Team

At ACDI/VOCA, we recognize that each project, system, community, and individual with whom we work is unique and diverse. This requires our team members to represent our complex work not only through professional experience and knowledge but also through lived experience and identity. It takes people of all backgrounds and identities to successfully and sustainably execute our mission while addressing the racial imbalance in our industry and systemic racism more broadly.

Click on the dropdown menus below to meet our diverse and talented staff.

Board of Directors

Timothy Beans

Board Chair

Asif M. Shaikh

Board Vice Chair

Luis Sahmkow

Audit and Risk Committee Chair 

Beth Keck

Governance Committee Chair 

Deborah Atwood

Erica Bliss

Christopher Cochran

Leslie Durschinger

Andrew Gilbert

Charles J. Hall

Dawn Thomas

Guevera Yao

Patricia Garamendi

Director Emeritus

Mortimer Neufville

Director Emeritus

Sylvia Megret

President & CEO

Executive Team

Sylvia Megret

President and Chief Executive Officer

Bob Fries

Chief Technical Officer

Gevorg Adamyan

Chief Integration Officer

Maura Allen

Chief Program Officer

Heidi Pilloud

Chief Financial Officer

Technical Experts

Hayden Aaronson

Managing Director, Market & Food Systems

Cristobal Aguilar

Senior Director of Agriculture and Community Development

Caroline Allen

Associate Director of Technical Learning

Caroline Bailey

Associate Director, Gender and Youth

Ovidiu Bujorean

Technical Director of Partnerships & Investments

Geoffrey Chalmers

Vice President for Partnerships and Investment, Managing Director for AV Ventures

Brian Cohen

Senior Director of Environment and Climate Change

Luca Crudeli

Senior Technical Director, Market Systems

Ydun Donahoe

Technical Director of Market Systems

Valentina Echeverry

Technical Director, Partnerships & Investments

Barry Elkin

Technical Director of Commodity Management

Luis Flores

Senior Technical Director, Agricultural Systems

Glenn Lines

Senior Advisor

Melissa Matlock

Associate Director, Gender and Social Inclusion

Christine McClung

Technical Manager, Partnerships & Investments

Nathalie Me-Nsope

Director of Gender and Agriculture

Morgan Mercer

Director of Gender & Youth

Kathryn Merckel

Associate Director of Nutrition and Food Systems

Paul Newall

Technical Director of Partnerships & Investment

Mark Sevier

Technical Director of Market Systems and Partnerships

Daniel Sumner

Associate Director, Gender and Youth

Cheryl Turner

Executive Vice President of Technical Learning and Application

Jenn Williamson

Vice President, Gender and Social Inclusion

HOMe office Directors

Yvonne Abuto

Senior Director of Capture and Proposal Management

Margaret Anderson

Senior Director of Inclusive Market Systems

Jyldyz Aliyas

Senior Director of Accounting

Sabrina Amburgey

Vice President of Business Development

Ruth Arriaga

Senior Director of International Human Resources 

Rebekah Bakewicz

Director of Resilience & Growth

Sharon Ball

Senior Director of Procurement & Logistics

Bo Banks

Director of Business Development, Inclusive Market Systems

Elitza Barden

Senior Director of Inclusive Market Systems 

Gelsey Bennett

Senior Director of Resilience & Growth

Stephanie Brennan

Lead Technical Writer 

Gregory Buchholz-White

Managing Director, Pricing, Compliance & Teaming

Nicole Chao

Vice President of Resilience & Growth

Jill Chow

Vice President of Communications & Outreach

Sandi Crawford

Managing Director of Awards Management Services

Emmanuel Dormon

Senior Director of Inclusive Market Systems

David Fischer

Managing Director, Inclusive Market Systems

Carolyn Froeschl

Senior Director of Financial Systems

Art Gandilyan

Senior Director of Inclusive Market Systems

Patricia Gbeti

Managing Director, Project Accounting

Dana Hudock

Senior Director, Cost and Pricing

Olaf Kula

Senior Managing Director of Inclusive Market Systems 

Beth Leonhardt

Senior Director of Business Development, Resilience & Growth

Tamara Ljubinkovic

Managing Director of Project Operations 

Marc Kokosky

Senior Director of Compliance

Carrie McCloud

Senior Director of Communications & Outreach

Brian Meister

Senior Vice President of Corporate Compliance & Accounting

Martin Muiri

Senior Director of Project Accounting

Nadia Namken

Senior Technical Director of Inclusive Market Systems

Patrick Norrell

Senior Vice President of Inclusive Market Systems

Quanita Pokolo-Hassell

Senior Vice President of Human Resources 

Yamil Roger Nasser

Associate Director of Resilience & Growth

Laura Schauble

Vice President of Risk Management and Office Operations 

Mike Thayer

Senior Director of Resilience & Growth

Thelonious Trimmell

Senior Agribusiness Advisor of Inclusive Market Systems

Lucas Valente da Costa

Associate Director of Resilience & Growth

Meg Weaver

Senior Director, Communications & Outreach

Jaha Zakhidov

Senior Director, International Human Resources and Compensation

Country Office Leadership

Philippines

Alfred Allaga

Country Director of the Cooperative Development Program in the Philippines

Colombia

Ricardo Amaya

Chief of Party of the Youth Resilience Activity and Country Representative in Colombia

Colombia

Erika María Arango

Chief of Party of the Program of Alliances for Reconciliation

Kyrgyzstan

Nazgulmira Arynova

The Kyrgyz Republic Farmer-to-Farmer Program Country Director

Armenia

Makrita Avjyan

Armenia Farmer-to-Farmer Program Country Director

Zambia

Jean-Frederic Beauchesne

Chief of Party, USAID Zambia EDGE Activity

Colombia

Carolina Blackburn

Executive Director, Fundación ACDI/VOCA Latin America

Kenya

Wyanie Bright

Chief of Party, USAID Kuza

Tanzania

Antonio Coello

Chief of Party of the Feed the Future Tanzania Kilimo Tija Activity

Philippines

George C. Dalire

Deputy Chief of Party of the Philippine Coffee Advancement and Farm Enterprise Project

Kyrgyzstan

Hiqmet Demiraj

Chief of Party of the USAID Enterprise Competitiveness Project in the Kyrgyz Republic

Ghana

Michael Dockrey

Chief of Party of the Feed the Future Ghana Market Systems and Resilience Activity

Kenya

Jim Flock 

Chief of Party of the Feed the Future Kenya Resilience Learning Activity

Guinea

Laurent Gomis

Country Representative in Guinea and Chief of Party of the Siguiri Agricultural Development Activity and the Cooperative Development Program

Honduras

Dun Grover

Deputy Chief of Party of Market Systems and Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) for the USAID/Honduras Transforming Market Systems Activity 

Tajikistan

Nodir Ibrohimzoda

Tajikistan Farmer-to-Farmer Program Country Director and ACDI/VOCA Country Representative in Tajikistan 

Bangladesh

Mohammad Kamruzzaman

Deputy Chief of Party and Nutrition Team Lead of the Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock Production for Improved Nutrition Activity

Georgia

Magda Menabde

Georgia Farmer-to-Farmer Program Country Director 

Kenya

Simon Muli

Deputy Chief of Party of Expanding Economic Opportunities under the Feed the Future Kenya Livestock Market Systems Activity

Colombia

Jimena Niño

Chief of Party of Indigenous People and Afro-Colombian Empowerment (IPACE) Activity

Honduras

Walter F. Nuñez-Rodriguez

Chief of Party of the Food Security, Agriculture and Resilient Market Systems Activity

Myanmar

Cuan Opperman

Chief of Party of Feed the Future Burma Agriculture and Food Systems Development Activity  

Serbia

Alex Pavlovic

Chief of Party, Big Small Business Project

Honduras

Giovanny Cuero Rincón

Deputy Chief of Party of Programs for the USAID/Honduras Transforming Market Systems Activity

Philippines

T.J. Ryan

Chief of Party of Philippine Coffee Advancement and Farm Enterprise Project 

Kenya

Joe Sanders

Chief of Party of the Feed the Future Kenya Livestock Market Systems Activity

Bangladesh

Muhammad Nurul Amin Siddiquee

Chief of Party of Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity and Bangladesh Country Representative

Burkina Faso

Regis Terrien

Chief of Party of Victory Against Malnutrition Plus Project 

Laos

Sophie Walker

Chief of Party of the Laos Microenterprise Activity 

Kyrgyzstan

Aijamal Ypyshova

Agribusiness Partnerships Lead, Kyrgyz Republic