September 18, 2012

Karen Poniachik is Director of Columbia University’s Global Center for Latin America in Santiago, Chile. She was Chile’s Minister of Mining in 2006-2008, time during which she chaired the boards of directors of state-owned companies Codelco, Enap and Enami. From March 2006 to March 2007 she also served as Minister of Energy.

Ms. Poniachik was Chile’s Special Envoy to the OECD in charge of the country’s accession process to the Organization, which was successfully completed in January of 2010. Previously, she served as Executive Vice-President of the Foreign Investment Committee (2000-2006); and as Director of Business and Financial Programs at the Council of the Americas in New York (1995-2000).

Karen Poniachik graduated as a journalist from the Universidad Católica de Chile (1987) and holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University in New York (1990).

September 15, 2012

Marise Espineli is the Regional Director for Asia at the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR). She holds a Master’s Degree in International and Intercultural Management, a Bachelor’s Degree in the Science of Chemical Engineering. She has Thirty years of development experience in both rural development with international NGOs and with the Philippine government. She has completed assignments in Afghanistan the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Kenya, Uganda, China, India, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Laos.

September 8, 2012

Joel Negin is Senior Lecturer in International Public Health at the University of Sydney and a Research Fellow at the Menzies Centre for Health Policy. He lectures on health systems, project management and health and development at the University of Sydney and guest lectures across Australia.  Joel’s research focuses on multi-sectoral development models, the HIV response, and health systems strengthening in sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific.  He has worked in a number of countries including Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Liberia, South Africa and Zimbabwe on various health and development projects for UN agencies, government departments and academic institutions. He served as technical adviser to the National AIDS Control Council of Kenya and worked with Botswana’s National AIDS Coordinating Agency.

August 20, 2012

Dr. Saamdu Chetri is director of the Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan, a symbolic demonstration of sustainable development. It is a place for Bhutanese and foreign visitors alike to be taught how to practice the values of gross national happiness in their daily life, work, community, country and the wider world. 

Gross National Happiness (GNH) is a holistic and sustainable approach to development which balances between material and non-material values with the conviction that humans want to search for happiness. The objective of GNH is to achieve a balanced development in all facets of life which is essential to our happiness. The goal of GNH is happiness. One of several means to achieve this goal is sustainable economic growth.

April 27th, 2012

A creative strategist and communications specialist, Claire manages Fintrac’s organizational development and provides leadership on its global initiatives. She advises staff and partners on best practices in agricultural development and collaborates with them to ensure that income-generation, nutrition, gender mainstreaming, and local capacity-building activities are integrated into all field programs with a focus on results to guarantee impact on farmers and farm families. She has worked with private and public sector clients in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and is frequently invited to speak at international symposia on agricultural sustainability. Before joining Fintrac, Claire designed and implemented technical and marketing activities for commercial companies, international trade associations, NGOs, USAID, and other donors.

Fintrac, a woman owned and US-based consulting company develops agricultural solutions to end hunger and poverty. For more than 20 years, we have worked with local and global partners to increase production, improve postharvest handling, add value, and develop markets and competitive value-chains for the world’s most vulnerable farmers and communties.

April 20th, 2012

Roopal Shah is a co-founder of Indicorps and Ahmedabad Ultimate. Inspired by Gandhi's notion "My Life is My Message," Indicorps strives to reconnect the Indian diaspora to India through grassroots service. Ahmedabad Ultimate uses ultimate frisbee to promote physical fitness, positive gender interactions, and life-skills through sports. As part of her commitment to the region, Roopal Shah recently accepted a six-month assignment with Ashoka.org to assist with Ashoka’s Bangladesh relaunch.

Roopal also believes that the way forward should be informed by indigenous wisdom and native peoples’ reverence for nature. In 2011, Roopal co-led the Hawaii Kakou Mural project on Oahu; the Hawaii Kakou Mural project created a 10x64 foot art mural with strong indigenous messaging to influence the 2011 Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) talks in Honolulu. Roopal has a law degree from the University of Michigan and 8 years as a practicing lawyer (including a stint as a federal prosecutor in San Diego). Roopal is an avid surfer and has deep respect for the ocean and other forces larger than self.

April 2nd, 2012

The prime minister’s professional experience, including work in Haiti and internationally with UNDP and UNFPA, acquaints him intimately with the challenges facing his country— from chronic poverty to extreme vulnerability, only exacerbated by repeated natural and humanitarian disasters. M. Conille earned a certificate of specialty in Gynecology and Obstetrics at Isaïe Jeanty maternity and a PH.D. in Medicine at the University of Haiti. He began his career at the United Nations in 1999 and in 2006 was a technical advisor for the Millennium Development Goals. In 2007, Mr. Conille worked as Chief Technical Advisor for the Africa region and Global Program Coordinator for the security of inputs into reproductive health. Mr. Conille became prime minister of Haiti in 2011.

March 30th, 2012

Zainab Salbi is the founder of Women for Women International and served as the organization's CEO from 1993 to 2011. Women for Women International is a grassroots humanitarian and development organization helping women survivors of wars rebuild their lives. Since 1993, the organization has helped 316,000 women survivors of wars access social and economic opportunities through a program of rights awareness training, vocational skills education and access to income generating opportunities, thereby ultimately contributing to the political and economic health of their communities.

Zainab Salbi is the author of two books; a national bestseller "Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam” (with Laurie Becklund) that documents her life under Saddam Hussein’s rule and “The Other Side of War: Women's Stories of Survival and Hope." Her work has been featured in major media outlets, including 8 appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, CNN, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Zainab Salbi has been honored by Former President Bill Clinton for her work in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993 and was most recently nominated by Former President Clinton as one of the Harper’s Bazaar 21st Century Heroines to honor her actions, faith and determination in making a difference. She is the recipient of the 2010 David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award and was named one of 22 members of the Clinton Global Initiative Lead program, which brings together a select group of accomplished young leaders to develop innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, among many others. Additionally, in 2011 Zainab Salbi was named one of the Top 100 Women: Activists and Campaigners by The Guardian and was highlighted as a Female Faith Heroine by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Also in 2011, Zainab Salbi was named by Newsweek and The Daily Beast as one of the 100 Extraordinary Women who Shake the World and was identified by the Economist Intelligence Unit as one of the most inspirational women in the world. Zainab Salbi is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and is a member of the UN Secretary General’s Civil Society Advisory Group focusing on the UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Zainab Salbi has a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University.

March 23rd, 2012

Jessica’s focus is on all islands all the time! Jessica supports the coordination of strategic communication initiatives that use Media Impact’s Entertainment-Education approach to stimulate behavior change around priority issues in Caribbean and other island regions. Jessica has a unique dual role that helps to advance the mission of the Global Island Partnership to promote action for island conservation and sustainable livelihoods. PCI Media Impact is please to co-fund this position with other partners.

Prior to joining PCI Media Impact and the Global Island Partnership in January 2011, Jessica spent three years working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre based in Suva, Fiji Islands. Her core experience is in knowledge management, specifically in implementing systems to improve the sharing of knowledge between the Pacific and small island states globally to enhance development effectiveness. Jessica is originally from the island state of Tasmania, Australia and has a strong drive towards conservation of islands, globally.

March 23rd, 2012

Sean is deeply committed to community empowerment and using creative media to facilitate powerful social change. A resourceful manager with over 20 years of experience in the development and communications field, Sean comes to Media Impact from a multi-sector background including 12 years with the United Nations
Development Programme, 5 years with the Canadian government and 4 years working with international non- government organizations such as ICLEI (Secretary General) and Rare (Vice-President).

Sean is a dual Canadian and South African citizen and has lived and worked in over 70 countries. He holds a MSC from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from University of British Columbia, and has a wonderful daughter, Safia. 

February 3rd, 2012

Merble is Executive Director of the Women’s Center for Education and Career Advancement in New York City. The Women’s Center was established as a program of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. in 1970 to meet the workforce development needs of women who had a marginal relationship to the paid work force and continues to help low-income women and their families achieve economic security. Ms. Reagon has worked for more than 35 years to create greater opportunities for low-wage workers in the business and public sectors. Her current work includes introduction and promotion of the groundbreaking Self-Sufficiency Standard for the City of New York and the enthusiastically welcomed web-based New York City Self-Sufficiency Calculator. These economic development tools have been distributed to and are being used by thousands of caseworkers and counselors at 300+ social service agencies across the five boroughs of New York City to calculate how much income it takes for families to live and work in the City. The Calculator screens working families’ eligibility for federal, state and city work supports and tax credits. Ms Reagon has held leadership positions with national, regional, state and local employment and training organizations. She has received numerous awards including the Ellen Lurie Award from the Community Service Society in recognition of her efforts on behalf of the poor, the Susan B. Anthony Award from NOW NYC and the Wiser Hero Award in 2003 from the Women’s Institute for Secure Economic Retirement. Her current community involvement gives her opportunities to “give back” to the City that has made her life so much richer and includes the following board memberships:  NYC Mayor’s Commission on Women’s Issues, Wider Opportunities for Women, New York State Defenders Association, the Justice Fund, Westbeth Artists Housing, the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York, and the Lucius and Eva Eastman Fund. She is a graduate of Smith College and the New York University School of Law.