Project Concern International Adds Powerhouse Members to Board of Directors

Top Executives from the Philanthropic and Business Community Will Build on PCI’s Five Decades of Global Impact

SAN DIEGO—Project Concern International (PCI) added four new members to its Board of Directors at its annual August meeting. These executives from Dalberg, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, and Salesforce will help PCI achieve its ambitious goal of transforming the lives of 20 million of the world’s most vulnerable people by 2020.

“We are honored to welcome these four accomplished individuals to our board,” said PCI’s President & CEO Carrie Hessler-Radelet. “As we look at the changing landscape of our work in global development, their expertise and skills are exactly what we need to drive impact and empower even more communities to lift themselves out of poverty.”

The four new Board Members are:

Erin Barringer

Erin Barringer is a Partner in the New York office of Dalberg. She has advised Fortune 500 companies, foundations, governments, and multi-lateral organizations on strategic planning, financial analysis, market entry, and monitoring and evaluation. Erin has experience in global health, including maternal, neonatal, and child health, infectious diseases, and non-communicable diseases. Prior to joining Dalberg, Erin worked at Endeavor Global as a Director of Endeavor Insight, and at Acumen Fund as an Investment Associate for healthcare and technology deals. Erin holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an A.B. from Harvard University. 

Akruti Desai

Akruti Desai is a Senior Program Officer on the Philanthropic Partnerships team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) which aims to enable more informed and intentional giving by all. Akruti began her career in asset management advising some of the world’s largest public pension funds on their private equity investments. Most recently, Akruti spent over four years at the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, where she incubated and invested in social enterprises in the global south. Akruti holds an MS in Investment Management from Boston University and a dual BA in Economics and English from University of California, Los Angeles. 

John Duong

John Duong is the Managing Director and Head of Lumina Impact Ventures, the impact investing arm of Lumina Foundation. He started his career as an investment banker on Wall Street before transitioning to philanthropy, having led the $100+ million mission-driven portfolio at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation prior to joining Lumina. He is the founder of Potencity, a social venture diversity recruiting platform to match diverse talent to opportunities and a Kauffman Fellow. John earned his BA from Yale University and an Executive MBA from Northwestern University. 

Claudine Emeott

Claudine Emeott is the Director of Impact Investments at Salesforce. Throughout her career, Claudine has focused on economic development, impact investing, and tech for good in both the U.S. and emerging markets. This work most recently led her to Salesforce, where she leads a new $50M impact fund and invests in mission-driven enterprise technology companies in education, sustainability, and diversity + inclusion. Prior to Salesforce, Claudine led impact investing initiatives at Kiva and spearheaded a new impact framework for the microfinance crowdfunding platform. Claudine holds an A.B. in East Asian Studies from Harvard University and a Master’s in City Planning from MIT.

“The international development industry is changing, and Erin, Akruti, John, and Claudine are true thought leaders in this space,” said PCI’s Chairman Dr. Robert S. Sullivan. “I look forward to working with these outstanding individuals as PCI approaches its 58^th anniversary of transforming lives around the world.”

The terms of the new board members will run through August of 2021. PCI’s current board can be found here.

About Project Concern International (PCI): PCI’s mission is to empower communities to enhance health, end hunger, overcome hardship and advance women and girls. PCI envisions a world in which the most vulnerable people will have the power to lift themselves out of poverty and to create vital, healthy lives for their families and communities now and for the future. PCI works in 18 countries, including the United States. For more information, visit www.pciglobal.org.