Core Team

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EnCompass is staffed with senior social scientists, anthropologists, sociologists, researchers, educators, business experts, strategic planners, and public policy analysts, some of whom have over 20 years of experience. EnCompass personnel have worked in multiple and diverse settings including government, international agencies, private businesses, and nonprofit organizations, and have developed an understanding of the kinds of challenges faced by a spectrum of organizations.

Nanette Alvey

Nanette Alvey, Program Manager, manages EnCompass’ leadership and management programs for various UN agencies. She has 30 years experience in program management and training in Africa. She has worked with international NGOs in designing effective community development strategies and training approaches, consulted with international and regional organizations in management and leadership development, and founded and managed a successful Africa-based company focusing on developing relevant and practical management and technical skills for professionals and students. She is specialized in teacher training and training of trainers, curriculum development, and developing partnerships. Ms Alvey holds an MA from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies with a focus on social change and development. She is bilingual in English and French.

Sharon Bean

Sharon Bean, Program Manager, serves as the Director of EnCompass’ USAID Training Programs. As such, she provides management, supervision, and technical oversight. She has over 19 years experience as a senior-level program manager working to support the development efforts of federal government agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Defense (DOD). Her technical areas of expertise include international capacity building, strategy design and program development and, bridging and linking strategic, operation and tactical objectives. Sharon has geographic expertise in the Caribbean, West and Central Africa including the Sahel, Central America and China. Ms. Bean holds an MPH in Public Health Policy and Resources from Yale University School of Medicine and an MA in International Education Development from Columbia University. She is fluent in English, French, and Haitian Creole.

Guy Blanton

Guy Blanton, Senior Accountant, has over 25 years accounting experience. In addition to her own consulting business, she has worked for diverse businesses including health services companies, nonprofits, government contractors, high technology companies, telecommunications businesses, and law firms. Her extensive experience includes cost accounting, government contracts, budgeting, tax preparation, and financial reporting. Ms. Blanton holds a BS in Accounting and Business Management from the University of Maryland.

Kathy Callahan

Kathy Callahan, Program Manager, is an expert curriculum designer and facilitator who specializes in developing experiential learning experiences that honor adult learning methodologies and multiple learning styles. Ms. Callahan has a great gift for transforming assessment data into powerful, engaging, experiential designs, and her workshops consistently earn the highest marks in participant evaluations. She has designed and delivered dozens of workshops at the global, regional, and local levels, many of which have focused on HIV. She brings additional expertise in gender, behavior change, multicultural and international education, and working with marginalized groups. In addition, she leads the EnCompass e-learning team, and has designed numerous e-learning programs for international and domestic organizations. Ms. Callahan holds an MA in Sociology, International Training and Education, from The American University.

Crystal Cason

Crystal Cason, Project Coordinator, manages EnCompass' communication projects, and provides coordination and project support to EnCompass’ staff across multiple service areas. Having worked and studied across Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia, Ms. Cason has experience working on HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence, and community development projects. She has been recognized for her research, writing and editing, communication, and design skills. Ms. Cason holds an MA in International Relations from Webster University.

Vera Connolly

Vera Connolly, Program Manager, specializes in training, facilitation and project management, with over 25 years experience in management, instructional design, human performance improvement, and customer relationships in both the public and private sector. Ms. Connolly currently facilitates numerous courses, designs curricula, and manages workshops for the government and nonprofit organizations. She has developed e-learning programs for international development and financial organizations and has designed and delivered innovative and interactive large group collaborative workshops. Her experience includes creation of change management and professional development programs for large organizations. Ms. Connolly holds an MBA and an MS in Nonprofit Management from the University of Maryland University College.

Jeri Darling

Jeri Darling, Senior Advisor, has more than 25 years of experience working with diverse organizations in the areas of learning and development strategy, leadership development, talent management, executive coaching, and organizational effectiveness. She provides thought leadership for leadership programs within key client groups such as the United Nations, as well as advising on broader organizational development initiatives. She brings an integrated and global perspective to clients, along with a capability to manage complex projects and initiatives. She holds a MBA from Case Western Reserve University and a MA in Education and Human Development from George Washington University.

Tamara Filipovic

Tamara Filipović, Program Coordinator, supports the delivery of EnCompass’ management and leadership development programs. She has prior experience in establishing and running community-wide social justice projects, managing NGO volunteers, and developing inner-city youth through the performing arts. Ms. Filipović is working towards an MPS in International Human Resources Management at Georgetown University. Her research interests include examining how female leadership, spirituality, and personal development are tied and the ways in which organizations are using them. She is fluent in Serbian and English.

Nelson Fernandez

Nelson Fernandez, Finance and Budget Specialist, has over 15 years experience in the nonprofit, government, academic, and private sectors. His expertise is in the financial management of grants and contracts, including international and domestic financial compliance, budgeting, and financial reporting. Prior to joining EnCompass, he worked in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe at several universities and organizations, including King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, The George Washington University, National Geographic Society, and the National Academies of Science.

Diane Gardsbane

Diane Gardsbane, Senior Research and Evaluation Advisor, has over 30 years experience in program management, strategic planning, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, and ethnographic research. Her areas of expertise include gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS, education, and training. She has field experience in West and Southern Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia with diverse organizations and agencies, including the U.S. Peace Corps, the National Academies of Science, Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Agency for International Development, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Population Fund, and the World Bank. She holds an MA in Cultural Anthropology and in Education, is a certified elementary Montessori teacher, and is currently working towards a PhD in Anthropology. Ms. Gardsbane is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Alaine Gherardi

Alaine Gherardi, Business Development Manager, has 10 years of experience supporting proposal writing and development in response to government agencies and multilateral organizations’ procurement needs and in advancing executive education programs in leadership, management, and public policy issues. She supports EnCompass’ business development, marketing, and proposal writing activities and the design and delivery of leadership and management training programs for the United Nations System of Organizations, government agencies, and private companies. Ms. Gherardi holds an MA in International Relations and European Studies from the University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.

Virginia Humud Guerrero

Virginia Humud Guerrero, Senior Associate, is a management, leadership and organizational development expert with over 30 years of experience in designing, delivering, and evaluating a range of human resources interventions for international organizations. She has led training and organizational change efforts for a variety of clients, including over 10 different agencies within the United Nations. Ms. Humud Guerrero is experienced in running large-scale global programs, as well as small-group meetings, while promoting a climate of internal and external collaboration. She holds a Diploma in Human Resources from IESA, Venezuela.

Mary Gutmann

Mary Gutmann, Senior Research Specialist, has over 35 years of experience in research and evaluation, program management, quality improvement, and evidence-based programming in health care services in the U.S. and overseas. Dr. Gutmann has served as the evaluation specialist on numerous projects for the World Health Organization, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the National Academies of Science. Dr. Gutmann has deep knowledge and experience in Sub-Sahara Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Dr. Gutmann holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin in Clinical Psychology and has authored numerous publications and professional presentations.

Stewart Hickman

Stewart Hickman, Senior Training and Organization Development Specialist, has provided organizational and management development services to nonprofits, government agencies, and corporate clients for over 25 years. His recent work has been in the field of education reform, healthcare, international development, and association leadership. He is currently a facilitator for Development Leadership Initiative for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and a leadership trainer for other international clientele. Mr. Hickman holds an MA in Education/Human Development from The George Washington University.

Karen Holderman

Karen Holderman, Corporate Affairs Specialist, has more than 20 years experience planning and managing international programs and events for the U.S. government, private, and nonprofit sectors. Currently she helps to manage the Training and Facilitation program for the U.S. Agency for International Development, which prepares Foreign Service officers and civil servants for assignments in Washington, DC, and abroad. Ms. Holderman also has 15 years experience as an export promotion specialist and analyst for the professional service industries in the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration. She holds an MA in International Business and Economics from The George Washington University.

Jonathan Jones

Jonathan Jones, PhD, is an Evaluation Specialist with EnCompass LLC. He is a skilled researcher and evaluator with seven years of experience conducting evaluation in developing countries, and more than a decade in managing large domestic and international projects. He has deep expertise in designing evaluations and developing data collection tools using participatory methods, and has designed and directed several large evaluations for international development programs using a variety of evaluation frameworks. He is especially skilled at designing qualitative research tools, including interview, focus group, and observation protocols, and content analysis guides. Dr. Jones has deep fieldwork experience, and has conducted hundreds of interviews in over a dozen developing countries, often in difficult/sensitive environments. He is adept at designing evaluation systems with a focus on utilization. Dr. Jones teaches graduate level courses on monitoring and evaluation at George Washington and Georgetown Universities.

Elisa Knebel

Elisa Knebel, Senior Communications and Training Specialist, has over 15 years experience in communications, instructional design, and training evaluation. She has extensive experience in creating facilitator-led curricula and e-learning for various audiences, including youth, health professionals, community health workers, and the general community as well as writing all types of print and Web publications, including technical papers and marketing collateral. She was Deputy Director of Communications for a large health project that was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, where she managed communications production and acted as chief writer and editor for all organizational publications. She has won several awards for her projects, including awards for technical writing and e-learning. She holds an MHS from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Lyn Messner

Lyn Messner, Project Manager and Policy Advisor and Gender Advisor for the AIDSTAR-One Project, is a gender analysis expert with 20 years experience in program planning and assessment, training design and facilitation, proposal development and writing, and grants management. She has developed, implemented, and managed effective organizational policies and strategies for nongovernmental and governmental organizations and provided direct technical assistance in over 30 countries to improve agriculture, environment, education, health, HIV/AIDS, small business, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and youth projects. She has authored and edited widely disseminated program and training documents, field resources, newsletters, and reports for domestic and international audiences. She holds an MA in Development Anthropology from The George Washington University with a focus on gender and development in Africa.

Michael Mikolaitis

Mike Mikolaitis, Project Coordinator, has over 15 years experience in the nongovernmental organization (NGO), government, and private sectors. His background is in recruitment, international development, and project management. He has managed and worked with national and international youth programs, and has published articles relating to community development. He served as a Senior District Executive with the Boy Scouts of America and as a Small Enterprise Development/NGO Volunteer with the Peace Corps in Lithuania. He worked at Peace Corps Headquarters as a Management and Program Analyst, and was later employed as a Human Resources Consultant at Avue Technologies Corporation. He holds an MA in International Studies from Old Dominion University.

Dana Phelps

Dana Phelps, Project Coordinator, supports EnCompass’ program and operations projects with a focus on business development. She has worked and studied in numerous countries, including Albania, Ghana, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom. She has prior experience in establishing and running community development projects, designing and administering surveys, and designing databases, all within an international development framework. Ms. Phelps is an archaeologist with an MA in Cultural Heritage Studies. She is fluent in Italian and is currently studying French and Russian.

Chris Poosuntisumpun

Chris Poosuntisumpun, Information Technology Manager, has been in IT management for over 15 years, with extensive experience in computer networking, administration, and database management, and MS Windows and its associated software applications. He has developed and maintained computer systems and networks for various clients in fields including retail, law, and construction. He received his MS in Management Information Systems from Central Michigan University.

Sarah Smith

Sarah Smith, Quality Improvement Advisor, Research and Evaluation, at the USAID-funded Health Care Improvement (HCI) project, supports qualitative research and evaluation efforts on such areas as institutionalization, adaptation of QI methods for community level services, scale and spread of QI in the context of HCI's quality improvement activities. She has recently completed her PhD in Medical Anthropology from the University of Queensland, Australia, where she examined local practices around dengue fever treatment, prevention, and control in Cambodia. She also holds an MA in International Relations and Spanish from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and an MPH from Tulane University. She has conducted research and evaluation activities for the Futures Group, Inc, and Educational Services, Inc.

Patty Stebbing

Patty Stebbing, Finance Coordinator, supports the finance team in the areas of payables, contract compliance, payroll, reporting and recordkeeping. Patty has a wide variety of experience, developed over the past 27 years, working in the accounting, consulting, government contracting and banking industries. Her experience and skills range from high level administrative duties to accounting and tax work including billing, scheduling, assisting with field audits, litigation support, research, tax return preparation, expense reports, bank reconciliations and various office manager responsibilities.

Jennifer Stisher

Jennifer Stisher, Program Coordinator, supports the delivery of management and leadership development programs for the United Nations system. She handles all aspects of program logistics including material management and distribution. She also acts as a liaison to program facilitators, participants, coaches, and client staff who support these programs in locations around the world. She has eight years of experience in developing and supporting leadership and management programs for universities, international organizations, U.S. federal agencies, and Fortune 500 companies where she managed the design of program curricula, development of course material, logistics of program delivery, and the creation of corporate websites, newsletters, and blogs.

Beeta Tahmassebi

Beeta Tahmassebi, Project Manager and Evaluation Specialist, has significant experience in analyzing and documenting the impact of international development efforts and leadership training initiatives. She is skilled in the use of online surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews for data collection; and in the use of qualitative data analysis software. She is also proficient in the design of organizational knowledge management systems. She is responsible for the design and management of The Compass, EnCompass’ online collaboration portal. Ms. Tahmassebi has worked with a variety of UN, NGO, governmental and private sector clients. She holds an MBA from Georgetown University.

Nina Talley-Kalokoh

Nina Talley-Kalokoh, Program Coordinator, supports the delivery of management and leadership development programs for the United Nations system. She has coordinated multiple international exchange programs for the U.S. Department of State. Her professional experience in legal, academic and government institutions includes developing intercultural understanding, providing multifaceted programme support, coordinating major events, and website design and management. She has lived in West Africa and Central America and is proficient in Spanish and Sierra Leonean Krio. Ms Talley-Kalokoh holds an MA in International Affairs from American University.

Gabrielle Vetter-Taaffe

Gabrielle Vetter-Taaffe, Program Manager, oversees various leadership and management development programs. She is an organizational development and human resources management specialist with 25+ years of experience in the private and public sector. Prior to joining EnCompass, she worked for the Inter-American Development Bank where she had responsibility for conceptualizing, implementing, and evaluating leadership and management development programs, and led the annual evaluation of department-based knowledge and learning plans. Gabrielle is certified in PDI’s 360 feedback instrument (PROFILOR), and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). She also received the Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) designation from the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Drew University and a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. Gabrielle is bi-lingual in English and Spanish, and conversational in German and French.

Monique Zegarra

Monique Zegarra, Program Coordinator, supports the delivery of leadership development and other training programs. She has more than 15 years of experience in training and communications. She has coordinated the design of program curriculum, the development of course material, and the logistics of program delivery for international NGOs in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. She supports the development and delivery of successful learning experiences for participants and has organized all aspects of program logistics and business development. Monique has a BA in Translation from Ricardo Palma University in Peru, and a Management and Marketing certificate from the George Washington University School of Business and Public Management. She is fluent in Spanish and English and proficient in German.