Scholars

Ahmidu Barrie has over ten years of experience in non-profit administration, logistics, and management. Ahmidu earned his first degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone in 2010 and later pursued his post-graduate degree in public administration at the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM). His drive to help his country comes from seeing his parents work very hard to take care of their family, as well as his experience of being abducted and forced to be a child soldier during his country’s civil war. After working with Wellbody Alliance, a local NGO that helped care for amputees and others with war wounds, he knew his life’s work was to help the poorest of the poor. He established the Community Health Worker Program, which brought care to the doorsteps of people living with HIV and TB across Kono District. When Ebola came to Sierra Leone in 2014, Partners In Health began working with Wellbody, and they eventually merged. During this time, as lead Logistician, Ahmidu was tasked with creating Ebola care and treatment centers across two districts. Currently, as Chief Operating Officer for Partners In Health Sierra Leone, Ahmidu is helping shepherd the development of the Maternal Center of Excellence, which aims to improve health outcomes for women in a country with one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. Ahmidu is eager to learn from the experiences of his colleagues and hopes that sharing his experience in health systems strengthening in low-resource settings will be of use to others. The skills and training that he hopes to acquire will enable him to improve his capacities as a leader and be an even stronger advocate of social justice, health equity, and education.

Brittany is a business development and grant management professional who has spent her career fundraising and advocating for vulnerable children and their families. The bilateral and cross-sectoral partnerships she has facilitated among large foundations, the U.S. government, and NGOs have driven sustainable impact through solutions in early childhood development, youth skill building, economic opportunity, health and nutrition, and education. Brittany has supported the development and growth of the foundation and corporate relations at SOS Children’s Villages-USA where she builds partnerships with US foundations and corporations and connects them with the program teams in 136 countries where SOS implements robust development projects. Before this role, Brittany worked at ChildFund International where she managed a donor portfolio of distinguished institutional funders supporting initiatives in 13 countries across the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Starting her career on Capitol Hill, Brittany left the U.S. five years later to work abroad in Hunan, China. When she returned two years later, she took a position advocating for children in the state of California before transitioning to the international development sector. As a foster parent in Richmond, Virginia, Brittany is living the SOS mission every day supporting and advocating for youth in her community. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations focused on World Politics and Policy.

As Senior Communications Manager, Courtney Calardo oversees the overall development and implementation of BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative’s (UPGI) communications strategy. Prior to joining BRAC UPGI, Courtney was the Communications Manager at Family Planning 2020, where she worked to promote greater access to and information on sexual and reproductive health for women and girls around the world. Courtney brings 10 years of experience in strategic communications with a primary focus on international development. Courtney has provided strategic communications and partnership development support to social entrepreneurs with innovative, evidence-based solutions for major global issues, as well as key implementing partners, and worked to promote the integration of innovation in development programming overall during her time at USAID. With additional experience in the private sector as a consultant, Courtney has supported the development and execution of communication strategies for academic institutions, international governments, NGOs, and the private sector. Courtney graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a B.A. in Journalism and International Studies, focusing on human rights and photojournalism.

Maegan Clark has 10 years of experience in Digital Media, Marketing, and Advertising. Clark earned a Bachelor of Communication degree with an emphasis in Public Relations from Arkansas State University and a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. For the last 10 years, she has worked at Heifer International growing her position from an Internet Marketing Specialist to now the Director of Digital Media. She is passionate about using her education and experience to bring awareness to the mass marketing consumer about how they can live a sustainable life while helping to end hunger. While working full-time for Heifer International, Clark also volunteers with her local Junior League of Little Rock promoting volunteerism and community-focused campaigns.

Nicole Tomita has seven years of experience in the nonprofit communications and marketing sector. Nicole earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science/International Relations at Carleton College. She has managed the digital media at Landesa, a Seattle-based INGO working with governments and other partners to strengthen land rights for millions of people experiencing poverty in rural areas around the globe. Nicole’s work focuses on crafting and executing the digital media strategy to promote the organization and elevate the issue of land rights. Prior to Landesa, Nicole managed the visual and performing arts youth programs at a local arts education nonprofit, in addition to marketing the public performing arts events series. She developed her communications and graphic design skills while working for Epic Arts, an inclusive arts organization serving people with physical and intellectual disabilities in Kampot, Cambodia. Nicole came across Epic Arts while completing her Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a year-long grant for purposeful, independent exploration outside the United States. Her project explored how disabilities are perceived in different cultures through the lens of sport, and how that affects access & opportunity in Ecuador, Morocco, Namibia, and Cambodia. Throughout her nonprofit career ranging from inclusive education and sports to social justice through legal land rights, Nicole has developed skills in communications, photography, graphic and web design, project management, and more. She is passionate about working to increase equitable access to empowering opportunities for people that are marginalized.

Paige Duskie resides in Huntsville, Alabama. At Florida State University, Paige earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International Affairs and French. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Global Governance, Politics, and Security from American University’s School of International Service in Washington, DC. Paige is the Communications and Administrative Manager for HelpAge USA. HelpAge USA advances the well-being and inclusion of older people globally through research, advocacy, and programs. She has two years of experience in working with nonprofit and non-governmental organizations. Paige manages marketing and communications for all projects and campaigns at HelpAge USA. She additionally maintains the organization’s website, manages individual giving, and assists in research efforts. Previously, Paige worked with the Center for Leadership and Social Change at Florida State University. In her role as a Social Change Peer Educator, she facilitated dialogue with students, faculty, and staff on identity, leadership, and service. She interned with La Voix de la Femme Amazighe, an indigenous women’s rights group in Rabat, Morocco. She worked with the organization for three months while authoring a capstone paper focused on the forms of structural violence against indigenous Amazigh women. In this capacity, she was able to put her French language skills to use. The social issues that Paige finds herself drawn to are gender and women’s issues, journalism, and humanitarian relief.

Rachel McMonagle has over eight years of experience advancing climate resilience efforts with a social justice focus through nonprofit and U.S. government initiatives. As the Climate Change and Land Tenure Specialist at Landesa, Rachel promotes secure land tenure as a driver for poverty reduction and climate mitigation and adaptation. She advances land tenure as climate mitigation and adaptation strategy through advocacy work on global UN frameworks, policy reform at the national level, and local interventions coordinated with Landesa colleagues in China, India, Liberia, Myanmar, and Tanzania. Prior to Landesa, she developed the strategic vision and inaugural objectives of the Center for Climate, Health, and Equity at the American Public Health Association. She has also advanced climate resilience and participatory science efforts at a variety of NGOs and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Thanks to a Fulbright grant and other research opportunities, Rachel has professional experience working on climate-smart agriculture and sustainable land management efforts in Costa Rica, Italy, Ukraine, and Zambia. She holds a Master’s degree in environmental management from the Yale School of the Environment and a B.A. in environmental studies from Oberlin College. Rachel lives in Seattle, Washington in the United States.

Sahlah Dubel has over 12 years of experience in managing projects and coordinating international public health research programs. She was awarded a BS in Biology from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). While at RIT, she studied abroad as a member of the Fogarty International Program where she spent several months at the Roberto del Rio Hospital de Ninos in Chile researching factors impacting the spread of H. influenza and S. pneumonia among children. Sahlah moved on to join the National Institutes of Health Mammary Biology and Tumorigenesis Laboratory. She worked as a fellow in the National Cancer Institute and supported projects targeting oncogenic markers while co-authoring several scientific publications. She completed her MPH in International Health and Development at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Her studies led her to join the International Center for Migration Health and Development (ICMHD) in Switzerland, where she created the Global Internship Program and collaborated on projects evaluating public health programs targeting displaced and migrant populations. Sahlah entered the non-profit sector at a research foundation specializing in Tuberculosis eradication. She then transitioned into her current role as a certified Project Management Professional, successfully leading cross-functional global project teams to evaluate TB vaccine candidates in clinical trials. Sahlah joined PATH’s Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access where she is the lead Project Manager for several translational research and development projects evaluating vaccine candidates across a range of disease areas.