Our Team
Meet the Experts Behind Our Mission
Meet the people who make it all happen. We see big potential in every moment, and care deeply about what we do every day. Our unique development ensures that we have the very best staff all over the world, and at every level of operation. Our leadership team reflects a group of diverse individuals with breadth and depth of experience across the company.
Dr. Valerie Karr
Founding Partner & President
With technical expertise in inclusive education and development, human rights, youth and disability, and a track record of effective rights-based advocacy internationally, Dr. Karr’s research and advocacy focuses on ensuring the inclusion of marginalized populations in the development agenda. Framed by the “No One Left Behind” movement incorporated into the Sustainable Development Goals, her research focus is on the inclusion of vulnerable groups, particularly children and adults with disabilities, have access to human rights and fundamental freedoms. Transdisciplinary in nature; Dr. Karr’s work spans diverse fields such as inclusive education, human rights, international development, and public policy. Through the use of her applied research skills in both quantitative and qualitative methods she engages directly on development initiatives at many levels such as governments, ministries, schools, and civil society organizations, the United Nations, the World Bank, USAID, the National Council on Disability, and has engaged in country-level work in Cambodia, Nepal, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Qatar, Bangladesh, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Lebanon, and Syria. She most recently served as Principal Investigator for the Tanzanian study on out of school children in both Mainland and Zanzibar and the formative evaluation of inclusive education radio programming in Tanzania.
Anne Hayes
Founding Partner & Executive Director
Anne Hayes has more than 25 years of technical expertise focusing on disability-inclusive development and inclusive education, working in more than 35 countries worldwide. Previously, she worked as several NGOs, bilateral and multilateral organizations including serving as the Director of Collaborative Initiatives at the World Bank’s Global Partnership on Disability and Development (GPDD), and as a Disability and Gender Specialist at USAID. Ms. Hayes also participated extensively in NGO efforts related to the drafting of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as a Steering Committee Member of the International Disability Caucus (IDC). She has published several books, documents, and articles related to disability inclusive development and inclusive pedagogy including numerous research publications on donor-funded initiatives for inclusion including serving as the lead author of USAID’s toolkit on Universal Design for Learning to Help All Children Read: Promoting Literacy for Learners with Disabilities. Anne holds a master’s degree in International Education with an emphasis in comparative inclusive education policies from the George Washington University and is the proud mother of two children, one of which has a disability.
Hayley Niad
Program Director and Technical Advisor
Hayley Niad has been a Researcher and Program Manager for IDP since 2019. Her technical expertise relates to inclusive pedagogies for struggling learners and students with disabilities, including Universal Design for Learning (UDL), in school settings with few material resources. Her current work also addresses teacher training for inclusive education, curriculum and materials development, and research and evaluation of inclusive education programming globally. Ms. Niad also has technical experience in mother-tongue based multilingual education for early grade reading in Mozambique, including production of student textbooks, teachers’ guides, school-based coaching, trainings and workshops, and monitoring and evaluation including EGRA design. This work has earned her a 30 Under 30 Award from the International Literacy Association. Hayley also worked as the Day Programs Manager for a disability service in Australia, managing the programming for adults with significant support needs. She holds a Master's Degree in Special Education and is currently undertaking doctoral studies in Comparative and International Development Education, with a focus on teacher decision-making related to inclusive pedagogical approaches in Ghana.
Emily Kochetkova
Senior Program Manager
Emily Kochetkova has 12 years of experience in education research and implementation across several low- and middle-income country contexts. Her work has included providing technical management and consulting for both large- and small-scale program evaluations, research studies, and implementation projects; developing and testing assessment instruments for students in the early grades, including numerous EGRA, EGMA, and school management studies; leading cross-cultural training to researchers and data collection teams; managing complex field research; interpreting quantitative and qualitative data and reporting research findings; and authoring various technical guides and toolkits. Ms. Kochetkova is passionate about understanding the factors that underlie development program successes and challenges, in order to support better inclusion, equity, and educational outcomes for all children, particularly those within marginalized groups. Her recent work with IDP includes evaluating programs funded by Open Society Foundations, UNICEF, and USAID, and contributing to ongoing discussions and testing related to Universal Design for Assessment (UDA).
Nicholas Hoekstra
Program Manager
Nicholas Hoekstra is a Ph.D. candidate in Special Education at the University of Kansas. His research focuses on the implementation of inclusive education in low-income and low-resource contexts, especially through the use of strategies such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Nicholas holds a master’s degree in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an instructor’s certificate in Judo from the International Budo University in Katsuura, Japan.
From 2015-16, Nick served as an adviser on inclusive education at the Coordinating Ministry for Knowledge and Human Talent of Ecuador, where he worked on the ratification and implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled (The Marrakesh VIP Treaty). During this period, he conducted UDL seminars for over 25 universities from throughout Ecuador, helped establish a national network for students with disabilities, and organized international conferences on bilingual and inclusive education.
From 2016-19, Nick worked as the Capacity Building Lead for the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC), a initiative of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for the implementation of the Marrakesh VIP Treaty. In this position, Nick collaborated with organizations representing persons with disabilities, Ministries of Education, and Intellectual Property/Copyright Offices to establish over 20 capacity building projects in 13 developing and least-developed countries in Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia.
Dr. Brent Elder
Technical Expert
Dr. Brent Elder
Technical Expert
Dr. Elder’s research focuses on the development of sustainable, inclusive education practices in under-resourced schools and low- and middle-income countries around the world. Specifically, his work utilizes a critical disability studies lens to examine the intersections of disability, poverty, and education. During the 2015-16 academic year, he conducted his doctoral research in Kenya as a Fulbright scholar. Aside from his extensive public school and higher education teaching experiences in the United States, Dr. Elder has collaborated with the US Embassy in Manama, Bahrain, the Ministry of Education in Kenya as an inclusive education consultant, and with the UK government, the Deaf community and stakeholders in the justice system in Northern Ireland. His international work has centered on developing sustainable inclusive practices that are in alignment with Articles 13 and 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Most recently, he collaborated with USAID, UNICEF, and the World Bank on disability inclusive education development in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Elder has published in the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Disability & Society, International Journal of Whole Schooling, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, School-University Partnerships, International Journal of Inclusive Education, Disability and the Global South, Disability Studies Quarterly, Societies without Borders, and the Journal of International Special Needs Education.
Lamyae Khomsi
Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Coordinator, Bridge to Middle School, Morocco
Lamyae Khomsi
Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Coordinator, Bridge to Middle School, Morocco
Lamyae Khomsi joined Inclusive Development Partners in 2023 as the GESI Coordinator of the "Bridge to Middle School" Activity in Morocco, a USAID-funded activity led by FHI360 in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Prior to joining IDP staff, Lamyae worked as an Equity and Inclusion consultant after working at HEC Montreal and at the University of Montreal as a Lecturer and Research Assistant in the Sociology department. She holds a Master's degree in Social Development Management from Mohamed V University, with professional experience in Canada, and in Morocco with the international development sector and the Moroccan government. She also has a long volunteering experience in the non-profit education sector supporting marginalized communities as a program manager and a French teacher. As a PhD candidate at the University of Montreal and as a member of two international research groups (MÉDISA-France/Italy/Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada), she participated in research on equity and inclusion in education and in employment. Lamyae contributed to several research publications including a collective book about organizational justice and health in the workplace using an intersectional approach during the Covid pandemic. Lamyae also contributed to multiple inclusion activities to support immigrant communities as a member of the Group of the 30 diversity leaders of Montreal, with the Intercultural Council of Montreal and Centraide.
Katherine Aronson-Ensign
Research Assistant
Katherine Aronson-Ensign
Research Assistant
Katherine Aronson-Ensign is currently a PhD candidate in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at UMASS Boston. She is also a research assistant at the Institute for Community Inclusion. She helped develop, field test, and analyze data for Children in Action: Motor Program for Preschoolers (CHAMPPS), a structured preschool motor program designed for use in inclusive settings. CHAMPPS utilizes Universal Design for Learning (UDL) embedded lessons to support school readiness and elevated physical activity levels for all children. She is also an Academic Coach for students with disabilities at UMASS Boston. She worked as a research assistant focused on country-level data analysis for a project focused on Strengthening the UN System to Make it Inclusive of Persons with Disabilities. She helped develop a peace through sports program in Northeastern Nigeria. She has published several articles focused on peace through sports and on the importance of increasing physical activity levels and school readiness skills for children in inclusive settings.
Leanne Ketterlin Geller
Technical Expert
Leanne R. Ketterlin-Geller, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of Education Policy and Leadership, and holds the Texas Instruments Endowed Chair in Education at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. In addition to Dr. Ketterlin-Geller’s faculty appointment, she serves as the director of the Research in Mathematics Education unit at SMU. Her research focuses on the development and validation of formative assessment systems in mathematics that provide instructionally relevant information to support students with diverse needs. She works nationally and internationally to support achievement and engagement in mathematics and other STEM disciplines for students in Kindergarten through Grade 8. Her research has been funded by international, national, state, and local funding agencies who are equally committed to supporting positive outcomes for all students. She has published numerous articles and book chapters, and presented original research findings at local, national, and international conferences. She works closely with teachers and administrators to understand the application of measurement and assessment principles for making decisions in school settings. Dr. Ketterlin-Geller was a high school science teacher and trained as a K-12 administrator.
Ashley Stone
Program Manager
Ashley Stone joined IDP as a Program Coordinator in 2022 and was promoted to Program Manager in 2023. Prior to joining IDP's staff team, she was an IDP graduate research assistant through the University of Massachusetts Boston and as a Policy and Program Coordinator at Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission. She has over a decade of experience working with persons with disabilities and marginalized communities in the non-profit sector and state government, where she has worked to support community integration and school-to-work transition services for persons with disabilities, and employment supports for marginalized communities. Throughout her professional career, Ashley has supported grant writing, program design and implementation, workforce and transition curriculum development, project management, and direct work with program beneficiaries. Additionally, Ashley is currently a PhD candidate in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development (SGISD) at UMASS Boston. Her area of research is on systems change and beneficiary involvement within development programming for persons with disabilities. Ashley also received her M.A. from SGISD with a concentration in human rights, where her studies emphasized disability rights, and has a B.S. from Central Michigan University in therapeutic recreation and psychology.
Augustine Kanyendula
Senior All Children Learning Specialist
Augustine Kanyendula
Senior All Children Learning Specialist
Augustine Kanyendula is the Senior All Children Learning Specialist for USAID Malawi’s Next Generation Early Grade Reading Activity (NextGen) which is part of Malawi’s National Reading Program (NRP). Working on behalf of IDP, Augustine’s role within NextGen is to provide technical assistance to NextGen’s activities to improve learning outcomes for Standard 1 and 2 learners with disabilities in Malawi.
Augustine has close to 15 years of experience providing technical support to programming focused on expanding educational opportunities for children with disabilities, almost ten years of which was focused on supporting Malawi’s National Reading Program. From 2019-2021, Augustine worked for Juarez & Associates as the Inclusive Education Specialist for the USAID-funded Reading for All Malawi (REFAM) project, followed by a year serving as the project’s Chief of Party. As part of Malawi’s National Reading Program (NRP), REFAM’s goal was to develop a scalable intervention that allows for the screening, identification, placement, instruction, and testing of learners with disabilities to teach them to read.
Previously, Augustine Kanyendula worked for Perkins International as a Disability Inclusion Specialist under two successive USAID-funded activities: the Early Grade Reading Activity (EGRA; 2013-2016) and the Malawi Early Grade Improvement Activity (MERIT: 2016-2019). Under these roles, Augustine provided technical leadership and management oversight of all field activities to improve educational opportunities, uptake, and retention of children with disabilities and other vulnerable populations for the EGRA and MERIT.
Angela Affran
Technical Expert
Angela Affran
Technical Expert
Angela Affran serves as a consultant for Perkins International in the African Region, coordinating and managing projects, training teachers to serve learners with multiple disabilities and sensory loss, advocating for the rights of children with visual impairment and additional disabilities, and supporting parents to advocate for their children. Angela was previously the coordinator for Braille Literacy, Math and Science at the Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service. She has a Master’s Degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Education, Ghana and a Diploma in Statistics from the University of Ghana. Angela has been a recipient of the Ford Foundation Scholarship, Wolfensohn Family Foundation Scholarship and was adjourned the best teacher in Math and Science category at the Akuapem North District in 2005. Angela also works with various countries to develop policies and programs to support children and young adults with inclusive education. Angela has successfully implemented projects with USAID, UNICEF, RTI, and SIB in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Lesotho, South Africa and Nigeria. Ms. Affran serves as a consultant for IDP’s work with UNICEF in Ghana, conducting formative research and providing technical guidance on identification and support to children with disabilities in the early grades.
Dr. Ann Turnbull
Technical Expert & Board Member
Dr. Ann Turnbull
Technical Expert & Board Member
Ann Turnbull has been a teacher of students with intellectual disabilities; university professor; researcher; and advocate for individuals with disabilities, their families, and educators for a half century. She is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Special Education and Co-founder of the Beach Center on Disability at the University of Kansas. She has authored approximately 300 publications, including 36 books. She was a co-author on USAID’s Toolkit entitled Universal Design for Learning to Help All Children Read: Promoting Literacy for Learners with Disabilities. She served as the President of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Ann has received outstanding research awards from the Division of Research of the Council for Exceptional Children, The Arc of the U.S., and the National Down Syndrome Congress. Five national organizations have awarded her lifetime achievement/service awards including the Division for Early Childhood, TASH, Council for Exceptional Children, Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Coalition for Dispute Resolution in Special Education. Internationally, Ann has received the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy International Leadership Award and Prince Salman Distinguished Research Award (Saudi Arabia), as well as serving on the Board of Directors of Special Olympics International. In 1999, Ann was selected by the National Historic Preservation Trust in Developmental Disabilities as one of 36 individuals worldwide who “changed the course of history for individuals with intellectual disabilities in the 20th century.” In addition to her professional credentials, she is the parent of three children, one of whom, Jay (1967-2009), was a son with multiple disabilities. Ann describes Jay as having an "enviable life" in terms of his inclusion; productivity; and contributions to his family, friends, and community. In addition to her professional credentials, Ann is recognized within national and international family networks as a visionary and relentless family advocate.
Allison Shefcyk
Research Assistant
Allison Shefcyk is an independent consultant who specializes in research related to disability inclusion in both international and domestic contexts. Some of her prior work has included research on inclusive education in Egypt, reading interventions in low- and middle-income countries, and autism employment in the United States. She has a master’s degree in education psychology from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor’s degree in history from Mount Holyoke College.
Andrea Shettle
Program Coordinator
Andrea Shettle
Program Coordinator
Andrea Shettle joined the Inclusive Development Partners staff in 2022 as Project Coordinator. In the past she has been Content Manager for Mill Neck International, Program Manager for the U.S. International Council on Disabilities, and a junior speech writer for the World Bank president. Throughout her career, she has written extensively on topics related to disability inclusion, international development, and international human rights. Her written works include white papers, grant proposals and grant reports, literature reviews, technical content on disability inclusion, content for websites and social media platforms, newsletter and magazine feature articles, and more. She also has provided training on disability inclusion in the full international development project cycle, disability inclusion in the workplace, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Andrea is passionate about disability human rights, the role of international development in addressing issues of inequity and inclusion, and the importance of access to knowledge in low-resource environments. Her education history includes a bachelor’s degree in honors English and two master’s degrees: first in Social Work then the second in International Development.
Dr. Christopher Johnstone
Technical Expert
Dr. Christopher Johnstone
Technical Expert
Christopher Johnstone, PhD is an Associate Professor of comparative education with a focus on inclusive education. He has published 55 books, articles, and book chapters on topics such as inclusive education policy, universal design for learning/assessment, and inclusive teacher development. Johnstone has worked on education projects in 26 countries, primarily in Europe (Central and Eastern), sub-Saharan Africa (Eastern, Western, Southern), Asia (Southern and Eastern), and the Caribbean. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in special education and has served as a teacher, lecturer, community-based rehabilitation volunteer, researcher, higher education administrator, and consultant over the course of his career. His current projects include a global evaluation of UNICEF's impact on inclusive education (funded by UNICEF evaluation unit), a three-year study on disability-inclusive employment in Bhutan (funded by Economic and Science Research Council UK), and a disability-focused situation analysis in Lesotho (funded by United Nations Population Fund).
Judy Heumann
in Memoriam
IDP was honored to have Judy Heumann serve as a technical expert and board member from 2018 until she passed away in early 2023. May her memory be a blessing.
Judith (Judy) Heumann was a lifelong advocate for the rights of disabled people. She contracted polio in 1949 in Brooklyn, NY and began to experience discrimination at 5 years old when she was denied the right to attend school because she was a "fire hazard." Her parents played a strong role in fighting for her rights as a child. Judy determined that she, working in collaboration with other disabled people, had to play an increasing advocacy role as she and others experienced continuous discrimination because of their disabilities.
She was an internationally recognized leader in the disability rights community and a lifelong civil rights advocate. President Obama appointed Judy as the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State, where she served from 2010-2017. Mayor Fenty, District of Columbia, appointed her as the first Director for the Department on Disability Services, where she was responsible for the Developmental Disability Administration and the Rehabilitation Services Administration. From June 2002- 2006, Judy served as the World Bank's first Adviser on Disability and Development. In this position, she led the World Bank's disability work to expand the Bank’s knowledge and capability to work with governments and civil society on including disability in the global conversation. From 1993 to 2001, Judy served in the Clinton Administration as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the Department of Education.
She was also responsible for the implementation of legislation at the national level for programs in special education, disability research, vocational rehabilitation and independent living, serving more than 8 million youth and adults with disabilities. From 1982-1993, she cofounded and coordinated the World Institute on Disability with Ed Roberts and Joan Leon. WID was the think tank run by disabled people focused on research to advance the Independent Living Movement. 1973-1993 Served as a founding member of the Berkeley Center for Independent Living and then on it’s Board of Directors. CIL Berkeley was the first Center in the United States and helped to launch the Independent Living Movement in the US and around the World.
Over the course of her life, Judy has been involved on the national and international front working with disabled people’s organizations and governments in the US and around the world to advance the human rights of disabled people. She has traveled using her motorized wheelchair to countries on every continent, in urban and rural communities. She has played a role in the development and implementation of major legislation including the IDEA, Section 504, the Americans with Disability Act and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Zarina Kurbanbekova
Technical Expert
Zarina Kurbonbekova is from Tajikistan and works as an ECD Senior Program Officer for the Aga Khan Foundation. She received her Master degree in ECD Education & Leadership from ECDE of Moscow School of Economic and Social Sciences and Manchester University in the United Kingdom. Zarina is a mother of three beautiful daughters, and her youngest daughter, Samira, has Down Syndrome. Since 2012, Zarina is a founder of the parents organization of children with Down Syndrome “SiDa”, and since 2018 she has been a founder and Chair of the Board of parents organization of children with disabilities “Open Hearts”. She has over 10 years of experience in primary school teaching and more than 17 years of experience of working for the international agencies. She is an active member of National Working Group at Ministry of Health and Social Protection on Early Detection & Early Intervention system development and a senior trainer of ECD, Early Childhood Intervention and Inclusive Education program.
Shahrzad Sajadi
Research Assistant
Shahrzad Sajadi
Research Assistant
Shahrzad Sajadi is a PhD candidate and graduate assistant at the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She received her BA in Law from Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran, Iran and her MA in Journalism from Emerson College in Boston. In 2017, she investigated the state of mental health services and suicide rates at county jails across Massachusetts. In 2019, she completed a study funded by the US Social Security Administration on the access of jail inmates to federal benefits. She has experience working on evaluation reports assessing the disability inclusivity of several international development projects and an innovative program for transition-aged youth in Massachusetts. She is now working on a customer satisfaction survey for local Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies in New England. She recently completed a Herstory Writers Workshop/Coalition for Community Writing fellowship. This Participatory Action Research Method has allowed her to work more intimately with marginalised Syrian youth in Lebanon and amplify the voices of those whose stories often go unheard. She is currently working on a memoir-writing project with young Syrian refugee women who were married before the age of 18. Her research involves studying systems of exclusion in Massachusetts jails and informal settlements in Lebanon. In both of these case studies, special attention will be paid to the stories of women, because of the unique challenges of incarnated women with mental health disabilities and women in informal settlements. Inspired by her namesake Scheherazade the storyteller, she often uses storytelling and narrative methods in her research.
Cat Jones
Program Coordinator
Cat Jones has extensive experience in the international education field, with a focus on social- emotional learning (SEL). Her perspective is informed by years of experience teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Laos, Spain, and South Africa, as well as working for various non-profits geared towards education and gender equity. Cat holds a master’s degree in International Peace Studies from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland where she wrote her dissertation on the importance of culturally responsive SEL programs for children who’ve experienced trauma due to forced displacement. She holds a B.S. in Sociology from Saint Joseph’s University and was awarded SJU’s Alpha Sigma Nu Magis Medal. Cat is passionate about supporting sustainable and inclusive education programs that improve the well-being of vulnerable populations and collectively develop greater emotional intelligence.
Padam Bahadur Pariyar
Nepal Country Coordinator
Padam Bahadur Pariyar
Nepal Country Coordinator
Padam Bahadur Pariyar has 17 years of experiences working with national and international I/NGOs on disability inclusion and rights in Nepal. Mr. Pariyar is currently working as a Freelance Consultant helping development partners making their projects more inclusive of persons with disabilities. He recently completed a project Baseline Survey of 4 community schools and communities for International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Mr. Pariyar supported project team members on developing the Individual Education Plan of the children with disabilities and trained schools teachers on inclusive education and educational rights while working with Humanity and Inclusion. Mr. Pariyar recently supported UNDP Nepal to develop a project proposal on Climate Change and Disability Inclusion. He worked for CBM Nepal Country Office and completed a Survey and Risk Assessment of 12 NGOs from disability and livelihood perspectives and supported the partners to review their project plan. Mr. Pariyar also contributes on policy making processes at federal level by reviewing the policies from disability perspectives. As a DPO leader, he is promoting free education and inclusive school environments in the local government and community schools. Mr. Pariyar has a Master’s Degree in Arts - Rural Development.
Dr. Callie Brusegaard
Technical Expert
Dr. Callie Brusegaard
Technical Expert
Dr. Brusegaard is the Associate Director of the Northeast Resource Center for Vision Education. Dr. Brusegaard has been a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments for 10 years. She has worked internationally researching and supporting inclusive education for children with visual impairments. Dr. Brusegaard has presented at numerous conferences including the United Nations Convention of the States Parties, the World Bank, and Getting in Touch with Literacy. She is co-author of a chapter in Foundations of Education, Volume II Instructional Strategies for Teaching Children and Youths with Visual Impairments. Her current research focuses on disability inclusivity in the United Nations. Dr. Brusegaard teaches as adjunct faculty for UMass Boston and Jackson State University. Dr. Brusegaard received her Ph.D. in Global Inclusion and Social Development from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Sophak Kanika Nguon
Cambodia Country Coordinator
Sophak Kanika Nguon
Cambodia Country Coordinator
Ms. Sophak Kanika Nguon has social work and education background as well as business administration. She has experience as a lecturer at the university 8 years, lectures diverse courses including: policy analysis, group work, introduce to organizational development, governance, grant writing, disability rights and development and senior project.
Ms. Nguon is a local consultant in Cambodia. She has experience with international NGOs work more than 20 years focus on community development, disability and gender. Ms. Nguon has been involved in assisting different research projects focus on disability including a research funded by the Australia Red Cross coordinated by the Aide et Action, research title: “Identifying Barriers to Employment of Youth with Intellectual Disabilities in Cambodia: Determining strategies and service provisions for increasing workforce participation”, Plan International funded title “Sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and young women with disabilities” RUPP & UW Partnership funded title “The Impact of Education on the Lives of Young Persons with Disabilities after University Graduation in Cambodia”.
Ms. Nguon has extensive experience as an organizer and advocate for disability and gender issues. She is particularly interested in strategies and policies to promote the needs and rights of men and women with disabilities access to higher education and employment. She plays as a part time CBR Advisor with an organization promotes disability rights; she is particular support the university program which encourages young persons with disabilities to continue their education at the university.
Ana Mickovska Raleva
Researcher
Ana Mickovska Raleva
Researcher
Ana Mickovska Raleva is a researcher and policy analyst with over 15 years of research experience in education, labor, social policy, human rights, and nondiscrimination. She has worked with numerous international organizations (The World Bank, UNDP, UN Women, UNICEF, SDC, EC, OECD, USAID, etc.) in implementing and evaluating projects in the abovementioned fields, including in topics related to education, gender, youth activism and interethnic integration in Macedonia. This has provided Ms. Mickovska-Raleva with an in-depth understanding of the Macedonian political and economic system and the different aspects in which it can be assessed, along with well-developed networks and relationships with relevant stakeholders. Her research experience includes developing research methodology and instruments, conducting qualitative and quantitative research, data processing and analysis, and writing technical and analytical reports. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Cambridge and is fluent in the Macedonian language.