Fellows

A development professional with more than ten years of experience of working with public and private sector stakeholders particularly in the domain of public-private partnerships, skills development, counseling & placements, technological sophistication, labour market survey, institutional capacity building, and knowledge management for socio-economic development. Currently, working with Louis Berger on USAID Punjab Youth Workforce Development Project as a Lead for Placements, Partnerships, and Institutional Capacity Building. Ansa is providing strategic, technical & policy support, and advice on formulation and execution of capacity development initiatives for empowering vulnerable and marginalized youth; strengthening partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders at all administrative government tiers with an aim of improving accessibility, equity, and relevance of youth development services for sustainable socio-economic development. Previously, worked with GiZ as PPP Advisor and facilitated the Government and public-sector institutions in bridging the disconnect with private sector for demand-driven workforce development. Prior to that, served at Technology Upgradation and Skill Development Company (TUSDEC), a subsidiary of the Ministry of Industries and Production, Government of Pakistan (GoP), for about eight years in multiple capacities, starting from a trainee metamorphosed into a Manager leading a team of four professionals. The sphere of responsibilities included orchestrating proposals and papers for the Government, multi-funding agencies, creating partnerships with bilateral/multilateral groups, corporate sector, and government bodies along with executing image building initiatives. Her educational pursuits involved an MPA from University of Punjab, Pakistan and a BBIT from Lahore College for Women University. The blend of classroom and on-job learning significantly inculcated leadership, cross-functional team work, effective communication skills, problem resolution, and resilience into her personality. She always has a balanced approach towards life, relishes her work as a development professional, and eager to mark herself as social entrepreneur contributing productively towards socio-economic melioration of local communities.

Host Organization: United Way Bay Area

Role of Host Organization: Ansa will enhance UWBA’s business partnerships work through research, data analysis and the creation of a strategic plan. She will work with the Equity Team to assess current activities of the business partnerships team as well as conduct research on best practices across the nation, including feasibility of expansion in the Bay Area and analyze our data.

Arturo has three years of experience in the nonprofit sector. He earned his MA in International Relations from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, where he was awarded with the Vice-Chancellor’s Commendation for Academic Excellence. He received a BA in International Relations from Tecnologico de Monterrey, where he graduated top of his class and received the highest honors for his performance in dramatic arts and social development projects. In 2013, he started LiberArte, a social development project that stimulates human expression in teenagers living in vulnerable communities through creative and artistic education. Arturo designed activities and imparted practical and theoretical courses for the program, as well as managing a group of volunteers. His project emphasizes on mentoring young people and giving them the opportunity to express their own personal story, their feelings, their daily hardships, and providing them with information regarding sexual health, drug addiction, violence, and professional orientation. He has volunteered in three different social development programs in Mexico, ranging from rural education strengthening, to community values communication in urban environments. In 2011, he received the “Best Student in a Social Development Program” award from the Institute for Sustainable Social Development at Tecnologico de Monterrey for his participation in a performance arts education program for people of all ages without any access to art sources, he later went on to coordinate this program himself. In the same year he also started and managed a social project, where volunteers implemented human rights education through artistic activities. In 2010, he conducted research and published a paper on the causes, effects and victims of unconventional gender violence in young adult couples in urban settings. Arturo is very passionate about innovative social education, making art a social right, building peaceful relations among conflicting groups, and fostering gender equality.

Host Organization: Kids’ Food Basket

Fellow Role at Kids’ Food Basket
Arturo will join Kids’ Food Basket (KFB) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He will represent KFB in the community and perform several outreach efforts to communicate what KFB is all about to distinct audiences and community sectors. He will also participate in the daily operation and the management of volunteer groups.

Carolina has six years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Communications degree at the Universidad of Medellín. She recently completed postgraduate studies in Sociology and Political Sciences at FLACSO, Argentina. While working at the Organización VID, she helped to strengthen the image of the institution by redesigning their virtual media. Likewise, Carolina worked at FENALCO ANTIOQUIA; a nonprofit organization that unionizes medium and small traders, for helping them to strengthen their business. One of the most relevant goals that she achieved was being designated as a member of the Strategic Planning Team. Carolina has also volunteered as a teacher on Communication and Information Technologies, at an HIV childrens’ foundation. She taught a group of children how to use web tools for their own development and self-education. Through all these experiences Carolina has acquired significant skills such as: creating multimedia educational material, researching relevant information and pedagogical resources, and organizing memorable social and institutional events. Carolina strongly believes in the mixture of education, technology and communication, as a powerful key to fight poverty and improve quality of life.

Host Organization: Mozilla Foundation

Role at Host Organization: Carolina will help design and develop a distributed training program for teaching web literacy skills. She will leverage existing research and conduct their own light research to inform and support a global program that provides guidance/instruction/community support for people that want to teach others how to read, write and participate in the digital world.

Danielle Goldberg is a program director, trainer/facilitator, and specialist on children’s rights and on Women, Peace & Security. She brings to the field over 15 years of domestic and global experience partnering with diverse stakeholders to design, manage and evaluate engaging programs and advocacy initiatives that promote children’s rights, gender equality, inclusive development, international peace-building and global citizenship. She is a proud alumna of Atlas Corps, Class 2, having served with Give2Colombia in Bogota Colombia, and is a former Executive Board Member of Atlas Corps (2011-2017). Currently, as Director of Advocacy and Engagement at UNICEF USA, she oversees the organization’s grassroots legislative advocacy strategy, mobilizing people across the United States to support the survival, protection and development of children everywhere.

Host Organization: Give2Colombia

Role at Host Organization : As an Atlas Corps Fellow (2009-2010) with Give2Colombia in Bogota, Colombia, Ms. Goldberg coordinated with private, public and social sector allies and international donors to secure grant funding for innovative projects in health, education and socio-economic development in alliance with Colombian NGOS. In this role, she also provided training and consultation to over 80 Colombian non-profit leaders in Fundraising Strategy Development and Grant Writing Skills.

Disha has seven years of experience in the development communication sector and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Indraprastha University in New Delhi, India. She worked as communication manager with the Vasudha Foundation to promote socially just and sustainable models of energy in India. She also helped to develop the communication strategy for the foundation and its campaigns. She worked on creating the branding guidelines and specific communication material (audio-visual, print, and web-based) to be disseminated through media outlets. Previously, Disha worked on an independent documentary about women’s rights and religion in India. It was a self-initiated project, so she was responsible to do research, shooting, editing, and directing of the documentary. Disha has volunteered as a communications consultant for Outer Shell Africa, a social enterprise to enhance the wellness of Sub-Saharan Africans living with skin conditions. Through these experiences, she has developed strong strategic communication, graphic designing, and filmmaking skills. Being a feminist, Disha enjoys focusing on areas related to gender rights, and she has a strong passion for animal protection.

Host Organization: Atlas Corps

Role at Host Organization: Disha will be engaged in communications, public relations, project management, and partnership building. Disha will strengthen and practice these skills in the implementation, evaluation, and expansion of the Atlas Corps external presence as included in our communications and public relations strategy

Duha is a global changemaker with four years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She earned a bachelor’s degree in NGO Management from The National Ribat University in Khartoum. Duha seeks to create a positive impact both locally and globally and she is especially passionate in the field of education, youth development and empowerment because she believes that education is the most important tool of positive change, and that youth hold immense potentials which need to be tapped into to achieve prosperity within nations. Duha has volunteered in various community-based organizations working with different target groups inside Khartoum and in the rural areas of Sudan. She was also the communication assistant for RedR UK, and her latest accomplishment was serving for a year as a community development officer for Science Of Life Studies 24/7 (SOLS 24/7), an organization based in southeast Asia, proving high quality education and life skills for underprivileged communities.

 Host Organization: DC Scores

 Role at Host Organization: As a development fellow, Duha will add much-needed capacity to the small development team. She will be a significant contributor to our being able to both respond to the unique challenges and leverage the unique opportunities of this critical moment in DC Scores’ history.

Freeha Ihsan has six years of experience in the nonprofit and education sector. She earned her master’s degree in public administration from Fatima Jinnah Women University in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. To tweak her skills further, Freeha obtained her Master of Science with a specialization in management. She has developed expertise in project management, training and development, education, and economic empowerment. Most of her experience is based on projects specially design for underserved communities of Pakistan. As a Program Officer for the USAID funded education and economic empowerment for women project, she proved herself as a valuable team member because of her effective project management and communication skills. She also worked at the Parliament of Pakistan, on projects funded by the British Council & European Union, and with different universities as an educationist. Freeha has collaborated with diverse people, including elected leaders, bureaucrats, and people from underserved communities. Freeha is enthusiastic to help people, and she is always infatuated with opportunities to go out of her comfort zone.

Host Organization: Women’s World Banking

Role at Host Organization: Freeha will join the Women’s World Banking Strategy & Market Solutions teams. She will deliver solutions for the organization and its network member institutions concerning an array of microfinance initiatives including: credit, savings, youth products, financial education and microinsurance.

Hasan has five years of experience in the nonprofit sector and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Banking Science from Philadelphia University of Jordan. For the last three years, Hasan has worked as a protection assistant at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Amman, Jordan. The unit coordinates with inter-agency protection sectors and provides direct support in case management for child protection, sexual- and gender-based violence, legal, detention and diversity/minorities’ caseloads. Hasan is one of the main focal points working on LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) cases. He was instrumental in implementing the UNHCR Jordan LGBTI protection program, which included the development of training material and the setup of an interagency network. In this role, he has developed the ability to liaise with UN colleagues and external stakeholders on this sensitive topic with professionalism and organizational awareness. Hasan is passionate about working with marginalized groups, particularly within the LGBTI community. Traveling and meeting new people are among his hobbies.

Host Organization: Heartland Alliance International

Role at Host Organization: Hasan will work as the Sudan Taskforce Project Manager and will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing the implementation of a project to support the taskforce. He will ensure that all program activities are implemented in line with the project’s work plan and in accordance with organization and donor requirements. Hasan will be responsible for oversight of all components of the project and for quarterly reporting.