Mohamed Abdel-Kader serves as USAID’s Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of the Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub. Prior to USAID, Mohamed advised companies, leading NGOs and multilateral organizations, foundations and educational institutions, and government agencies in addressing their most pressing challenges. He served in the Obama administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education in the U.S. Department of Education and later led the Aspen Institute’s Stevens Initiative, an international ed-tech program. He has also served several postsecondary institutions in international strategy and major gift fundraising roles. A speaker of fluent Arabic and basic Spanish, Mohamed is a Truman National Security Fellow, an Eisenhower Fellow, and the author of a children’s book about stereotypes. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Clemson University, a Master’s degree in Higher Education from Vanderbilt University, and an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He is also a trustee of the Longview Foundation for International Education & World Affairs.

Dr. Aldhalimi is the senior mental health advisor in the Inclusive Development Hub in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She works to promote U.S. development assistance that recognizes and respects marginalized groups, including those who have been exposed to potentially traumatic events and human rights violations. As the technical lead for the mental health team, she designs and implements assistance programs for marginalized populations at the intersection of mental health, inclusive development, and human rights with the goal of increasing access to mental health services. She has helped develop and implement inclusion training to employees within the embassies of Morocco, Jamacia, Germany, Egypt, Tanzania, Guinea, Senegal, and Jordan. Along with these programs, she develops tools to be used by USAID country offices and international organizations to develop mental health programs in low-income countries as well as works with governments to advance mental health policy. As a former child refugee, leaving Iraq during the Gulf War, she has dedicated her career to better understanding and meeting the needs of marginalized populations through inclusive United States Government programming, policy, and academic research, on a national and international front.

Zachary Baquet serves as Senior Knowledge Management (KM) Adviser with USAID’s Bureau for Resilience & Food Security (RFS) where he leads efforts on improving the learning enabling environment within the bureau and beyond. Joining USAID in 2008 as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow, he served in USAID’s former Office of Agriculture (2008-2010). In the Office of Agriculture, he worked on food security, the integration of climate change and natural resources management into agriculture programming, and knowledge management issues. Working in the Bureau for Food Security from 2010 to 2020, he oversaw a team that provided support to the bureau around knowledge management, training, open data, and learning agendas. Baquet has an undergraduate degree in Physics and Astronomy, Ph.D. in molecular biology, and did post-doctoral work on neurodegenerative disorders.

Emily Bondank, PhD is a Water Security Sanitation Advisor in the Center for Water at USAID. She facilitates programming in water and sanitation across USAID’s Operating Units by providing on-demand, evidence-based technical assistance, generating research and analytics, designing and delivering training, providing backstop support, and managing central awards. She leads the advancement of water resources management, methane abatement and water quality at the Agency, and backstops USAID offices in Sudan, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and El Salvador. Emily completed her PhD at Arizona State University in the Resilient Infrastructure Lab, where she developed multidisciplinary modeling approaches and decision-support tools to characterize vulnerabilities in interdependent infrastructure systems under a changing climate. She facilitated workshops for industry professionals to consider adaptation strategies and led a global Community of Practice to advance the methods for participatory modeling. She is happiest on the dance floor, cuddling her dog, and hunting for cheap treasures at the thrift store.

Amanda Borth is an Associate Research Professional at Arizona State University’s Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes (CSPO), based in Washington, D.C. At CSPO, she focuses on participatory technology assessment of climate intervention technologies. Amanda is also a Research Fellow at American University’s Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal (IRCR). In 2023, Amanda earned her PhD in Communication from George Mason University (GMU), where she specialized in science and climate change communication. Her previous experiences include working as a Graduate Research Assistant for GMU’s Center for Climate Change Communication, Project Coordinator for IRCR, museum educator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and intern for the US House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Amanda holds a BA in International Studies from American University, Washington D.C.

Matt Bunyi is the director of executive education and strategic initiatives at the Sanford School of Public Policy. He leads the implementation of executive education programming, co-directing and teaching in the Sanford’s executive programs on monitoring and evaluation, development economics, and governance. In addition to executive programming, he leads the development of new research projects and knowledge products across a range of sectors. He previously managed research projects in India for Duke University, overseeing randomized field experiments and process evaluations on government cash transfer programs in India. Before his work at Duke, Matt was a policy and training manager at MIT’s Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South Asia office in New Delhi, India. During his work with J-PAL South Asia, he designed and delivered M&E capacity building programs with government, non-profit and donor partners throughout the region. He also worked with government partners to expand usage of evidence-based policy, focusing on health sector programs in South Asia. Matt is a former Peace Corps volunteer in East Java, Indonesia. He holds a Master of Public Policy from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. He is proficient in Spanish, French and Indonesian.

Lara Campbell, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. PCAST is a federal advisory committee that is the sole body of advisors from outside the federal government charged with making science, technology, and innovation policy recommendations to the President and the White House. Dr. Campbell previously served as a Program Director for the NSF Convergence Accelerator Program, which she helped launch in 2019 and established as part of the new Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships Directorate at NSF in March 2022. The goal of the Convergence Accelerator is to accelerate the transition of use-inspired, convergence research into practice in areas of national importance, providing a path to solving some of society’s most vexing problems. Dr. Campbell also served at NSF in the Office of International Science and Engineering, where she facilitated engagement by NSF and US researchers with the Middle East and Africa, served as international liaison for the NSF Directorate for Engineering, and coordinated interagency efforts with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Bank. Prior to joining NSF, Dr. Campbell served as Director of the nonprofit CUBRC Center for International Science and Technology Advancement, where she developed, managed, and supported international cooperative research activities funded by the US government, including USAID, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense. Dr. Campbell was a Fulbright Scholar in the Middle East (Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates) exploring innovation development. She also led teams at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), providing advice and guidance on science and technology infrastructure improvement and capacity building. She holds a BA in Chemistry from Rice University and a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Chuck Cushman is Dean of Academics at the US Naval Community College, a new educational institution authorized by Congress in 2022. He is an accomplished senior academic executive, with service in both civilian and military colleges, along with experience in uniform, as a Hill staffer, and as a defense consultant. Previously, Dr. Cushman was an associate provost at the National Defense University, where he worked on organizational reform, institutional research, library support to students and faculty, strategic use of the wargaming center, and he helped write the University strategic plan. He was Dean of Academics for five years in the College of International Security Affairs. In a decade at the Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University, Dr. Cushman directed the Legislative Affairs and Political Management master’s programs, and was Associate Dean, College of Professional Studies. In addition, he was Director of the School and a lead instructor in GSPM’s innovative governance program, a joint effort between GW and 15 top universities in Latin America. As a Senior Fellow at Georgetown’s Government Affairs Institute, he taught executive branch officials how to work with Congress. He was also a defense consultant working on force structure and strategy for Headquarters, US Air Force; the Office of the Secretary of Defense; and the Space Commission. He was director of legislative relations for an advocacy group working to advance peace in the Middle East. He covered defense, foreign policy, and veterans’ affairs as Legislative Assistant to Rep. David Price (D-NC). Chuck Cushman is a graduate of the US Military Academy, earning a B.S. in International Relations. He served for nine years on active duty as an Armor officer commanding troops and serving in staff assignments in West Germany, Ft. Knox, KY, and on the faculty in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point. He earned his MA and Ph.D. in American Politics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Emmanuella Delva joined USAID as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow in 2011. She first served as an advisor to the Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and then moved to Indonesia, to be the Higher Education/Science and Technology Advisor for USAID/Indonesia. She currently serves as the Managing Director for Research in the ITR Hub. She received her Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (focus on Cell Biology) from Emory University and holds a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Women Studies from the University of Richmond.

Mahmud Farooque is the Associate Director of the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes (CSPO), a Clinical Professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS), and a Senior Global Futures Scholar in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory (GFL) at the Arizona State University Washington Center. Mahmud’s work at the intersection academic research and policy practice focuses on participatory technology assessment (pTA) and reconciling the supply and demand (RSD) for scientific information. Mahmud is the principal coordinator of Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology (ECAST) has convened over 50 forums in more than 20 U.S. cities engaging 3000 representatively diverse participants on wide ranging issues from biodiversity and asteroids to climate intervention research and human gene editing. These innovative projects were made possible through support from different U.S. federal agencies like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) and philanthropies such as the Alfred P. Sloan, Kettering, and Charles Koch Foundations. The network model and commitment to continuous learning and innovation have allowed for sufficient flexibility to develop a reflexive pTA method that can be replicated and scaled from the local and regional, to the national and global levels. Applied across a range of topics, the method has generated inputs for decision-makers, often in response to specific demand for such inputs, in the public, private, nongovernmental, and academic sectors.Notable outcomes to date include contribution towards the creation of Planetary Defense Coordination Office at NASA, development of a community resilience theory of change framework at NOAA, and promotion as a method to improve equity by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Mahmud is an editorial board member of TATuP – Journal for Technology Assessment in Theory and Practice and advisory board member of ISE — Institute for a Sustainable Earth at George Mason University. Prior to joining CSPO, Mahmud was the Deputy Director of Policy Programs at the New York Academy of Science, Director of Collaborative Research at City University of New York, Associate Director for Research Development at Northwestern University, and Managing Director of USDOT Research Center at Purdue University. Mahmud’s expertise focuses on innovation systems, research management, knowledge co-production, policy entrepreneurship, and participatory technology assessment.

Megan is a Monitoring and Evaluation and Communications specialist with over 15 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. Her work has included all aspects of performance monitoring, as well as designing, implementing, and commissioning performance, process, and impact evaluations. She have proven skills in capacity building of staff at all levels of experience, project design, business development, grants management, budget management, curriculum development, website content management, and communications strategies that include presenting research and evaluation findings to diverse audiences. She has experience in multiple sectors, including education, environment, women’s economic empowerment, rule of law and stabilization, democracy and governance, humanitarian, internet freedom and digital security, and media development. She has worked in the field with local and international colleagues and partners in locations across Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Eurasia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Having joined NRDC as chief science officer in February 2023, Dr. Ticora V. Jones is leading the efforts to expand the vision for science and the Science Office at NRDC to support the scientific and evidence-based nucleus for organizational strategy and advocacy. Dr. Jones served nearly 15 years at USAID (United States Agency for International Development) in a number of roles, including most recently as agency chief scientist, executive director for innovation, technology & research, and managing director for research. As agency chief scientist, Jones chaired the Research and Development Council, which was responsible for revising and instituting science policy; advocated for process changes to better support scientific integrity and research generation and use; and led efforts to expand USAID’s interagency role in international science and technology cooperation for deeper strategic partnerships with the U.S. government. This included renewing USAID’s agreement with NASA to strengthen collaborations for addressing the climate crisis, food insecurity, and other humanitarian challenges. She also regularly hosted outreach and engagement sessions to bring together technical communities to highlight emerging technology and policy priorities for mutual benefit. Through her time as the managing director for research, Dr. Jones created research and development programs for the agency that built bridges between development professionals and researchers, advancing a multidisciplinary lens on science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. This included establishing the Higher Education Solutions Network, a collaboration of development labs that included seven universities and more than 600 partners building scientific, technical, innovation, entrepreneurial, and other connections to increase the impact on international development and transform donor-academia relationships.

Michelle L’Archeveque Jones leads the Fellowships Team within the Research Division in the ITR Hub in the Bureau for Inclusive Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation (IPI/ITR/R) at USAID. She joined the Agency as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2012. Prior to graduate school she taught high school biology in Charlotte, NC with Teach For America. She holds a MSPH in Microbiology and Emerging Infectious Disease from The George Washington University and a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Mount Holyoke College.

Tyrell serves as a Senior Agriculture Advisor in the Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security at United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He manages multiple terrestrial and aquatic livestock research partnerships with universities and international agricultural research organizations that work to develop and scale evidence-based solutions to agricultural and food security challenges around the world. He also provides technical advice on food security programming, strategy development, and agricultural research and innovation. He is trained as a veterinarian, board certified as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, and has a Master’s in Development Practice.

Maggie Linak is a Program Officer and Senior Scientist with USAID in the Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub (IPI/ITR) where she focuses on sourcing, piloting, and scaling research and innovations.  These programs span the globe and work to build and understand resilience, support innovation with, for, and by local communities, evaluate systems and approaches to support international development, provide training and research in cross disciplinary areas, and translate research findings to decision makers. Before joining USAID in 2013, she worked for the Senate Majority Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and is a chemical engineer by training with a background in experimental and computational biomedical research and genetic engineering

Genevieve Maricle serves as a Senior Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Advisor in the Office of Policy, and co-chair of the Agency’s HDP Task Team to define a USAID reform agenda as fragility and protracted crises rise around the world. She recently completed a detail to the National Security Council, where she served as the Director for Global Development. Prior to that, she served as USAID Senior Advisor, Climate and Environment and lead on international climate policy at USAID. She previously worked at the World Wildlife Fund, where she served as Director of Climate Policy Action at WWF-US, and Global Strategic Political Opportunities Manager for WWF's Climate and Energy Practice. In these roles, she led WWF's climate ambition and diplomacy work, the America Is All In coalition (comprised of over 5000 businesses, cities, states, universities, tribes, faith institutions, and local communities committed to climate action), and the Forest, Food, and Land Challenge for the Global Climate Action Summit. Genevieve also served as senior policy advisor on sustainable development and climate change to Administrator Power in her role as U.S. Ambassador to the UN. Genevieve led USUN's efforts surrounding both the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and for the latter, served as the deputy lead U.S. negotiator. She started her career at USAID, as a American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow and climate and development policy advisor, where she led policy efforts on the 2030 Development Agenda/SDGs, USAID's engagement in the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, and a range of additional climate and development policy matters. She oversaw the release of USAID’s first Climate Change and Development Strategy, and helped to set strategic budget priorities for the newly formed Global Climate Change Initiative in 2009. She received her BA in mathematics and environmental science from Northwestern University, and PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder in climate science policy.

Michael Metzler serves as the Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Inclusive Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation (IPI). Prior to his current role, he served as the Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator of the USAID Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Hub & the Center for Economic and Market Development (EMD). In addition, he served as the Executive Director of the PSE Hub in which he oversaw the Agency’s PSE Modernize Initiative, an enterprise-wide reform effort to modernize core Agency systems to accelerate and bring to scale USAID’s engagement with the private sector. Prior to IPI, Mr. Metzler was the Director of USAID’s Development Credit Authority (DCA) in which he successfully led efforts that mobilized over $6 billion of new financing for development projects in over 80 countries. He was also a leading Agency voice on the development of the BUILD Act, which created the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and managed the successful merger of the DCA office and program into the DFC. Prior to his DCA work, Mr. Metzler served as the Director of USAID's Economic Growth Office in Serbia, where he managed a diverse portfolio of projects focused on regulatory reform, local economic development, agriculture, enterprise competitiveness and economic security. Mr. Metzler has also served as a special assistant and adviser to several USAID administrators on issues related to financial markets, macroeconomic policy and regulatory reform. Before joining USAID, he was the director of a national house-building program for Habitat for Humanity International and served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Nepal. Mr. Metzler is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, where he studied development finance and economics.

Kira E. Mock is the SDF Fellowships Program Manager after serving as the SDF HEI Engagement Manager since her start with USmax in October 2023. Previously, she was a Program Manager at Ripple Effect, Inc. with Strategic Staffing. Prior to her time at Ripple Effect, she was a Senior Program Manager for Energy, Environment & Agriculture in the S&T Policy Fellowships Program at AAAS (publisher of Science and Science & Diplomacy). She brings over a decade of experience managing selection and placement of a competitive science policy fellowships program for scientists to advise Executive Branch Agencies, and 14 years of experience working with USAID cooperative development research programs at the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). Kira launched the scientific peer review process for the Middle East Regional Cooperation Program through the USAID Research Support Program in Policy and Global Affairs at NASEM. She is expert in managing international cooperative applied scientific research grants programs in multiple disciplines and fellowship programs. Her expertise includes managing innovative scientific capacity building programs and oversight of peer review panels/selection committees, international cooperation, proposal review and logistics. Kira possesses strong diplomacy, negotiating, and career consulting skills having worked with scientists on their career aspirations for over a decade while at AAAS. She has traveled extensively, both domestically and internationally, and speaks fluent German.

As President of USmax Corporation, David establishes strategic partnerships with major prime contractors and leading industry vendors. He actively participates in industry professional organizations and local community and charitable organizations. David has extensive experience working with Federal Civilian and DoD agencies. He is a champion of promoting, facilitating, and supporting teaming and partnering relationships with firms whose services complement those of USmax. David received a B.S. in Agribusiness from the University of Maryland at College Park. He resides in Fairfax, VA with his family.

As CEO of USmax Corporation, Erin is responsible for establishing strategic direction and company growth. In her role, Erin determines long term investments, and maintains the financial success of the company. Erin’s experience spans management and leadership roles with multinational corporations including Hyundai and Sheraton Group. In her various leadership roles, she has successfully managed and delivered on complex enterprise technical and administrative programs. Erin holds a B.S in English Literature from the University of Western Sydney, a M.A. in Translation and Interpreting from Macquarie University (both from Sydney, Australia) and a M.A. in TESOL from SungkyunKwan University (Seoul, Korea).

Dr. Paul Rivera is a catalyst for positive change through his multifaceted career in diplomacy, strategic coaching, academia, and international economics. As the co-founder of BeActChange, his mission is to spark profound growth and alignment in individuals, teams, and organizations worldwide. Paul applies his expertise in strategic planning and professional facilitation to strengthen communities and organizations through shared visioning and action-oriented planning. As an international development economist specializing in locally led and systems-based approaches, Dr. Rivera applies his deep expertise to securing widespread buy-in and fostering long-lasting positive impact in communities worldwide. Specializing in high-threat environments, Paul facilitates innovative and transformative solutions in challenging and conflict-affected situations worldwide. A first-generation American and proud Latino, Dr. Rivera holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Southern California, and he is a polyglot, a passionate globetrotter, and a lifelong practitioner of jiu jitsu.

Cynthia Robinson is Executive Director of the USAID Science for Development Fellowships, managed by the USmax Corporation. She has more than 25 years of experience leading organizations, programs, and communications across nonprofit, government, academic, and philanthropic sectors in the U.S. and internationally. Her expertise is directing public service professional development fellowships for scientists and engineers that focus on applying S&T to address global challenges. In additional to her current role, for more than 12 years Cynthia directed the Science & Technology Policy Fellowships at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation, and the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program. In addition, she has advised the creation and operation of S&T fellowship programs launched across the U.S. and around the world. Her commitment to public service and international development began as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, where she served first in Thailand and then in The Gambia. A native of Maine, Cynthia received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University, completed the Sea Semester program in marine science with the Sea Education Association, and holds a master's degree in urban and environmental policy from Tufts University. She is a recipient of the Switzer Foundation Environmental Leadership Fellowship, and a UNEP Fellowship in International Environmental Management.

Dr. Ryan Shelby is a Career Diplomat and Congressional Liaison Officer serving within USAID’s Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) since 2023. Previously, he served as a Career Diplomat and Supervisory Foreign Service Engineering Officer in the US Diplomatic Mission to South Africa (2019-2023); in the US Diplomatic Mission to Haiti (2017-2019), managing a team that concentrated on climate resilient infrastructure, housing rehabilitation, clean energy systems, and Disaster Risk Reduction; and as a Senior Energy Engineering Advisor within USAID’s Office of Energy & Infrastructure (2013-2017), where he supported and led the Powering Agriculture: Grand Challenge for Development and served as the main infrastructure and construction expert for 15 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining USAID in 2013, Dr. Shelby was a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Science, Technology, & Innovation Fellow; a Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellow; a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow; and a J. Herbert Hollomon Fellow in the Program Office of the National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Shelby completed his PhD and his M.S. at UC Berkeley in Mechanical Engineering and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University, with a concentration in propulsion systems.

Adam Tomasek is a career official with USAID, having served in both the foreign and civil service. A member of the Senior Leadership Team of the IPI Bureau’s Private Sector Engagement Hub, he guides the Agency's technology and human capital transformation efforts to build dynamic external partnerships and enhance engagement with business and industry to advance foreign policy and sustainable development. He is responsible for designing and implementing the $40 million enterprise CRM platform, as well as formalizing, training and coordinating the Agency’s 180 global staff dedicated to Private Sector Engagement. Previously he led the team that established the first $50 million Enterprises for Development, Growth and Empowerment (EDGE) Fund, served as global lead for private sector engagement on the USG’s international COVID Task Force leveraging over $500 million in partner investments, and co-designed $80 million in debt swaps between the U.S. Government and Government of Indonesia under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA). He is a member of the National Security Council’s Interagency Policy Committee on Partnerships and Global Engagement, and sits on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. Prior to USAID, Adam spent over a decade working with NGOs, Fortune 500 companies and multilateral organizations with a focus on climate change, environmental policy and supply chain sustainability projects in more than 40 countries. He was an adjunct professor at American University and served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer and Technical Trainer. Adam received a BSc from the University of Michigan, MSc from Cal Poly, International Business Management and Leadership degree from IMD (Switzerland), and has completed executive programs at MIT Sloan, Harvard Business School, and Yale School of Management.

Dr. Meera Venkatesan is the USAID Malaria Division Chief and the Agency Lead for the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). In her role, she provides strategic, technical, and operational leadership for PMI, the U.S. Government’s largest program leading the fight against malaria. PMI currently works in 27 partner countries in sub-Saharan Africa and three programs in the Greater Mekong Subregion, which encompass about 90% of the global malaria burden. Dr. Venkatesan joined USAID/PMI as a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in 2013. Prior to her appointment as PMI Agency Lead in 2023, she served as USAID’s Malaria Division's Case Management, Monitoring, and Evaluation Branch Chief and Case Management Team lead, overseeing PMI’s investments in diagnosis, treatment, quality of care, and antimalarial resistance. Before joining USAID/PMI, Dr. Venkatesan was a research associate at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a scientific coordinator for the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network. She completed her doctoral studies in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a focus on mosquito-borne disease ecology.

Lenore is the SDF Professional Development Manager and oversees professional development, coaching, and mentoring fellows in the program. Previously, she supported USAID through the Human Capital and Talent Management Center for Professional Development, developing professional development and team-building curricula used through USAID University programming and office-based requests. She coached and trained foreign service, civil service, contract staff and fellows. She is certified in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and CliftonStrengths® assessments and designed course curricula for both assessments. Lenore has more than 20 years of experience in university career services, focusing on coaching, teaching, small-group facilitation, and professional development. She served as an adjunct professor at the George Washington University, co-developing the curriculum and teaching sections of the career and academic development course for the Elliott School of International Affairs. Prior to her career in higher education and professional development, she was a researcher and writer with Congressional Quarterly and a policy research analyst with the American Institutes for Research. Lenore has a Master of Education in Counseling and Development from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Virginia.

Dr. Esther Zeledón is a master of transforming aspirations into tangible, actionable realities. Her profound expertise with international organizations, corporations, NGOs, and individuals bridges the abstract with positive action, generating lasting, transformative, and empowering results in all her endeavors. Embodying the resilient spirit of a Latina immigrant, her trailblazing career as a former diplomat, best selling author, speaker, workshop facilitator, international life coach, entrepreneur, and scientist has transformed the lives and careers of thousands worldwide. A renowned expert in Localization and Systems Thinking approaches, her work builds on clear mission, vision, and purpose to motivate aligned action and build resilience that leads to authentic Collective Power. Drawing from her wealth of experience with communities, corporations, cultures, and countries worldwide, Dr. Zeledón has developed a powerful formula for balanced success and brilliant productivity encapsulated in her best-selling book and workbook, "Creating Your Limitless Life," that blends her personal memoir with her life-changing "how to" methodology. Through her entrepreneurial journey and the global movement, she has initiated, Dr. Zeledón fulfills her purpose of elevating individuals and organizations to shatter limits and trailblaze new paths.