Archives: Team

Vladan Nikolic is the Senior Manager, Grants and Compliance at BRAC USA. Vladan has more than 15 years of grant management and compliance experience with international non-government organizations and consulting companies, such as Save The Children, CARE International, Humanity and Inclusion, IREX, and Booz Allen Hamilton. Prior to this role, Vladan was a Senior Grant and Compliance Officer at Humanity & Inclusion. Vladan holds a bachelor’s degree in management and international marketing from Megatrend Business School, Megatrend University, Belgrade.

As the Executive Assistant at BRAC USA, Oyeshee supports our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer. She assists the executive team with prospect, donor, and stakeholder relationships, through conducting in-depth research, drafting solicitations for high priority prospects, and facilitating internal relations, staff coordination, and communication.

Prior to joining BRAC USA, she collaborated with Institut Pasteur in Paris and Dakar, which is an internationally renowned center for biomedical research. She supported the philanthropy team as a consultant, working on their capital campaign program and international fundraising initiatives.

Oyeshee earned her MPA in Health Policy & Management, with a focus on International Health, from NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Rutgers University in Psychology & Cognitive Neuroscience.

Prior to joining BRAC USA, Abdulrahman collaborated with BRAC Bangladesh and USA teams as a Program Manager for Dubai Cares, a role in which he oversaw a portfolio of Public Health and Education programs in over 12 countries, collaborating with foundations and implementing partners
in developing strategic programs addressing critical capacity building and iterative implementation programs. Before joining the International Development sector, Abdulrahman has over 5 years of experience in project management and program implementation in the energy sector as a
mechanical engineer for Kuwait Oil Company.

Abdulrahman holds an MBA in Social Enterprise from Hult International Business School, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Kuwait University, and is fluent in Arabic, and English, and has basic knowledge of Spanish.

Mica brings more than 25 years of communications and fundraising experience to BRAC USA. Mica’s career launched in a BusinessWeek newsroom in Manhattan as the magazine launched its online presence in the late 1990s. She was a Senior Writer/Assistant Editor at the London Business School from 2005-2008, diving into alumni communications, speech writing, and internal communications. After moving back to the U.S. in 2008, she consulted for a range of organizations before joining Humanity & Inclusion (then ‘handicap international’) as their U.S. Director of Marketing and Communications and then their U.S. Director of Communications and Development.

Mica received her BA in journalism with a minor in Spanish from George Washington University and completed the Emerging Leaders Program at London Business School. Mica and her family live in the DC suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland.

Melyssa Muro is the Gift Processor/Database Administrator for the Individual Giving team, assisting with donation processing as well as donor data hygiene solutions. She ensures all donor and gift information is stored accurately to aid in fundraising efforts aimed at expanding BRAC’s programs.

While a student of Columbia University, Melyssa interned with The Moth, Doctors Without Borders, and The Prospect Hill Foundation. She then worked for a global financial institution where she learned data and account management. This combination of nonprofit experience and data management led her to serve as Program Coordinator for the small nonprofit Path Forward, where she assisted with database administration, program implementation and coordination, as well as fundraising efforts. Having been a key contributor in CRM implementation, donation system maintenance, and donor data management, she is thrilled to bring her knowledge to BRAC USA and assist in securing funds to scale impact.

As the Director of Development at BRAC USA, Catherine oversees the fundraising strategy and donor relations for individual, major donor, and family foundation giving. Catherine has twenty years’ experience in development, strategic planning, and communications for international and U.S.-based youth development, human rights, and social justice organizations. She has served in recent fundraising leadership roles at NAF, Learning Leaders, and Equality Now. Catherine holds an M.A. in Modern European History from Columbia University and a B.A. in English from the University of Vermont.

Joel Lamstein is founder and president of John Snow Inc. (JSI), an international public health consulting firm. Founded in 1978, JSI now has more than 2,000 people stationed in the United States and throughout the world working to enhance the lives of underserved and vulnerable populations. He is also president of World Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of the poor through education, economic and social development programs. JSI/World Education has been selected as one of the 100 best places to work in Massachusetts.

Mr. Lamstein is a lecturer at the Harvard School of Public Health. And a visiting professor at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.He is a frequent lecturer on organizational strategy, nonprofit management, international development and strategic management.

Mr. Lamstein serves on the boards of advisors at Boston University Public Health School, and the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He is also on the board of Seed Global Health and the Center for Health Equity at Dartmouth College.

Mr. Lamstein also co-founded Management Sciences for Health (MSH) in 1973. He has been advisor to numerous public health programs throughout the world in issues of public health management. He received his BS in math and physics from the University of Michigan, and attended the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Faria is the Senior Associate, Corporate and Foundation Partnerships at BRAC USA. She assists in researching donor prospects for BRAC’s international education programs, coordinating the management of current grants, and supporting winning proposals to expand the education portfolio. In between college and graduate school, Faria worked at the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the New York City government agency tasked with investigating cases of police misconduct. She also completed several internships during which she learned about education initiatives and the rights of young people, including at Save the Children, where she gained experience in humanitarian advocacy. Faria earned her master’s degree in International Affairs with a concentration in Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Sociology from The City College of New York.

Michael Louis is a finance and strategy executive with over 15 years of experience working with leading consumer brands to drive growth and transformation. He currently serves as the Global Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions Strategy at BIC, a leading global consumer brand. Prior to BIC, Michael led M&A strategy and execution, financial planning & analysis at Tegra Global, an Apollo Global-backed apparel manufacturing business. He previously spent over 10 years in private equity and investment banking. In addition to his finance and strategy experience, he has also worked in various capacities with several nonprofits and global health organizations, including Partners In Health and the Global Nursing Caucus. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Michael is based in Atlanta, GA, where he resides with his wife and two daughters.

Veena Jayadeva is a corporate leader with 20+ years of impact experience at international organizations, nonprofits, and the private sector. Veena is currently Head of Enterprise ESG at Guardian Life, supporting the company’s strategic priorities and leading their expanding environmental, social, and governance efforts. Previously, she served as Chief of Staff to the Chief Information and Operations Officer and was formerly Guardian’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), driving social community investments, leading employee engagement, and supporting environmental sustainability.

Prior to Guardian, Veena was a Vice President at Grameen America, a NYC-based microfinance institution that has invested over $3B in women-led micro- and small businesses across the country. Previously, Veena was a Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where she served clients in the financial services and healthcare sectors. She spent the early part of her career in international development, microfinance, and CSR in the United States and India at organizations including the World Bank, United Nations, and International Monetary Fund.

Veena holds a M.B.A. from MIT Sloan School of Management, where she was a Seley Scholar, the business school’s highest merit award for “outstanding leadership, professional promise, high level of academic achievement and contribution to MIT Sloan.” She holds a M.A. in International Economics and a B.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and participated in Columbia Business School’s Senior Leadership Program for nonprofit executives. Veena is a member of the Board of Directors of Global Impact, the Board of Directors of BRAC USA, and the Corporate Leadership Council of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities. She is an active advisor and investor in mission-driven startups.