Search

Olga Zues, a health-system and financing specialist, has 20 years of experience in international development. She focuses on the design and implementation of comprehensive reform strategies to strengthen health systems and public finance management. Her expertise includes benefits design to move towards universal health coverage, arrangements to support efficiency gains and service delivery improvements, innovative payment mechanisms, sustainability strategies, and institutional development. She has worked with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the UK Department for International Development – now the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – and numerous ministries of health, finance, justice, and education.

Meghan Henry is a social science researcher with over 15 years of experience in public policy and program evaluation, specifically in the fields of housing and homelessness and the intersection of homelessness and education. Henry has extensive experience leading evaluations, including large data collection efforts, conducting qualitative data collection, data analysis, and outcome evaluations. As project director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, she has considerable experience synthesizing large amounts of information to make the data accessible and actionable for federal, state, local, and philanthropic clients.

Lisa Simeon is Abt Global’s Chief Operations Officer.  In this role, Simeon is establishing a global operations function to cover all aspects of project management. It will include continuous improvement and scalability of Abt’s standards, processes, and digital platforms for project start-up and closeout, workforce planning, risk management, and quality review to achieve strong financial performance and ensure client satisfaction across the company. She will continue to oversee Human Resources and will add responsibility for global security operations and emergency response to her portfolio.

Nimish Jhaveri specializes in business solutions for economic development. He blends more than 15 years of experience implementing economic development programs with 15 years of private sector consulting with global corporations worldwide. He has worked in 16 countries in a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, insurance, energy, fashion, textiles, consumer products, banking, transportation, and high technology. He co-founded an investment firm that partnered with private financial investors to establish several inclusive agricultural businesses with high socio-economic impact in developing countries.

Leulseged Ageze is an economist with nearly 20 years of experience directing health sector reform and health care financing technical assistance activities in Ethiopia. His technical expertise includes health insurance, fiscal decentralization, strategic planning, and policy development.Leulseged has provided technical assistance and leadership for four USAID health financing and health systems strengthening projects. One of his most significant contributions has been supporting the introduction and expansion of community-based health insurance and other health care financing reforms in Ethiopia. These reforms have mobilized resources to the health sector, strengthened health facility governance, and improved the quality, accessibility, and utilization of health services.

Leonard M. Hicks, whose 20+ years of experience in business operations and financial management includes leading large-scale growth and transformation for Lockheed Martin and the Mission Essential Group, is Abt Global’s chief financial officer and a member of the executive management team. He is a proven entrepreneur who brings best-in-class leadership and collaborative approaches to problem solving.

Dr. Ndombour Gning Cisse is a biologist and scientist with 16 years of experience in public health and environmental health management, particularly in malaria vector control in Africa. She has experience in all aspects of insecticide spraying operations, including planning, training, supervision, human resources talent management, leadership development, strategic planning, project implementation, and capacity development assignments in four countries.

Dr. Cara Jackson is an evaluation expert with decades of experience designing and managing evaluations of education programs. She has extensive experience with a broad range of evaluation approaches, including quasi-experimental designs, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods, and systematic evidence reviews. Jackson is a former pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teacher, and her work builds on that experience. It has included evaluations of teacher preparation programs, charter school program replication and expansion grants, and a variety of district-level educational programs. She also has developed a framework for democratizing the development of evidence to incorporate a greater variety of perspectives in evaluation. Jackson is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles on a range of topics, including a historical writing intervention and performance pay for educators. She has co-edited two books, one on teacher preparation program design and outcomes and another on assessment education. She has delivered over 50 conference presentations and invited talks in both academic and practice settings and has appeared on numerous podcasts. She currently serves as the president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy, on the board of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, and on the Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research Policymakers Council.

Dr. Emmanuel Malangalila is a public health specialist with over 40 years as a leader and manager of large-scale multi-sector development projects in Tanzania. He has served as Chief of Party for three USAID projects, working with senior U.S. and Tanzanian government officials in ministries of health, education, finance, and local government; technical specialists; and stakeholders. In his 20 years at the World Bank, Dr. Malangalila provided technical expertise in health policy, private sector engagement, government institutional structure, and multisector regulatory frameworks.

Tarekegn Abate Biru has more than 25 years of experience working in the Ethiopian health, finance, and economic development sectors. He has held senior positions on USAID projects and in government.As a health care financing expert, Biru has provided technical support in planning, implementing, and assessing the implementation of health care financing reforms throughout Ethiopia. This includes training and supportive supervision to strengthen the capacity of decision-makers and front-line implementers at all levels of the health system.