Archives: Team

Faria is a Senior Associate on the Corporate and Foundation Partnerships team at BRAC USA. She supports the team with the prospect research process, proposal development with a focus on BRAC’s global early childhood development and education portfolios, and grant reporting.

Prior to joining BRAC, she worked in the local New York City government as an investigator looking into cases of police misconduct at the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Faria holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the City College of New York and master’s degree in International Affairs with a concentration on human rights from Columbia University.

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.

Debbie brings more than 20 years of finance experience in the non-profit sector.

As Manager of Individual Giving, Davis supports BRAC’s poverty alleviation programs by enhancing U.S.-based stakeholder relationships and fundraising strategies.

Davis comes to BRAC USA after more than a decade of building community-elevating programs and sustainable revenue at Roads to Success, Inc. in New York City.

Sarah F. Cliffe is currently the director of New York University’s Center on International Cooperation. Prior to that, she was the Special Representative for the World Bank’s World Development Report on Conflict, Security and Development, and the Special Adviser and Assistant Secretary-General of Civilian Capacities to the United Nations.

Ms. Cliffe has worked for the last twenty years in countries emerging from conflict and political transition, including Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Liberia, Mali, Rwanda, South Sudan, South Africa, Somalia, and Timor-Leste. At the World Bank, her work has covered post-conflict reconstruction, community-driven development, and civil service reform. Ms. Cliffe was the chief of mission for the Bank’s program in Timor-Leste from 1999 to 2002; led the Bank’s Fragile and Conflict-Affected Countries Group from 2002-2007 and was the Director of Strategy and Operations for the East Asia and Pacific Region from 2007-2009.

Ms. Cliffe has also worked for the United Nations Development Programme in Rwanda, the Government of South Africa, and the Congress of South African Trade Unions, as well as for a major management consultancy company in the United Kingdom on public sector reform issues.

Ms. Cliffe has a Bachelor’s degree in history from Cambridge’s University and a Master’s degree in international relations and international economic policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Dirk Booy has over 40 years of international development experience having worked at the village/community level, ran a National Field Office, managed a large fundraising office in Canada, and provided global leadership across 96 countries. He has held senior positions in large INGOs, both Western and Southern led, and helped mentor and develop over 100 leaders in the sector. Most recently, Booy served as the Senior Director for Program Development, Resource Mobilization and Learning (PRL) in BRAC helping to establish the PRL unit across the organization.

Currently, Booy is a Consultant/Mentor/Advisor to INGOs helping to build organizational capacity to improve overall impact. His unique focus is on facilitating meaningful change in complex, multicultural organizations. Booy has a Bachelors in Social Economics from Calvin (College) University, and a Masters in International Rural Development Planning from University of Guelph. He resides in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Donella Rapier is the President and CEO of BRAC USA, the North American affiliate of BRAC. Founded in 1972 in Bangladesh, then one of the poorest countries on earth, BRAC has grown to become one of the largest and most effective nongovernmental organizations in the world – and the only one of its scale to have originated in the Global South. BRAC’s programs in South Asia and Africa now reach more than 100 million people, providing them with tools to move from poverty into secure, resilient livelihoods.

Before joining BRAC USA, Donella served as the Chief Development and Administrative Officer at Accion, a pioneer and global leader in microfinance and financial inclusion. Prior to that, she was the Chief Financial Officer at Partners In Health, a global healthcare organization working in remote places where healthcare alternatives are limited or otherwise nonexistent, such as Haiti, Rwanda and Malawi. Earlier in her career, Donella spent more than a decade in senior leadership roles at Harvard University, including Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development and Chief Financial Officer for Harvard Business School. Donella received her MBA from Harvard Business School and began her career at Price Waterhouse.

An outdoor enthusiast, Donella enjoys bicycling, hiking and kayaking. She also serves as a Trustee and Treasurer for the Lake Titus Protective Association in the Adirondacks, where her family vacations. She lives in Boston, MA, with her husband, Andy Pickett, a retired attorney.

Ron Grzywinski was the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ShoreBank Corporation, the nation’s first and largest certified Community Development Finance Institution. Starting in 1973, ShoreBank provided finance and information services to disinvested communities in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and rural Arkansas. Subsequently, the Corporation provided advisory and operational assistance to Grameen Bank and BRAC in Bangladesh, the Aga Khan Foundation in Pakistan, as well as local development banks in the former Soviet Union, Africa, and Asia. In 1996 ShoreBank Corporation created ShoreBank Pacific, the nation’s first environmental development bank.

Ron has been the recipient of the Independent Sector’s John W. Gardner Leadership Award, the Medal for Entrepreneurial Excellence from the Yale University School of Management, the President’s Founders Award from Loyola University (Chicago), and the Theodore Hesburgh Award for Ethical Business Practices from the University of Notre Dame. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Business Degree from Northern Michigan University and was a founding member of the Ashoka Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship. He has been the CEO of several banks and serves on the boards of numerous social purpose organizations. He is an Alumnus in Residence at Loyola University.

Christina is an independent consultant with expertise in impact investment, investment banking, and country risk.

She spent 15 years at J.P. Morgan until retiring from the firm as a Managing Director in 2012. In 2007, she designed and launched the firm’s Social Finance business as a unit of the investment bank providing financial services to the impact investments market. Christina also led various risk management teams at J.P. Morgan, including Sovereign Risk & Advisory and Credit Portfolio Risk Management.

Prior to J.P. Morgan, Christina worked at the World Bank as Country Officer, helping develop reform programs for the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia. In 1991, she served on the Economic Reform Committee for the Government of Kazakhstan.

Christina has also worked for Ashoka-Innovators for the Public and serves on the Board of BRAC USA and the Advisory Board for the Center for Financial Inclusion. Christina earned a M.Sc. degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and a B.A. in Sociology from UCLA.