Our Team
Partners
Timothy seeks to accelerate economic development and empower local communities through his work at Making Cents. He has over 25 years of experience in coalition building, program management, local capacity development, and technical service delivery. Tim is an expert in financial inclusion, having managed both nation-wide financial sector development projects as well as programs focused on strengthening financial institutions. Most recently, he has worked on developing digital financial services across the Middle East. At Making Cents, Tim serves as President, building partnerships, managing overall operations, advancing the company-wide strategic plan, and supporting the company’s financial services portfolio. In his free time, Tim promotes the local food movement through support to his family’s 300 year-old farm.
Tijana has 18 years of international development experience focused on capturing and pursuing new business. She has managed business development and proposal teams that have generated more than $1.7 billion in new funding from US Government agencies, foundations, corporations, and multilateral and bilateral donors. At Making Cents, she designs and executes the company’s business development strategy and cultivates relationships with clients and partners. When she is not working, Tijana enjoys watching unhealthy amounts of Serbian TV, frets over human extinction at the hands of AI-powered robots, and dreams that one day (before the said extinction) she will be able to afford a Tesla.
Susan brings more than 20 years of experience managing international development projects, with expertise in project implementation, financial management, and contract compliance. She has managed projects funded by USAID, other bilateral donors, and foundations and served as key personnel on projects valued at greater than $350 million cumulatively. Prior to joining Making Cents, Susan worked on USAID human capital development initiatives at the Public Health Institute and the Centre for Development and Population Activities. At Making Cents, Susan leads the Project Delivery Unit, responsible for the sound, effective, and client-focused implementation of the company’s portfolio of projects. In her not-so-free time, Susan enjoys hiking with her energetic family, cooking off script, and always cheering for the Red Sox, especially when they play the Yankees.
Christy is a youth programming and monitoring and evaluation expert with more than 25 years of experience working on youth projects in the US and internationally. Over the course of her career, she has collaborated with international organizations, local NGOs, and bilateral and multilateral donors to build the field of positive youth development. At Making Cents, she oversees the company’s technical services across all practice areas: economic opportunities; women’s empowerment; youth development; and monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning. After working on her own meditation practice for more than 20 years, Christy recently became a certified meditation instructor.
Hillary brings more than 15 years of experience developing rural livelihoods and building the capacity of local partner organizations. She has worked on value chain development, youth savings and lending, and eco-tourism projects throughout West Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, including many conflict and post-conflict environments. During her near-decade overseas, she served as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia. At Making Cents, Hillary leads the economic opportunity practice, supporting market systems development, inclusive livelihoods, and rural development projects through assessments, program design, curriculum development, and capacity building. Hillary lives on a cattle ranch in Wyoming where she ‘practices what she preaches’ by living and working agri-business and rural livelihoods development.Partners
Timothy Nourse
President and CEO
Timothy seeks to accelerate economic development and empower local communities through his work at Making Cents. He has over 25 years of experience in coalition building, program management, local capacity development, and technical service delivery. Tim is an expert in financial inclusion, having managed both nation-wide financial sector development projects as well as programs focused on supporting individual financial institutions. Most recently, he has worked on developing inclusive lending products for women and migrants in Latin America, the Caribbean and Middle East. At Making Cents, Tim serves as President, building partnerships, managing overall operations, advancing the company-wide strategic plan, and supporting the company’s financial services portfolio. In his free time, Tim promotes the local food movement through support to his family’s 300 year-old farm.
Tijana Dabic
Senior Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships
Tijana has 18 years of international development experience focused on capturing and pursuing new business. She has managed business development and proposal teams that have generated more than $1.7 billion in new funding from US Government agencies, foundations, corporations, and multilateral and bilateral donors. At Making Cents, she designs and executes the company’s business development strategy and cultivates relationships with clients and partners. When she is not working, Tijana enjoys watching unhealthy amounts of Serbian TV, frets over human extinction at the hands of AI-powered robots, and dreams that one day (before the said extinction) she will be able to afford a Tesla.
Susan Masse
Chief Operating Officer
Susan brings more than 20 years of experience managing international development projects, with expertise in project implementation, financial management, and contract compliance. She has managed projects funded by USAID, other bilateral donors, and foundations and served as key personnel on projects valued at greater than $350 million cumulatively. Prior to joining Making Cents, Susan worked on USAID human capital development initiatives at the Public Health Institute and the Centre for Development and Population Activities. At Making Cents, Susan leads project delivery, communications, and operations functional areas, and oversees the company’s economic opportunities, gender equity and social inclusion, and democracy, human rights, and governance practice areas. In her not-so-free time, Susan enjoys hiking with her energetic family, cooking off script, and always cheering for the Red Sox, especially when they play the Yankees.
Dr. Christy Olenik
Project Director, IDAMS
Christy is a youth programming and monitoring and evaluation expert with more than 25 years of experience working on youth projects in the US and internationally. Over the course of her career, she has collaborated with international organizations, local NGOs, and bilateral and multilateral donors to build the field of positive youth development. At Making Cents, she oversees the company’s youth development and monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning practice areas. After working on her own meditation practice for more than 20 years, Christy recently became a certified meditation instructor.
Hillary Proctor
Senior Director, Economic Opportunities
Hillary brings more than 15 years of experience developing rural livelihoods and building the capacity of local partner organizations. She has worked on value chain development, youth savings and lending, and eco-tourism projects throughout West Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, including many conflict and post-conflict environments. During her near-decade overseas, she served as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia. At Making Cents, Hillary leads the economic opportunity practice, supporting market systems development, inclusive livelihoods, and rural development projects through assessments, program design, curriculum development, and capacity building. Hillary lives on a cattle ranch in Wyoming where she ‘practices what she preaches’ by living and working agri-business and rural livelihoods development.
US Office Staff
Fizzah Abbasi
Specialist, Youth
Fizzah is an international development professional with a technical focus in project management. She previously worked in grants management, serving as a Program Officer on over 45+ NIH-funded research grants. At Making Cents, Fizzah serves as the Youth Specialist on the YP2LE portfolio, working on the online YouthPower and YouthLead platforms and collaborating with sponsors on the project. In her free time, she works to promote education for girls in Pakistan, and her hobbies include reading, traveling, and shopping.
Christine Allison
Assessment and Design Team Leader, IDAMS
Christy is a pragmatic, mixed-methods researcher and evaluator with over 20 years of experience in international development. She has worked in 56 countries with a philosophy of instilling capacity and leveraging local knowledge to meet development challenges related to poverty alleviation, education, economic growth, and human rights. Her work has included research on a range of issues, such as social inclusion; youth engagement; employment and entrepreneurship; structural transformation; education reform; and measuring social change. At Making Cents, Christy is the Assessment and Design Team Leader for IDAMS, providing technical support for assessments and task order design as well as implementation and team management.
Kambiz Aminishakib
Director, Project Delivery
Kambiz is a program management professional with extensive experience in conceiving, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating international programs. He has overseen the implementation of several programs focused on transparency and capacity strengthening; rights of minorities and marginalized groups; advancing economic and financial capacities at local and national levels; and community engagement. At Making Cents, Kambiz serves as Operations Director for IDAMS. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, and traveling to new places.
Vicky Aridi
Manager, YEO 2030 Initiative
Vicky, a lawyer by training, is an experienced program manager in the youth economic opportunities space. Having worked across 80 countries, she has led a diverse range of programs and research on youth economic opportunities, green jobs, financial inclusion, food security and sustainable development for organizations, such as the Agency for Disability and Development in Africa, Fairtrade Africa, Microsoft, UN Environmental Programme, UN Joint SDG Fund, and UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. She also served on UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited global sounding board as an expert in the youth economic opportunities space. At Making Cents International, she will be responsible for managing the YEO 2030 initiative, a global movement on youth economic opportunities focusing on elevating youth leadership, knowledge exchange between youth and multi stakeholders, and acceleration of the achievement of SDG 8. In her free time, Vicky enjoys travelling the globe and acting.
Reed Atkinson
Associate, Project Delivery
Reed is a recent graduate of the University of Virginia, where he found a passion for international development issues and wrote his senior thesis on the ethics of NGOs in Haiti. Prior to Making Cents, Reed interned with education non-profit Enseña Peru, and assisted on an academic research project on global leaders’ responses to COVID-19. On the Project Delivery team, Reed supports staff on activities in the LACLEARN portfolio. Outside of work, Reed enjoys hiking, canoeing, exploring new music, and playing Ultimate Frisbee.
Samira Bari
Manager, Project Delivery
Samira is an international development practitioner with over 8 years of experience, bringing a wealth of expertise in capacity development, project management, research, and policy analysis. She has collaborated with several projects by international NGOs, bilateral and multilateral donors, and government bodies, with a primary focus on youth engagement, women’s empowerment, food safety, disaster management, and civil society engagement across South Asia, North America, West Africa, and Europe. She also served as an Americorps fellow in Pennsylvania, USA. At Making Cents, she adeptly manages the Y-RIE, INVEST, and IZADJI projects, concentrating on youth resilience, women’s economic empowerment, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). With a passion for continuous learning, in her spare moments, she enjoys acquiring new skills, mastering archery, exploring musical instruments, or embracing the thrill of white-water rafting.
Dr. Sharika Bhattacharya
Advisor, Research, Evaluation, and Learning
Sharika has over a decade of experience engaging in research and evaluation activities for U.S.-based and international projects for a variety of federal and other clients. Her experience and interests span multiple sectors, including youth development, education and economic mobility, workforce development, financial empowerment, and building evaluation capacity. At Making Cents, Sharika serves as Research, Evaluation, and Learning Technical Advisor, overseeing the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning practice area and providing leadership on the design and implementation of these activities. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, seeking out warm weather, and finding new ways to organize her mental and physical space.
Anne Bitga
Senior Director, Project Delivery and Operations
Anne brings more than a decade of experience in international development, serving in a variety of roles focused on program design, research and assessments, curriculum development and training, capacity building, and project management. She has designed customized project strategies and technical assistance approaches for youth livelihoods, financial inclusion, agriculture, and workforce development projects, working in collaboration with local partners in Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. At Making Cents, Anne guides effective and compliant project execution, provides standards for quality assurance for all project-level deliverables, and oversees implementation and further refinement of our project management systems. When she’s not working, Anne enjoys spending time with her infant son, going on hikes with her dog, and road-tripping to see family and friends.
Jake Brostuen
Manager, Business Development
Jake is a business development professional with experience in entrepreneurial development, international project implementation, and small business advocacy. Prior to joining Making Cents, he supported business development efforts and implemented international cybersecurity education projects at Cambridge Global Advisors. He also previously served as a policy professional managing the American Legion’s small business and government contracting advocacy efforts. In his role at Making Cents, Jake supports proposal development, opportunity identification, and stakeholder engagement efforts. In his free time, Jake enjoys discovering historical sites, finding new museums to explore, and visiting National Parks with his wife.
Eva Cantrell
Senior Director, Communications
Eva is an accomplished communications professional with over 15 years of experience developing and implementing print, online, and in-person communications strategies and materials for U.S. and international audiences. She was responsible for brand management and digital media for multi-million-dollar global development organizations, such as Pathfinder International, Digital Green, Plan International USA, and the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA). As Senior Director of Communications at Making Cents, Eva drives and executes the company’s internal and external communications priorities and strategies.
Nicola Chehade
Senior Specialist, Mental Health and Inclusion
Nicola has over 8 years of experience working in development and emergency settings, specifically on social and human protection, development, and diversity and inclusion work. They have actively contributed to humanitarian efforts addressing the Syrian refugee crisis, collaborating with multiple humanitarian organizations in the SWANA region. Nicola’s expertise encompasses gender equity, social inclusion, child and youth development, human rights, livelihood programming, and mental health support. At Making Cents, Nicola plays an active role in shaping inclusive and equitable global mental health and diversity and inclusion policies through programmatic interventions and institutional approaches. Nicola enjoys watching reality TV, eating ice cream out of the container, and a good self-care night with a nice face mask.
Delanté Cherry
Senior Associate, Communications
Delanté is a communications professional with over 4 years of experience in digital media. Prior to Making Cents, he worked as a communications specialist for USAC and as a live broadcast operator at Discovery Inc. and Verizon Media. At Making Cents, he contributes to project-related and corporate communications. Delanté is also a proud member of the National Association of Black Journalists and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Ray Crawford
Senior Manager, HR and Operations
Ray is an accomplished Human Resources (HR) professional with over eight years of business management, talent development, and employee engagement experience. He brings knowledge from a variety of industries including youth education, IT, non-profit, real estate, and health and wellness. At Making Cents, Ray supports employee relations and upholds the organization’s standards by managing policies, enhancing company culture, and maintaining compliance in the HR and Operations departments. In his spare time, he enjoys family game nights, social events, and traveling to new destinations.
Jennifer Davis
Advisor, Gender-Based Violence
Jennifer is a public health practitioner specializing in gender equality and violence against women and girls. Her recent work has focused on design, implementation, and capacity strengthening of gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response programming in complex emergency settings, including South Sudan, Syria, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. At Making Cents, Jennifer supports USAID’s CARE-GBV activity and works across the Business Development, Project Delivery, and Technical Service units to strengthen Making Cents’ women’s empowerment and GBV portfolios. Jennifer is based in the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys spending time in nature and exploring ways to slow down.
Catherine Dudun
Senior Associate, Project Delivery
Catherine, a social worker by training, brings social science research, counseling, and quality assurance experience to the Making Cents Project Delivery team. She has worked with and advocated for vulnerable and marginalized youth at several organizations, including DePaul University’s Center for Community Research, Children’s Home & Aid, National Runaway Safeline, and the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. As a Senior Associate in Project Delivery, Catherine contributes to the implementation of deliverables for the YP2LE and UNITY activities. In her free time, Catherine enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants, traveling, and spending time outdoors.
Stephanie Edmonds
Associate, Operations
Stephanie leveraged her passion for working with people into a career in operations. Previously, Stephanie garnered over six years of experience as an operations contractor at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In her role at Making Cents, she is responsible for supporting company operations, including IT, facilities management, reconciliations, and document management. In Stephanie’s free time she enjoys baking, Tiktoking, and analyzing social media trends and data.
Cintya Flores
Senior Manager, Democracy, Rights, and Governance
Cintya is an accomplished international development professional with over 15 years of experience managing multisectoral portfolios, encompassing public health, democracy and governance, and private sector engagement. Fluent in English and Spanish, Cintya worked in numerous countries in Latin America, Africa, and South Asia. She brings extensive knowledge in project management, grant management, and advocacy, with a strategic focus on new funding requests, partnerships, and social investments. At Making Cents, Cintya supports the implementation of the LACLEARN and ATARI projects. In her free time, Cintya enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering in her community.
Rosa Hassan De Ferrari
Manager, Project Delivery
Rosa is an international development researcher and practitioner dedicated to women’s health, gender equality, and human rights, with eight years of global experience in Latin America, Asia, and the United States. Her career has focused on creating and advocating for gender-informed policies through data-driven research and analysis, from working with traditional birth attendants to deliver intimate partner violence prevention information to collaborating with refugees to improve menstrual health within their communities. At Making Cents, Rosa works on multiple projects in the Project Delivery Unit, including LACLEARN and the Serbia SME Impact Evaluation. Outside of work, Rosa can usually be found traveling, dabbling in special effects makeup, and advocating for migrant rights.
Megan Heinrichs
Manager, Knowledge Management and Online Communities
Megan has over 20 years of experience curating, organizing, and disseminating evidence-based information and knowledge for health and human service professionals dedicated to providing innovative, equitable, and culturally sensitive care. She has led numerous projects collaborating with subject matter experts to create and share content with a national audience and managed various cross-departmental knowledge management initiatives. At Making Cents, Megan supports the development and evolution of knowledge management hubs, including the YouthLead.org and YouthPower.org platforms for the YP2LE activity. In her spare time, she likes to read, learn new things, and travel.
Sibani Karki
Senior Specialist, Gender
Sibani brings a decade of experience in international development, primarily working for prominent international development organizations in D.C. and New York. In these roles, she led the preparation, design, and implementation of operations in low- and middle-income countries, focusing on women’s economic empowerment and social inclusion. Sibani serves as a Senior Gender Specialist, providing support for USAID’s CARE-GBV activities. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, often making and sharing delicious meals together.
Cherece Lindsay
Associate, Finance
Cherece brings more than a decade of on-the-job experience in finance and development from Johns Hopkins University. While there, she played a key role in multiple successful financial campaigns that funded critical research and educational expansion. At Making Cents, she contributes to finance and operations activities through accounts payable and receivable, daily cashflow, and payroll processing. In her free time, Cherece enjoys Marvel movies and attending comic conventions.
Lauren Littles
Senior Specialist, Economic Opportunities
Lauren is an international development professional with over three years of experience designing and leading capacity building, entrepreneurship, and community health projects. Before joining Making Cents, she worked as Development Coordinator through AmeriCorps in Seattle and as a Health Outreach Specialist through the Peace Corps in Mozambique. As a Specialist with the Economic Opportunities team, Lauren contributes technical assistance to projects within Making Cents’ Economic Opportunities practice area. In addition to International Development, she is passionate about scuba diving, traveling, live music, and exploring D.C.
Merry Liu
Staff Accountant
Merry has over 15 years of experience in the financial and accounting fields as a dedicated accounting professional, working with a wide range of organizations, including non-profits, universities, and government contracts. At Making Cents, she serves as the staff account responsible for supporting financial management and reporting for the company. Outside of work, Merry enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking, and traveling.
Asta Musa
Specialist, Inclusive Research, Evaluation, and Learning
Asta is an international development professional with over a decade of experience in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL). She has supported development efforts for a wide range of projects and programs, including those focusing on health and economic development. At Making Cents, Asta serves as a Research, Evaluation, and Learning Specialist on the IDAMS project, where she supports the implementation of the inclusive development framework. She enjoys spending time with family and travelling.
Claudia Nicholson
Assessment and Design Team Leader, IDAMS
Claudia brings over 25 years of experience in research and evaluation in North America and the Caribbean. In North America, she worked with two well renown social policy research organizations, including MDRC in New York City and the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation in Ottawa, Canada, evaluating a broad spectrum of government social policies using randomized control trials. In the Caribbean, her research and evaluation focused primarily on women and youth. On IDAMS, she leads assessment and design teams, supporting clients in creating more inclusive development programming. Claudia is from the Caribbean Island of Grenada and lives there part of the year. She loves backyard gardening and caring for her dogs.
Justine O’Sullivan
Advisor, Youth and Inclusion
Justine is an international development professional specializing in gender, youth, and intersectional identities. Prior to Making Cents, she worked at Women Deliver where she co-managed a fellowship for youth advocating for sexual and reproductive health and gender equity. She has also managed multiple programs and grant making initiatives to increase representation in journalism at the International Women’s Media Foundation and supported the Mandela Washington Fellowship at IREX. At Making Cents, Justine provides project management, leadership, and strategic guidance on youth and inclusive development principles and practices. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, reading, baking, and managing her mischievous cat.
Dr. Chelsea Pallatino
Senior Specialist, Research, Evaluation, and Learning
Chelsea brings more than a decade of research and project management experience in the U.S. and abroad related to gender and development. Her primary areas of expertise include gender equity, women’s empowerment, reproductive health, and gender-based violence. Prior to joining Making Cents, Chelsea worked with the United Nations Development Programme on their Gender Equality in Public Administration (GEPA) initiative and served as a Commissioner on the City of Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission under the Office of the Mayor. At Making Cents, she is responsible for guiding qualitative and quantitative research activities and program design, implementation, analysis, evaluation, and dissemination that integrates strengths-based approaches. In her free time, Chelsea enjoys running and hiking.
Grace Park
Senior Associate, Project Delivery
Grace has experience planning and delivering activities, projects, and services that engage young people, both in the United States and abroad. She served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Children and Families and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi. These hands-on, grassroots-driven opportunities allowed her to listen and learn from community members as experts of their own lived experiences. Grace’s work at Making Cents allows her to implement her social work values and principles, as well as her project management experience and skills on USAID’s IDAMS activity. When offline, Grace enjoys anything that can be done with good company and good food.
Leah Pomerantz
Manager, Project Delivery
Leah has eight years of experience in research, project management, and public health. Before joining Making Cents, she conducted health services research with pregnant and parenting women diagnosed with substance use disorders. In her previous roles, she has managed projects expanding access to contraception, translated research findings into clinical care, and implemented strategic processes to improve project delivery. In her role at Making Cents, Leah supports project management, research, and buy-in activities for YP2LE and Izadji. In her free time, Leah fosters cats and dogs with a local animal rescue and enjoys baking.
Kea Profitt
Director, Finance
Kea is an experienced finance manager with a long record overseeing financial and accounting operations for small businesses working with the U.S. Government. She is skilled in all aspects of financial management, ensuring accurate tracking, monitoring, and reporting of all financial data. Her experience includes reviewing systems, policies, and tools to maintain best practices in financial management and accounting and to make recommendations on needed improvements. In her role at Making Cents, Kea ensures the efficient operations of organizational systems, procedures, and policies and manages accounting practices and procedures. Kea loves spending time with her family, listening to music, and traveling.
Nick Reed-Krase
Senior Manager, Project Delivery
Nick has over a decade of experience in international development, where he has provided programmatic, operational, and strategic support for the design, implementation, and assessment of agriculture, natural resource management, and public health projects and programs in Madagascar, South Africa, and Malawi. He is passionate about holistic and sustainable interventions that are locally driven, and he enjoys opportunities to develop cross-sector partnerships, share learning, and promote youth leadership and engagement. As Senior Manager, Project Delivery supporting the YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation activity, Nick provides backstopping on a variety of project-related tasks. In his free time, he likes to go running, scour YouTube in search of the next great musical sensation, and have spirited debates with the television while watching sports.
Benjamin Sampson
Manager, Events
Ben has over ten years of event management experience in the military, nonprofits, and the music industry and loves to work with organizations that strive to make the world a better place. He previously worked as a member of the United States Air Force and at Wounded Warrior Project, working with the veteran community. At Making Cents, Ben oversees the management of events, both in-person and virtual, supporting various projects across diverse portfolios. In his spare time, Ben loves to spend time with his family and playing music.
Stephanie Schmidt
Advisor, Learning and Innovation
Stephanie has more than a decade of experience serving as a technical and management expert for USAID, the Department of State, and other clients. She has implemented organizational learning, monitoring, evaluation, facilitation, knowledge management, and capacity development support across sectors, as well as provided internal quality assurance for service delivery and management. At Making Cents, Stephanie serves as the Learning and Innovation Advisor with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Team, helping clients and project teams to learn from and act to improve their programming based on evidence. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys walking her dog and reading fiction.
Gloria Schultz
Manager, Digital Communications
Gloria is an award-winning filmmaker and experienced communication professional who has served as a content producer for international, governmental, and non-government agencies. She has an extensive portfolio ranging from videos and graphic design, to social media and website content management. In 2018, she collaborated with Israeli and Palestinian farmers to develop solutions towards environmental peacebuilding in the West Bank. At Making Cents, Gloria oversees corporate and project-related digital communication, including social media, website content, and online campaigns. Outside of work, Gloria is a RYT200 certified yoga instructor who enjoys spending time in nature and living a low-waste lifestyle.
Jelena B. Simmons
Writer/Editor
Jelena has more than 20 years of experience as a linguist working in the context of international development. Her areas of expertise include democracy, human rights, and governance; gender equality and social inclusion; education; youth engagement; agriculture and food security; and public health. She speaks six languages and has lived in 10 countries (so far). At Making Cents, Jelena serves as writer and editor, helping produce high-quality and engaging written materials. When she is not writing and editing, she enjoys cooking, baking, listening to music, and exploring and collecting unusual art and artefacts.
Jacqueline Sisco
Project Finance Analyst
Jacqueline brings over a decade of experience working in various organization, including nonprofits, in financial management and analysis. Before joining Making Cents, she worked as a Finance and Accounting Country Support Officer at Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation supporting multiple African Countries and Global Awards. In her role at Making Cents, Jacqueline oversees project-based financial management and supports the organization’s accurate and timely analysis and reporting of project financial data. In her free time, Jacqueline enjoys good food, music, and company.
Bhavana Suvarna
Senior Associate, Business Development
Bhavana recently interned for the Québec Delegation in Chicago, where she used her fluency in French to liaise with partner organizations and developed articles on the office’s cultural, environmental, and business priorities. Bhavana studied in Dakar, Senegal, and interned with the Health Development Initiative in Kigali, Rwanda. She additionally spent a year in France as an English language assistant. Bhavana supports the implementation of Making Cents’ business development strategy, including business intelligence gathering, capture efforts, and proposal development. In her free time, Bhavana teaches French classes and runs an online book club.
Nancy Taggart
Vice President
Nancy has twenty years of experience designing and managing international education, youth workforce, and gender programs around the world. She has served as a thought leader on youth, women’s education and training, and workforce development throughout her career. Prior to Making Cents, Nancy was a Senior Youth and Workforce Advisor in the Education Office at USAID, where she provided technical guidance on youth and employment to USAID missions. In addition to working at USAID, she served in a variety of technical and management roles for several NGOs primarily working in Africa and the Middle East. At Making Cents she provides technical direction to Making Cents’ youth programming and YEO 2030. Nancy lives in Nyack, New York and in her free time she loves exploring NYC and the Hudson Valley, cooking with her teenage daughter, and learning to play tennis.
Hanindha Vidyasti
Manager, Project Delivery
Hanindha is an international development practitioner focused on inclusive and locally-led development. Prior to Making Cents, she worked on social innovation and capacity building at PeaceTech Lab. In addition, she focused on community-driven development, women and youth economic empowerment, technology for development, and social marketing and behavior change at various organizations, including the World Bank, IDB Lab, Mercy Corps Indonesia, and Georgetown University’s Business for Impact. At Making Cents, Hanindha contributes to the operations and administration of various tasks under the IDAMS activity. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring modern art, attending cultural events, watching her favorite bands in concert, cooking and trying international food, and binging on TV shows.
Katelynn Warmbold
Senior Associate, Project Delivery
Katelynn, a recent graduate of American University, is passionate about Indigenous Peoples’ rights and utilizing agriculture as a method of empowerment. On the Project Delivery team, Katelynn supports staff on youth-focused projects. In her free time, she sews, coaches a local speech team, and tends to her plants.
Emily Whitfield Stupak
Senior Manager, Business Development
Emily is a business development professional with seven years of experience in international development. Prior to Making Cents, Emily has worked in various roles in the industry, serving as strategic communications specialist, project start-up specialist, and business development manager for both for-profit and non-profit international development organizations. At Making Cents, Emily coordinates proposal development efforts for funding opportunities with USAID and other donors. In her spare time, Emily enjoys mountain biking and hiking.
Lindsey Woolf
Project Director, YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation
Lindsey is an international development project management professional and youth organizing specialist with over eleven years of experience leading and managing youth-focused projects and initiatives. Prior to Making Cents, Lindsey led and facilitated multiple youth-led organizations, movements, and campaigns and developed youth leadership programming and trainings. At Making Cents, Lindsey serves as Project Director for the YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation project, overseeing operational activities under core tasks and all buy-in activities.
Natasha Zena
Senior Manager, Communications
Natasha is a former award-winning journalist and startup founder who specializes in business news coverage. She is the founding partner of Lioness, the first online news company for female entrepreneurs, which was acquired in 2020. At Making Cents, Natasha provides leadership on external communications and uses strategic thinking to ensure our projects and publications tell a story, are accessible, and reach our diverse external audiences. When she is not writing short fiction, Natasha enjoys exploring new hobbies and roaming museums.
International Staff
Katherine Atkinson
Advisor, Youth
Y-RIE, St. Lucia
Katherine has 25 years of experience in international youth development as an educator and program designer. Previously, she worked with Peace Corps Eastern Caribbean in curriculum development and community partnerships for volunteer support. In her role at Making Cents, Katherine supports the integration of PYD and trauma-Informed approaches into programming through her leadership in the Learning Business by Doing Business activity in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean on the Youth Resilience, Inclusion, and Empowerment Project (Y-RIE). In her spare time, Katherine enjoys hiking with her partner and two dogs.
Inna Lubynets
Team Lead
UNITY, Ukraine
Inna is an experienced business development professional with a wealth of experience spanning over 12 years, particularly in cultivating Ukrainian entrepreneurial ecosystems. Her diverse background encompasses project management, education, and linguistics. Within Making Cents, Inna holds the role of Team Lead for the UNITY Activity, where she offers invaluable expertise by providing capacity strengthening and technical support. Her responsibilities include collaborating with local partners to foster youth workforce and entrepreneurship development, delivering business coaching, and establishing linkages to essential business development services. Outside of her professional endeavors, Inna enjoys engaging in tennis, expressing her creativity through oil painting, delving into psychology books, and exploring new sights.
Liza Sorokina
Project Associate
UNITY, Ukraine
Liza is a recent college graduate, who helped develop educational projects for youth as a student. With hopes of leveraging that experience and assisting in the development of impactful and far-reaching programs, Liza supports the UNITY Activity at Making Cents. In her free time, she enjoys making beaded jewelry, arts and crafts, collecting posters from different cities, and playing with her adopted kitten.
Kateryna Vorobei
Research Coordinator
UNITY, Ukraine
Kateryna brings rich volunteer experience, where she honed her event management, team leadership, and fundraising skills, among others. Prior to Making Cents, she served as Personal Assistant to the Vice President of Public Policy and Governance at Kyiv School of Economics, providing research, administrative, and executive support, as well as management of files for the department. As part of UNITY, Kateryna supports research activities, while collaborating with partners and stakeholders to implement and maintain MEL efforts. In her free time, Kateryna enjoys cooking, traveling and nature.
Atlas Corps Fellows
Zunaira Ali
Youth Engagement Fellow
Zunaira is a professional digital media marketing and content expert with five years of experience working in the development and public sector in Pakistan on campaigns ranging from education to women’s empowerment to youth development. Additionally, she trained women around Pakistan in social media for business, marketing, and content creation. At Making Cents, she serves as a Youth Engagement Fellow through the Atlas Corps. When she is not working, she enjoys travelling and seeking opportunities to experience new adventures.