Russ a une longue carrière dans la promotion du secteur privé en tant que moteur clé de la sécurité alimentaire et de la croissance économique. Son travail va de la conception et de la gestion de programmes de recherche agricole, de vulgarisation et de financement rural à l'étranger à l'évaluation de l'impact des projets, en passant par le conseil aux organismes donateurs internationaux et aux gouvernements étrangers sur la manière de structurer les priorités politiques, les cadres réglementaires et les programmes qui mobilisent des capitaux privés et encouragent la croissance économique. . Russ est passionné par le rôle des petites et moyennes entreprises dans la promotion de l'esprit d'entreprise, de l'innovation et des investissements privés qui nourriront la population mondiale et créeront de la richesse pour ceux qui vivent dans la pauvreté. Solide esprit d'équipe et leader efficace, Russ a fait ses preuves dans la gestion de portefeuille, le développement du personnel, la gestion de la relation client, les communications publiques, l'analyse de marché et le développement des affaires.

Roberta a commencé sa carrière au sein du Peace Corps en tant qu'agent de vulgarisation du bétail pour le ministère de l'Agriculture au Guatemala. Cette expérience a alimenté sa passion pour aider les agriculteurs et les entrepreneurs agro-industriels - en particulier les femmes et les jeunes - à améliorer leurs activités commerciales, leur viabilité financière et leur accès aux marchés. Avec des compétences de base dans la planification de la production et la gestion de la chaîne d'approvisionnement dans le bétail, la volaille, les légumes, le café et le cacao, et d'autres chaînes de valeur. Roberta a conçu, géré et mis en œuvre des programmes agricoles qui favorisent les revenus et les moyens de subsistance ruraux, tout en contribuant à des systèmes alimentaires durables, sûrs et nutritifs. Elle est technicienne vétérinaire certifiée, parle couramment l'espagnol et possède une vaste expertise en gestion de programmes auprès de plusieurs organisations donatrices, entreprises et fondations dans 39 pays.

Thoric - illustré à gauche (en chapeau) parlant avec un collègue au Guatemala - est un champion des approches axées sur le marché pour réduire la faim et la malnutrition. Il est expérimenté dans la conception, la mise en œuvre et l'évaluation de programmes qui engagent les institutions publiques, privées et de la société civile et les acteurs clés dans la construction de systèmes alimentaires durables, commercialement viables, sûrs et nutritifs. Analyste de recherche et stratège de programme reconnu, l'expertise de Thoric comprend le développement d'interventions monétaires pour les moyens d'existence ruraux, la conduite d'évaluations participatives de la sécurité alimentaire, la conception de programmes de formation et de renforcement des capacités des parties prenantes et la réalisation d'enquêtes anthropométriques. De ses racines ayant grandi dans une ferme laitière familiale dans le Missouri, Thoric a continué à travailler intensivement en Amérique latine, en Afrique, en Asie centrale et en Asie du Sud. Il est diplômé en anthropologie du développement, en anthropologie médicale, en économie agricole et en archéologie, parle couramment l'espagnol et le portugais et parle couramment le français.

Sarah est une passionnée du système alimentaire durable, une défenseuse de la nature et a travaillé pour réduire la pauvreté tout au long de sa longue carrière. Elle a mis en œuvre des travaux de terrain en Afrique, au Moyen-Orient, en Amérique latine et dans les Caraïbes pour des organisations à but non lucratif et le secteur privé. Elle a commencé sa carrière dans le développement commercial du secteur de la pêche artisanale pour la FAO au Cap-Vert et a supervisé ces dernières années des programmes d'agriculture axée sur la nutrition et de construction de communautés résilientes aux chocs climatiques et à d'autres crises. Sarah a conçu et géré des programmes dans les domaines de l'agriculture durable et de la sécurité et de la sûreté alimentaires, des ressources naturelles, des chaînes de valeur, de la formation et des communications interculturelles. Sarah est titulaire d'une maîtrise en administration internationale de la SIT Graduate School, d'un BA de l'Université de Virginie et a étudié à l'Université américaine du Caire.

Victor has led the technical design and operations of startup programs, notably in Vietnam and northern Ghana. He joins FES after serving as technical advisor in nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems for over 7 years. He brings skills in enterprise development and business services provision to small- and medium-sized enterprises, as well as experience in applied research and project monitoring, evaluation and learning. Having spent roughly equal times in both field and headquarters-based management and technical positions, he now focuses on advancing market solutions that ultimately contribute to safe, nutritious and appealing foods in local markets. Victor holds master’s degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois focusing on trade and policy, and Economics from Rutgers University majoring in finance.

Mr. Abasin Nawan is an international development practitioner with 15 years of experience in socio-economic development, building rural livelihoods, and developing agriculture and financial infrastructures to support the sprouting and flourishing of entrepreneurship and businesses in marginalized and underdeveloped societies. Mr. Nawan worked as Monitoring and Evaluation Manager with DT Global and AECOM International Development and supported various initiatives to facilitate better agriculture services for public and private sector activities in Afghanistan. Previously, Mr. Nawan served as a technical advisor, technical deputy chief of party, and M&E and Communications Director of the Financial Access for Investing in Development of Afghanistan (FAIDA) project in Afghanistan, funded by USAID and implemented by Chemonics International. Mr. Nawan holds a master’s degree in project management and entrepreneurship. 

Jenna joins FES with over 20 years of experience interpreting and communicating complex and technical concepts in a sponsored research administration setting. This ability is reinforced by her background in natural and social sciences with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Fisheries Ecology and Marine Resource Management, respectively. Through employment with the US National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA/NMFS), Oregon Sea Grant, and five years serving as the Associate Director of Research and Communications for the USAID-funded Aquaculture and Fisheries Innovation Lab, she has prepared reports of accomplishments and metrics for sponsors and partners, authored peer-reviewed and technical publications to advance science, and produced posters and infographics to inform the broader public. Her writing has covered a broad range of topics including nutrition and food security, capacity building to empower women and youth, sustainable aquaculture and fisheries practices, ocean policy and management, and climate change adaptation.  

Shola has vast and varied experience serving on USAID and USG contracts and cooperative agreements. He has managed finance, accounting, and operations on several USAID funded projects in the US and overseas in several Sub-Saharan African countries - Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, DR Congo Kinshasa, and Tanzania. An innovative, multi-tasking, multi-talented, versatile, and entrepreneurial international development professional, Shola has extensive practical hands-on experience ensuring compliance with USAID rules and regulations both at the field office and headquarters levels. Previously, Shola served on a USAID (FFP) Regis-Ag, Agriculture Value Chain project covering the two French speaking countries of Niger and Burkina Faso. Shola is a polyglot with a near-native fluency in French along with several other native and international African languages. Shola’s experience, technical knowledge, versatility, and willingness to serve in challenging locations have contributed immensely to the successful implementation of US government projects and contracts in which he has served.

Mariama est une experte en commerce et développement avec quinze ans d'expérience professionnelle qui consiste à gérer des programmes de développement sensibles au genre couvrant plusieurs pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest sous financement de donateurs. Elle a été en charge des programmes régionaux de micro et petites entreprises agricoles et halieutiques visant à augmenter les revenus et à améliorer l'accès au marché grâce à des améliorations de la qualité. Elle est une agente de terrain experte, adepte du réseautage basé sur des valeurs communes. Avant de rejoindre la FES, elle a été responsable du programme de politique des pêches en Afrique de l'Ouest (REPAO) pour ENDA Tiers Monde. Elle a également collaboré avec la Confédération nationale des employeurs du Sénégal en tant que conseillère en services de développement des entreprises avant son poste le plus récent à l'Agence japonaise de coopération internationale en tant qu'administrateur de programme pour l'équipe de l'agriculture et de la pêche et responsable de pays pour la Gambie. Elle est titulaire d'une maîtrise en études du développement et d'un certificat de formation continue en entrepreneuriat et promotion des petites et moyennes entreprises de l'Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement de Genève et d'un baccalauréat en commerce et commerce international de l'Université Gaston Berger de Saint -Louis au Sénégal.

Astou specializes in strategic research, business strategy, marketing and marketing communication. She is a certified expert in United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) upgrading and diagnosis; and has served as a promoter of export consortia and a trainer in marketing communication, luxury marketing, and project management. She has 13 years of experience in strategic research and planning of marketing and communications as part of projects conducted by UNDP (Study of the shea butter sector and promotion of women producers), QTV Gambia (Marketing and communication plan of a media company), the Ministry of Industry of Senegal (Study of agro-food sectors and local development), UNIDO in The Gambia (Institutional Partnerships),  Enda Tiers Monde Senegal (Market analysis, marketing plan and training of agro-food SMEs), the Senegal Upgrading Program (Market analysis, marketing and communication plans of agro-food SMEs), German Cooperation GIZ (Study of the agro-food sector and packaging), among others. She has a DESS (Diploma of Higher Specialized Studies) in Marketing from ISMA/ENEA and a certificate in International Trade from ISG/University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar. She speaks Wolof, French, English and some German. 

Assane is a health economist and a development economist with over 11 years of experience in program management and monitoring and evaluation, with many of those years serving as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in USAID and USDA funded projects. He began his career at the community level with a community-based nutrition program where he learned and practiced malnutrition prevention and management, community-based health, behavior change communication, water- sanitation and hygiene, and community-based monitoring and evaluation systems among other topics. Thanks to his experience in multisectoral projects, He has a good knowledge of food security, agri-business and nutrition areas specifically regarding monitoring and evaluation aspects. He has developed skills in data visualization, survey design, data collection with smartphones, and database design and management. He holds a master’s in Development Economics and a master’s in Health Economics - both from Clermont Ferrand University in France - and a master’s degree in Economics from Gaston Berger University in Senegal. Assane is fluent in French and Wolof, proficient in English, and speaks a little bit Arabic and Fulani.   

Babacar is a recognized expert in the field of food safety. He started his career in 1997 in an agri-food company, and successively served as quality manager and director of production. For 10 years, he served as the president of the Senegalese Association for the promotion of food safety in the fisheries sector. Babacar has extensive experience in working with small and medium-sized food companies. Before joining FES, he was an independent food safety consultant. In 2011 he conducted an assessment of the Senegalese sanitary control system for fishery products and made recommendations to preserve the export authorization granted by the EU. Babacar also has substantial experience in capacity building. He has been a Training Manager for a training organization and an expert in the European program "Better Training for Safer Food" Africa. He has designed and implemented numerous trainings for professionals in the agri-food sector and competent authorities in charge of food safety control and certification in African countries. Babacar is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, holds master's degrees in Business Administration and Total Quality Management, and has a Quality Auditor's certificate.

Makhtar, a passionate advocate for business development in Africa, has over 30 years of multi-sectoral fisheries and agriculture experience from work in the private sector and from overseeing donor programs in Senegal and West Africa. As Director of the Dakar office of USAID's West Africa Trade Hub (WATH) project under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) from 2007 to 2013, he liaised with senior officials of export promotion agencies, regional and local government ministries, regional organizations, donors, private sector, and the U.S. Embassy and federal agencies (Peace Corps, USDA, APHIS, etc.). Within this framework, he has created business opportunities and provided technical assistance and training, particularly in food safety (HACCP, FDA, labelling, certification), to a wide variety of export-ready companies in various sectors in 21 countries in West and Central Africa.

He has worked on cross-cutting issues of facilitation and improvement of the trade environment in the West African sub-region and helped set up the Observatory of Abnormal Practices to fight against corruption on the corridors and various alliances for sustainable development. He has produced several studies on value chains of seafood products in Senegal, on the financing of perishable goods, and launched the first sustainable fishing label in West Africa (Beg Ellek). He holds an MS Certificate on pollution of water and air from the University of Paris VI, JUSSIEU, (France), an Executive MBA with Delta International University (DIU) of New Orleans and is completing an Executive Doctorate in Business administration with the Paul Valery University of Montpellier (France). He is fluent in French, English, Wolof, fair in Fulani, and Spanish.