Partnership & Coalition Building

Soumashree brings over six years of expertise in diplomacy, strategic partnerships, and policy advocacy, with a strong focus on advancing gender equality and inclusive governance. She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and secured a 100% academic scholarship as a Global UGrad-Fulbright Scholar from the U.S. Department of Education. She has been nominated to represent India at international forums, including the Asian Development Bank, VSO UK, and Plan International. As a Governance and Strategy consultant at the Chief Minister’s Office in Kolkata, she specializes in establishing strategic partnerships and driving policy reforms to advance inclusive governance. A notable accomplishment is the implementation of a state-level grievance redressal system, enhancing bureaucratic accountability and empowering citizens through improved public service delivery and participatory democracy, fortifying government-citizen cooperation. She has collaborated closely with senior political figures across 11 Ministries, including Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly to devise effective strategies and crafted policies that leveraged communication channels to convey compelling value propositions to the electorate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Soumashree collaborated with Samhita, an impact consultancy, playing a pivotal role in building strategic partnerships for REVIVE, a multi-stakeholder platform dedicated to empowering women economically through blended finance and technical support. Notable partners include Google, MSDF, Atlantic Council, and JPAL. Previously, she worked at Aangan Trust, where she focused on child rights advocacy and creating safe spaces for women and children. She collaborated with the communications team to execute successful social media campaigns, raising awareness around trafficking and child harm. Soumashree aspires to advance the cause of gender equality and promote inclusive governance through impactful policy changes and partnership-building initiatives.

Host Organization: Women’s World Banking

Role at Host Organization: As a Strategy and Stakeholder Management Fellow, Soumashree will work closely with the Head of the Brand, Marketing & Communications (BMC) team and also engage with the team on specific projects and initiatives that are instrumental to (1) enhance WWB’s external brand awareness and to internally (2) strengthen the BMC position as an expert strategic advisor and quality focused execution partner to the whole organization partner to the broader organization including senior management. The Fellow will also support the review and refinement of the current brand and marketing strategy, as well as to work with the team on the internal stakeholder engagement model to developing effective and efficient collaboration processes.

Selorm is a dedicated and dynamic professional who is deeply committed to driving positive change and sustainable development across Africa. Armed with a Master’s in Business Administration, Selorm possesses a rich tapestry of skills encompassing project management, research, and social enterprise development. He is a visionary founder and lead strategist at Ecowillow Ghana, fostering environmental governance and nurturing youth talents. Selorm’s extensive engagement with various organizations, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and ActionAid Ghana, demonstrates his passion for societal progress. As a seasoned researcher and recruitment consultant, he has led initiatives amplifying voices in social enterprises and driving impact strategies. Selorm’s trajectory is characterized by a fervent belief in competent leadership, social entrepreneurship, and fostering a sustainable future for generations to come.

Host Organization: Generation

Role at Host Organization: As a Global Business Development Fellow, Selorm will help identify potential employer partners and the key stakeholders at those companies, initiate outreach, and pitch to interested organizations. They will use Salesforce to record and track interactions and analyze their pipeline. They will also provide account management support to key employer partners, support the delivery of key partnership initiatives (e.g. running events, gaining employer feedback, designing capacity building sessions) to grow the relationships.

Aishwarya is a professional with three years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She holds an MBA in Marketing & Biotechnology from the University of Pune and currently works as a consultant with social enterprises and state governments. Her project themes range from education to environment, and her skills include program management, partnership building, training, and facilitation. In her previous role, Aishwarya led successful projects aimed at advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals through global mobility programs. She has also taught over 200 underprivileged children at a government school for two years as a Teach for India Fellow. Furthermore, she has spearheaded mindfulness programs in various organizations and is a Toastmasters International Ambassador, advocating for building leadership through public speaking. Aishwarya’s passion lies in nurturing leadership and empowering individuals towards a more inclusive society.

Host Organization: Northwestern University, Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

Role at Host Organization: As a Global Engagement Programs Fellow, Aishwarya will play a role in managing global engagement programs at GLO. The Fellowship will have some flexibility based on the Fellows interest and experience—possibilities include assessment, event planning, program/partnership management and development, marketing and recruitment, curriculum development, and alum engagement.

Indrias has a total of seven years of experience in the development and humanitarian sectors. She recently worked as a Social and Behavior Change Officer at UNICEF Indonesia where she managed a total budget of US$ 190,000 for four Risk Communications and Community Engagement (RCCE) projects in South Sulawesi and Maluku, Indonesia, to implement behavior change communications strategies and demand creation for COVID-19 vaccination through capacity building for healthcare workers, teachers, parents/caregivers, community and religious leaders, journalists, and youth. Finda earned her Master’s degree in Children, Youth and International Development from Brunel University London and her Bachelor’s of Science in Physics from the University of Indonesia. During her studies in London, Finda did an internship at StreetInvest, a nonprofit working on the issues of street children in West Africa, East Africa and India, where she supported the production of Impact Reports for StreetInvest for 2019/2020 term by reviewing and analyzing data collected at projects in Kenya. Prior coming to the UK, Finda worked as an Advocacy and Partnership Officer at the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Center for Early Childhood Care and Education and Parenting (SEAMEO CECCEP), where she designed, planned, and implemented advocacy and partnership strategies on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). She also liaised and built partnerships with 11 Ministries of Education in Southeast Asia and a range of other organizations such as UNESCO, Plan International, and Aide et Action. Finda is passionate in the topics of children education and women empowerment.

Host Organization: Women’s World Banking

Role at Host Organization: As a Policy Advocacy Fellow, Indrias will help accelerate the policy advocacy process at the Women’s World Banking, assisting in delivering parts of the policy and advocacy strategy and goals set for the next five years. The Fellow will engage withpolicymakers and regulators in the area of women’s financial inclusion and encourage them to make changes where needed to improve the enabling policy environment for women’s economic empowerment. The Fellow will work on projects from different countries, particularly in the Women’s World Banking’s focus countries of Cambodia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, and Vietnam. The Fellow will also draw together from the organization’s existing work, build further the policy positions, and advocate to new audiences, which will be very beneficial to Women’s World Banking.

Tarita is a climate activist and an experienced program manager and researcher with over five years of professional experience in research, program development and management, and operations in the nonprofit sector. She completed an accelerated degree program from Drexel University, receiving her Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies & Sustainability and Master’s in Urban Strategy simultaneously. Over the past three years, Tarita has worked on climate and gender justice programming with a global focus. Her work in the nonprofit sector has allowed her to develop a keen sense of social justice issues in our societies, and she focuses on taking an intersectional and participatory community approach to solutions. She complements her background in environmental and urbanism projects with international experience working with diverse communities on climate, resilience and adaptation, and practical knowledge and training. Tarita has developed skills in grassroots organizing, working with youth, and using tools such as power and community mapping, climate vulnerability analyses, and participatory community engagement projects. Having lived in major cities globally, Tarita has worked with underrepresented and Global South communities and can offer a unique perspective based on insight, lived experience, and expertise on the climate crisis, urbanism, and intersectionality.

Host Organization: Collaborating for Resilience (CoRe)

Role at Host Organization: As a Strategy and Partnerships Fellow, Tarita will gain experience in principles of multi-stakeholder dialogue to promote citizen engagement in policy reform and implementation. The Fellow will apply these principles in the development and implementation of several international partnerships. The Fellow will design and manage partner collaborations and undertake action research in one or more program areas, and lead analyses focused on outcome monitoring, learning and evaluation to support strategy development and organizational expansion. Tarita will also help support action research and learning systems that build the capacity of civil society partners to drive governance innovations, distil insights from comparative analysis of outcomes across different partnership sites working towards systems change, and communicate lessons for policy and practice.

Adriana is a researcher from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, with eight years of experience in the non-profit and international cooperation sector. She earned a Master ‘s in Communication from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, as well as a B. A. in Sociology from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Her work has been focused on the development of monitoring and evaluation tools of different types of public policy directed to vulnerable people and groups for nearly a decade. She has knowledge and experience of intercultural communication, particularly in relation to the ethnic and gender approaches for the attention and reparation of conflict victims.

Adriana has developed participatory tools and other research methodologies for the assessment of public policy that broadly fits into development and more specifically into peacebuilding and transitional justice. Through her experience in international aid, especially OIM, MSI, and FAO, where she has worked with topics as varied as rehabilitation and satisfaction measures, climate change, ethnic justice, public health, land restitution and food security, she has engaged with different conflict-affected regions.

Adriana has volunteered as a support link in the Colombian Red Cross during emergency situations, such as floods and earthquakes, in the Caribbean region and is trained in first aid assistance. Through these experiences, she developed strong research and communication skills in widely varied cultural contexts, allowing her to quickly develop rapport while implementing projects on the field. Adriana enjoys focusing on research with communities for peace building and policymaking, and has a passion for advocating for human rights and women empowerment.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: As a Research and Engagement Fellow, Adriana will work under the Knowledge Management Program Manager to conduct and coordinate research and learning activities of the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC). The fellow will gain hands-on experience in qualitative and quantitative research activities relating to disaster preparedness and cutting-edge technology innovations, as well as knowledge management, information dissemination, and learning outcomes. In addition, the fellow will assist with outreach and engagement with Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies and external partners to help raise the profile of GDPC’s work. An interest in and basic knowledge of disaster preparedness and international humanitarian assistance is essential and experience working in or with the Red Cross is preferred. Our fellows work alongside us as integrated members of the GDPC to carry out professional level work in a supervised atmosphere.

Faryal is a youth development and community engagement specialist with 7 years of working in the not-for-profit sector. She holds a Master’s degree in Mass Communication and is an IVLP alumnus of the Young Leaders: NGOs and Civic Activism program. As the Program Manager, Faryal manages Lincoln Corners (American Spaces) in Sindh, Peshawar, and Balochistan, where she supported the implementation of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurship (AWE), STEM workshops, entrepreneurship boot camps, digital storytelling for GBV & Climate Change workshops, and campaigns against gender-based violence facilitating over 2000 young women. She is passionate about exposing the youth of Pakistan to more opportunities and building their capacities through volunteering, networking, and skills development. Faryal has also worked as a communications and content development specialist at for-profit and not-for-profit organizations for 6 years, where she maximized the causes and built brands through social media campaigns, copywriting, and editorial content. Faryal volunteers with not-for-profit organizations and underserved schools to mentor teenagers in communications, resilience, dialogues, and active citizenship. She loves exploring new places, meeting new people, bonding over food, and making friends over tea.

Host Organization: Generation

Role at Host Organization: As a SAMEA Strategy Fellow, Faryal will be a strategic thought partner and force multiplier to the Region COO. This is an exciting year for Generation’s growth for Kenya, India, Pakistan, and their newly-launched Ghana program, and the Fellow will focus on supporting key innovations (e.g. freelancing), regional strategy development, and country launch support in Ghana.

Angela possesses four years of experience in both the nonprofit sector and media space. Currently, she is the Chief Operating Officer at Jela’s Development Initiatives (JDI) where she supervises project implementation, organizational operations and communications. She manages diverse teams to provide access to clean water as well as sanitation and hygiene facilities, mental healthcare, voluntary blood donors through an artificial intelligence called J  Match and promotes youth empowerment through volunteering. Most recently, she co-designed and implemented advocacy campaigns on mental health inclusion for PWDs and voluntary blood donation. She is also a writer and solutions journalist, whose work has explored maternal mortality, anti-corruption, climate change, mental health and food security, amongst other themes. As a World Literacy Foundation Ambassador (2020), she raised awareness on how illiteracy affects daily life by curating 112 ‘literacy stories’ which she shared on social media. Previously, she worked as Media and Communications Officer at Skills Outside School Foundation (SOSF) focusing on securing relevant partnerships and creating publicity for the Foundation’s work in life skill education through digital media and production of media materials. In the time she worked with SOSF, she raised the organization’s profile by increasing social media followership by over 80% and initiated partnership discussions with various organizations. She is certified by the University of California through Philanthropy University in developing Advocacy campaigns. Angela is most interested in improving inclusion in education, good governance and mental healthcare.

Host Organization: Medici Road

Role at Host Organization: As a Communications Analyst Fellow, Angela will assist in shaping, and executing, the audience engagement strategy and she will lead digital storytelling efforts for the organization. The Fellow will work side-by-side with senior staff to gain practical experience learning how to turn data and stories into infographics. Angela will also learn how to use software like Adobe InDesign and Photoshop and practice storytelling and community engagement skills with diverse stakeholder groups including residents and peer organizations.

Akriti is a dynamic professional with a passion for building communities and a 6+ years of experience in alumni relations under her belt. She’s the kind of person who knows how to connect people, inspire engagement, and get things done!

Akriti’s career journey has taken her through both for-profit and non-profit sectors and her unique blend of experiences has shaped her into an alumni relations expert. In her most recent role at the prestigious Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Akriti wore many hats as the Alumni Coordinator for the India system. She dived into four main areas: Learning and Development, Events Management, Communications, Alumni Induction and Database Management, to ensure that the alumni network stayed organized and thriving.

Before her BCG adventure, Akriti was managing the Alumni Relations Office of Ashoka University, where she had the unique honor of being a founding member. In this role, she served as the bridge between the university administration and its valued alumni, forging meaningful connections. Akriti also led the university’s alumni fundraising program which contributed towards scholarships for socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

Akriti holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Delhi University, following which she embarked on a transformative path that led her to the esteemed Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University. This postgraduate diploma in Liberal Arts ignited her passion for the intersection of humanities and inclusive leadership. It’s here that she discovered her belief in the driving forces behind growth—innovation and adaptability.

Akriti is a slow solo traveler and a storyteller at heart. She finds solace and inspiration in exploring new places at her own pace. Slow solo traveling allows her to immerse herself in different cultures, savor local flavors, and discover the beauty of the world, one destination at a time.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization:As a Learning and Development Fellow, Akriti will be supporting the Learning and Development efforts for the department. She will help facilitate access to, utilization of and learning from existing data, evidence and knowledge generated from past operations both within the American Red Cross and with the RCRC Movement.

Soumashree brings over six years of expertise in diplomacy, strategic partnerships, and policy advocacy, with a strong focus on advancing gender equality and inclusive governance. She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and secured a 100% academic scholarship as a Global UGrad-Fulbright Scholar from the U.S. Department of Education. She has been nominated to represent India at international forums, including the Asian Development Bank, VSO UK, and Plan International. As a Governance and Strategy consultant at the Chief Minister’s Office in Kolkata, she specializes in establishing strategic partnerships and driving policy reforms to advance inclusive governance. A notable accomplishment is the implementation of a state-level grievance redressal system, enhancing bureaucratic accountability and empowering citizens through improved public service delivery and participatory democracy, fortifying government-citizen cooperation. She has collaborated closely with senior political figures across 11 Ministries, including Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly to devise effective strategies and crafted policies that leveraged communication channels to convey compelling value propositions to the electorate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Soumashree collaborated with Samhita, an impact consultancy, playing a pivotal role in building strategic partnerships for REVIVE, a multi-stakeholder platform dedicated to empowering women economically through blended finance and technical support. Notable partners include Google, MSDF, Atlantic Council, and JPAL. Previously, she worked at Aangan Trust, where she focused on child rights advocacy and creating safe spaces for women and children. She collaborated with the communications team to execute successful social media campaigns, raising awareness around trafficking and child harm.Soumashree aspires to advance the cause of gender equality and promote inclusive governance through impactful policy changes and partnership-building initiatives.

Host Organization: Women’s World Banking

Role at Host Organization: As a Strategy and Stakeholder Management Fellow, Soumashree will work closely with the Head of the Brand, Marketing & Communications (BMC) team and also engage with the team on specific projects and initiatives that are instrumental to (1) enhance WWB’s external brand awareness and to internally (2) strengthen the BMC position as an expert strategic advisor and quality focused execution partner to the whole organization partner to the broader organization including senior management. The Fellow will also support the review and refinement of the current brand and marketing strategy, as well as to work with the team on the internal stakeholder engagement model to developing effective and efficient collaboration processes.

Selorm is a dedicated and dynamic professional who is deeply committed to driving positive change and sustainable development across Africa. Armed with a Master’s in Business Administration, Selorm possesses a rich tapestry of skills encompassing project management, research, and social enterprise development. He is a visionary founder and lead strategist at Ecowillow Ghana, fostering environmental governance and nurturing youth talents. Selorm’s extensive engagement with various organizations, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and ActionAid Ghana, demonstrates his passion for societal progress. As a seasoned researcher and recruitment consultant, he has led initiatives amplifying voices in social enterprises and driving impact strategies. Selorm’s trajectory is characterized by a fervent belief in competent leadership, social entrepreneurship, and fostering a sustainable future for generations to come.

Host Organization: Generation

Role at Host Organization: As a Global Business Development Fellow, Selorm will help identify potential employer partners and the key stakeholders at those companies, initiate outreach, and pitch to interested organizations. They will use Salesforce to record and track interactions and analyze their pipeline. They will also provide account management support to key employer partners, support the delivery of key partnership initiatives (e.g. running events, gainining employer feedback, designing capacity building sessions) to grow the relationships.

Aishwarya is a professional with three years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She holds an MBA in Marketing & Biotechnology from the University of Pune and currently works as a consultant with social enterprises and state governments. Her project themes range from education to environment, and her skills include program management, partnership building, training, and facilitation. In her previous role, Aishwarya led successful projects aimed at advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals through global mobility programs. She has also taught over 200 underprivileged children at a government school for two years as a Teach for India Fellow. Furthermore, she has spearheaded mindfulness programs in various organizations and is a Toastmasters International Ambassador, advocating for building leadership through public speaking. Aishwarya’s passion lies in nurturing leadership and empowering individuals towards a more inclusive society.

Host Organization: Northwestern University, Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

Role at Host Organization: As a Global Engagement Programs Fellow, Aishwarya will play a role in managing global engagement programs at GLO. The Fellowship will have some flexibility based on the Fellows interest and experience—possibilities include assessment, event planning, program/partnership management and development, marketing and recruitment, curriculum development, and alum engagement.