OUR TEAM
Kent Davis-Packard
Founder & President
Dr. Kent Davis-Packard is Founder and President of Women Forward International, which she launched as an initiative at the Aspen Institute in 2019. Most recently, she initiated and developed the SAIS Women Lead curricular program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), launching a practicum program that partners students with public and private organizations on research that advances women.
She taught Johns Hopkins SAIS's first courses on global women's issues: "Transcending Culture: Women as Agents of Change in the International Order” and "Women, Peace, and Security: Moving Beyond the Myth" as well as U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East. She is Features Editor for the Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism journal based at the London School of Economics and a member of the Advisory Board of Kallion, an organization that elevates leadership through the humanities.
Previously she was co-Executive Director of Women's Learning Partnership, and a 2014-2015 Council on Foreign Relations Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Guest Scholar and lecturer at the American University in Cairo. As a Presidential Management Fellow, Dr. Davis-Packard played a key role in launching the State Department’s Women in Public Service Project and managed the Egypt Desk's human rights portfolio. She served as a Political Officer in Syria and Department of Defense Desk Officer for Iraq.
Dr. Davis-Packard received her Ph.D. in international relations and Middle East studies and master's degree in conflict management and economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS; a master's degree in French and romance philology from Columbia University; a comparative literature Maitrise, Lettres Modernes, from the Universite of Paris VIII; and a BA in English and comparative literature summa cum laude from Cornell University. She also holds a Certificate in Management Essentials from Harvard Business School Online. As a Fulbright Scholar to Morocco, she studied the influence of returning migrants on local communities and literature. She is a graduate of the National Cathedral School for Girls in Washington, DC.
Dr. Davis-Packard has reported on such topics as family law reform, sectarianism and extremism, the women’s movement, labor, and language politics for the Christian Science Monitor and other publications including the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. A term and International Affairs Fellowship Committee Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Cosmos Club's International Affairs Committee, she is fluent in French and able in Arabic and Spanish. She has studied or worked in Bangladesh, Bosnia, Croatia, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Qatar, Senegal, Syria, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Dr. Davis-Packard's book on contemporary Islamic thought is forthcoming.
Contact: Kent@WomenForwardInternational.Org
Dr. Julia Nesheiwat
Executive Director
Dr. Julia Nesheiwat is a recognized expert in national security, energy, and sustainability as a public servant, academic, former military officer, and U.S. diplomat. She is a Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a Commissioner on the U.S. Arctic Research Commission having worked with indigenous communities.
Dr. Nesheiwat brings unique experiences having served over 20 years in public service, spanning the Bush, Obama, Trump, & Biden Administrations. In 2019-2020 she was appointed as Florida’s first Chief Resilience Officer, launching a new office dedicated to addressing the environmental and economic impacts of climate change for the state.
A former U.S. Army combat veteran, she served multiple consecutive tours in Afghanistan & Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal; As Deputy Assistant Secretary of State she helped build the first Energy Resources Bureau, and later was appointed in the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security & Resilience.
She also served on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Advisory Council, is a life member with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and visiting professor at the Naval Post Graduate School, and has lectured at Stanford University & University of California San Diego. She earned a BA from Stetson University, an MA from Georgetown University, and a PhD from Tokyo Institute of Technology. Dr. Nesheiwat speaks Arabic and Japanese.
Marta Chicano
Director of Strategic Development & Arts Partnerships
For a decade, Marta Chicano has worked as an executive coach and systemic/organisational dynamics consultant. She has extensive experience in co-designing and facilitating leadership, partnership and organisational development interventions, and providing top level executive coaching with highly regarded clients across sectors globally such as in social media, marketing and PR, strategy management consulting, construction, engineering and heavy engineering, oil and gas, aerospace and the food industry. Prior to that, Ms. Chicano was a managing director at an automotive company.
In addition, Ms. Chicano has an MSc in Marketing Management and Finance, is a certified Executive Coach and Systemic Coach, holds an MSc in Human Resources from the London School of Economics, and is a qualified systems psychodynamic practitioner with the Tavistock institute.
Lindsay Wozniak
Creative Director
Lindsay Wozniak is also Senior Vice President, Client Development, at Radancy, LLC and works closely with clients to lead the development and creation of innovative and groundbreaking initiatives and to ensure their success. With 40+ years of experience and over 200 industry awards for creativity and effectiveness, she provides consulting to help clients stay on the forefront of new marketing solutions and trends.
Lindsay began her career as an Art Director and then Creative Director for ABC TV, GE and Stackig Advertising and PR prior to TMP. As a “Hall of Fame” advertising design graduate of The Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, she thrives in TMP’s innovative and progressive culture.
Lindsay also founded Red Fish Studios, LLC in 2005. Red Fish Studios is all about creative expression and giving back. Film. Photography. Music. Design. Whatever.
Adriana Fotino
Global Programs Consultant
Adriana Fotino has worked in political risk analysis as well as in the New York and Nairobi offices of the International Crisis Group, a think tank devoted to identifying practical solutions for the prevention and resolution of armed conflict. Her personal experience as the daughter of refugees and with chronic illness has impressed on her the persistent effects of unseeable factors such as unresolved trauma, and the healing potential of the world's varied cultural traditions. She draws on these traditions to develop and promote programs that foster mutual understanding and dynamic communities.
Ms. Fotino holds a master's degree in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), with a concentration in International Economics and Strategic Studies, and graduated magna cum laude in History from Amherst College. With a longstanding interest in foreign languages, she speaks or has studied Romanian, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, Latin and ancient Greek.
WFI BOARD OF DIRECTORS
.jpg)
Seema Alim, Ph.D., PE
Board Secretary
Honorary Fellow at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London
Dr. Alim is a professional consulting engineer. She has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and AI from the Imperial College, London where she is also an Honorary Fellow since 2012. Over the last 25+ years Dr. Alim has held senior positions with international consulting firms responsible for program management, planning and delivery of major infrastructure programs in water, wastewater, transit, highways, ports and energy sectors and smart cities. Her international experience has included working on programs in the US, Canada, UK, UAE, Pakistan, Maldives, S. Arabia and Singapore. She was a Vice President and Sr. Global Program Manager at CH2M Hill (now Jacobs) for over 13 years and Vice President (Operations-Major Programs), Louis Berger (now WSP); she also worked as the Municipal Practice Lead in Louisiana for Brown & Caldwell and as General Manager (Programs & Contracts), NESPAK Ltd.
Dr. Alim served 6 years in the public sector working with the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto during the Prime Minister’s two terms in office. During this period, she participated in national infrastructure planning and policy making and was responsible for expediting, monitoring and implementing infrastructure programs of national significance such as the private-public partnership light rail transit for Karachi.
Throughout her private and public sector career Dr. Alim has maintained on-going engagement with academic and research activities through board memberships, publications, and teaching. She served as a Member, Expert Advisory Board, i-Build, UK between 2013-18. She has been a visiting professor at several institutions including 6 years teaching the graduate Engineering Management program at the University of New Orleans.
Kent Davis-Packard, Ph.D.
President, Women Forward International
Dr. Kent Davis-Packard is Founder and President of Women Forward International, which she launched as an initiative at the Aspen Institute in 2019. Most recently, she initiated and developed the SAIS Women Lead curricular program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), launching a practicum program that partners students with public and private organizations on research that advances women.
Previously she was co-Executive Director of Women's Learning Partnership, and a 2014-2015 Council on Foreign Relations Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Guest Scholar and lecturer at the American University in Cairo. As a Presidential Management Fellow, Dr. Davis-Packard played a key role in launching the State Department’s Women in Public Service Project and managed the Egypt Desk's human rights portfolio. She served as a Political Officer in Syria and Department of Defense Desk Officer for Iraq.
Dr. Davis-Packard received her Ph.D. in international relations and Middle East studies and master's degree in conflict management and economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS; a master's degree in French and romance philology from Columbia University; a comparative literature Maitrise, Lettres Modernes, from the Universite of Paris VIII; and a BA in English and comparative literature summa cum laude from Cornell University. As a Fulbright Scholar to Morocco, she studied the influence of returning migrants on local communities and literature. She is a graduate of the National Cathedral School for Girls in Washington, DC.
Patricia Johnson Handeland
Non-Profit Manager & Fundraiser
Patricia Johnson Handeland (PJ) was born and raised in Chicago’s North Shore Village of Winnetka, Il. Following graduation from the University of Kansas with a BS in Journalism, she moved to San Francisco and worked in advertising, marketing and banking. In 1979 she met Rod Handeland, and they were married there in 1980.
PJ has worked in the non-profit sector both as an executive and a volunteer in San Francisco and the Bay Area for her entire career. Following her time at Bank of America as a Senior Product Manager for the Electronic Banking Group, she took time to raise her two sons and run a small education business.
In 2000 she became the Managing Director of San Francisco Opera Guild followed by nine years as the President of the Arthritis Foundation-Northern California & Great West Region. Following the Arthritis Foundation, PJ joined Stanford’s Medical Center Development Department as Associate Director in support of the School of Medicine. Following her time at Stanford, she became the Executive Director of the Russell/Engleman Rheumatology Research Center at University of California, San Francisco.
In June, PJ retired from UCSF and very happily married a long-time friend, Bill Diefenbach, an accomplished architect. They live in San Francisco near all their children.
She has enjoyed serving on many foundations and auxiliary boards including San Francisco’s Symphony, Opera and Ballet; and as past President of the Bay Area Komen Foundation. She is a member of the Metropolitan Club and served as Chairman of the Membership Committee and on its Board of Directors.
Karen Haynes, Ph.D.
Education Expert, University President, Emerita
Dr. Karen Haynes has 34 years as a university administrator which includes her 24 years as a university president serving at California State University San Marcos (2004-2019) and the University of Houston-Victoria (1995-2004). Previously she served as Dean, The Graduate School of Social Work, University of Houston for 10 years.
A social worker by profession, her graduate work and her focus has been on policy, program development and assessment, and nonprofit leadership. She has focused her talents on developing and nurturing organizational climates within which employees can thrive while contributing to purposive programs that support strategic priorities.
She received commendations for her visionary community engagement strategies and her focus on campus climate and culture during both presidencies. She is viewed as an innovator, focused on future workforce needs while developing strategies to expand educational access to previously underrepresented populations. The list of her innovations includes strategic partnerships with 12 public school districts, military institutions, and tribal councils. The California State University Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care is a culminating tribute to this skill of identifying a concern and moving vision to strategic action for chronic and end of life care. The Institute, founded in 2012 remains the only such educational institute in the nation and her name was added in acknowledgment of this achievement by the Institutes’ largest donor. Dr. Haynes’ name was added in 2021 at the request of the Institute’s largest donor.
Dr. Haynes’ early work in Cairo, Egypt led to her appreciation for cultural differences and deepened her commitment to a focus on women’s roles across cultures. In fact, in 1976 she had the privilege of meeting a protégé of Egypt’s women’s movement, Hoda Shawari. The love of experiencing other cultures and incorporating that into her work in the U.S. contributed to her passion for travel to 50 countries.
Dr. Haynes has had a long professional commitment to helping women advance in higher education. While serving on the American Council on Educations’ Commission on Women in the late 1990s, she learned of statewide networks to provide resources, support, and networks for women in higher education. As a result, as Presidential sponsor she birthed the Texas Network in 2002 and shortly after her arrival in California in 2004, she rebirthed the Southern California Network, spending 17 years fueling her passion of advancing women in higher education in the U.S.
Upon her retirement in 2019 she was recruited to be a consultant for public higher education and her clients benefit from her knowledge and experience in executive coaching; team and leadership development; fund and friend development; community engagement and innovative partnerships; organizational culture and climate strategies and programs.
Dr. Haynes holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas; an M.S.W. from McGill University; and a BA from Goucher College.
Janice Koch, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita, Hofstra University
Janice Koch, Ph.D. is Professor Emerita from Hofstra University in New York where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in education including introduction to education, science education, qualitative research, action research and science and society courses. She was named the 1995 Distinguished Teacher of the Year at Hofstra and she continues to speak and conduct workshops addressing teaching and learning.
Dr. Koch is the past President (2007-2009) of the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) and was named one of the Top Fifty Women on Long Island by Long Island Business News in 2004 and 2005.
She is known for tackling challenging problems without obvious solutions. She consults to funded projects in education across the country, is a guest lecturer in science education in the Washington DC area, and recently served on the Committee for precollege engineering education for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
Nathan Pastor, Esq.
Owner at Pastor Law Group, PC
Nathan has a Masters of Law in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law and is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law. He is an active member of the Contra Costa County Bar Association, East Bay Trusts & Estates Lawyers, and the Robert G. McGrath American Inns of Court. Nathan was selected by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Trust and Estate litigation in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, an exclusive award given only to the top 2% of attorneys in Northern California.
As a graduate of University of California, Berkeley, Nathan received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a minor in English. He went on to earn his J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law. After law school Nathan earned an LL.M. in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate law at Golden Gate University School of Law. During law school Nathan worked for the Contra Costa County Probate Court, developing an in-depth knowledge of the probate court system and Judges. Prior to opening Pastor Law Group, PC, Nathan gained extensive experience as a top litigator in one of Contra Costa’s largest Trust and Estate law firms.
Nathan is a member of the Contra Costa County Criminal Conflict Program and is routinely appointed by the court as counsel for proposed conservatees. He represents clients throughout the litigation process beginning with pre-litigation planning and discovery through trial, appeal, or settlement. He has experience in all areas of alternative dispute resolution and has successfully tried cases and prosecuted appeals. Nathan handles matters both big and small.
Roberto Salinas-Leon, Ph.D.
Economist, Director of the Atlas Network
Dr. Roberto Salinas-Leon is Director of the Atlas Network and is an expert in economic development, exchange and monetary policy, international trade, and property rights. He is an associate researcher at the Cato Institute in Washington DC; Director of Economic Analysis at The Economist Conferences in Latin America and President of the Mexico Business Forum in Mexico City, where he carries out activities in economics and finance, and advises on public policies. Salinas-Leon holds a BA in Political Economy, History, and Philosophy from Hillsdale College; he also holds an MA and Ph. D. in Philosophy from Purdue University.
A Professor in the Department of Economics of the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), Dr. Salinas-Leon has published more than 1,500 opinion pieces in national and international media and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times , The Journal of Commerce , The Dallas Morning News, El Economista, Investor's Business Daily, Expansión, Nexos, International Economy, Barrons , Regulation, among others. He has also been an economic analyst for TV Azteca's “Hechos” newscasts, as well as for Radio Red and Radio Fórmula de México. He is an occasional commentator on CNN Latin America, Reuters, BBC, and is currently a weekly commentator on Carlos Mota's program, Es Negocio, on ADN40.
Ambassador Sharon P. Wilkinson
Board Chair
Foreign Service Officer, Retired
Ambassador Wilkinson is a retired Foreign Service Officer, with service in Mexico, Brazil, The Netherlands Antilles, Portugal and Ghana. President Clinton appointed her as Ambassador to Burkina Faso, and later to Mozambique. Following that, she served as Diplomat in Residence then Assistant Dean for Global Engagement at Arizona State University where she developed plans for meaningful international experiences for Global Studies students. While in Arizona she was a docent at the Heard Museum. At Meridian International Center in Washington, DC where she was the Diplomatic Advisor, she examined strategies for engaging the local Washington, DC community to “think global” and participate in activities with a global reach. She has been a speaker on foreign policy issues and greatly enjoys mentoring aspiring young Foreign Service Officers; additionally she tutors individuals preparing for their US citizenship interviews.
WFI ADVISORY COMMITTEE
GINA ABERCROMBIE-WINSTANLEY
Ambassador (ret.), Consultant
MAAME AFON YELBERT-SAI
Founder | Chief Steward, MILT
Relationship Architect & Impact Coach
STEPHANIE AHERN, Ph.D.
Colonel, U.S. Army; Director for Strategic Planning, National Security Council Staff
ALYSSA AHRABARE
Project Officer, European Network of Migrant Women
CAROLINE ALAS-HEMPHILL
Rotary Club of Walnut Creek
JOYCE ANTONE IBRAHIM
Private Sector Development Specialist (Subnational Doing Business Unit), The World Bank
NEYLA ARNAS
Senior Research Fellow and Director for Women, Peace, and Security Initiatives at the National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies
FEDERIGA BINDI, Ph.D.
Jean Monnet Chair and Professor of Political Science, University of Rome Tor Vergata; Senior Fellow and Director of the Foreign Policy Initiative, Institute for Women Policy Research
SALAH BRAHIMI
President and CEO, Grey Matter LLC
KATRINA CARTER-TELLISON, PhD
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Lynn University
ROCIO CAVAZOS
Regional Director, Latin America of Water.org and Founder of the Association of Vegan Entrepreneurs of Mexico
ALEXA CHOPIVSKY
Executive Director, Women's Foreign Policy Group; Director, Program on the World Economy, The Aspen Institute
ALLAN COHEN, Ph.D.
Founder of Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
BARBARA SHAW COHEN
Persuasive Communication Specialist,Washington Post (ret.); Professional Artist
COURTNEY COOPER
Former International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and Director for Afghanistan on the National Security Council staff
BENJAMIN CROCKETT
Colonel, U.S. Army (ret.); Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University
KENT DAVIS-PACKARD, Ph.D.
President and Executive Director, Women Forward International
DEEPTI DAWAR
COO, Diya TV
THERESA ALFARO DAYTNER
CEO, Daytner Construction Group
VASIA DELIYIANNI
Art Instructor, The Art Institute of Washington, George Mason University, Independent Curator, Museum Exhibitions
AMANDA DORY
Associate Dean for Outreach and Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Chair, National War College; Former Deputy Assistant of Defense for Strategy, OSD
PATRICIA ELLIS
President Emeritus, Women’s Foreign Policy Group
President, Ellis Global Issues Forums LLC
FADI ELSALAMEEN
Managing Partner of a Private Equity Advisory Group, Adjunct Senior Fellow, American Security Project
KATE FRANKO
Senior Manager, Public Affairs, Google
DIANE FROLOV
Television Writer and Producer
ELLIOT GERSON
Executive Vice President, The Aspen Institute
JAVIER GUERRERO
President & CEO, Coastal Roots Farm
NISHA GHOSH
President, Soroptimists India
JANE HORTON
Congressional and Military Advisor
PHILIPPA HUGHES
Social Sculptor, Chief Creative Strategist
MASIH KHYBARI
Counselor, Friends of the American University of Afghanistan
SOFIA ALEKSANDRA KIRCHEN
CARLA KOPPELL
Distinguished Fellow, Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace, and Security
SARAH KOUHLANI-NOLLA
Private Sector Development Analyst, The World Bank
LYDIA LA FERLA
Principal, La Ferla Associates, LLC
MARIA ZOIE LAFIS
Executive Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University
ELIZABETH LEGRAIN
Domestic Abuse Prevention Coordinator,
The World Bank
PEDRO LOPEZ SELA
Innovation Expert Empowering Leaders to Thrive for a Better World
MARIA HELENA MALDONADO-VILLAR
Artist, Economist, World Traveler
MARIA ELENA MARINEZ MURILLO CUEVOR
Sustainable Rural Development Expert & Senior Consultant
Founder, Strategink
DRESDA MENDEZ DE LA BRENA
Gender Specialist and Post-Doctoral Researcher
Concordia University
TODD MCALLISTER, Ph.D.
Director, Global Supply Chain & Logistics, National Defense University
CAITLIN MILLER
Director, Global Alliance Advisors
SHAMARUKH MOHIUDDIN
Principal Associate, Nathan Associates
CLARA MONTANEZ
Deputy Financial Advisor, Executive Director-Investments, Oppenheimer
SUSAN MOROZ
Consultant, Moroz Consulting
DEBI MOSEL
International Development Expert
LISA J. MENDES
Principal, Mendes Law PC
LISA MURPHY
Member, The Artist Workshop
ZANDER NELSON
Solutions Architect, IBM
LAILA NELSON
Independent Advisor
ASRA NOMANI
Journalist and Communications Consultant
ANGELA O'BYRNE
President, Perez APC
CARLA OLYMPIO
Lawyer, Communications Strategist, Managing Partner at Agency Seven Seven
ELLIS PINES
Vice President, Brand Strategy, Radancy Global Brand Practice
SABAHAT QAMAR
Founder and CEO, SixtyW
MARY RAUM, Ph.D.
Professor, Founder and Past Swanee Hunt Named Chair Women Peace and Security, United States Naval War College
REBECCA RAYMOND
Director, The Foundation of Community Development and Empowerment (FCDE)
PAAVANI REDDY
Governance Specialist, UN
NORMAN B. SANDRIDGE
Associate Professor of Classics, Howard University; Fellow, Center for Hellenic Studies
ANDY SCHNEIDER
Screenwriter & Television Producer
CHRISTINA SEVILLA, Ph.D.
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Small Business
ESTELLE SOHNE, Esq.
Owner, Flour & Olive
SANDRA-SOHNE-JOHNSTON
Founder of Guido's Heart
EILEEN ST. GEORGE, Ph.D.
Vice President, Education for Development, Creative Associates International
DOAA TAHA, PH.D.
Managing Director at Grey Matter International LTD, Chair of Women's Empowerment Forum and National Board Director, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
KATHRYN TAKIS
Executive Producer; Filmmaker
VIRGINIE VISCARDY
NATO C&I Representative to North American Organizations and Agencies
RODERICK VON LIPSEY
Managing Director, UBS Financial Services
BONNIE H. WEINSTEIN
Attorney, Managing Director, BHW Global
CONSTANCE WHITESIDE, MD
Senior Outreach Officer, Delegation of the European Union to the United States
SANDRA BELL WILKINS
Associate Professor, Chair, Department of Fashion (ret.), Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar
LINDSAY WOZNIAK
Senior Vice President, Digital and Creative, TMP Worldwide, LLC. President, Red Fish Studios, LLC
RANDALL YIM
Consultant, National Security and Infrastructure
WFI ASSOCIATE CONSULTANTS
Qin Miao
Associate Consultant
Qin Miao holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Society from Sciences Po, Paris, and is currently pursuring his master's degree from Sciences Po.
Mr. Miao is interested in the economic empowerment for refugee and migrant women through the power of public policy and private organizations. He understands the complexity of issues in international development, and values pragmatic and applicable solutions to improve the situation.
Mr. Miao has a multi-disciplinary academic background with knowledge in political sciences, sociology, economics, international relations, and finance. His education in various academic domains helps him understand an issue with different perspectives. He is an internationalist who believes in the possibility of cross-culture communication, and is interested in contributing to international development projects all over the world.
Isabella Brandes
Associate Consultant
Isabella Brandes is a health and gender policy professional. Her career experience spans gender equity, access to healthcare, and improving nonprofits’ operational efficiency. She currently works with the OECD Development Centre’s Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) program in Paris, France.
Previously, as a consultant at Deloitte, Ms. Brandes supported the launch of a national social purpose growth strategy, conducted research on gender equity, and led pro-bono consulting projects for health-oriented nonprofits. She is a returned Peace Corps volunteer; while serving in Ecuador she collaborated with local and indigenous leaders on program development in a cross-cultural context. In her spare time, Isabella enjoys watercolor painting and linocut block printing. Ms. Brandes holds bachelor’s degrees from UC Berkeley in Business Administration and Public Health.
Komal Kumar
Associate Consultant
After partnering with Women Forward International to conduct health equity research while in graduate school, Komal Kumar is excited to continue working with WFI to further health and wellbeing for women around the world. She holds a B.S in Human Biology and an M.S. in Community Health and Prevention Research, both from Stanford University.
Ms. Kumar is passionate about improving access to and the quality of healthcare, particularly for marginalized communities, and currently works to improve mental healthcare for young adults across the United States. She is particularly interested in using research to further health outcomes on the population level, and increasing access to mental health support in low-income communities.
Carolina Medina
Associate Consultant
Carolina Medina Zárate holds a master’s degree in International Development, with a specialization in Human Rights and The Americas, from Sciences Po Paris and a cum laude BA in Political Sciences and Euro-Latin American studies from the same university. She is passionate about defending human rights, promoting gender equality, and peacebuilding from different fronts.
Ms. Medina has worked in the fields of research, public policy, international relations, political affairs, and programming in the public sector, think tanks, foundations and non-governmental and international organizations. As a contributor to various media and digital platforms, she has published articles and created multimedia content on topics including women's rights, social movements, grassroots initiatives, and sustainable development.
Ms. Medina has assisted the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General with the preparation and organization of high-level meetings and conferences aiming to promote strategic thinking, interdepartmental coordination, and contribute to the international peacebuilding and conflict prevention agenda.
Jillian Montilla
Associate Consultant
Jillian Montilla is a human rights researcher, activist, and part-time poet. Ms. Montilla received her M.A. in human rights and humanitarian action with concentrations in methodology and Asian studies from Sciences Po’s Paris School of International Affairs
(PSIA). She holds an Advanced Certification in Gender Studies from Sciences Po’s Research and Educational Programme on Gender Studies (PRESAGE).
In 2019-2020, she partnered with WFI, PRESAGE, and the European Network of Migrant Women to investigate the barriers to political participation of young migrant women in Europe. She co-designed a workshop with 20+ young migrant women, employing spoken word poetry and meditation to release internalized stereotypes and to develop a better understanding of their rights enshrined in international human rights treaties.
Most recently, Ms. Montilla worked as a policy researcher at Fòs Feminista, an alliance of
135+ sexual and reproductive health and rights organizations throughout the Global South. Ms. Montilla is interested in poetry, intersectionality, human rights, and reproductive justice. A licensed yoga teacher, Ms. Montilla is led by the principles of commitment, service, and unity forged on—rather than in spite of—difference.
Sreya Nath
Associate Consultant
Sreya Nath's interests lie in international affairs such as refugee and migration related research especially through a gendered lens. She is also proficient in computational social sciences and qualitative research. Additionally, she is the recipient of the prestigious French Government Scholarship (Charpak AME) which is helping her to pursue her Masters in International Development at Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) at Sciences Po, Paris. Her concentrations are Migrations and Research Methods with a specialisation on Advanced Gender Studies.
Previously Ms. Nath worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at Sciences Po Medialab where she analysed the gendered perception and racialized hierarchies on the migration related Tweets churned by the French press and corresponding twitter accounts of French Organizations, Politicians, etc. respectively. As an Intersectional feminist, she is very curious about the media's perception of the marginalized and wrote her masters thesis on the representation of the margins on discourses around Islam on Twitter.
Robin Schmid
Associate Consultant
Robin Schmid is a Senior Manager at Corus International where she guides communications strategies and technical content to advance business development goals and strategic partnerships with governments, multilateral agencies, foundations, and corporations.
Ms. Schmid earned her master’s degree from Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs where she explored issues of gender equity and human rights in international development and public policy. She worked for several years in the nonprofit sector in Guatemala, championing women’s rights and supporting sustainable community development. She led the development and communications strategy of the Women’s Justice Initiative and managed partnerships and grants at Pueblo a Pueblo after being awarded a Princeton in Latin America Fellowship. She has also worked on projects in Panama, Peru, and Ecuador, as well as supported the Government and External Affairs Office of the Inter-American Foundation in Washington, DC. Ms. Schmid earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.
Martina Sole
Associate Consultant
Martina Sole is a young professional holding a First Class Honours BA in Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick and currently pursuing a Dual Master Degree in International Affairs from Sciences Po and the London School of Economics. She is a resilient and enthusiastic individual who is keen to have a positive impact on the world by conducting research on political, economic and societal issues and by searching for innovative solutions to the complex problems which characterise modern society.
Ms. Dole has had the opportunity to gain professional experience in various fields. In 2018, she worked as an Intern for the Iraqi-Kurdistan Regional Government in Rome, gaining professional experience in the field of International Relations and Diplomacy. In 2019, she worked as a Research Intern for Seeds&Chips, a Milan-based company which promotes sustainability and food security. Moreover, she currently works as a Young Policy Leaders Intern at Whiteshield Partners, a Dubai-based global strategy & public policy advisory firm. Ms. Sole regularly takes part in volunteering activities and she has founded a youth non-profit association in her hometown in Southern Italy.
Alexandra Zenoff
Associate Consultant
With a background in public health and international development, Alexandra Zenoff has supported project implementation in the Caucasus, Central and Southeast Asia, North America, Southeast Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Ms. Zenoff is skilled in project and partnership management, project and curriculum design, as well as training facilitation. She is especially passionate about improving health equity. Ms. Zenoff has spent several years working in Laos and also served as a Community Health Education Peace Corps Volunteer in Cambodia.
Ms. Zenoff holds a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, with a certificate in Health Promotion Research and Practice. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from Johns Hopkins University, where she majored in International Studies and East Asian Studies. She has studied French, Mandarin, Khmer, and Lao.
WFI FILM TEAM
Walker Lambert
Film Advisor
Walker has been designing, producing, writing and directing media productions for 17 years. He specializes in using storytelling to communicate complex messages and ideas in persuasive and captivating ways.
He has worked and studied closely with some of the world’s leading experts and organizations on social impact media production and won awards for excellence in filmmaking and production. His ongoing work with Iowa State University’s Seed Science Center led the university to present him their Distinguished Lifetime Achievement and Service award in 2019 for the communications and media programs he has built for them. In addition, he has over a decade of experience designing and developing online multimedia programs focused around training innovation for national organizations.
After earning a degree in English from the University of Chicago, he earned an MBA and a Masters in social change entertainment from Johns Hopkins University.
HR and Accounting
HR and Accounting Team: Elaine Parsons and Lisa Alcid of Parsons & Associates
CPAs: Becky Phillips and Mountjoy Chilton Medley
