ML Staff and Consultants
In addition to managing MEDA programs, ML staff serve as expert consultants to other organizations.
STAFF AT HEADQUARTERS
Jerome Quigley
Senior Vice President, Market Linkages
Role at MEDA ‒ Jerome (Jerry) Quigley’s experience in business development consulting includes the following selected assignments: business plan for agricultural production and marketing in Northern Pakistan (International Development Research Centre); design of a national voucher scheme for insecticide treated mosquito nets in Uganda and Tanzania (World Bank / Global Fund); business development of long-life milk products through the Uganda Dairy Processors Association (USAID); business development of insecticide treated netting and ITN home re-treatment kits for malaria control in Africa (International Development Research Centre); and, business plan development for the PROARTE Handicraft Marketing Company (Nicaragua). He currently manages the Market Linkages division of MEDA and provides oversight to the three main areas of focus: Agriculture, Women's Economic Development and Business of Health.
Experience ‒ For the past twenty years, Jerry has successfully integrated the disciplines of business and development through practical entrepreneurial experience and numerous consultancies. Jerry has founded and managed two commercial enterprises for development organizations with a wide range of successful business activities. Jerry Quigley is a graduate in economics and development studies from the University of Guelph.
Nigel Motts
Director, Agriculture
Role at MEDA ‒ Nigel’s skills include sub-sector and value chain analysis, policy analysis, project design, business planning, technology promotion and transfer, gender equality and post-project sustainability planning, and evaluation. Leading MEDA’s agriculture program, Nigel also supervises MEDA’s Ukraine Horticulture Development Program (2008-2013) in Southern Ukraine.
Experience ‒ With a previous career as a small business entrepreneur in Canada in furniture manufacturing and industrial services Nigel has over twenty years of experience blending business practice with the ‘business of equitable development’ in small enterprise, agriculture, health and value chain projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America that he has managed, supervised or advised. Nigel holds a B.B.A from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Helen Loftin
Director, Women's Economic Development
Role at MEDA ‒ Helen is responsible for the ongoing management, development and implementation of MEDA's women's economic development projects currently mainly in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. Her role is also to foster new networks in the region in order to expand MEDA's work with the communities in these countries. Helen has expertise in building and renewing business plans for enterprises in India, Bangladesh and in Canada - addressing the myriad business challenges faced by marginalized women and facilitating their participation in commerce. Other consulting assignments in Ethiopia and Mozambique provided clients with deeper understanding of, as well as tools for, the practical application of value chain principles in building effective pro-poor programs.
Experience ‒ In her 20+ previous years before joining MEDA, Helen co-managed the successful family contracting business and consulted for many small businesses in Canada in a diverse range of industries. Helen is a graduate of business administration studies and holds a MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada.
Thomas Dixon
Director, Business of Health
Role at MEDA ‒ Thom takes an entrepreneurial approach to uncovering new opportunities for MEDA to impact the health of growing populations in emerging nations, while providing oversight as needed on MEDA’s on-going health programs. His primary focus is in helping to define and facilitate a leading role for business in addressing disease, malnutrition, and other constraints to people leading longer, healthier lives.
Experience ‒ Thom’s background includes ten years in program management and project advisory roles in Tanzania, ten years food manufacturing experience in Costa Rica, two years as a strategic management consultant in northern Europe, and freelance consulting on private sector strengthening in sixteen nations on three continents. He pioneered new business models in East Africa by linking smallholders to global pharmaceutical companies in cultivating the feedstock critical to manufacturing malaria treatments, empowering African farmers to participate in producing cures for illnesses that primarily impact Africa. Recognizing government’s influence on the private sector in developing economies, Thom has persistently sought to educate policy makers on the impact of their decisions on business and health. Thom holds a B.A from Earlham College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
Languages ‒ Thom is fluent in English and Spanish; he has limited conversational French and Swahili.
Katie Turner
Senior Consultant/Project Manager, Agriculture
Role at MEDA ‒ Katie develops and manages projects with the goal of integrating micro and small entrepreneurs into profitable and sustainable value chains. This includes a strong focus on small enterprise and value chain development in MEDA’s agriculture and rural development projects in Nicaragua, Peru, Ukraine, Pakistan and Mozambique. Currently Katie has direct oversight for MEDA’s Techno-Links project which builds the capacity of private agriculture input suppliers in Peru and Nicaragua to increase their outreach to small farmers. Additionally, Katie carries out short term consultancies on value chain analysis, program design and training for a variety of clients including Aga Khan, World Vision and Heifer International.
Experience ‒ Katie has strong field experience coupled with extensive knowledge of gender, technology adoption and microfinance as they apply to rural development. Katie holds a BA in Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Post Graduate Degree in International Development.
Languages ‒ Katie is fluent in English and Spanish.
Ann Gordon
Senior Consultant/Project Manager, Agriculture
Role at MEDA ‒ Ann supervises the coordination of MEDA's two projects in Ethiopia - EDGET and E-FACE. Additionally, as a skilled adult educator, Ann takes a lead role in value chain training and mentoring for MEDA with a number of international NGO's including World Vision, Heifer International, CARE USA, and the Carsey Institute at University of New Hampshire.
Experience ‒ Ann has been with MEDA since 2007 and has proven experience in market development research, program design, implementation and management. She brought with her an extensive background in rural and agricultural development in the entrepreneurial, non-profit and government sectors. As well as being a Canadian Nuffield Agriculture Scholar, her MSc in Capacity Development and Extension is from the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph. Her over 13 years’ in senior management positions in various agri-food and health related value chains has taken her across Canada and internationally in China, Europe, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and USA. At MEDA, Ann has provided leadership and management to economic development and value chain projects ranging up to $14m USD annually.
Rachel Hess
Senior Consultant/Project Manager, Women's Economic Development
Role at MEDA ‒ As Senior Consultant/Project Manager, Rachel is responsible for developing and managing market-driven projects integrating small scale producers, farmers or business owners into viable market systems for a better return on their labor. She successfully managed MEDA's disaster recovery project assisting business owners as they rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. Currently, Rachel is Manager and Senior Technical Advisor to two of MEDA's projects in Pakistan, Entrepreneurs and Pathways and Pursestrings, focused on capacity building of local organizations.
Experience ‒ To her role, Rachel brings experience in enterprise development, organizational capacity building and project management in North America and a range of international settings. Prior to joining MEDA, Rachel worked as Purchasing Manager for Ten Thousand Villages, linking thousands of artisans around the world with fair trade markets in North America. Rachel has a background in international studies and economic development with a B.A. in International Studies from University of Virginia.
Nick Ramsing
Senior Consultant/Project Manager, Agriculture
Role at MEDA ‒ Nick’s responsibilities include supply chain and value chain analysis, economic and financial analysis, project design, project management, technology promotion/adoption, and business development with partners in Washington D.C.. Nick currently supervises Information Communication and Technology (ICT) projects, contributes to ICT strategy, and manages the Ukraine Horticulture Development Program (2008-2013) in Southern Ukraine.
Experience ‒ Nick worked as an economic development advisor to Food for the Hungry in East Africa prior to his first stint with MEDA, when he performed as a credit systems specialist in Tanzania and later as a senior microfinance consultant. After 10 years as a senior project manager in information technology industry and a management consultant to U.S. federal civilian agencies, Nick has returned to MEDA to strengthen AgML’s IT applications and extend its value chain development methodology. Nick holds degrees in Economics from University of California, Davis and Boston University. He maintains Project Management Professional certification from PMI.
Suzi Slomback
Senior Consultant/Project Manager, Women's Economic Development
Role at MEDA ‒ Suzi joins MEDA as Senior Consultant/Project Manager, Women’s Economic Development, supporting MEDA's programs in Pakistan.
Experience ‒ Suzi brings to MEDA 20 years of experience in the field of international development, living and working in conflict, post-conflict and developing country environments. Suzi’s focus has centered on workforce development, institution strengthening, trade capacity building, gender integration, and new business/proposal development. She has designed and delivered in field program components as well as fostered partner and donor relations. Suzi has also had the unique experience of leading volunteer and fund-raising efforts for the benefit of rural and economically challenged communities as President of the American Women’s Association (Sri Lanka) and a Volunteer Executive for the International Executive Service Corps (Jordan, Sri Lanka, and Egypt). For her volunteer contributions, she received the Presidential Call to Service Award from George W. Bush in 2004. Suzi holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.
Lauren Good
Senior Consultant/Project Manager, Agriculture
Role at MEDA ‒ Lauren is responsible for developing and managing projects and partnerships with rural agriculture and value chain finance. He will manage and provide business planning for a new MEDA project, facilitating new market-based supply chains for certified cassava seed systems in Tanzania.
Experience ‒ Most recently, Lauren was the project consultant to the MEDA Tanzania team, scaling up a pilot program that integrated SMS mobile technology into an existing voucher supply chain. For more than 25 years as an entrepreneur, consultant, and small business owner, Lauren has advised many organizations in areas of operations, marketing strategy and finance. With this experience, he brings an eye for innovation and discovering new opportunities, and an ability to asses the market viability and business model supporting them. Lauren holds a BS in Management, and more recently a Masters in Business Administration from the RH Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.
Mike Sarco
Senior Consultant/Project Manager, Business of Health
Role at MEDA ‒ Mike is responsible for developing and managing projects and partnerships within MEDA's Business of Health area of focus. He will manage MEDA's mozquito net distribution project in Tanzania.
Experience ‒ Mike joins MEDA with over 35 years of work experience in rural development entrepreneurial, NGO, Government and Private Sector positions. For fifteen years he has performed various project advisory roles in Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Liberia and DRC. In post-conflict economies he brought various groups together to address health service delivery issues in Liberia and DRC by working with Private Sector Mining Concerns, the government Ministry of Health and International Donors. These led to Primary and Secondary Health care provision in area's previously not served by either for many years. Mike has worked with small holders in Uganda and Mexico to increase sales and prepare them for export markets. In Zambia he worked with groups using Aleo Vera extracts for medicinal purposes and the residue from extract production to decrease flock loss in commercially grown poultry and Cattle. In 1989 he started a Fresh Herbs production facility that grew from a start-up to sales of USD 2.4 million annually by 1996, and currently has sales over 25 million dollars annually. He brings a practical and innovative approach to assisting the rural poor find profitable solutions to difficult problems in challenging environments. He holds a BA from Eastern Mennonite University and an MBA from James Madison University. We are excited to welcome Mike to the MEDA team.
Ariane Ryan
Consultant/Project Manager, Women's Economic Development
Role at MEDA ‒ As Consultant/Project Manager, Ariane is responsible for value chain analysis, economic and financial analysis and developing and managing market-driven projects integrating women small scale producers, farmers or business owners into viable market systems. Ariane currently supervises the Haiti Urban Agriculture project, Pathways and Pursestrings and Sustainable Markets in Balochistan.
Experience ‒ To her role, Ariane brings experience in business support, market analysis and marketing in North America, West Africa and the Caribbean. Prior to joining MEDA, Ariane worked as a business development officer with SMEs in Senegal and Mali as well as working as a consultant with farmers and start-up businesses in Canada and Barbados. Ariane holds a degree in International Development from McGill University, recently completed her M.B.A. at the University of Ottawa and is currently pursuing a certificate in Food Security and Urban Agriculture.
Languages ‒ Ariane is fluent in English and French with conversational ability in Spanish
Fiona MacKenzie
Junior Consultant/Project Coordinator, Market Linkages
Role at MEDA ‒ As a Project Coordinator, Fiona assists the department with market research, business development, proposal development, drafting and editing technical documents, developing marketing materials, backstopping on project activities, and delivering consulting services.
Experience ‒ Fiona brings to MEDA experience in value chain development within textile and agriculture value chains in West and East Africa. Prior to joining MEDA in Waterloo, Fiona worked in value chain develoment in Ethiopia and additionally in business development and finance within the private sector in West Africa. Fiona obtained a BBA in Finance and Management from Mount Saint Vincent University, and she is currently working on her MA in International Development from the Saint Mary's University. Her MA research focuses on the effects of non-renewable resource management on social and economic growth.
Languages ‒ Fiona has an intermediate level of French and Spanish.
INTERNATIONAL STAFF
Fazila Banu Lily
Field Project Manager, Pakistan
Role at MEDA ‒ Fazila Banu Lily joined MEDA in January 2008 as the Field Project Manager for the Pakistan office. In her role, Fazila manages the ongoing implementation of MEDA's Market Access for Women Producers in Pakistan Project.
Experience ‒ In her 20 + previous years before joining MEDA, Fazila worked for CARE Canada and was posted in Afghanistan from July 2005 to December 2007 where she managed both humanitarian aid and development programs for poor and vulnerable women in Afghanistan. She has managed projects and programs by both working with partners and doing direct implementation. Fazila has extensive experience working in different sub sectors in the natural resources sector in addition to infrastructure development in flood prone areas in Bangladesh. Fazila obtained her PhD in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India in 1998.
Steve Wright
Field Project Manager, Ukraine
Role at MEDA ‒ In his role in Ukraine, Steve will be managing the implementation of the Ukraine Horticulture Development Program sponsored by CIDA.
Experience ‒ Steve joined MEDA in July 2008 from The International Finance Corporation (IFC) where he was a project manager in Tajikistan on two projects for the value added and access to finance business lines. His expertise includes both agriculture lending and banking sectors. Prior to Tajikistan he worked in southeast Ukraine on SME development and credit unions. Steve and his family are permanent residents of Ukraine. He has a Masters degree in International Development and is enrolled in the University of Phoenix on-line Doctorate of Management in Organizational Development program.
Languages ‒ Steve's native language is English and he speaks fluent Russian.
Faith Patrick
MEDA Tanzania Country Manager
Role at MEDA ‒Faith has served as MEDA's Country Manager in Tanzania since August 2009 and manages MEDA's projects that provide rural and remote communities with greater access to health products and services such as Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITNs). In Tanzania, MEDA conducts this work with funding from USAID and the Global Fund under contract to the Ministry of Health
Experience ‒ Prior to this role, Faith worked with MEDA as the Programme Manager for the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme from 2004 - 2009. Faith has over 5 years of experience in the finance sector and has worked with the Ministry of Finance, Government of Tanzania, as well as the banking Sector where she was the first manager of the Credit Department at Akiba Commercial Bank. Faith has also served as Programme Officer with the Dutch Development Organisation for Private Sector Development for 4 years. She holds an L.L.B from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and L.L.M in International Business Law from the University of London,
Loren Hostetter
Country Project Manager - Ethiopia
Role at MEDA ‒ Loren joined MEDA in September 2010 to manage MEDA's new program on Rice and Textile value chains, launched in January 2011.
Experience ‒ Loren Hostetter has extensive international experience in agricultural value chains and agri-business development including work in South America, Eastern Europe and Africa. During his initial work Loren pioneered the value chain approach in fruit drying and exporting from the Republic of Armenia. In Romania, Loren owned and managed his start-up produce company; growing, packing and supplying fresh and frozen vegetables to supermarkets, restaurants and open air markets. Also in Romania, he joined a MEDA and World Vision micro-lending program (KAPPA), building a Market Information and Consulting Unit, thereby assisting agricultural clients access credit through KAPPA by virtue of stronger business plans based on market research. In Africa, he initiated a warehouse receipts/inventory credit program to support the red bean value chain in Uganda. Loren later joined USAID to design innovative public/private partnership ventures in cotton and oilseeds in the conflict region of Northern Uganda. Since moving to Ethiopia, Loren designed USAID’s flagship value chain project focusing on cereals and pulses. He received his Masters of Arts degree in International Development from the American University
Agnes Luz
Field Project Manager, Pakistan
Role at MEDA - A marketing, value chain, and small and medium-size enterprise development expert with 20 years professional experience, Agnes is leading MEDA’s ‘Entrepreneurs’ project in Pakistan which seeks to improve the incomes of 75,000 microentrepreneurs and small business owners.
Experience – Prior to her role with MEDA, Agnes helped develop and lead USAID’s agribusiness support programs in the Philippines and led the design and establishment of the seaweed value chain component of the International Finance Corporation’s Agribusiness Linkages Program. She has been working since 2006 as senior marketing advisor for IPAS International, an organization that markets reproductive health products in 140 countries around the world. Agnes has led teams of national and international experts in the development of agribusinesses and value chains, markets, market research, market access and market channel development, program development and management, and networking with donors, government, and private sector. She holds a BS degree in Agriculture and a Master’s degree in Management major in Agribusiness Management.
Languages – Agnes is fluent in English and Filipino
Catherine Sobrevega
Country Project Manager - Ghana
Role at MEDA: An international development professional with over 25 years of NGO work experience as senior country and program manager, economic development and microfinance specialist, Catherine Sobrevega is currently managing MEDA’s CIDA-funded Greater Rural Opportunities for Women (GROW) project which is helping 20,000 women farmers improve the food security of their families in Northern Ghana.
Experience: Working on several USAID, USDA, CIDA, DFID, EC, DANIDA, UN, CGIAR, IFAD and World Bank-funded projects, Catherine has gained extensive experience in implementing economic development projects geared towards women’s economic empowerment in post-conflict situations. She previously managed MEDA’s CIDA-funded Through the Garden Gate project in Afghanistan. Prior to joining MEDA Catherine worked for CARE in Bosnia, Eritrea, and Afghanistan. Catherine has extensive experience in project proposal development, fund sourcing and donor reporting. In her current and previous management roles, she has continuously built successful close working relationships with various donors, including the World Bank, CIDA and USAID, as well as local government officials and other public and private sector stakeholders. She holds a Master’s level certificate in Micro Finance from the Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines and a Bachelor’s in Management and Industrial Engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology also in the Philippines.
Jessica Villanueva
Field Project Manager - Peru and Nicaragua
Role at MEDA: As a Field Project Manager in the Techno-Links Competitive Agriculture Technology Program, Jessica provides leadership and guidance to implement the project in Peru and Nicaragua and coordinates and provides in-country management of project set-up and implementation, logistics coordination, financial planning and monitoring, staff recruitment and training, and liaison with partners and other stakeholders in the project.
Experience: Jessica has 15 years management experience providing technical assistance to rural and urban financial institutions, with emphasis on microfinance and small business development programs in Latin America. Jessica has strong financial and business analysis skills in the microfinance, value chain, manufacturing and agribusiness sectors. Prior to joining MEDA in 2011, Jessica worked in the IADB/MIF, leading and supporting project teams in designing loan and technical cooperation projects to finance rural business and finance projects in 10 countries in Latin America (Bolivia, Nicaragua, Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Mexico). In Jessica’s most recent position at the IADB/MIF, she was the Coordinator for the TEC-IN Program, co-funded by CAF and GSMA, leading and establishing a transparent competitive environment, driven exclusively by demand, awarding good ideas and organizations capable of carrying them out. In that capacity, she also contributed to developing best practices, lessons learned, and learning that supports the replication, adaptation, and scaling of effective models and promoting opportunities for exchanges and learning between organizations to expand access to financing. She holds Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Masters in Finance from Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru.
Languages – Jessica is a native Spanish speaker and fluent in English