight and at Acumen Fund. She helped develop a strategy for healthcare investing for the organization and evaluated healthcare and technology deals in Africa and India. Previously, Erin worked for IMS Consulting, providing market access advice and strategy to top pharmaceutical manufacturers and medical device companies globally. Erin holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) in History of Science with minors in Health Policy and Latin American Studies from Harvard University.
Erin Barringer
Rudy Cline-Thomas
Rudy Cline-Thomas is the founder and managing partner of Mastry, Inc., which specializes in identifying investment opportunities for Fortune 500 companies, early-stage start-ups and professional athletes. Rudy is also a founding partner of the Bloomberg Annual Players Technology Summit, which brings together top leaders in the technology, venture capital and sports communities to discuss tech investing, trends, partnerships and future sports/tech initiatives.
He is on the advisory boards of Pacific Pro Football, Inc. and Intent Ventures, an investment management company created to advance and support women entrepreneurs of color. He is also a board member of the Business Advisory Council for Providence College.
Rudy Cline-Thomas
Claudine Emeott
Throughout her career, Claudine Emeott has focused on economic development, impact investing and tech for good in both the United States and emerging markets. This work most recently led her to Salesforce, where she leads a $50 million impact fund and invests in mission-driven enterprise technology companies in education, sustainability, and diversity and inclusion. The fund seeks investments with market returns, demonstrable social or environmental impact and opportunities to grow the Salesforce ecosystem through strategic partnerships. Before Salesforce, Claudine directed strategic initiatives at Kiva, developing a new funding model for social enterprises and spearheading a new impact framework. Prior to moving to the Bay Area, Claudine spent the first half of her career in economic development consulting and has lived in Beijing, Chicago and Kathmandu. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Claudine Emeott
John Holdsclaw IV
John Holdsclaw IV is Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the National Cooperative Bank (NCB), a leading financial institution dedicated to providing banking solutions to cooperatives, their members and socially responsible organizations nationwide.
John currently serves on the Board of Directors of the national Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Coalition, Self Help Venture Fund, Carolina Small Business Development Fund and the Charleston Citywide Local Development Corp. He was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. He has received the Capital Impact Partners Award for Outstanding Corporate Achievement and its Business Impact Award. John has received the NCB Stanley W. Dreyer Spirit of Cooperation Award, bestowed annually to those who live and work with the spirit of cooperative principles.
Before joining NCB, John worked as director of policy and development at Capital Impact Partners, a nationally certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). He developed and implemented the organization’s first public policy strategy. Additionally, John, a Head Start child, worked as a grassroots coordinator and an associate director of the National Head Start Association, the only national organization dedicated solely to Head Start, in the government affairs division. He promoted the school readiness of children under five from low-income families.
John Holdsclaw IV
Karen Paterson
Karen Paterson is the founder of Stone Steps Foundation, a philanthropy organization focused on advancing economic and social justice through bold and sustainable solutions to contributing factors of poverty. She partners with frontline innovators to support at scale change to address challenges relating to poverty. Prior to establishing Stone Steps, Karen was a founding director of Moxie Foundation in San Diego, California where she led impact-driven initiatives in global development and social entrepreneurship for nine years. Karen’s involvement in numerous foundations has created extensive cross-sector leadership experience. Karen served as co-founder and CEO of the Sutherland Agency as a global advertising firm, a senior marketing executive for two large department store chains and managing partner of a commercial real estate company in San Diego. She received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Antioch College.
Karen is on the board of directors of Acumen and recently served on the boards of Street Business School and Global Communities.
Karen Paterson
Nancy Plaxico
With a background in international relations, Nancy Plaxico has spent most of her career in health care as an entrepreneur, working in both the public and private sectors. After receiving Master’s Degrees from Columbia University, she began work at the US State Department and later moved to the Office of Management and Budget, where her career in health care began and she covered the Centers for Disease Control and Food & Drug Administration. After moving to San Diego, she became a founder of Community Care Network (CCN), a health care management company which grew to be national. CCN was also a social enterprise, with most of its profits going to a foundation she helped found, Alliance Healthcare Foundation. When CCN was sold, $83 million of the proceeds went to create an endowment for the foundation, which continues to fund innovative community health programs. In recognition for CCN’s development, she was named an Entrepreneur of the Year in San Diego. She was later an executive in other health care start-up companies, most recently as Vice President of Healthways which served 68 million people globally.
She is on the boards of international, national and local non-profit organizations, and was Managing Director of the PCI board before PCI’s merger with Global Communities, when she joined the Global Communities board.
Nancy Plaxico
William Stacy Rhodes
William Stacy Rhodes has over four decades of experience working in international development. His most recent role was as Chief of Staff to the Peace Corps Director from 2009 to 2014, a ‘bookend’ to a career which began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia from 1968 to 1970. William received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Occidental College, a master’s degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University. He also obtained his law degree from the School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley in 1974. William served as an attorney at the Department of State and in private practice at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Kampelman.
William worked for over 25 years as a career foreign service officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development where he served as mission director in South Africa and for Guatemala and Central American programs. He also directed the Office of Central American Affairs in the Latin American and Caribbean Bureau and served tours in Haiti, Morocco and Nepal. After leaving USAID, William worked for a variety of international development institutions, including Save the Children, the Institute of International Education the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation.
William Stacy Rhodes
Lawrence Weitzen
Lawrence (Larry) Weitzen was born in San Diego in 1955, and it is still home to him and his wife, Mary Lynn. He graduated from UCLA in 1977 and went into the insurance business for the Robert F. Driver Company, now known as Alliant Insurance. After a career spanning 38 years, Larry retired to spend more time with his wife of 40 years, five kids, twelve grandkids and four great-grandchildren. Larry served as the President of the Independent Insurance Industry and Temple Solel. However, his service to Global Communities and previously Project Concern International (PCI) has been his passion, which he shares with Mary Lynn. Together they have visited programs in Guatemala, Malawi, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Zambia, Indonesia and Mexico. Both Larry and Mary Lynn served as Walk Directors in the ’80s, and Larry has served as Chairman of the Audit and Development committees and Chairman of the PCI Board. Inspired by the work of Global Communities, Larry and Mary Lynn look forward to continuing to serve people.
Lawrence Weitzen
Leocadia Zak
Hon. Leocadia (Lee) Zak is President of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. A lawyer and expert on international trade, Lee served for seven years as Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). Before that, she served as General Counsel and Deputy Director of USTDA. Lee’s accomplishments at USTDA include leading development of the Aviation Cooperation Programs in China, India and Brazil, the Energy Cooperation Programs in China and India, and the worldwide Global Procurement Initiative. Before joining USTDA, Lee was a partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., practicing in corporate, municipal, and international finance. She served as counsel in connection with a variety of finance transactions for energy, transportation, healthcare, telecommunications and tourism projects.
Lee was also an Adjunct Professor of Law and has taught International Project Finance at the Boston University School of Law, Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law Studies and the Georgetown University Law Center. Lee received her Bachelor of Art from Mount Holyoke College, which named her to its Women of Influence Gallery, and her Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law.
