Scholars

Anna Rountree brings over a decade of experience in international affairs, women’s and children’s rights, and mental health. Anna’s expertise lies in developing large-scale programs and campaigns that create opportunities for underrepresented populations. As Director of Communications at Clubhouse International, Anna plays a crucial role in amplifying the organization’s impact on individuals living with mental illness and driving engagement by developing and overseeing campaign strategy and tactics. In her prior Development roles at Clubhouse International, Anna used her interpersonal and writing skills to develop initiatives that grew constituency, helped meet financial goals, and influenced stakeholders. Anna’s focus on a rights-based approach has been instrumental in strengthening the impact of the Clubhouse network. On the Advisory Board of ECHO, Anna helps to build global capacity for emergency medicine, and on the Clubhouse Racial Justice Committee, Anna addresses inequities experienced by people of color living with mental illness. Anna edited the Governance and Rights Framework for the International Rescue Committee; prepared analytical reports for the General Assembly and Security Council, helping to secure passage of resolutions; and scrutinized policing of poorer communities as Associate Producer at CBS. Anna earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, double minoring in French and International Affairs from Binghamton University, and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from The New School. Anna’s practicum, Bridging the Gaps: Implementation of Comprehensive Abortion Care in Ethiopia, inspired much of her subsequent focus on the voiceless. Anna loves to travel, read, and meet people. She is committed to promoting the voice of underrepresented populations.

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.

Mr. Ayala Fuentes is a Chilean-US American nonprofit management and fundraising professional based in New York City. He has been dedicated to working in diverse, culturally-specific, and community-driven cultural and civic spaces. Throughout his more than 10 years of experience, he has supported organizations through periods of mission evolution and leadership transition, managing relationships through change, and creatively engaging diverse teams and external stakeholders and partners, especially in multicultural and diverse settings, including the Latinx and LGBTQ+ community.

Emily Brandt is a doctoral student at the University of Texas, Arlington, where she studies non-profit and citizen participation in poverty alleviation policy implementation. She previously earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of North Texas, where her capstone project researched the Yugoslav Wars’ domestic policy implications. With eleven years of experience in non-profits working in domestic violence prevention, economic development, women’s financial independence, and arts education, Emily is passionate about sustainable non-profit growth, financial transparency, and community support for development initiatives. A Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Emily credits her time working with the YWCA of Armenia with igniting a passion for grassroots development, women-led initiatives, and non-profits’ role in improving lives.

Georgina Capetillo has ten years of non-profit experience and holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from The New School. She earned a graduate certificate in International Conflict Resolution from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Her undergraduate degree is in political science and philosophy from Howard University. Georgina is currently working for the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island as is part of their COVID-19 response team. Her work consists of bilingual outreach, coordinating PPE, and free meal distribution. Georgina managed membership engagement and growth at International Sites of Conscience, a coalition of over 300 museums, memory initiatives, and historical sites that promote transformative justice in civil societies around the globe. Previously, Georgina worked at 360 Campaign Consulting where her work evaluated data and performed outreach to newly registered voters to inform citizens about the democratic process in the United States. Her academic research at The New School centered on democracy and armed forces in Nicaragua, where she lived for 14 years. Both her research and work experience revolve around political education and community engagement in the democratic process. During her work with several civil society organizations, she focused on the relationship between community wellbeing and active citizenry in politics. As an advocate of evidence based practices, her skill set includes data-driven solutions to social participation for collective welfare.

Kate Hibbert brings five years of experience in the nonprofit sector to her Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy program at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She previously held various roles at Global Village Project (GVP) in Decatur, GA, U.S., the only tuition-free middle school dedicated to serving newcomer refugee girls in the United States. As Development and Data Projects Specialist, she managed major campaigns and events for the development team and data projects across departments. As Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Circle co-facilitator, she convened a team to drive forward workplace and communications projects to achieve organizational goals. At the Coalition for Refugee Serving Agencies, she represented GVP at monthly meetings, supported World Refugee Day event planning, and coordinated data collection on the Annual Report committee. In a volunteering capacity, Kate serves on the board of directors for International Education Peace Volunteers, in addition to facilitating intercultural discussions and events and serving as the budding organization’s LinkedIn community manager. Her language skills in French, Spanish, and Arabic were gained through her B.A. in World Languages from Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. Through her nonprofit experience, she has developed strengths in project management, organizational and peer leadership, and cross-functional collaboration. Kate hopes to strengthen DEI, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution efforts in her career in international relations and public service.

Katherine Mahon is the co-founder and CEO of Acquaint (acquaint.org), a nonprofit community of volunteers who overcome the “us and them” mentality through one-on-one conversations. She has four years of experience as a nonprofit leader and four years of experience as a 3D artist and animator. As of August 2022, Acquaint has recruited hundreds of volunteers from over 55 countries. Katherine’s role with Acquaint involves supervising employees and volunteers, building training programs, fostering partnerships, creating video content, managing social media and newsletters, fundraising, and overseeing operations. In 2018, Katherine co-founded HomeAgain VR, which was the predecessor to Acquaint. Until the pandemic, it focused on bringing virtual reality technology into assisted living, medical facilities, and other locations where people had limited mobility. The VR experiences provided an opportunity to explore meaningful and immersive spaces from home. Katherine gained experience building partnerships with various individuals and organizations, including King County (WA), the City of Phoenix, and over 50 facilities. HomeAgain VR recruited several dozen volunteers whose work included socializing with participants and helping them use the VR devices. Katherine was featured on Seattle’s King 5 News, specifically for HomeAgain VR’s work for people living with dementia. HomeAgain VR also created the beginnings of what would later become the Acquaint virtual platform. Katherine currently lives in Bellevue, WA, USA.

Lisa Henry is a humanitarian leader who has worked for the past 25 years in humanitarian response, support to civil society organizations, and human rights work. Lisa’s experience stretches from the Rwandan genocide, the Balkans War, the Ethiopian famine, and the Haiti earthquake. The response was always organized through the input and opinions of local or national organizations and leaders. Affected populations and lived experience are valuable elements in a well-functioning team that relies on strict adherence to human rights. Lisa’s strength is understanding, spotting, and motivating the best response from her team members, while convincing external stakeholders to understand and believe in the results generated.