Carol Jenkins is the CEO of World Learning Inc., which encompasses three distinct brands: The Experiment in International Living; School for International Training, which includes SIT Study Abroad and SIT Graduate Institute; and the nonprofit global development and exchange unit World Learning. Jenkins also serves as president of the global development and exchange division, where she oversees programs in more than 30 countries. Jenkins has served in multiple positions at World Learning over more than a decade. She first joined in June 2007 as senior director of international programs after a 16-year career in humanitarian aid and development. She spent seven years at the organization, including three years as head of its International Development and Exchange. In 2014, after nearly a year working on business and program development for World Vision in East Africa, Jenkins returned to World Learning. Under Jenkins’s leadership, World Learning’s development portfolio has seen revenue increase by 14 percent with continued anticipated growth. She oversaw the merger of World Learning’s three development and exchange offices into one location, leveraging the assets of more than 100 staff members. She was named CEO in February 2018. Prior to joining World Learning, Jenkins was director of program development for International Medical Corps, where she managed a team of technical business development professionals to improve the quality of field programs and expand the coverage to project recipients. She also previously spent 12 years working for World Vision, including a period during which she was posted in Southern Africa. Jenkins holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Messiah College in Pennsylvania. She was a fellow at the Luskin School of Public Affairs at University of California, Los Angeles, in 2012 and a participant in the Leadership Program at the International Civil Society Center.  

Expertise: program management; program development; business development; humanitarian aid; food security

Lisa Posner Olocco brings almost three decades of international education and exchange experience to her position as vice president for the Exchange and Training Unit at World Learning. As divisional vice president, Posner Olocco oversees a multimillion-dollar budget and more than 100 DC and field-based staff who design and implement over 30 US government-funded training and exchange programs for thousands of high school youth, degree-seeking students, and professionals from hundreds of countries each year. During her career she has overseen several large U.S. Agency for International Development participant training development contracts and cooperative agreements worldwide. She is an expert in USAID’s participant training and capacity building and has managed several USAID Indefinite Quantity Contracts. In addition to her USAID experience, Posner Olocco oversees an extensive exchange portfolio including the U.S. Department of State’s hallmark International Visitor Leadership Program, Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program, Youth Ambassadors Program, and Future Leaders Exchange. Prior to joining World Learning, Posner Olocco worked at Meridian International and Delphi International implementing public diplomacy exchange programs. Posner Olocco is fluent in Spanish and has a master’s degree in Latin American studies from Georgetown University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish from Boston University. Posner Olocco is an alumna to Spain with The Experiment in International Living.  

Expertise: educational exchanges; scholarship administration; project and personnel management

Dr. Meredith McCormac is World Learning’s vice president for Organizational Growth and Learning, where she works across teams to build new programming and expand and measure World Learning’s impact. Dr. McCormac joined World Learning in 2010 and has played a number of roles including managing large-scale education programs, providing monitoring and evaluation technical assistance, building new business, and working in field offices including Ethiopia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Jordan. Prior to joining World Learning, Dr. McCormac worked on education and research programs at a number of NGOs and think tanks including the American Institutes for Research, the United States Institute of Peace, and Global Youth Connect. In 2012, Dr. McCormac was awarded a Fulbright grant to complete her doctoral dissertation on the effect of contextual factors on early literacy skills in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dr. McCormac holds a bachelor's degree in comparative religious studies and philosophy from the University of Oklahoma, a master's degree in international peace and conflict resolution from American University, and a doctorate in international education policy from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Expertise: international education policy; research methodology; qualitative and quantitative data analysis; monitoring, evaluation, and learning; program design and management

Dr. Aaron Morehouse is a leading expert in cultural immersion, experiential education, and student programming in critical global issues. He was previously head of Gorge Discovery School in Hood River, Oregon, and also served as executive director of the Oregon-based Columbia Gorge Ecology Institute. Dr. Morehouse has also served as education program manager at the Catalina Island Conservancy, program director at ThorpeWood, and group dynamics and team skills facilitator at Teamlink Inc. Dr. Morehouse earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, with a focus on environmental ethics and environmental philosophy, from McDaniel College and a doctorate in education, with a focus on sustainability education, from Prescott College. He joined The Experiment in International Living in 2013.

Expertise: youth exchanges; youth development; student programming; cultural immersion; experiential education

Melissa Oppenheimer is the divisional vice president for Academic Exchanges, managing educational programs abroad for undergraduate and graduate students from around the globe. Oppenheimer has also served as an assistant education advisor at the Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange between the U.S., Belgium, and Luxembourg. Earlier in her career, she was a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) at the U.S. Department of Education overseeing grants and acting as a liaison with state education officials. Following the completion of the PMF Program, she remained at the Department of Education, holding various analytical and grants and contracts design and management positions in the Budget Service and Planning and Evaluation Service, Office of the Under Secretary. Oppenheimer holds a bachelor's degree in diplomacy and world affairs from Occidental College and a master's degree in Latin American studies from Georgetown University.

Expertise: academic exchanges; program management; program development; grants management

Expertise: youth exchange; youth development

Dr. Patricia Harrison is the director of World Learning's International Professional Exchange Programs, which provide short-term learning experiences abroad for thousands of professionals each year. The programs offer links to U.S. and international colleagues, exposure to new ideas, and a broader view of core U.S. values and culture.

Expertise: professional exchanges; cross-cultural education

Matt Brown has worked for World Learning for 19 years, managing complex training, education, scholarships, exchange, grants, and organizational capacity-building programs with operations in the U.S. and abroad. Currently based in Washington, DC, Brown oversees a portfolio of programs that support Ukraine, Kosovo, Pakistan and other countries. Previously, he lived in the Balkans and directed World Learning’s programs there for 12 years. He has additional experience establishing and directing a small NGO and serving on boards. In earlier roles, Brown was an ESL teacher and teacher trainer, and also taught Latin and some musical theater. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Pakistan and Bulgaria. Brown holds a master’s degree in international management and administration. He speaks fluent Bulgarian and some Spanish.  

Expertise: professional training design; nonprofit management; USAID participant training

Cari Graves serves as director of World Learning’s Youth Development Team and has been with World Learning since May 2003 developing programs for professionals and youth from all over the world. Over the years, Graves has managed youth leadership exchange programs for Rwanda, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Lebanon, Germany, Turkey, and the United States, sponsored by the U.S. State Department's Office of Citizen Exchanges and U.S. Embassies. Currently, Graves manages her staff team and all of World Learning’s youth program grants. Graves has had extensive international experience and is passionate about working with young leaders from around the world.  

Expertise: youth development; health and safety training; interfaith dialogue; curriculum development; community partner activities; alumni activities

Eric Corens is technical advisor, technical specialist, and program manager at World Learning focused on participant training, organizational development, and exchanges. Corens has worked for World Learning for 13 years designing and managing training, education, capacity building, civic engagement, and exchanges for programs in the MENA region, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. He has served as key personnel and program manager for programs such as the U.S. Department of State-funded Leaders for Democracy Fellowship, the USAID-funded Community Connections Belarus, and others. Corens also brings 16 years of experience in project management, engagement with public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and NGO management. He’s certified in the Participatory Institutional Analysis Instrument and USAID’s Introduction to Human and Institutional Capacity Development tool. Corens has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Emory University and a master’s degree in international political economy from Seton Hall University.  

Expertise: training development; civil society capacity building; international training and professional development for the MENA region

Amy Fisher Bruey is the Undergraduate Programs Manager for World Learning’s Academic Exchange Team. She manages large-scale exchange programs such as the U.S. Department of State-funded Global UGRAD, which brings future leaders to the U.S. to experience the U.S. educational system, share their culture, and explore U.S. culture and values. Fisher Bruey also works across teams to represent World Learning and recruit host institutions at conferences nationally. She develops online course content and leads the design and implementation of annual conferences that bring together as many as 150 students to explore cross-cultural learning, civic engagement, and leadership. Fluent in Spanish, Fisher Bruey’s primary regional expertise focuses on Latin America and the Middle East. She holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish and communications from John Carroll University and a master’s degree in international education from the George Washington University.  

Expertise: international education policy; higher education administration; curriculum design; leadership development; program design and management; conference management; facilitation

Deanna Wertheimer is World Learning’s manager of Communities Connecting Heritage, an ECA-sponsored cultural heritage preservation program in its second year of implementation. She oversees the implementation of six collaborative cultural heritage preservation projects focused on youth, women, and underserved communities that connect U.S. and international communities through both virtual and reciprocal in-person exchanges. Wertheimer has more than a decade of experience in educational exchange at World Learning, having successfully led the startup of two ECA-sponsored long-term youth exchanges, including the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program and the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) Program. As lead on these programs, she worked closely with host schools, host families, and local coordinators to support students on their academic year exchanges. Her overseas work includes institutional strengthening activities with leaders in civil society organizations in Nicaragua, teaching English to university students in Valparaíso, Chile, and working in Barcelona, Spain, as the assistant program director for a Spanish immersion program. Wertheimer obtained her bachelor’s degree in social ecology and Spanish from the University of California, Irvine, and her master’s degree in international education from SIT Graduate Institute. She is fluent in Spanish.  

Expertise: academic exchanges; cultural heritage preservation; exchange program design and implementation; experiential learning; virtual exchange; short-term exchanges; youth exchanges; host family recruitment and management

Jennifer Karbowsky manages professional exchange programs, including the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) at World Learning. Karbowsky leads team hiring and training, liaises with external partners, ensures program quality, monitors compliance, and contributes to the overall management of the staff and programs. In addition to her management responsibilities, Karbowsky designs and implements group IVLP projects on topics such as American English, STEM education, foreign policy, entrepreneurship, and NGO management, among many others. She was a 2015 and 2018 finalist for the national Excellence in Programming award from Global Ties U.S. and has facilitated training on action planning, inclusion, and programming best practices for Global Ties U.S. National Meetings and Regional Summits. Karbowsky joined World Learning in 2011 with experience leading youth leadership programs in Washington, DC, and New York, serving as an AmeriCorps member in Brockton, Massachusetts, and teaching English in rural Taiwan. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Rochester and a master’s degree in international affairs from the George Washington University’s Elliott School.  

Expertise: adult and youth experiential learning; exchange programs as a public diplomacy tool; professional exchange design and implementation

Jessica Ellerbach has over 10 years of experience in the field of international education, and she currently serves as the Program Manager for the Fulbright Specialist Program for World Learning. In this capacity, Ellerbach oversees the daily operations of the program and provides overall strategic direction of its implementation. Prior to her current role, Ellerbach managed several academic exchange programs for Pakistan, West Bank and Gaza, and Kosovo sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development as well as administered professional exchange programs funded by the U.S. Department of State. Ellerbach’s professional focus on administering U.S. government academic and professional exchange programs is complemented by her master’s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University.  

Expertise: professional exchanges; academic exchanges; international education; exchange program management

Amirah Nelson joined World Learning in 2014, working on a portfolio of complex, long-term academic exchange programs for individuals from countries such as Kosovo, Malawi, and the West Bank and Gaza. She has managed all stages of the academic exchange program cycle, including outreach and recruitment of diverse host institutions, visa and logistical arrangements, stakeholder coordination, participant advising, and budgetary management. In addition, Nelson serves as Camp Director for the U.S. Department of State-funded Women in Science Girls STEAM Camp, a public-private partnership involving Intel, the United Nations’ Girl Up Campaign, Google, and NASA that brings together teen girls from around the world to connect them with mentors and like-minded peers, inspire them to pursue careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Design, and/or Mathematics (STEAM), and enhance their leadership potential. Previously, Nelson worked in Indonesia, where she promoted citizen diplomacy and youth leadership as a Fulbright Scholar and assisted the Indonesian Directorate General of Higher Education in its efforts to address teacher shortages in remote and/or disadvantaged areas. She continues to maintain a connection to the country through her role on the Advisory Board of In Good Faith, a nonprofit organization working in Indonesia and the U.S. at the intersections of digital exchange, interfaith education, and countering violent extremism. Nelson holds a degree in economics and development studies from Smith College. She speaks English and Indonesian.  

Expertise: people-to-people exchanges; cross-cultural exchanges; academic scholarship recruitment and programming; youth leadership; girls’ education

Jennifer Chen is a program officer at World Learning, where she manages the Digital Young Leaders Exchange Program, a virtual exchange program for youth in Iraq and the U.S., and provides consultation on various digital programming initiatives. In this role, Chen specializes in online curriculum development, technical product development, online facilitation, digital storytelling, and monitoring and evaluation. She also works with World Learning staff and field offices to integrate digital learning tools into their program design. Prior to joining World Learning, Chen worked with a team of developers and content experts to create digital learning products at PBS KIDS. She has also taught high school social studies at the Kaohsiung American School in Taiwan, where she designed curriculum that integrated Web 2.0 applications to maximize student engagement. Chen has a bachelor of science in international politics and development from Georgetown University, as well as an M.Ed. in Technology, Innovation and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She speaks English, Chinese, and conversational Spanish.  

Expertise: virtual exchange programs; technology in education; digital learning tools for low socioeconomic contexts; international development; intercultural communications

Heather Beard is an international education professional with 16 years of admissions and development experience in higher education and the nonprofit sector. Heather joined World Learning in 2010 as an admissions officer for the School for International Training. In 2013, Heather began her role of associate director of Admissions for The Experiment in International Living and was promoted to director of admissions in 2015. Before coming to World Learning, Heather worked in admissions for The Putney School and as membership coordinator for Dartmouth College’s Hopkins Center for the Arts. She has an MFA in studio art and critical theory from the Maine College of Art, and a bachelor's degree in English from Emerson College.

Expertise: youth exchange

Rebecca Spotts is the director of Cross-Sector Programming at World Learning, overseeing the organization’s global development programming including our work in youth development and workforce readiness, civic engagement, systems strengthening, and social inclusion. In addition, she has expertise in gender equality programming, STEM education in emerging contexts, and building the capacity of civil society organizations and local networks. Prior to her work at World Learning, Spotts worked on national education sector reform in Pakistan, studied the role of human rights education and peacebuilding in schooling, researched access to education for girls in rural Liberia, and supported international networks to promote access to education in emergency settings. Throughout her career, Spotts has built the capacity of youth, communities, local organizations, and policy makers to strengthen their capacity to effect positive change and create more inclusive and equitable systems. Spotts holds a master’s degree in International Education Development with focus on the intersection of Education Policy and Gender from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from University of Pittsburgh.

Expertise: international education development; gender equality programming; STEM education in emerging contexts; civil society capacity building

Josephine Clark Kennedy is World Learning’s divisional vice president of Global Development programs. Overseeing programs in more than 30 countries, Kennedy ensures the operational and technical quality of World Learning’s work in global education, workforce development and entrepreneurship, civil society and governance, institutional strengthening, and TESOL & STEM education. At World Learning, Josephine has served as the director of Global Education, where she ensured quality management and helped to improve government systems, school leader and teacher performance, and student learning outcomes across large-scale basic and higher education reform projects worldwide. Prior to her work at World Learning, Kennedy served as lead faculty for Diploma Programs at the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates, where she specialized in interdisciplinary curriculum and assessment development for youth in engineering, computer networking, and business/finance studies. She also served as president of TESOL Arabia, the largest English language teacher association outside the U.S., and continues to work with teaching organizations globally to strengthen services to membership. A longtime teacher educator, Kennedy has also served as a supervisor for Master of Arts in Teaching candidates at SIT Graduate Institute and is a licensed SIT TESOL Certificate trainer of trainers. Kennedy's areas of research and development include the impact of professional development on teachers' practice, curriculum reform and uptake, and the effectiveness of computer-based reading improvement programs on student learning. Kennedy holds a master’s degree in teaching from SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont, and is an EdD (ABD) candidate at the University of Exeter in the UK.  

Expertise: leadership and management; international education development; school leader and teacher professional development; STEM, English language, reading, and academic skills improvement in emerging contexts (basic and higher ed); pre-service teacher education; and teacher organization strengthening

Rajani Shrestha is World Learning’s director of Global Education. She oversees the organization’s $190 million education development portfolio, which is grounded on strengthening the educational system, improving instructional quality, and formal and non-formal learning environments. Throughout her career, Shrestha has worked with donors, policy makers, teachers, administrators, the private sector, and communities to make lasting change in educational systems around the world. Shrestha is strong in strategic planning, designing complex projects, and monitoring, evaluation, and research. She is responsible for strategically positioning World Learning at a local level through donor stewardship and spearheading partnerships with local government ministries and nongovernment institutions. Shrestha has more than 16 years of experience researching and managing large complex projects in fragile and conflict-affected countries. As a researcher, she has designed and piloted dropout prevention programs in India, Tajikistan, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste. While at the Asian Development Bank/ Nepal, Shrestha implemented a teacher education and skills employment project. She has also worked with UNICEF, working closely at the community level with village facilitators. Shrestha started her career in Nepal as a private sector professional engaging with multinational firms from Europe and America. She uses this deep-rooted experience in her approach to building partnerships, networks, and blending business interest with community development by introducing unique and sustainable practices in international projects. Shrestha holds a master’s degree in public policy with a specialization in social and education policy from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from Kathmandu University, where she concentrated in marketing.

Expertise:

Meri Ghorkhmazyan joined World Learning as the director of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) in November 2016. With support from the two MERL specialists, Ghorkhmazyan’s role, among other priorities, primarily focuses on building institutional capacity and systems around MERL, including the roll out of World Learning’s organizational data management system and promoting data-driven learning within its programs. Prior to World Learning, Ghorkhmazyan worked with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Save the Children, and the U.S. Embassy in Uganda, implementing various senior technical and managerial roles both in development and humanitarian contexts in various countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Working with CRS and during part of her career with Save the Children, Ghorkhmazyan focused on strengthening monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems and practices within humanitarian contexts, working in emergencies, conflict-affected areas, and fragile states. In these roles she has often led on large-scale interagency evaluations, and she became a strong contributor in the early stages of the development of humanitarian accountability standards. From 2011-2016, Ghorkhmazyan’s main focus has been on increasing visibility and demonstrating evidence on child protection issues in the global arena, working in Save the Children’s Child Protection global initiative as a senior advisor for M&E. During this time, she also worked at the U.S. Embassy Uganda as a small grants coordinator for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Within the frames of this work she consistently built the M&E and reporting capacity of the local organizations, enabling them to seek for larger funding through various sources. Ghorkhmazyan began working in M&E with World Learning in Armenia from 2000-2002. She joined the organization as a volunteer and, influenced by the overall experience, went on to study international development. Ghorkhmazyan is a 1999-2000 Global Undergraduate Exchange Program alumna, during which she enrolled in the TESOL Certification program at Mississippi State University. From 2002-2004 Ghorkhmazyan was an Edmund S. Muskie Graduate fellow, pursuing a master’s degree in International and Transcultural Studies with a focus on International Education Development at Columbia University’s Teachers College. She also holds a master’s degree in teaching English and French language to foreign learners from Vanadzor State Teachers Training Institute in Armenia. She speaks English, Armenian, and Russian.

Expertise: monitoring and evaluation; learning; theory of change; measurement of impact; use of evidence to improve quality of programs; accountability to program participants

Dr. Catherine Honeyman is an expert in education quality, employment, and entrepreneurship with extensive experience leading research and policy analysis, as well as providing technical assistance in a variety of developing country contexts, including Rwanda, Colombia, Pakistan, Algeria, and El Salvador. She is currently World Learning’s Senior Youth Workforce Specialist, providing organizational leadership and technical assistance to development projects in the areas of formal and non-formal education programming, youth workforce development, employment, and entrepreneurship, and fostering youth leadership for community development. Dr. Honeyman also holds a Senior Fellow appointment at the Duke Center for International Development, Duke University. Prior to her current position, Dr. Honeyman led research and policy work in the areas of education and youth livelihoods as Managing Director of Ishya Consulting Ltd. In this capacity, Dr. Honeyman served as a consultant for the UNESCO-International Institute for Education Planning (IIEP) developing guidance for education policy makers around the world on improving education quality via the UNESCO/IIEP Learning Portal. Her other education quality-related work for Ishya Consulting included political economy analysis and national policy development to promote emergent, early, higher-order, and adult literacy development in Rwanda, among other projects. Dr. Honeyman has also worked extensively in supporting youth, workforce development, and entrepreneurship programming, including support to the USAID/Global Communities project Higa Ubeho/Social Services for Vulnerable Populations and USAID/EDC project Akazi Kanoze/Work Well Done in Rwanda, and work with the rural secondary school system Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial in Colombia. She has published a number of academic articles, research reports, and other publications on youth, education, and workforce development, including her book, The Orderly Entrepreneur: Youth, Education, and Governance in Rwanda. Dr. Honeyman holds a PhD in comparative and international education with a minor in business and applied economics, a master’s degree in educational policy studies from the University of Wisconsin, and a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Harvard University. She speaks English, French, Spanish, and Kinyarwanda.  

Expertise: education quality, employment, entrepreneurship, youth workforce development, and youth leadership for community development

German Gomez is the Director of TESOL Education at World Learning. In this position, Gomez conducts outreach efforts to increase partnerships for and brand recognition of World Learning and the School of International Training’s (SIT) TESOL work and he also manages the organization’s TESOL program portfolio around the world. Gomez brings 20 years of experience in teacher education, curriculum and assessment development, online education program implementation, and teacher training program management. Prior to joining World Learning, Gomez served as Academic Director for Instituto Guatemalteco Americano-IGA in Guatemala City and the Uniting Cultures and Communication Center in South Korea.  Gomez has also been a presenter and guest speaker at various conferences around the world, and has consulted in TESOL and management for various organizations in Asia and Latin America. Gomez holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Tulane University in New Orleans and an Executive MA in project management from Formato Educativo in Spain. Gomez is also an SIT TESOL Certificate Licensed Trainer and TESOL Trainer of Trainers. He is fluent in Spanish and French.

Expertise: teacher professional development program design and management; language program management; program management skills building; language program capacity strengthening

Dr. Kara McBride is an expert in teacher training, educational technology, and second language acquisition. She joined World Learning in February 2016 and has worked on a variety of education projects including a classroom assessment project in Lebanon, the strengthening of an English teachers’ association in the West Bank and Gaza, multiple online courses and MOOCs, language and psychosocial support for Syrian refugees learning coding in Iraq, and developing a Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Prishtina in Kosovo. Before coming to World Learning, Dr. McBride was a tenured professor in the Department of Languages, Literature and Cultures at Saint Louis University, where she trained foreign language and ESL instructors, served as director of the Spanish MA program and on the executive committee of the Center for Intercultural Studies, coordinated the basic Spanish program, and implemented several service learning projects. Dr. McBride holds a doctorate degree in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (University of Arizona), one master’s degree in Applied Linguistics – TESOL (Indiana University), another master’s degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies (Purdue University), and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy (University of Oregon). Her publications include journal articles and book chapters on online task design, interculturality, and service learning, as well as the 2018 co-edited book on preparing foreign language teachers, written in Spanish, A enseñar: Una guía práctica para los maestros de idiomas (Let’s Teach! A Practical Guide for Language Teachers). She is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.  

Expertise: Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL); educational technology; teacher professional development; the development of intercultural competence; mixed methods research design

Andrew Farrand is field director of World Learning’s office in Algeria, managing day-to-day operations of in-country education, employment, and exchange programs that help prepare young Algerians for success in the modern economy. His work includes a particular focus on aligning World Learning’s employability and vocational training offerings with the needs of Algerian employers; capacity development of staff and local partners; and organizational development, including effective use of information technologies. Farrand joined World Learning in 2015 after seven years at the National Democratic Institute, including two years advising Algerian political parties on integrating public opinion research into policy-making and training young civic leaders in political organizing and communication techniques. He also previously worked on a major literacy project in Morocco funded by the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation, and has consulted for Oxford Business Group, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, and Search for Common Ground. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. A firm believer in the power of intercultural exchange to transform young lives, Farrand credits a high school exchange program to France for sparking his passion for international education. Farrand is proficient in French, Algerian colloquial Arabic, and Modern Standard Arabic.  

Expertise: employability; intercultural exchange; project and personnel management; program monitoring and evaluation; field-based data collection; knowledge management

Leah Bitat is field director of World Learning Algeria, where she manages educational development programs that expand the capacity of Algerian institutions to provide high-quality educational programs that prepare youth for success in the world of work.

Expertise: educational development

Michele Turner brings notable senior leadership experience in international development specializing in complex educational and capacity building programs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Turner joined World Learning Europe in July 2015 as managing director.

Expertise: complex educational and capacity building programs

Carl Hammerdorfer is chief of party for the Transformational Leadership Program-Scholarships and Partnerships in Kosovo. Funded by USAID, the project supports more than 300 promising Kosovars in U.S. master’s degree and certificate programs and helps remake the University of Prishtina into a high-functioning public research university. Prior to this position, Hammerdorfer was chief of party for Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF), a global impact investment and advisory firm. While there he developed and oversaw an agribusiness investment portfolio, technical assistance programs, entrepreneurship training, and strategic partnerships in Tanzania. Over the past 25 years, Hammerdorfer has worked in international development, entrepreneurship, higher education, and impact investment. He began his career working in water resources development as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali. He then worked for Cooperative Housing Foundation in Côte d’Ivoire, where he developed a public-private partnership solution to manage human waste in Alladjan. He later served as the country director and director of agribusiness and trade for ACDI/VOCA, where he focused on agriculture, agribusiness, and cooperatives. Hammerdorfer was also a Peace Corps country director in Bulgaria. At Colorado State University, he served as the director of the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise MBA. While there, he also founded and was executive director of the Center for Advancement of Sustainable Enterprise. Hammerdorfer has also served in multiple capacities with a variety of start-up ventures, including as a co-founder and CEO of Cooperative Solutions and Mainstreet Cooperative Group, two of America’s first cooperative incubators. Hammerdorfer has bachelor’s degree in English literature and an MBA.

Expertise: entrepreneurship; cooperative development; social enterprise; organizational development

Dr. Wafa Kotob has been working in the field of education since 1987. She started as a school teacher, then worked as a school counselor, a teacher trainer, and a researcher in the field of education. In 2007, she was granted a PhD from the University of Manchester in the UK for her research on Theories of Change and Education Reform. In 2009, Kotob joined the field of development as the policy and planning specialist in the World Bank unit in the Ministry of Education in Lebanon, and later moved to UNICEF Lebanon as their senior education specialist. Between 2013 and 2016, Kotob was the chief of party for World Learning's Developing Rehabilitation Assistance to Schools and Teacher Improvement program II (D-RASATI-2), which was a USAID-funded, nationally focused project with an overarching goal to support the Ministry of Education as it improved the performance of the Lebanese public school system. Currently, Kotob is the country representative for World Learning in Lebanon and is the senior policy advisor for the USAID-funded Quality Instruction Towards Access to Basic Education Improvement (QITABI) project.

Expertise: teacher professional development; development in education; educational reform; education policy

Chantal Souaid Mchantaf is the Middle East and North Africa Director of the Leaders for Democracy Fellowship (LDF) program implemented by World Learning in Lebanon. Mchantaf has a solid background in project management and an extensive work experience with local and international civil society organizations operating in the developmental field in Lebanon. Throughout her career and due to the challenging nature of work she has been involved in, Mchantaf succeeded in building a respectable network of connections with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Lebanese University, and many local and international nongovernmental organizations operating in Lebanon. Before joining World Learning, Mchantaf had been managing the USAID-funded Developing Rehabilitation Assistance to Schools and Teachers Improvement 2 (D-RASATI 2) program's Leadership Development Program, a stellar leadership program that helped over 600 Lebanese school principals get official tenure in the government. For several years, she has been involved in the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Lebanon as the Cisco Entrepreneurship Institute Program Manager where she helps hundreds of entrepreneurs, start, grow, and IT-enable their businesses. Earlier in her career, Mchantaf helped manage the 10-year Transparency and Accountability Grants (TAG) program, a sub-USAID donor program that provided hundreds of grants to NGOs in Lebanon. Mchantaf holds a bachelor's degree in international affairs and diplomacy, and an MBA with an emphasis on projects and operations management. In addition, Mchantaf is a social media trainer who assisted several NGOs and companies build and expand efficiently their online presence as part of her own business.

Expertise: project management; education and training; adult learning; entrepreneurship; capacity building; social media; writing

Eva Kozma is a literacy expert and an award-winning author of Arabic children’s books. In 2016, she obtained a PhD in Education from Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. Her area of research is Balanced Literacy Approach in the Arabic classroom and reading attitudes of elementary school children toward Arabic as a mother tongue. Kozma holds a master’s degree in educational psychology from the American University of Beirut with a focus on school guidance and counseling, and special education. Over the past 15 years, her research work focused on literacy best practices in pre- and elementary schools. She built the capacities of a hundred teachers and several NGOs in the MENA region. She has published several books for children and co-authored educational books for teachers. In 2014, Kozma launched “Moubadara for Children and Youth Arabic Literature” with a group of prominent authors to promote reading in Arabic as a mother tongue. She is an affiliate member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the vice president of the Lebanese NGO Kibarouna for elderly care and protection.  

Expertise: Arabic and English literacy; Arabic as a Second Language (ASL); teacher supervision and coaching; standard-based curriculum; differentiated instruction; formative assessment; understanding by backward design (UbD); educational resources; project- based learning; Reggio Emilia approach; special education; character education; anger management in schools

Paulette Assaf is currently the chief of party of the Quality Instruction Towards Access and Basic Education Improvement (QITABI) project. Funded by USAID, the $41.2 million project aims to expand equitable access to education and improve learning outcomes for vulnerable students in Lebanese public schools. Before joining QITABI, Assaf was the United Nations Development Program’s project manager at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon, in charge of a project focusing on information technologies and institutional development. From 2007 to 2010 she was a Cisco program manager for Partnership for Lebanon, Educational and Networking Academies programs. Previously, she served as a senior sales and marketing executive, project leader, and analyst programmer in Beirut and France. Assaf has 25 years of experience in information communication technology strategies and managing education and public-sector projects. She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and master’s degree in money and banking from the American University of Beirut. She is also a certified project management professional with the Project Management Institute. Assaf is also a board member and co-founder of Women In IT, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization.

Expertise: project management; information technology; information and communication technology in education; education; international development; women's empowerment

Dr. Sellina Kanyerere-Mkwetez holds a doctorate in education with concentration in leadership, a master's of education in policy, planning and leadership; a bachelor's degree in general education with computer science and English as minor subjects, and a primary school teacher certificate. She is a seasoned and results-oriented educator, facilitator, and a leader who has been in the educational system for more than 15 years before joining World Learning where she is now chief of party for the Malawi Scholarship Program. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the program trains healthcare workers to improve healthcare delivery and management in the country. Kanyerere-Mkwetez also holds the position of board chairperson for the Chisomo Children’s Club, which works with street children in the country in order to provide child protection. In addition, she provides leadership to the Malawi U.S. Exchange Alumni Association (MUSEAA) as vice chairperson. Despite her busy schedule she still finds time to join the Rotary Club.

Expertise: project management; facilitation; leadership; public speaking; supervision; monitoring and evaluation; computer training; human resources management

Mayada Alsafi is World Learning’s country program manager for Iraq, leading the organization’s programs in cities across the country. She joined World Learning as Iraq’s country lead coordinator in 2010 and previously served as a women’s sector coordinator for America’s Development Foundation. Alsafi has nearly 12 years of experience working in civil society in Iraq, with extensive experience in election monitoring, nongovernmental organization capacity building, women's rights, and youth development. She was born in Baghdad and has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from University of Baghdad.

Expertise: youth development; election monitoring; women's rights; nongovernmental organization capacity building