Scholars

Abubakar Kagermanov has six years of experience in the nonprofit sector and two years of work in university. Abubakar graduated from Grozny State Oil Technical University in Russia. During his second year of studies, he realized his goal of working to solve social problems in the local community. He couldn’t leave the university, as his parents were paying tuition fees and they had their own expectations. But it didn’t stop him from volunteering at local NGOs and creating his own social projects focused around conflict management, peacebuilding, communication, and human rights. After graduating from university, he started to work as an Assistant Director of the local NGO “Youth the Future.” In 2017 Abubakar received a scholarship for his Master of Arts on Theory and Technology of Social Work at Chechen State University.To this day, he is continuing his research on the topic: Socialization of Children with Disabilities in the Chechen Republic. He also created a project on socialization of children with disabilities and is still engaged in the project as a volunteer. For the last five years, the project helped more than 220 children and involved more than 150 volunteers. Since 2013, Abubakar participated in different long term programs and has won grants to support his local activities and projects. For the last two years, he has worked at the Chechen State University. Thanks to this job, he was able to attract young people’s attention to certain social problems, create new workshops, and facilitate sessions for the students to improve their soft skills and find creative solutions for complex social issues.

Alena Kondiurina has more than seven years of professional experience in the field of business and financial analysis. Alena holds a Master’s degree in World Economy and a Bachelor’s degree in Financial Management from the Higher School of Economics. Currently, she works as a manager at the international consulting and audit company KPMG AO and focuses on financial analysis of various businesses. She has volunteered with multiple NGOs around the world such as microfinance companies in India and community organizations in Kenya, Uganda, and Cambodia. The core focus of Alena’s volunteer work is women empowerment and helping them improve their financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills. She organized financial literacy courses in several communities in Kenya and worked alongside NGOs in entrepreneurship projects for women in India, Uganda, and Greece. In 2020, she completed a fundraising strategy development project for Russian NGOs. Through her volunteer work and primary job she acquired skills such as management and coordination skills and financial acumen which are all essential for any organization. Through her participation in the Virtual Leadership Institute, Alena wants to develop a plan to bring forward financial literacy initiatives in rural and urban areas in Russia.

Alexandra Bakiewicz has years of experience in communications and engagement, and she has earned her degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York, Polytechnic Institute. In 2018, Alexandra founded the digital communications firm AM Bakiewicz Consulting. Having been employed at a variety of companies and international non-profits across the United States, Alexandra has worked tirelessly to amplify her clients’ voices in the digital world. While working at international non-profits, she has developed digital media strategies to further her clients’ missions on an international level. Alexandra strives to uplift the voices of emerging social sector leaders worldwide. It is her personal passion and mission to make sure their stories are continuously told.

Alice Aluoch is a Senior Associate for Grassroots Expansion at RESULTS. She is responsible for starting new RESULTS advocacy chapters and developing partnerships with like-minded organizations interested in learning about global health issues including child survival, child nutrition, diseases of poverty, and learning advocacy skills. She also leads RESULTS efforts to reach more diverse underrepresented communities in the RESULTS movement, with a particular focus on African Diaspora with direct experience related to RESULTS global campaigns. She has over seven years of experience in health advocacy, social justice, and economic empowerment on women and girls, as well as significant experience in grassroots organizing, advocating with members of congress, and community engagement. Alice has firsthand experience in living and working in developing countries. Previously, she worked as a network engineer in Kenya leading technology firms and — after personally experiencing the inequality and vulnerability that young women living in poverty in Kenya face — Alice founded Mfariji Africa, an initiative focused on ensuring girls and young women to complete their education. In 2014, she served as a Global Youth Ambassador for A World at School, a global movement of young leaders working to get every child in school. In 2015, she was awarded the Social Entrepreneur Award of the year by Start Up Africa for her commitment to empowering young girls. She is also a recipient of a three-year fellowship from the Vital Voices which offers training and mentorship to women who are pioneering change for women and girls in communities and countries across the globe. She joined RESULTS in 2014 and started the RESULTS Delaware chapter where she was a group leader for 3 years before transitioning to full time staff.

Anastasiia Beltiukova has four years of experience in the non-profit sector and earned a Master of Law degree at Voronežskij Gosudarstvennyj Universitet. With diverse experience in program and event management, strategic marketing communication, and fundraising, Anastasiia works as a Program Manager directing a team of 20 people across Europe and Asia Pacific. She leads economical and cultural projects in partnership with UN Women, OHCHR, EU international missions, Misereor Foundation, Chanel Foundation, Mercedes, Sephora, DBS, and Virgin, among others. Anastasiia’s coordinator role in such a dynamic field, as humanitarian initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region, involves providing support to four project managers and coordinates an average of 10 concurrent public events dealing with humanitarian topics each month. She planned and monitored project schedules, budgets, selection process, partnership, content planning, data analytics, resources, and communication, as well as drafting external materials and reports. She specialized in maintaining detailed project documentation, which ensures all project stakeholders were informed of scope, milestones, and deliverables. Thanks to her intercultural experience, Anastasiia has the communication skills needed to work with the teams involved in order to help them develop plans to complete projects on time and build relationships with internal stakeholders. Anastasiia is particularly interested in human rights, especially gender equality and human rights education and advocacy, community development, and fundraising.

Ankita Saha is a Development Professional with over four years of experience in the non-profit sector, specifically in the field of Education. She earned a Master’s degree in English Literature from Visva Bharati University in India. She is a passionate advocate of every child’s fundamental Right to Education. To help the primary grade students continue their learning process during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ankita developed a digital learning curriculum of Environmental Science while working as a Curriculum Developer in an EdTech organization. Previously, Ankita worked with Kaivalya Education Foundation as a Program Leader in Delhi for two years. There, as an Instructional Design Specialist, she developed numerous pedagogy-based learning modules for students; and facilitated multiple andragogy-based Capacity Building workshops for teachers to improve students’ foundational literacy and numeracy skills with the integration of 21st-century skills. She was closely associated with NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog’s ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ program. There, she was responsible to lead the ‘Accelerated Learning Program’ in the underdeveloped districts of Uttar Pradesh, India by developing and implementing activity-based learning modules to enhance students’ foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Ankita additionally pursued the Gandhi Fellowship program and spent two intensive years in rural Rajasthan to spread awareness on different social issues. She immersed herself with the village community to understand and empathize with the rural problems and identify solutions through a participatory approach. She worked closely with the education system of Rajasthan to bring a sustainable impact on the school learning environment and the learning outcomes of students. Through these experiences, she developed meaningful communication, design thinking, technology, documentation, data analysis, and facilitation skills. She aims to continue her work as a Catalyst for Social Change for underprivileged children, by developing and implementing impactful Learning Experiences.

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.

Areen Dweekat is a Palestinian lawyer. She started her job as a public interest lawyer in 2015 at the National Institution for Human Rights in Palestine. In 2019, she received the Open Society Foundation Scholarship to earn her Master’s degree in law from Syracuse University in New York and she graduated in 2020. During her job, she focuses on marginalized groups’ rights, including women, persons with disabilities, refugees, and persons in prisons and detention centers.