Work Experience and Past Projects

Consulting Projects

On going…

CARE – Mata Masa Dubara Systems Evaluation, Niger - March – October 2023

EIB’s African Women Rising Initiative - Senegal & Côte d’Ivoire - October 2022 - Exp. October 2023

Gender consultant- Design and organized gender training for Baoboab in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire; propose marketing strategy to increase women’s participation in savings programs, especially using digital channels.

Past projects…

Women Traders in Senegal – Market Assessment. Client Capital Plus - June – August 2022
Lead Consultant - Market assessment of the business and finance opportunities for  Women traders in Senegal (import, export, trade finance); financial product attributes definition.

Women and Legal Identification – Client: Donor Committee on Enterprise Development (World Bank, USAID, GIZ) - April – October 2022
Individual Consultant - Technical report on how the lack of legal identification impedes women’s economic empowerment. Global scoping and case studies.

Gender Lens Investment Toolkit Design & Implementation - Client: WOCCU, Funding USAID-INVEST - June 2020 – April 2022
Senior Technical Advisor (Gender & SME) - Designed a gender lens investment framework and toolkit to increase investment into women-owned and led businesses. Piloted in Senegal through a network of credit unions. Developed and executed diagnostic tools (market study, ecosystem mapping, credit union selection process, gender assessment), identified areas of change to improve women’s access to credit, support their businesses and create networking and capacity building opportunities. Co-created regional scaling plan.

Digital Financial Services and the Digitization of Agricultural Value Chains in Egypt – Market Assessment – Team SIA, Client IFC – June 2021 – April 2022
Technical Advisor (Gender specialist) - Realized a market study for IFC to identify investments that could positively impact financial inclusion in Egypt, with a focus on small holding farmers and women. Provided desk research on global economic situation, women’s financial inclusion, digital ecosystem, mobile money landscape and key informant interviews, co-author reports and made recommendations. “Market Bite Egypt: Growth in Digital Financial Services Still to Increase Financial Inclusion+Bite+report_June+2022.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=o6A0a6n,” IFC, June 2022.

Digital Financial Literacy and Capability – Team SIA, Client USAID (GenDev) October 2019 – April 2022
Senior Technical Advisor (Gender & Digital Technology) - Collaborated to the design of “Hey Sister! Show me the mobile money!”, an audio/IVR Digital Financial Literacy curriculum to increase women’s awareness and usage of digital financial services. Episodes are dramatized, recorded and available both on an interactive platform, and for download online.

Follow-on Gender Assessment of 3 MFIs – Client Opportunity International - September 2021 – February 2022
Lead Consultant - Designed a follow-on gender assessment of 3 MFIs based in Ghana and the DRC together with Aarth Consulting. Executed assessment remotely based on data sharing and key informant interviews.

Evaluation of an alternative collateral credit product for women – Client Opportunity International – Funding Canada Gov (GAC) - April 2021 – August 2022
Project Lead - Co-design an evaluation framework for a pilot project led by SinapiAba, Ghana’s number one lead MFI serving women entrepreneurs to analyze the effects of alternative forms of collateral for women entrepreneurs in Ghana.

“Gender Mainstreaming in Ghana & Congo” -- Opportunity International (UKAID funding) February – August 2019
Technical Advisor - Co-designed and executed gender assessments of three financial institutions in Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, addressing both internal gender diversity gaps and external/market outreach; proposed action plan to increase integration of women internally and client-wise. Designed and facilitated gender mainstreaming workshops for senior managers, HR, and operations team, debriefed Board Members. Used qualitative and quantitative methodologies with onsite work and training in Ghana (April 2019) and DRC (June 2019).

Women’s Economic Empowerment in East Africa – CARE USA - July 2018
Individual Consultant - Researched and drafted program proposal for target donor focusing on innovative approach to promote women’s economic empowerment in three countries in East Africa.

Work Experience

Oxfam America – Boston, MA
Director, Community Finance Department – 2014-2018
Deputy Director, Community Finance Department – 2011- 2014

Positive Planet (formerly PlaNet Finance) New York, NY
Executive Director – 2009-2011
Managed US operations of French microfinance platform, including HR, budget, fundraising. Designed business plan for Social Venture Capital fund; raised seed capital.

Mercantile Capital Partners, New York, NY
VP, Investor Relations & Administration - 2004-2008
Fund coordinator - 2000-2004

International Development (1993-2000)

  • Independent consultant for USAID (Judiciary reform project), and private sector companies in Madagascar (1998-2000)

  • Communications Advisor, La Chaine de l’Espoir, Paris, France (1995-1997)

  • Chief of Party, Association pour l’Action Humanitaire, Kigali, Rwanda (1994-1995)

  • Media relations & grant manager, Association pour l’Action Humanitaire, Paris, France (1993-1994)

Other : Volunteer – Board

  • June 2021: Elected to the Select Board of Camden, Maine     

  • March 2021: Elected Board member, Root Capital (Governance and Finance committees)

  • 2019 2021: Elected to Budget Committee of the town of Camden, Maine

  • 2018: Restorative Justice Mentor