Jung Park
Adjunct Professor, Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship | Strategist & Speaker
Jung has over 20 years of strategic consulting and over 15 years of start-up entrepreneurial experience. Jung provides a full suite of consulting services, key notes, seminars, and workshops in entrepreneurial mindset, strategy, culture, value, equity, leadership, branding, professional/personal development, and Asian-American empowerment. As a professor in practice at the University of Colorado Denver, Jung teaches for the Professional MBA, 1-Year MBA, and Executive MBA program.
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Adjunct Professor, Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship | Strategist & Speaker
Kurt Wilson, Ph.D.
Affiliate Faculty, Regis University Development Practice | President, Effect X
Kurt Wilson, Ph.D. provides evaluation consulting through Effect X. His experience includes a range from local community initiatives to UNICEF and the World Bank. He has a Diploma in International Development from the University of London, and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Evaluation from Western Michigan University. He is an Affiliate Faculty Member at Regis University, team-teaching with Andrea Nelson Trice in the Praxis and Masters of Development Practice program. His international evaluation experience includes projects in about 20 countries around the world.
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Affiliate Faculty, Regis University Development Practice | President, Effect X
Jim LoPresti, Ph.D.
Instructor, University of Colorado Business School | President, CohereUS Consulting
Jim LoPresti, Ph.D. has worked in both corporate and academic environments, blending practice and theory, for over thirty-five years. In 2005, he founded CohereUs Consulting Int’l which focuses on leadership and management professional development with a strong emphasis on emotional and social intelligence. He brings proven expertise to his clients in executive coaching, negotiation skills/conflict resolution, leadership through story-telling, resilience and stress management, team building, senior management alignment, introducing and leveraging change, and cultural transformation.
Jim holds a doctorate in 19th century American literature from the University of Denver and is a certified professional coach through the International Coach Federation. Jim was a major contributor to both the first and second editions of Management: A Focus on Leadership by Annie McKee for Pearson/Prentice Hall. In addition to his consulting practice, Jim is a senior instructor, at the Business School of the University of Colorado Denver and adjunct instructor at the Colorado State University School of Business.
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Instructor, University of Colorado Business School | President, CohereUS Consulting
Devin Hibbard
Founder and CEO of Street Business School
Devin is the Founder and CEO of Street Business School, an entrepreneurial training program that helps people living in poverty go from an average of $1.35 to $4.19 per day by starting their own small businesses. Through a social franchise model, Street Business School trains other organizations to use this proven program, and is now active in 17 countries in order to reach 1 million women by 2027.
Previously Devin co-founded and served as CEO of BeadforLife, and is a regular speaker and author. Her work has been featured by Nick Kristof, Entrepreneur, Barron's, the Today Show, O Magazine and dozens of other publications.
https://www.streetbusinessschool.org/
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Founder and CEO of Street Business School
Gordon Lau
Director of Information Systems, iDE
Three-time speaker at international technology conferences, Gordon Lau is the Director of Information Systems for iDE - a nonprofit dedicated to addressing food-insecurity and sanitation challenges via market-based interventions - creating income and livelihood opportunities at the same time. He is excited to share his experience leading iDE’s first blockchain project ever.
He is an expert in the building and implementation of mobile systems for M&E and business operations built on Salesforce, with a special focus on making clients and front-line staff the master of appropriate technologies.
https://www.ideglobal.org/
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Director of Information Systems, iDE
Allyson Quijano
Chief Sustainability Officer, Bext360
Allyson Quijano serves as Chief Sustainability Officer for Bext360, a technology company whose mission is to digitize supply chains for global commodities.
She advises corporations, governments and institutions on strategy, development and sustainability. Quijano has lived in Africa and the Middle East while working with The Carter Center, International Rescue Committee and consulting with other groups on human rights, institution-building and democratic-strengthening.
https://www.bext360.com/
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Chief Sustainability Officer, Bext360
Patrick Riley
Co-Founder & Managing Partner, GAN
Patrick Riley is the CEO at GAN and Managing Partner and Co-Founder of GAN Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund. Most recently, he was on the executive team at Techstars, where he oversaw its business development. He started his career working for W.L. Gore and Associates and moved into the leadership of the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. Patrick left the Red Cross to manage the West Coast sales and operations for a venture-backed healthcare company that had an exit before joining Techstars and GAN. In his spare time, he skis, cycles, travels and spends time with his incredible wife and two daughters.
https://www.gan.co/
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Co-Founder & Managing Partner, GAN
Elizabeth Ellis has spent 20 years leading private sector and agricultural development efforts in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. She joined International Development Enterprises (iDE) in 2013, first as Chief Operating Officer, then was appointed CEO in early 2019. iDE uses the power of businesses—including working through social enterprises that iDE wholly owns; partnerships with large multinational corporations like Kohler and Coca-Cola; and incubating hundreds of small, often family-owned, indigenous businesses—to reach millions of people with measurable impact in agriculture, nutrition, WASH, climate change, and women's economic empowerment. From it’s beginnings in 1982 to 2013, iDE has created income opportunity for over 20 million people. Lizz is leading iDE to even greater impact by scaling up iDE's approaches in WASH and agriculture to reach another 20 million more with products and services that increase their incomes and improve their livelihoods. Prior to joining iDE, Lizz worked in DC on USAID-funded economic growth and agriculture projects before moving to Morocco, where she helped establish the country’s first blueberries exports into Europe; and then to Nigeria, where she helped raise farm yields and incomes through partnerships with Olam, Heineken, and the Government of Nigeria. Ellis serves as the Chair of the Posner Center for International Development and also sits on the board of directors for iDE UK, iDE Ghana, and Hydrologic, an award-winning social enterprise in Cambodia owned by iDE. Ellis received her MPA/PP from Rutgers University and her BA from Grinnell College in History and Global Development Studies.
https://www.ideglobal.org/
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CEO, iDE
Greg Lestikow
Director of Global WASH, iDE
As Global WASH Director, Greg drives technical strategy and innovation for iDE’s six-country WASH portfolio. Greg brings over 10 years’ experience in diverse positions in the public and development sectors. In his early career, Greg worked extensively in Latin America, where he led business development efforts and helped smallholder farmers diversify their sources of income. Since joining the Global WASH team three years ago, Greg has been thrilled to apply lessons learned in Latin America to iDE’s programs in Asia and Africa. He is especially excited to work with iDE’s in-country superstars to diagnose market failures and generate workable solutions to address them.
Greg holds a BA from Colorado College and an MA in International Economics from University of California, San Diego. He still marvels at the good fortune he enjoys to work with an innovative and impactful organization while enjoying all of the fun things his native Colorado has to offer.
https://www.ideglobal.org/
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Director of Global WASH, iDE
Montserrat Salazar Gamboa
Country Director, The Hunger Project - Mexico
For 23 years, Montse has facilitated the institutional strengthening and organizational development of nearly fifty civil society organizations and overseen the processes of a dozen networks of Multi Actor Negotiation, Consensus Building and Multisectorial Networks. She has also designed and coordinated volunteer programs for UNESCO, UNDP, America Solidaria México and national civil organizations. She also holds a law degree from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM).
https://www.thp.org/
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Country Director, The Hunger Project - Mexico
John Coonrod, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, The Hunger Project | Co-Founder & Coordinator of the Movement for Community-led Development
John believes he is the world’s luckiest guy: he’s had the opportunity to be mentored by the real heroes of people-centered development - from Wangari Maathai and A.T. Ariyaratne to leaders of India’s freedom movement. He began his career in physics, helping to build the first CAT scanner and the first tokamak designed to achieve break-even fusion energy - while volunteering in antiwar, civil rights and ending hunger groups. At the height of the 1984 Africa famine, he left physics, went all-in, and has served in leadership roles at The Hunger Project ever since.
https://www.thp.org/
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Executive Vice President, The Hunger Project | Co-Founder & Coordinator of the Movement for Community-led Development
Micah Farfour
Special Advisor for Remote Sensing, Crisis Team, Amnesty International
Micah Farfour is the Special Advisor for Remote Sensing in the Evidence Lab at Amnesty International. The Evidence Lab is a team of experts that collaborate with researchers to analyze and verify human rights abuses.
Micah has been conducting open source investigations using satellite imagery and other data sources for over seven years, working closely with researchers and journalists to uncover evidence of human rights abuses across the globe. Some past projects include near real-time monitoring and documentation of village burnings in Myanmar, tracking Boko Haram and military activities in Nigeria, monitoring and analyzing changes in North Korean gulags and supplying key evidence for an investigation into a Southeast Asian trafficking ring.
When not working, she is happily getting lost in the mountains or desert with her dog.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/
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Special Advisor for Remote Sensing, Crisis Team, Amnesty International
Melissa Revotskie
Regional Program Officer - Africa, Water for People
Originally from Massachusetts, Melissa has worked in international development for eight years. Her areas of focus have included youth development, human rights, immigration, refugee resettlement, and at present: global WASH. In her free time, she plays ultimate frisbee, bikes, reads, and explores the mountains as often as possible.
https://www.waterforpeople.org/
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Regional Program Officer - Africa, Water for People
Jennifer Zavala
Regional Program Officer - Latin America, Water for People
Originally from Montana, Jennifer completed her undergraduate studies at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, and received a masters in economic development from the University of Denver. She worked at Chemonics International and managed USAID projects in Latin America before landing at Water For People. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, skiing, traveling, and reading.
https://www.waterforpeople.org/
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Regional Program Officer - Latin America, Water for People
Bruce Maj Pelz
Founder and US President, Maji Safi Group
Bruce Pelz grew up in Boulder, Colorado and attended the University of Colorado where he received honors for his B.A. in Environmental Studies. Since graduating in 2011 Bruce has gone on to co-found Maji Safi Group in 2012 and has held many different roles within the organization in both the US and Tanzania. He has served as a board member, Secretary, and Director of Operations in Tanzania where he lived and ran operations for five years. Since 2015 he has served as the President of Maji Safi Group in the US where he is in charge of administrative, fundraising and programmatic activities. Bruce has been a member of the Forbes Non-profit Council since 2016 and is part of the Posner Center for International Development Mentorship program.
https://www.majisafigroup.org/
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Founder and US President, Maji Safi Group
Zach Swett
Executive Director, Africa School Assistance Project
Zach grew up traveling and living in developing countries from Tonga to the
Dominican Republic and Venezuela. This global upbringing led him to pursue a career in International Development. After attending University of Denver and receiving a B.A. in International Development (with focuses on gender, health, education, and cultural anthropology), Zach has spent the last 10+ years living and working for various NGOs throughout Africa, primarily Tanzania. Currently, Zach is Executive Director for the Africa School Assistance Project (ASAP) – a Denver-based NGO committed to increasing access to quality public education in East Africa, particularly for girls.
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Executive Director, Africa School Assistance Project
Ann Hudock, Ph.D.
President and CEO of Counterpart International
Bringing more than 25 years of international development experience, Dr. Hudock leads Counterpart’s global program portfolio, building on the organization’s body of work with new approaches to promote civic participation and government accountability.
Before joining Counterpart in 2017, Dr. Hudock worked at Plan International USA, where she led the expansion of the international program portfolio and served as Vice-Chair of the Plan Federation Program Directors Forum. She was a Managing Director at DAI, diversifying their work beyond U.S. government funding and creating a strong portfolio with UK Department for International Development.
Before working with DAI, Dr. Hudock was the Deputy Country Representative and the Acting Country Representative for The Asia Foundation in Hanoi, Vietnam. Democracy and governance issues were the foundation of her career in her roles as head of Democracy and Governance at World Learning in Washington, DC; as one of the first Democracy Fellows at USAID in 1997; and as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, covering the Democracy, Human Rights and Labor portfolio.
Achievements, Certifications, and Special Projects
Dr. Hudock currently serves on the advisory board for the University of Dayton Human Rights Center and is co-chair of the Society for International Development’s Democracy, Rights and Governance Workgroup. She is also on the Advisory Committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC).
Dr. Hudock is the author of NGOs and Civil Society Development: Democracy by Proxy? published by Polity Press in English, Chinese and Japanese.
https://www.counterpart.org/
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President and CEO of Counterpart International
Joe Verrengia
Global Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Arrow Electronics
Joe Verrengia launched Arrow Electronics' CSR program in 2013. Arrow is a global provider of technology solutions, engineering services and electronics products operating in 90 countries. Arrow's CSR focus is developing technologies for humanitarian purposes and education programs that develop the next generation of innovators.
https://www.arrow.com/
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Global Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Arrow Electronics
Barbara Smith
Principal and Owner, Mountain Time Development, LLC
Barbara Smith is the Principal and Owner of Mountain Time Development, LLC, an international development and national security consulting firm specializing in research, strategic planning, assessments, training, program design, evaluations, and other advisory services.
Barbara Smith has over 20 years of experience in international development and security and is a subject matter expert in democracy, human rights, and governance. Ms. Smith has held several senior positions within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), including Deputy Assistant to the Administrator for Policy, Planning, and Learning; Senior Policy Analyst; Deputy Coordinator for Middle East Transition Response; and Senior Field Adviser. She served on the National Security Staff at the White House as a Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs and at the Asia Foundation as Senior Director for governance and law in Washington, D.C. In addition, she has held senior positions with various organizations overseas, including as Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Bosnia and as Deputy Country Representative for the Asia Foundation in Afghanistan. Ms. Smith currently serves as a non-resident Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Fellow with the Payne Institute, and an advisor to the U.S. military on humanitarian assistance practices. Ms. Smith received a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.A. in Political Science from Texas State University.
https://www.mountaintimedevelopment.com/
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Principal and Owner, Mountain Time Development, LLC
Sherry Manning
Founder and Executive Director, Global Seed Savers
Sherry has worked in the Philippines for the last decade helping bring capacity building programs for food and seed sovereignty to small holder farmers throughout the 7,000 islands. What started with one family farm has grown into a nationwide movement to restore the ancient practice of saving seeds and build resilience in the face of climate change.
She holds a Masters in Environmental and Natural Resource Law from the University of Denver and a BA in Government from the University of Redlands. She is a proud graduate of Seed School in a Day and the weeklong Seed School Teacher Training program of the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance and has facilitated multiple courses in the US and the Philippines.
https://globalseedsavers.org/
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Founder and Executive Director, Global Seed Savers