Team

Teams

Management

Administration

Chelsa Bocci | Community Marketing Director

Chelsa has been with Kiva from the beginning and was responsible for establishing Kiva's Microfinance Partnerships program where she managed a great deal of relationships with Kiva's Field Partners, primarily in Africa, and oversaw Kiva's Microfinance Operations programs; Inventory Management and Kiva's expansive Fellows Program. Chelsa is currently responsible for growing and further engaging Kiva's community through three channels: Kiva Lending Teams, Social Networks, and Events. Prior to Kiva, Chelsa was a Corporate Recruiter and Immigration Specialist with Barclays Global Investors. She returned to the U.S. following a period of extensive world travel and work abroad; including Social Work with HIV-positive children in South Africa and tsunami relief efforts in Thailand and Indonesia. Chelsa received her B.S. in Psychology from Santa Clara University, and has completed certifications in Social Performance Management, Framework for Reporting/Analysis/Monitoring/ Evaluation (FRAME), Behavioral Interviewing/Talent Selection, Risk Management Strategies, and Human Resource Management.

Ali Carroll | Customer Service Coordinator

Ali comes to Kiva with an entrepreneurial background and experience living in rural East Africa. As the Customer Service Coordinator, she works to provide Kiva lenders with the best possible experience on Kiva and she ensures that the thousands of emails and phone calls that come into Kiva every month get answered. Ali graduated from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in Communications and Studio Art.

Austin Choi | General Counsel

Austin has served as Kivas General Counsel since July 2008 and brings over 10 years of legal experience working with global high technology companies. He has previously held positions in the legal departments of ArcSight, Inc., InVision Technologies, Inc./GE InVision, Inc., and the law firm of Fenwick & West LLP. He also served as a judicial law clerk at the United States Court of International Trade. Austin holds an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College, where he studied economic development issues, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Matt Flannery | Co-Founder and CEO

Matt began developing Kiva in late 2004 as a side-project with while working as a computer programmer at TiVo, Inc. In December 2005 Matt left his job to devote himself to Kiva full-time. As CEO, Matt has led Kiva's growth from a pilot project to an established online service with partnerships across the globe and millions in dollars loaned to low income entrepreneurs. Matt is a Draper Richards Fellow, Skoll Awardee and Ashoka Fellow. He graduated with a BS in Symbolic Systems and a Masters in Philosophy from Stanford University.

Bennett Grassano | Director of Development

Bennett comes to Kiva with a background in Social Enterprise, Technology, and Nonprofit Development & Fundraising. He has worked as a leader in community-based arts and education in San Francisco's Richmond district, a Web Developer at the Internet search engine LookSmart, and as a founding partner in an open source Web development & hosting company in San Francisco. Prior to joining Kiva, Bennett served as Director of Institutional Development for TechSoup Global where he earned a grand prize in the inaugural Yale School of Management-Goldman Sachs National Nonprofit Business Plan competition for TechSoup Stock, a self-sustaining online service that has distributed over $1 billion in technology product donations to NGOs in 24 countries. Bennett is a graduate of West Virginia University with a BA in History, Philosophy, and Foreign Languages. He is an avid musician, Tae Kwon Doist, yogi, snowboarder, and bicycle commuter.

Jen Hamilton | Chief Financial Officer

Jen comes to Kiva with an entrepreneurial background and has extensive finance experience through her roles in the corporate and investment banking world. She began her career working with Citibank Canada in Toronto and later moved to the Bay Area to become a technology investment banker first at DLJ and later Credit Suisse and UBS. Jen's passion for international travel and culture led her to found On The Road Travel (www.ontheroadtravel.com) an online resource for independent travelers in Latin America. Jen holds an MBA from INSEAD (Fontainbleau, France) and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's University (Kingston, Canada). Jen is an avid yogi, cyclist, skier and recovering triathlete.

Stefanie Madrid | Accounting Manager

Stefanie serves as Kivas Accounting Manager joining Kiva in July of 2008. She brings with her seven years of accounting experience in varying industries, her most recent of which as the Finance Director at VolunteerMatch, a San Francisco based nonprofit focusing on using internet technology to help everyone find a good place to volunteer. She is responsible for maintaining Kivas financial record keeping, the annual audit, and business analytics. Stefanie earned her B.S. in Finance and Business Administration from the University of Southern California and is currently pursuing her MBA at the University of San Francisco.

Rupa Modi | East Coast Development Manager

Rupa is responsible for developing East Coast operations in efforts to build awareness, fundraise, and seek new business opportunities. In 2007, Rupa contributed to raising program funds for Kiva from renowned foundations and donors. Additionally, Rupa was a featured speaker at the Wharton Technology Conference and moderated the Social Entrepreneurship Panel at the Wharton Entrepreneurship Conference in Philadelphia. Rupa is the Founder and CEO of ModiaDesigns, and she carries a deep interest and responsibility in utilizing her creative skill set to highlight causes in the U.S. and India. Rupa is currently pursuing a Certificate in Strategic Decisions and Risk Management at Stanford University. She holds an MBA in International Business from Drexel University and a B.A. in Computer and Information Sciences and Biology from Temple University's Honors Program.

Gerard Niemira | Customer Service Manager

Gerard is a member of Kiva’s customer service team, helping Kiva lenders have the best possible experience in the process of making a loan. He comes to Kiva with several years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Most recently he worked in sales and marketing in Washington, DC at First Book’s revenue-generating social enterprise, the First Book Marketplace. Gerard graduated with a B.A. in History from St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, NY.

Fiona Ramsey | Public Relations Director

As Public Relations Director, Fiona oversees all PR communication and media exposure. Recent media highlights include coverage on ABC World News, CNN, BBC and The New York Times. During her 1 1/2 year tenure at Kiva, Fiona has also helped to scale our accounting infrastructure and build out our customer service and marketing programs. Fiona has over five years of operations experience in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, as well as extensive travel experience. In Ko Lanta, Thailand, she helped coordinate post Tsunami rehabilitation efforts and witnessed the impact of microfinance on rebuilding livelihoods. Fiona holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and English Literature from the University of Melbourne, Australia and is a CELTA certified ESL trainer.

Premal Shah | President

As President, Premal leads Kiva's efforts to scale its partnerships and member base. Prior to Kiva, Premal was a Principal Product Manager at PayPal, an eBay company. During his 6 year career at PayPal, Premal drove a number of key initiatives including a year long project defining eBay's role in economically empowering the global working poor. A number of corporate initiatives have come out of this effort, including PayPal's support of Kiva. Prior to PayPal, Premal was a strategy consultant at Mercer Management Consulting in New York. Premal has had a long standing interest in microfinance. In 1997, he was awarded a grant from Stanford University to research microfinance in Gujarat, India. More recently Premal co-founded the Silicon Valley Microfinance Network and spent 2 months in India working to refine / validate Kiva's model. In 2006, Premal was a featured speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative and Global Microcredit Summit. Premal graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University.

Christina Tierney | Office and Human Resource Manager

Christina is responsible for managing Kiva's office operations and human resources. She brings three years of customer service and account management experience as an Associate at Bernstein Global Wealth Management. Christina graduated from the University of Denver with degrees in Spanish and International Studies, focusing on conflict resolution and cultural/regional studies. Upon graduating, she received honors from the University's Center for Multi-Cultural Awareness. Christina has studied and traveled extensively throughout Costa Rica, Mexico and Spain, volunteering at a number of organizations along the way.

Engineering

Noah Balmer | Software Engineer

Noah joined Kiva in 2008 to build Web site improvements and create new opportunities for growth. He's a world traveller, and his eclectic background includes forays into art, robotics, mechanical design, and electrical engineering as well as over eight years of experience in Web development. Noah is an active contributor to the DIY and open-source technology community and a founding director of a small public-benefit workshop in San Francisco.

Rich Bodo | IT Support Manager

Rich joined Kiva in 2008 to manage internal IT systems and support. He has worked professionally as a software developer, support manager, and IT manager. Along the way, he founded three small businesses and became a strong advocate for Open-Source technology, speaking at numerous conferences on Open-Source IT systems. In his current position, he is working to apply modern principles of software development and customer service to system administration. In general, he believes in the liberal application of compassion, entrepreneurialism, and imagination to all problems.

Zvi Boshernitzan | Chief Software Architect

Zvi joined the Kiva engineering team at the start of 2007 to help scale the site as its level of national coverage began exploding. Before joining Kiva, Zvi founded Robocommerce where he led the design and implementation of a comprehensive e- commerce and ERP software suite for online retailers. Earlier, Zvi helped develop software for hospitals at MyBestHealth, worked on the World Bank's global development gateway at ArsDigita, and consulted. Zvi holds a BA in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Rice University. When not at Kiva, Zvi enjoys sleeping or riding his bike the three blocks between his bed and the Kiva office. Zvi is proud of his work with Kiva, because he believes in the power of technology to help entrepreneurs around the world.

Asher Feldman | Sr. Systems Engineer

Asher brings a decade of production experience to Kiva with stints at companies both big and small, from blogging and photo sharing startups to large scale search and banking operations. He's dedicated to keeping the Kiva website scalable and available. When not at Kiva, Asher enjoys listening to live music, art appreciation, technological tinkering, travel, and searching for various species of caudata in the wild.

Jeremy Frazao | Technology Director

Jeremy’s ten years of experience as a software architect blended with his love for exploring new countries and cultures create the perfect fusion for Kiva’s lead website developer.  His experience in the corporate world includes designing and implementing web applications for Chase Manhattan Bank, the National Cancer Institute, MBNA and IBM Corporation, including developing course material for IBM/Rational and conducting training programs for NASA and Capital One Bank.  Jeremy’s travels have taken him a full circle around the globe including walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain and falling in love with South-East Asia.  Jeremy holds a BA in Computer Science from Hofstra University and is a CELTA certified ESL trainer.

Phu Hoang | Vice President of Product Development

Phu came out of retirement to join Kiva in 2009 as an Advisor and now heads up Kiva's Engineering and Product management teams. Phu left Viet Nam along with his family in April 1975, when he was 10 years old. He considers himself extremely fortunate in his life in America and is thrilled to be able to help others get a similar opportunity to improve their lives. Prior to Kiva, Phu spent over 11 years at Yahoo heading up Engineering for Yahoo's consumer web sites, advertising systems, and platform. His greatest gift in life is his wife Tamar and their three children: Jason, Grace, and Allison. Phu hurts himself frequently playing basketball, tennis, and poker. He studied at the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of California, Berkeley

Roma Jhaveri | Product Manager

Roma's excitement for technology solutions that address poverty brought her to Kiva, where she is responsible for the Field Partner web product and Kiva Internal Tools. Before working as an engineer and product manager, Roma spent time researching the economic development potential of information technology in rural India. She has also travelled extensively through other parts of Asia, Latin America and Europe and has studied at Oxford University. Roma holds a B.S. in Computer Science and a M.S. in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University, where she was a Mayfield Fellow.

Jonathan Kart | Sr. Software Engineer

Jonathan brings a diverse engineering background to Kiva. After graduating with a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University, Jonathan sated his ongoing academic fix by working as a software researcher with Rockwell Scientific. Following a near career change into the culinary arts, he returned to his true calling as an entrepreneur/web developer leading him to found a San Francisco based web shop. After a brief stint in the high volume corporate world of internet advertiser networks, Jonathan found a home here at Kiva, where he works to ensure reliability and scalability of the website.

Sid Khoshoo | Software Engineer

Sid joined Kiva in 2008 to chew bubble gum, and kick ass, but is now out of bubble gum. Previously, he worked at Yahoo! for over six years on the Calendar and Address Book teams, leading both the growth of the product and the size of the team. He was intimately involved in the internalization and localization process, as well as just about everything else. Most recently, he spent a year teaching math at Castlemont High School in Oakland. Education is very close to his heart and has a special place there for teachers. Sid holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from U.C. Berkeley, and an M.S. in Computer Science from UCLA.

Tim Ledlie | Software Engineer

After college, Tim founded a non-profit bicycle shop and learned to be a bike mechanic and run a small business. Before Kiva, he worked in genomics at the Broad Institute, writing code to help us better understand viruses like Dengue and HIV. He also brings experience as a freelance web designer and developer. His interests include ultimate frisbee, bicycle education and advocacy, small-ensemble singing, home-cooked food, learning and adventuring through travel, and living deliberately. Tim graduated from Harvard University with a BA in computer science.

Sam Mankiewicz | Chief Technical Officer

Sam leads Kiva’s engineering team and is responsible for the day-to-day operations and ongoing development of the website. He comes to Kiva with almost 10 years of experience working with over a half-dozen technology startups, ranging from self-service kiosks and enterprise systems integration to digital tickets and online video sharing. Sam has traveled extensively through Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central America. Sam graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University.

Cailin Nelson | Senior Software Engineer

As a retired physicist, Cailin likes to think of her professional path as a macroscopic version of Brownian motion. Cailin's random walk through life deposited her on Kiva's doorstep in September, 2009. Cailin is a Java engineer at heart, but codes concurrently on so many platforms that she often feels like she suffers from multiple-language disorder. Cailin is currently working on technology solutions to enable the good people of Kiva, both near and far, far afield, to get their jobs done better and faster. Cailin attended Dartmouth College, where she passed her swim test on the very first day. She went on to graduate with an A.B. in Physics a few years later and finished with a Ph.D. Physics from U.C. Berkeley.

Skylar Woodward | Director, Kiva Developer Program

Skylar has been with Kiva since the beginning - both formally as a technical advisor and persistently as a friend. After serving in this capacity for a few years while working at Yahoo!, Skylar joined Kiva officially in the fall of 2008 to start up the Kiva Developer initiatives. Drawing on experience from creating and leading multiple platform efforts at Yahoo! over the course of 6 and a half years, and as an advocate for open source, sensible standards, and beautiful APIs at previous startups and firms, he is responsible for opening up the whole of Kiva beyond the website to wherever the development community thinks microfinance relevant. Skylar holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Duke University.

Microfinance Partnerships

Naomi Baer | Microloan Review and Translation Director

Naomi leads Kiva's Volunteer Translation Program, developing the online volunteer corps that provides translations for Kivas loans. With volunteers around the globe, the program aims to create meaningful involvement among its community of translators as they lend their support to Kivas partnerships. With 14 years of experience as a professional translator, Naomi brings close ties to the translation industry and extensive experience managing language projects. Naomi also served for two terms as a board member of the Northern California Translators Association. Previously, she worked as an Associate Producer at The Learning Company developing interactive media. Naomi holds a B.A. in American Civilization from Brown University and is certified by the American Translators Association in Portuguese to English translation.

Isabelle Barres | Vice President, Microfinance Strategy

Isabelle oversees Kiva’s global microfinance strategy. Prior to Kiva, Isabelle was Director for Strategic Development at the MIX, which she helped create in 2002. There, she led efforts to identify and implement business opportunities to enhance MIX's position and reputation with its global audiences, working with a wide range of microfinance stakeholders including investors, donors, microfinance institutions (MFIs), networks, regulators and rating agencies. She was a key contributor to best practice publications on standards and financial performance monitoring, and is a founding member of Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM), the only organization for women professionals in microfinance. Isabelle comes to Kiva with 13 years experience in microfinance and the formal banking sector. She graduated with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Montreal in Canada, an MBA from McGill University in Canada, and a post-graduate degree in Development Economics from the Sorbonne University in France, and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

Anne-Laure Behaghel | Partner Development Specialist for West Africa

Anne-Laure joined the Kiva team in the fall of 2008 as Partner Development Specialist for West Africa. She was previously the Chief Financial Officer of MicroCred Senegal in Dakar. She started working in the microfinance industry as Administrator of Planet Rating department (today Planet Rating SA), a rating agency specialised in Microfinance Institutions (MFI). Then she spent 2 years in Slovakia as Risk and Business Manager of the Renault network of car dealers. During her stay in Bratislava, she carried out small consulting assignments for Integra, a slovak MFI, and worked with the Microfinance Center in Warsaw and Planet Finance. After a mission in Afghanistan for a French medical NGO, Aide Medicale Internationale, where she was in charge of the finance and administration of the Afghan projects, she joined the MicroCred Group to take part in the creation of its first MFI in Veracruz, Mexico, where she took the Head of the Finance department of the institution. She was then appointed as the CFO of MicroCred Senegal. Anne-Laure hold a Master's degree from ESCP French Business School and speaks fluently English, French, German, Spanish and Polish.

JD Bergeron | Director, Kiva Fellows Program

As Kiva Fellows Program Director, JD Bergeron leads Kiva's efforts to create meaningful and productive involvement for volunteers who will serve as the new generation of microfinance professionals. He brings over twelve years of broad organizational and program development experience. Prior to Kiva, he was Director of Resource Development at ACCION International, a microfinance industry innovator since 1961. Prior to ACCION, he served with the U.S. Peace Corps in the economically disadvantaged border region of Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. He has served in senior roles in a number of young organizations, both in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. JD holds a BA in Russian Language and Comparative Literature from Washington University in Saint Louis.

Jenny Boyd | Microfinance Partnerships Manager for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

As Microfinance Partnerships/Operations Coordinator, Jenny is responsible for helping to grow Kiva’s network of global MFI partners and for keeping the office running smoothly. She has several years of program management, logistics planning and marketing experience in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors. She also spent multiple years guiding backpacking and rock-climbing trips for teenagers. Jenny has traveled extensively, including studying abroad in Belize, volunteering in a medical clinic in Nepal and studying Spanish in Argentina and much more. She holds a B.A. in Geography from the University of Colorado.

Ben Elberger | Microfinance Partnerships Manager for Anglophone Africa

As a Microfinance Partnerships Manager, Ben is responsible for managing Kiva's partnerships in Anglophone Africa as well as spreading the Kiva love to new microfinance institutions in the region. Ben was previously a Microfinance Partnerships Coordinator with Kiva and joined the team in early 2006. Prior to Kiva, Ben was a research assistant at the Center for Global Development where he worked with research fellows investigating the impact of International Monetary Fund programs on developing country health spending and on the political dynamics of the global health agenda. He has published on topics in international development and microfinance and brings a deep passion for innovative solutions to poverty alleviation. Ben is a graduate of Stanford University with a degree in Public Policy and, despite being a native New Yorker, loves California.

Patricia Gates | Regional Director for Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia

Patricia joins Kiva with more than 30 years experience in the financial services sector and a passion for microfinance. Prior to joining Kiva, Patricia led the Grameen Foundations Africa initiative as a Senior Program Advisor for Sub-Saharan Africa. Before moving to Ethiopia with the Grameen Foundation, she managed the creation of the first wholesale micro finance institution in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia for ACDI/VOCA. In addition to more than 25 years of work in the credit and savings cooperative sector, which culminated in the position of CEO of a US-based credit union, Patricia worked in retail banking and neighborhood revitalization projects in the US. She is a graduate of the Western CUNA Management School at Pomona College and currently completing degree coursework in Organizational Development with Southern New Hampshire University.

Tim Hassett | Vice President, Microfinance Team

Tim is Kiva's Portfolio Director. Prior to joining Kiva, Tim spent over 20 years working in commercial banking in the United States and Europe. His most recent job in banking was as the co-head of Corporate and Investment Banking Credit for a large European Bank. Immediately prior to joining Kiva, Tim worked with the World Resources Institute as a Senior Fellow focused on renewable energy. Tim began his banking career after obtaining an MBA from Columbia University and recently earned an MPA from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Alexandra Jaffe | Translation Program Coordinator

As Translation Program Coordinator, Alexandra helps to manage Kiva's fast-growing team of translation volunteers. Her coordinator role includes testing and training new volunteers, volunteer event planning and translation program development. She brings multiple years of project management as well as French and Spanish translation experience, both in-house and freelance, in the United States and abroad. She also has experience teaching both French and English. Alexandra holds an MA in French translation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and is a member of the American Translators Association (ATA).

David Kitusa | Partner Development Specialist for Anglophone Africa

As a partner development specialist for Anglophone Africa, David is responsible for driving Kivas expansion and growth strategy in the East and Southern Africa Region; exploring new MFI relationships, working and strengthening the existing relationships and building Kivas regional presence. David joins Kiva from Barclays Bank of Kenya Ltd where he worked as a Technical Advisor to the Microfinance Department and brings on board 8 years of progressive wealth of experience in microfinance both at operational and policy level. David has previously worked with the Association of Microfinance Institutions of Kenya as an Advisor and Acting Chief Executive where he led the turn around of the institution as well as the passage of the Microfinance Act 2006. He holds a three year Diploma from the Kenya Polytechnic University College and a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration.

Stephanie Koczela | Field Support Specialist for Anglophone Africa

Stephanie is the Field Support Specialist for Kiva's Anglophone Africa portfolio. Her job focuses on helping new partners learn processes that will make their partnership with Kiva successful, and resolving any issues that arise during the course of ongoing partnerships. Prior to joining the Kiva team as a FSS, Stephanie served as a Kiva Fellow with Pearl Microfinance Limited in Uganda. Stephanie has a number of years of experience of working with organizations in East Africa. Her passion for small business came in the year she spent living in Nairobi, Kenya, where she worked in Mathare Valley Slums with a women's micro-business (Witethye). Seeing this organization change the women's lives, and then seeing the women turn around and work to change their community demonstrated to Stephanie the capacity of the poor to innovate and lead. Stephanie graduated with a BA in International Development from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Michelle Kreger | Microfinance Partnerships Manager for the Americas

As the Microfinance Partnerships Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, Michelle is responsible for driving Kiva's expansion and growth in the Americas, exploring new MFI relationships, working with existing Field Partners and building out Kiva's regional presence and team. She has multiple years of nonprofit experience, and before joining Kiva she managed the start-up and growth of the NatureKids Foundation, an education-focused nonprofit based in San Jose, Costa Rica. She has worked in communications at ACCION International, and has supervised and participated in community development projects in Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica. Michelle holds a BA in International Relations with a minor in Economics from Boston University.

Giovanna Masci | Microfinance Partnerships Manager for the Americas

As the Microfinance Partnerships Manager for the Americas, Giovanna is responsible for growing Kivas partnerships in the region. Prior to Kiva, Giovanna worked as a consultant in the technical assistance department at ACCION New York. In that role she was responsible for growing the department while providing one-on-one technical assistance services to entrepreneurs. Giovanna has been passionate about economic development, microfinance, and Latin America for many years. She has worked on community development projects in Mexico and Paraguay, and has done research on the interplay between eco-tourism and economic development in Costa Rica. Giovanna holds a B.A . In Economics from Yale University and an M.B.A from the Yale School of Management.

Darren Miao | Microfinance Partnerships Manager for East Asia Pacific

Darren is responsible for growing and managing Kiva’s network of MFI partners in the East Asia-Pacific Region. He previously worked in commercial banking at Bank of America in their Leadership Rotation Program as well as in the corporate finance department of a large Bay Area biotech firm. Darren also brings four years of experience from the social enterprise consulting firm Community Wealth Ventures where he assisted numerous nonprofits in launching profitable business ventures and corporate partnerships. Darren developed a passion for microfinance while attending business school where he worked on a voluntary basis for both MicroCredit Enterprises and Microplace.

Cynthia McMurry | Field Support Specialist for South America

As the Field Support Specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean, Cynthia works with new and existing field partners to help them implement and sustain processes to ensure successful partnerships with Kiva. Prior to joining the Kiva team, Cynthia completed a year-long Kiva Fellowship in South America, working with Fundacion Agrocapital in Bolivia, FINCA Peru and Asociacion Arariwa in Peru, and Fundacion ESPOIR in Ecuador. Cynthia has lived in South America for several years. Before working in microfinance, she wrote for and later edited Chile's leading English-language newspaper, the Santiago Times. Cynthia holds a BA in International Relations and Spanish from Tufts University.

Elrico Munoz | Partner Development Specialist for Asia

As a Partner Development Specialist, Elrico works with the microfinance team to help expand Kiva's network of global MFI partners in Asia and to ensure portfolio quality through effective due diligence, monitoring, and evaluation. Elrico has more than 25 years experience in social development work primarily in the Philippines and in the South Pacific region. He has deep experience in developing grassroots organizations, cooperatives, non-government organizations and social enterprises particularly in conflict-affected areas of southern Philippines and the urban slums of Manila. In the field of microfinance, he has been involved in the steering the successful turnarounds and expansion of fledgling microfinance institutions in the Philippines, Vanuatu and most recently in Samoa. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Management and a Bachelors Degree in Social Sciences and Psychology from the University of the Philippines.

Liz Nagle | Microloan Review and Translation Coordinator

Liz coordinates Kiva's growing team of volunteer editors, from testing and training new team members to helping develop loan-review guidelines and manage the daily flow of new loans onto the website, in concert with the rest of the Review and Translation Team. Prior to joining Kiva she had a career in book publishing, working most recently as Senior Editor at Little, Brown and Company. Liz has taught English in Thailand and has traveled extensively in Southeast Asia, Europe, and parts of the Middle East. She holds a M.A. in English Literature from Stanford University.

Julie Ross | Coordinator, Kiva Fellows Program

As a Coordinator of the Kiva Fellows Program, Julie manages the recruitment, screening, on-boarding, training, and in-the-field support of Kiva Fellows. Julie brings her own field experience to her role, having served in the Kiva Fellows fifth, sixth, and seventh classes at BRAC Tanzania and Vision Finance Company in Rwanda. As a Kiva Fellow, Julie helped these field partners to streamline their Kiva processes and improve and scale their content on Kiva's website. Prior to joining Kiva, Julie worked in a fast-paced Congressional office on Capitol Hill. She graduated from Tufts University in Medford, MA with a degree in English Literature.

Hind Tazi | Microfinance Partnerships Manager for Middle East/ North Africa and Francophone Africa

Hind is responsible for managing and expanding Kiva's work in the Middle East/ North Africa, and Francophone Africa. Hind comes to Kiva from MIX, the leading source of data and information on MFIs and their funders. At MIX, Hind was responsible for expanding MFI coverage in South Asia and Middle East / North Africa. In addition to disseminating international reporting standards for microfinance, she was responsible for collecting, processing, and analyzing data on over 250 MFIs across the two regions. Hind holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago and an MPA from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Zack Turner | Coordinator, Kiva Fellows Program

The Coordinator of the Fellows Program ensures that the recruiting, interviewing, and placement processes run smoothly, and also acts as a liaison for Kiva Fellows in the field. Zack also provides support for fellows during their times of training and preparation. He served in the fifth class of Kiva Fellows and was placed in Kenya with field partner Opportunity International (OI)-Wedco, during which time he re-established its relationship with Kiva that had suffered challenges in the wake of post-election violence. Previously, Zack spent two years as an admissions counselor for his alma mater, Westmont College. As an undergraduate, he received his B.A. in History with a minor in Political Science. To these interests he attributes his growing passion for the historical intersection of technology and the flattening of the world.

Mary Ann Walsh | Senior Advisor, Microloan Review and Translation

Mary Ann plays an advisory role to the Microloan Review and Translation group, working with the team to develop strategy, refine operations, and implement technology solutions. In addition, she helps coordinate Kiva's dedicated team of volunteers, who gently edit Kiva borrowers' business profiles so that they're easily understood by lenders. On a detour from classical archaeology, Mary Ann enjoyed a long and varied career in retail and commercial lending, international and domestic banking operations, and technical documentation management. She served Macromedia (now Adobe Systems) for fourteen years in the roles of Vice President of Instructional Media and Web Executive Producer, during the company's growth from high-tech start-up to a successful software company with a line of more than twenty award-winning products. Mary Ann loves helping people in organizations create effective, repeatable processes to achieve their goals. When she's not analyzing, documenting, and editing, Mary Ann prunes trees and works with textiles. She's lived and taught English in Greece, and has traveled widely in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia. Mary Ann has a B.A. in Classical Languages from Brandeis University.