Curriculum Vitae

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

USAID/West Africa Mission, Accra, Ghana 8/2004-present

Trade and Investment Advisor

Managing multimillion dollar technical assistance projects across West Africa aimed at increasing trade, industry competitiveness and regional economic integration.

Supervising up to nine contracts and/or projects at once.

Responsible for all Mission infrastructure development activities: energy, transport and telecommunications.

Technical Officer for the West Africa Power Pool and Gas Pipeline projects aimed at bringing lower cost electricity to millions of African businesses and households.

Managing the implementation of a regional market information project concerned with facilitating trade in agricultural commodities through the use of innovative IT applications.

Designed and supervised projects assisting in the implementation of a common external tariff for West Africa which will harmonize tariffs across the region, facilitate the formation of a free trade area, and facilitate trade negotiations with ECOWAS.

Acting Head of Office of Economic Integration at Mission from June 2005-August 2005, and spring 2006.

Informing US Government development strategy for West Africa.

Collaborating with energy and telecommunications companies, multilateral development banks and governments.

Agricultural markets advisor for 2005 Sahel Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART).

Superior Honor Award April 2007, Superior Performance Award June 2005.

FINCA International, Tbilisi, Georgia 10/2003-7/2004

Managing Director

Managed operations for $4 million microfinance institution providing services to individual entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout most of Georgia.

Managed staff of 110 employees within a branch network of 12 offices.

Responsible for all aspects of the organization’s performance such as growth and profitability.

FINCA International, Washington, D.C.

Marketing and Business Operations Consultant 7/2003-8/2003

Designed USDA Food For Progress programs for Georgia, Zambia and Malawi. Wrote proposals. Quantified markets for food commodities. Developed mechanisms for cash management, commodity handling and marketing. Developed expansion plan for credit programs aimed at micro, small and medium enterprise development. Proposals for Georgia and Zambia worth over $3 million were awarded.

Louis Berger S.A., Paris, France.

Municipal Investment Fund Advisor 4/2003-5/2003

Designed a municipal investment mechanism in support of the European Agency for Reconstruction's Municipal Investment Program (MIP1) for Montenegro. This 4 million euro fund will finance small infrastructure grants as well as capital investments for small and medium enterprises in disadvantaged municipalities. Enterprises concerned with agribusiness, light manufacturing and eco-tourism to be served.

The Mitchell Group, Washington, D.C.

Private Sector Advisor 1/2003-2/2003

Evaluated USAID's 10 year Investment in Developing Export Agriculture (IDEA) Project in Uganda. Made recommendations for increased competitiveness of Ugandan agroindustries. Particular focus was given to developing non-traditional agricultural exports such as maize, fresh flowers, vanilla, chilies, oil seeds, beans, and fruits and vegetables. Financing, investment, production and marketing issues evaluated.

ACDI/VOCA Skopje, Macedonia

Country Representative 10/2001-10/2002

Managed provision of technical assistance to agroindustries. Created market linkages. Provided business activity grants to farmers associations and businesses. Frequent speaker on business topics such as marketing, entrepreneurialism and investment.

ACDI/VOCA Almaty, Kazakhstan
Regional Representative 8/2000-10/2001.

Manager of regional operations. Cultivated a network of local SMEs, banks and NGOs to which technical assistance is provided. Emphasis of technical assistance is placed on improving lending operations for Central Asian banks and the management of agro-industries. Supervised technical assistance given to Kazakhstan's premier micro-lending franchise.

Worked closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Bank of Kazakhstan. Assisted the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan in the development of a grain warehouse receipts pilot project. This project will facilitate the growth of commodity-secured lending in Kazakhstan.

Professor of marketing management and investment theory for the fully-employed MBA program of the University of International Business (UIB) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Oversaw orderly closeout of ACDI/VOCA's activities in Mongolia.

Independent Emerging Market Enterprise Consulting Engagements:

Developed an integrated strategy for the animal husbandry and cocoa production sectors in Vietnam for a $5 million United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress proposal. Created policies and plans for delivering financial and extension services to approximately 10,000 small and medium-sized farmers to develop the private sector in a socialist state. Strategies were oriented toward the pursuit of export competitiveness for agricultural products. Collaborated closely with the Vietnamese Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), and Planning and Investment (MPI). (4/2000-6/2000)

Developed a detailed operations plan for Senegal. This plan was in support of a $12 million, 5 year USAID proposal to provide rural maternal and child health, and microfinance services. Detailed food marketing and distribution activities were designed. The potential return from marketing US corn, wheat, vegetable oil, powdered milk and rice was assessed and quantified. (4/2000)

Designed community development projects in Liberia (12/1999) and West Bank-Gaza (5/2000).

ACDI/VOCA, Kigali, Rwanda

Country Representative 5/98-10/99

Created a commodity marketing and distribution apparatus in Kigali, Rwanda for a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) contract. Marketed $10 million of agricultural commodities (1% of Rwanda's GDP) in East Africa to wholesalers, importers and traders through the use of sealed-bid auctions and sales contracts. Built a network of East African traders with whom to do business. High-profile project required frequent meetings with ministers in the Rwandan government and the United States ambassador. Managed local staff of 60 people, implemented inventory controls. Performed market analysis for agricultural commodities in East Africa, including tax incentive, purchaser cost/profit, and value-added analysis for manufactured food items. Prepared and was awarded a USAID development activity proposal (DAP). This 5 year, $10 million award included an analysis of opportunities for increasing agricultural production, improving soil and water conservation, and developing rural credit and farmers associations in Rwanda. Achieved consensus to coordinate food security activities of the largest USAID/Rwanda implementing partners over the next five years. This plan mapped out cooperation by CARE, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision and ACDI/VOCA that will increase the impact of food security initiatives and decrease costs by up to 30% on $18 million combined Rwandan food security expenditures.