Hi! We're the Kiva Team. We work every day to ensure that your loan dollars make a difference for borrowers around the world. We come from a vast array of countries and backgrounds, but we have one thing in common: we're all passionate about Kiva's mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Interested in joining our team? Check out Kiva's open positions here.
Management
Matt Flannery
Co-Founder and CEO Matt began developing Kiva in late 2004 as a side-project 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 hundreds of millions in dollars loaned to low income entrepreneurs. Matt is Skoll Awardee and Ashoka Fellow and was selected to FORTUNE magazine's "Top 40 under 40" list in 2009. In 2011, Matt was chosen for the The Economist “No Boundaries” Innovation Award. He graduated with a BS in Symbolic Systems and a Masters in Philosophy from Stanford University. |
Premal Shah
Co-Founder and President Premal first began dreaming of “internet microfinance” while working at PayPal, the online payments company. In late 2004, Premal took a 3 month leave from PayPal to develop and test the internet microfinance concept in India. When he returned to Silicon Valley, he met other like-minded dreamers and quit his job at PayPal to help bring the Kiva concept to life and eventually to scale. Kiva today raises over $1 million each week for the working poor in +60 countries and was named a Top 50 Website by TIME Magazine. For his work as a social entrepreneur, Premal was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and selected to FORTUNE magazine's "Top 40 under 40" list. Premal began his career as a management consultant and graduated from Stanford University. |
Britt Huber
Vice President, Human Resources Britt has spent the last 15 years in HR and business management. She has worked at non-profits and for-profits, both in Switzerland and California. Prior to joining Kiva, she served as the head of HR at a Novartis site and at some biotech start-ups. A few years ago, she was the Director of HR at the Parkinson's institute. She speaks 5 languages, paints Jackson Pollock style in SF parks and loves all outdoor sports. Britt is responsible for the overall human resources strategy as Kiva grows. She sets direction on culture, talent, career development and key infrastructure needs. She's managing the HR team, which includes Christina, Rachael, and Stacey. Together, they are busy making Kiva an (even more) incredible place to work. |
Austin Choi
General Counsel Austin has served as Kiva's 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. |
Lisa Hogen
Chief Development Officer Lisa joins Kiva with 15 years of fundraising experience working for national and international non-profits. Prior to joining Kiva, Lisa was the Chief Development Officer at Room to Read overseeing a global team responsible for raising the $30MM annual fundraising goal, along with managing their global marketing and PR efforts. Over a five-year period she built the fundraising team from 2 to 26 staff located across 6 offices located throughout the world including Hong Kong, London, Tokyo and New Delhi. Prior to Room to Read, Lisa was the Director of Development for The Food Project, a Boston-based non-profit focused on youth development through sustainable agriculture. She also served as a Major Gifts Officer for The Nature Conservancy's Asia Pacific Program where she was responsible for raising funds to support the Conservancy's efforts to protect rainforests and coral reefs. Lisa holds a bachelor's degree in environmental studies and economics from Tufts University. |
Naomi Baer
Senior Director, Global Partner Operations Naomi leads Kiva's Global Partner Operations, overseeing the groups that provide training and operational support to Kiva's Field Partners, including both field personnel and core volunteer programs. These include Kiva's Field Support Specialist team, providing day-to-day operational support to Field Partners in their work with Kiva, the Kiva Fellows Program, placing volunteers in the field to support partners locally, and the Review and Translation Program, providing language support and content feedback. Naomi joined Kiva in 2006, bringing her background as a professional translator to create Kiva's Review and Translation Program from the ground up. Previously, she worked as an Associate Producer at The Learning Company developing interactive media. Naomi is certified by the American Translators Association in Portuguese to English translation and holds a B.A. in American Civilization from Brown University. |
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. |
Sam Birney
Senior Director, Engineering Sam graduated from Stanford in 1998 with a BS in Computer Science. After working as a programmer and manager in several Silicon Valley software start-ups, he became interested in microfinance and joined Grameen Foundation as Engineering Manager of the Mifos initiative. Wanting to learn more about working in the field eventually led him to work at a Microfinance Institution in Lebanon for a year. After a wonderful experience there, he returned to San Francisco in late 2010 to begin the current chapter of his career at Kiva. |
Katherine Woo
Vice President, Product Katherine fell in love with Kiva's mission, team, and innovative spirit when serving as a product advisor in 2010. She now manages the Product team, which makes sure Kiva technologies are usable and efficient -- including Kiva.org, tools for Microfinance and other partners, and the systems that support Kiva internal teams and volunteers. Katherine has 9 years of consumer web product experience gleaned from various roles at PayPal/eBay and co-founding a social dating startup. In her ancient history, she earned an MBA from Stanford, spent 4 years at Mercer Management Consulting, and got a BA Economics at Harvard. |
Giovanna Masci
Senior Director, Global Portfolio Giovanna is responsible for overseeing Kiva's partnerships and regional teams throughout the world. As the Senior Director for Global Portfolio she helps to develop Kiva's strategy for growth and expansion with field partners. Giovanna joined Kiva in 2008 as a Partnerships Manager for Central and North America. In particular, Giovanna was responsible for driving Kiva's entry into the US microfinance market in 2009. She then moved on to become the Regional Director for the Americas where she managed the team and portfolio of the region and directed Kiva's strategy in that market. 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.
Giovanna Masci's Lender Page |
Beth Kuenstler
Vice President, Marketing & Communications Beth brings over fifteen years of marketing, management and partnership experience; spanning multi-billion dollar companies to local, national and international nonprofits. Beth most recently spent 5 years at CARE, the international humanitarian organization, in marketing and strategic partnership roles. Prior to joining CARE, Beth spent over 10 years in consumer and high-tech marketing with Procter & Gamble, Kodak and Adobe. In addition to CARE, Beth’s nonprofit experience includes the Executive Director role of San Francisco-based Hands On Bay Area. As Executive Director, Beth oversaw the engagement of nearly five thousand corporate and community volunteers that annually contributed the equivalent of over one million dollars of time to local nonprofits. Beth holds a MBA from Purdue University, where she founded the Management Volunteer Program. Now in its eighteenth year, the program engages graduate students in their local neighborhoods to spark a life-long commitment to community service and philanthropy.
Beth Kuenstler's Lender Page |
Development
Lisa Hogen
Chief Development Officer Lisa joins Kiva with 15 years of fundraising experience working for national and international non-profits. Prior to joining Kiva, Lisa was the Chief Development Officer at Room to Read overseeing a global team responsible for raising the $30MM annual fundraising goal, along with managing their global marketing and PR efforts. Over a five-year period she built the fundraising team from 2 to 26 staff located across 6 offices located throughout the world including Hong Kong, London, Tokyo and New Delhi. Prior to Room to Read, Lisa was the Director of Development for The Food Project, a Boston-based non-profit focused on youth development through sustainable agriculture. She also served as a Major Gifts Officer for The Nature Conservancy's Asia Pacific Program where she was responsible for raising funds to support the Conservancy's efforts to protect rainforests and coral reefs. Lisa holds a bachelor's degree in environmental studies and economics from Tufts University. |
Bennett Grassano
Senior Director, 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. |
Erin Geiger
Senior Director, Development Erin leads our Major Gifts fundraising program for individuals and family foundations. She brings 15 years of international development experience working overseas and domestically with multi-national corporations, global nonprofit organizations and small grassroots organizations including CARE International, Grameen Technology Center, Microsoft, Starbucks, Sustainable Harvest International and more. Focused on rural poverty among women and marginalized groups in almost 20 countries she brings a unique on-the-ground perspective to philanthropy. Technical areas of expertise include microfinance, strategic planning, and evaluating the social impacts of major investments in local communities. Erin holds a Master of Public Administration, a Master of Arts in International Studies and an MBA Certificate in Global Trade, Transportation and Logistics from the University of Washington - Seattle. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a double major in Literature and Philosophy.
Erin Geiger's Lender Page |
Karen Little
Manager, Development As Kiva's Development Manager, Karen is responsible for managing and expanding partnerships with a portfolio of corporate and foundation partners. Prior to joining Kiva, Karen managed business development partnerships for the American Heart Association in San Francisco for five years, where she gained valuable experience in bridging the non-profit and for-profit sectors. In 2010 Karen was a Kiva Fellow with the Local Enterprise Assistance Program in Monrovia, Liberia. She has traveled extensively throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America, Southeast Asia and Southern Asia. Karen holds a BA in Human Development from UCSD and an MA in International Relations from the School for International Training. |
Marketing & Communications
Beth Kuenstler
Vice President, Marketing & Communications Beth brings over fifteen years of marketing, management and partnership experience; spanning multi-billion dollar companies to local, national and international nonprofits. Beth most recently spent 5 years at CARE, the international humanitarian organization, in marketing and strategic partnership roles. Prior to joining CARE, Beth spent over 10 years in consumer and high-tech marketing with Procter & Gamble, Kodak and Adobe. In addition to CARE, Beth’s nonprofit experience includes the Executive Director role of San Francisco-based Hands On Bay Area. As Executive Director, Beth oversaw the engagement of nearly five thousand corporate and community volunteers that annually contributed the equivalent of over one million dollars of time to local nonprofits. Beth holds a MBA from Purdue University, where she founded the Management Volunteer Program. Now in its eighteenth year, the program engages graduate students in their local neighborhoods to spark a life-long commitment to community service and philanthropy. |
Chelsa Bocci
Director, Community Marketing 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 Resources Management. |
Jason Riggs
Director, Marketing & Media Alliances Jason brings more than 13 years of experience as a communications director and media strategist for local, national and international organizations. Jason’s award-winning PR campaigns have been applauded on the floor of US Congress and called “a major push” by the Washington Post and “unprecedented” by the Southern Voice. His media strategies have earned extensive news coverage in every major media outlet in the United States including Good Morning America, NPR, Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal.
Jason Riggs's Lender PageAs the communications director of three organizations, Jason built their communications capacities from the ground-up and established them as the “go to” organization among reporters. His media alliances work resulted in millions of dollars of PSA placements, dramatically expanding their marketing reach. For four years, Jason served as the principal of Riggs Communications with clients such as Fenton Communications, Amnesty International, ACLU, and dozens of other organizations. Jason has worked on a vast array of critical issues in environmentalism, human rights, racial and economic justice, education, and public health. Jason served as a media strategist on multiple major stories making international news including the 2004 announcement of the nation’s first same-sex marriages in San Francisco and the iMatter International Youth March Against Global Warming in 2011. In 1997, The Advocate named Jason one of the “Best and Brightest Under 30.” Jason has trained dozens of organizations and foundations in communications strategy and has given formal presentations on social marketing at national conferences such as Creating Change, US Conference on AIDS, and Pfizer Foundation’s Grantees Conferences. |
Camille Ricketts
Manager, Content Camille brings her passion for storytelling to Kiva, where she helps create and curate online content. A longtime journalist, she started her career reporting on arts and culture for the Wall Street Journal in London and New York. In 2008, she joined San Francisco-based blog VentureBeat, writing about green technology, policy and finance. Most recently, she worked in public relations for electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors. Outside of work, Camille volunteers as a web designer for maternal health nonprofit Saving Mothers. She holds a B.A. in women's history from Stanford University, where she also served as editor in chief of The Stanford Daily.
Camille Ricketts's Lender Page |
Kate Thomas
Online Marketing Manager Kate brings her experience as an online strategist to Kiva, where she will work to help increase Kiva's brand awareness online though a variety of channels. Kate comes to Kiva from Change.org, where she helped dozens of non-profit organizations grow their networks of supporters through online petitions. Prior to that, Kate was building years of experience in online fundraising and communications through her work at Share Our Strength and as a consultant with many other cause-based organizations. She holds a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland in College Park, and is a Terp fan always - even when they lose. In her spare time, Kate likes to swim, bike, run - occasionally combining the three into a triathlon.
Kate Thomas's Lender Page |
Laura Piper
Manager, Community Support Laura comes to Kiva with a background in marketing, communications and design. As Manager, Community Support, she works to provide Kiva lenders with the best possible experience on Kiva. Laura helps translate lender feedback into new features on Kiva's website and ensures that the thousands of emails and phone calls that come into Kiva every month get answered. Having spent time working with orphanages and schools in South Sudan and Uganda, Laura is excited to be a part of organization whose mission is to connect people for the sake of alleviating poverty and empowering people around the world. An amateur photographer, avid traveler, Fair Trade advocate, and Bay Area native, Laura graduated from Cal Poly with a B.S. in Graphic Communication. |
Ryan Little
Video Production Manager Ryan grew up in San Rafael, California. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies and a Minor in Global Peace and Security. Ryan has traveled to over 30 countries around the world including Liberia, where he filmed his second short documentary film Eco Snapshot: Liberia. In combination with making social and environmental documentary films, Ryan founded a freelance video production company making various videos for companies throughout the Bay Area. Ryan has had a passion for Kiva ever since his wife Karen was selected to be a Kiva Fellow at the end of 2009.
Ryan Little's Lender Page |
Jessica Hansen
Education Development Manager Jessica comes to Kiva with a background in international education, local capacity building, and global engagement in sustainable poverty alleviation. She heads up Kiva’s education initiative to enhance understanding, involvement, and the mobilization of students and teachers around micro-finance. Prior to this, she worked in remote rural Kenya with Nuru International and has also worked with the U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants, Mercy Corps, the IRC/Women’s Refugee Commission, UNHCR, the Centre for Refugee Research, and MSF (Doctors Without Borders). She holds a BA of International Politics from the University of Central Oklahoma/University of Leicester and an MSW in International Social Development from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Her overseas work has been mainly in East Africa and Southeast Asia, and she is conversational in French, Thai, and Kiswahili. She loves people and travel, bouncing between the wilderness and big cities, savoring amazing food, and regularly fawning over children and animals.
Jessica Hansen's Lender Page |
Michael Cusenza
Community Support Coordinator Michael’s interest in Microfinance and Economic Development stems from his international travels where he observed vast economic disparities. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in Economics, he put his passion to the test and spent time assisting Ecuadorian farmers in the foothills of the Andes Mountains as well as impoverished communities in Northern Peru. Since then, Michael has committed his professional career to financial empowerment and business development within low and moderate income communities. Recently, he worked for the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corp. where he assisted Minority and Women owned businesses gain access to government funding and licensing. More recently, Michael spent time working with Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners in New York City. While there, he partnered with Credit Unions to help provide financial education and access to capital to individuals and small businesses. After relocating to the Bay Area, he is excited to join Kiva and the development of its US Portfolio. In his free time he enjoys playing soccer, running, eating, and spending time with friends and family.
Michael Cusenza's Lender Page |
Brandon Smith
Community Marketing Coordinator Brandon is from North Carolina, where he studied journalism at UNC Chapel Hill. Brandon first discovered Kiva while reading Half the Sky, and just completed an internship here as the Community Engagement Intern, working primarily with Kiva's lending teams. As part of his internship, he helped develop both online and offline resources for the lending community, including the Kiva in a Box. Brandon greatly looks forward to continuing those efforts and contributing to Kiva's goals this year and beyond. In his spare time, Brandon enjoys medium-format photography, biking around the bay, crafting, and keeping in touch with friends and family on the east coast.
Brandon Smith's Lender Page |
Partner Investments
Giovanna Masci
Senior Director, Global Portfolio Giovanna is responsible for overseeing Kiva's partnerships and regional teams throughout the world. As the Senior Director for Global Portfolio she helps to develop Kiva's strategy for growth and expansion with field partners. Giovanna joined Kiva in 2008 as a Partnerships Manager for Central and North America. In particular, Giovanna was responsible for driving Kiva's entry into the US microfinance market in 2009. She then moved on to become the Regional Director for the Americas where she managed the team and portfolio of the region and directed Kiva's strategy in that market. 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. |
Michelle Kreger
Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives Michelle is responsible for overseeing Kiva's expansion into new impact areas including clean energy, water and sanitation, innovative agriculture and higher education. As Kiva matures, these areas are increasingly relevant to Kiva's work as we focus on expanding our impact to include environmental sustainability and equal access to opportunity in addition to financial inclusion. Michelle began her career at Kiva in 2006 on the investments team, spending three years building Kiva's work in North, Central and South America. After that, she shifted her focus to West Africa and the Middle East, where she spent a few additional years building solid partnerships and an all-star regional team. In late 2011, she moved into her current role as the Director of Strategic Initiatives. Prior to joining Kiva, Michelle founded a non-profit organization in Costa Rica, NatureKids, which is focused on English literacy and environmental sustainability in burgeoning tourist hubs. She also worked at various organizations dedicated to financial inclusion, including ACCION International. Michelle graduated magna cum laude from Boston University with a degree in International Relations and a minor in Economics. |
Sudha Garg
Risk Director Sudha is Kiva’s Risk Director within the Global Partner Investments team and is responsible for Kiva’s risk management frameworks to monitor MFI field partners and portfolio risk as well as developing and executing policies and practices to limit Kiva lenders’ exposure to loss. As a Kiva lender, she was greatly inspired by Kiva’s mission and decided to make another investment in the organization by becoming a staff member. Sudha has a background in risk management, compliance, and finance, with 21 years of global experience in the financial services industry, including small business, installment and auto lending, health care loans, primary and secondary mortgage markets, as well as prepaid card and credit card loans. Sudha has successfully implemented robust risk management and compliance programs at Fortune 500 companies and has served as a subject matter expert/consultant on leading edge enterprise risk management tools and practices. Sudha has an MBA from University of Maryland and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM). Sudha lived in the Washington DC area before moving to San Francisco. |
Cher Jacques
Regional Director, Africa Cher has been passionate about international development since her first college summer studying development economics in West Africa. She began her career in microfinance working with the Grameen Foundation, creating a strategic plan to support their rural outreach efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa. She managed the opening of a bank branch in the Democratic Republic of Congo for FINCA International, where she was responsible for all initial operations, strategic planning and expansion, and managing the loan portfolio. She spent several years as a consultant with Spitfire Strategies, working to build the strategic communications capacity of nonprofit organizations. Most recently she oversaw all financial and grant-making operations for the international offices of the Institute for Sustainable Communities. Cher has a BA in Political Science and International Studies from Wake Forest University and an MBA from Yale School of Management and is fluent in French. She loves running, cooking veggie meals, dancing to 90's music, yoga and pottery (though she can really only make lopsided bowls). Originally from Southern California, Cher is excited to return to the West Coast after so many years away, and thrilled to be part of the Kiva team. |
Cynthia McMurry
Regional Director, Latin America & the Caribbean
Cynthia is responsible for managing Kiva's team of Portfolio Managers and Field Support Specialists in Latin America and the Caribbean, and for overseeing the regional implementation of Kiva's strategy from both a risk and social performance perspective. Cynthia has worn many hats at Kiva: she started in 2008 as a Spanish translator and Kiva Fellow, completing fellowship placements with four MFI field partners in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. She returned to Peru for another year and a half to serve as Kiva's first Field Support Specialist for South America, then moved to San Francisco to work as the Portfolio Manager for North and Central America before assuming her current position in 2012. Originally from Minneapolis, Cynthia has a B.A. in International Relations and Spanish from Tufts University. She is fluent in Spanish, conversational in Portuguese and can say "See you tomorrow!" in Quechua. |
Michael Looft
Regional Director, Europe & Asia As Regional Director for Europe and Asia, Michael is responsible for setting strategy, managing the portfolio of current microfinance partners, and conducting due diligence on potential partners. In 2006, Michael shifted his career into microfinance after twelve years in the retail & commercial banking industries. Prior to joining Kiva, Michael organized savings and loan clubs (ASCAs) in Sierra Leone, developed a microfinance program for a US-based nonprofit operating in the Philippines, and worked as a data analyst for an MFI in Guatemala. He holds an undergraduate degree in International Business with a concentration in finance from San Francisco State University, and graduate degrees from both St. John's College and Harvard. At Harvard, Michael focused on designing Shariah compliant microfinance products for Muslim communities, as well as researching the impacts of faith-based involvement in the microfinance industry |
Betsy McCormick
Portfolio Manager, North & Central America As the Portfolio Manager for North & Central America, Betsy is responsible for managing the existing portfolio as well as expanding Kiva's presence in the region through new partnerships. She was previously a Field Support Specialist in the same region. Prior to joining Kiva, Betsy served as a Kiva Fellow in Juticalpa, Honduras with FAMA and in Medellin, Colombia with Interactuar. Having long cultivated an interest in international development and social justice, Betsy has previously worked with Guatemalan midwives and for a Bay Area health education non-profit. She graduated with a B.A. in Social Studies and a Spanish language citation from Harvard College. |
Joanne Gan
Portfolio Manager, Southeast Asia & the Pacific Joanne is Kiva's Portfolio Manager for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, responsible for maintaining strong relationships with Kiva's partners and forging new partnerships in the region. Having grown up there, Joanne is passionate about the Asia-Pacific region, and spent six months volunteering with Kiva partners in Indonesia and the Philippines as a Kiva Fellow in 2010-11. She joined Kiva in November 2011, moving from the finance industry where she spent four years working as a corporate credit analyst at Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers. Joanne holds an MS in Management Science & Engineering and a BA in Economics and International Relations from Stanford University.
Joanne Gan's Lender Page |
Maika Hemphill
Portfolio Manager, North America As the Portfolio Manager for North America, Maika is responsible for developing and maintaining Kiva's growing portfolio in the US market. Prior to working in microfinance, Maika first gained her financial analysis skills while analyzing corporations under Piper Jaffray's Financial Restructuring Group. Working in-depth with companies in financial distress or bankruptcy has allowed Maika a strong eye towards recognizing both strengths and hidden weaknesses in non-traditional organizational settings. Maika also provides a unique familiarity with the US microfinance market. After leaving her investment banking post, she followed her interest in microfinance to begin working directly with US micro-entrepreneurs at ACCION USA. While at ACCION, Maika was charged with developing, servicing and maintaining a healthy portfolio of US entrepreneurs. Her experience at ACCION also led Maika to work extensively with technical assistance, partnership development, internal operational projects and training. Maika holds a B.S. in both Finance and International Business as well as a minor in Spanish from New York University. |
Nicolas Lafaye
Portfolio Manager, South America As a Regional Development Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean, Nicolas is responsible for prospecting potential MFI partners and strengthening Kiva's presence in the region by conducting frequent due diligence visits. Nicolas joined Kiva in February 2010 after having spent two and a half years in Hong-Kong working for Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Bank as a Financial Controller for all support functions in the Asia-Pacific region. Before that, he spent a year in Vietnam working for the French NGO 'Enfants du Mekong' as an Auditor & Operational Controller supervising more than 200 educational programs and ensuring the NGO's expansion. Nicolas is based in Lima and is half Peruvian by his mother. He holds a Master'€™s Degree from Paris Dauphine University in International Affairs and speaks fluent French, English and Spanish. |
Margarita Salasyuk
Portfolio Manager, Europe & Central Asia As a Portfolio Manager for Europe & Central Asia, Margarita is responsible for managing the existing portfolio as well as expanding Kiva's presence in the region through new microfinance partnerships. Prior to joining the Kiva team in San Francisco, Margarita spent 7 amazing months as a Kiva Fellow working with HOPE Ukraine in Ukraine, KIEDF in Israel, FATEN & Ryada in Palestine. Before she made a switch to microfinance, she spent several years at a private wealth management firm in New York. Margarita graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Political Economics in 2005. She is a native Russian speaker, proficient in French, and is currently studying Arabic. |
Saheba Sahni
Portfolio Manager, South Asia & the Middle East As Portfolio Manager for South Asia, Saheba is responsible for managing relationships with existing field partners, growing Kiva’s presence in the region through due diligence on potential partners, and developing a strategy for Kiva to enter into India. Saheba joins Kiva after working at PlaNet Finance India, where she managed consulting and technical assistance projects for microfinance institutions and banks, microfinance plus initiatives in education and health, and sector development initiatives like the Microfinance Process Excellence Awards. Prior to PlaNet Finance India, Saheba worked at SKS Microfinance, where she focused on strategy and business analysis and piloted a deworming project through the SKS NGO in partnership with Deworm the World. Saheba holds a degree in International Studies with a minor in Theology from Boston College. She is fluent in Hindi and Urdu and is working on her Arabic. |
Claudine Emeott
Portfolio Manager, Strategic Initiatives Claudine is the Portfolio Manager for Kiva's strategic initiatives in targeted sectors, including water and sanitation, clean energy, agriculture, and higher education. Claudine joins Kiva after working in Nepal for a year, beginning with a Kiva Fellowship and concluding with consulting assignments for the Asian Development Bank and multiple microfinance entities. Prior to her year in Nepal, Claudine worked at a Chicago-based consulting firm, where she conducted financial and economic modeling, performed due diligence, and developed implementation strategies for urban development projects in underinvested communities throughout the Midwest. With more than seven years of experience in economic development, Claudine has worked on a range of projects both in the U.S. and abroad. Her sector expertise includes access to finance, affordable housing, and public-private partnerships, and her regional expertise centers on China and Nepal. Claudine holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Harvard College and a Master's in City Planning from MIT.
Claudine Emeott's Lender Page |
Carlos Pierre
Portfolio Manager, Strategic Initiatives Carlos is a Portfolio Manager for Kiva's Strategic Initiatives. He is helping push the Kiva's model to go beyond micro-finance institutions to work with universities, agricultural coops, solar power distributors, fair trade companies and other types of social enterprises that can benefit from the use of credit. He covers all the regions except Africa. Born and raised among the blatant inequalities of Mexico City, Carlos graduated from Brown University with a degree focus on development. He has studied in China, Mexico and Japan. For eight years he worked in Tokyo, London and New York as derivatives trader specializing in Emerging Markets at Deutsche Bank and Citi. Carlos also worked as a Kiva Fellow in El Salvador. He is determined to push social change via market mechanisms and wants to help bridge the financing gaps faced by social enterprises.
Carlos Pierre's Lender Page |
Kathy Guis
Portfolio Manager, Francophone and North Africa As Portfolio Manager for Francophone and North Africa, Kathy Guis is responsible for oversight and expansion of Kiva’s microfinance partnerships in the region. Currently based in San Francisco, Kathy began working with Kiva in February 2010. She spent her first two years with Kiva as a Senior Field Support Specialist working remotely in Dakar, Senegal and Beirut, Lebanon. Prior to working with Kiva, she worked at nonprofit literary journal Memoir, and organized the journal’s memoir writing program with juvenile detainees. Kathy graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Comparative Literature, summa cum laudein 2006. She is fluent in French, and has traveled extensively in Francophone Africa and the Middle East. |
Newton Nthiga
Portfolio Officer, Anglophone Africa Newton brings on board hands-on experience in conducting due diligence as well as portfolio management of MFIs having served as the head of credit department at Jitegemee Trust Ltd, a leading wholesale lender to microfinance institutions and credit unions in Kenya. He also gained field experience in microfinance operations serving in various capacities in the microcredit department of Co-operative Bank, one of the largest banks in Kenya to pioneer and roll-out microfinance products across its branch network. Prior to joining Kiva, Newton most recently worked with a major microfinance MIS vendor providing core solutions to MFIs across parts of Africa. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) degree from University of Nairobi and is a Certified Public Accountant (Kenya). |
David Kitusa
Regional Development Officer, Anglophone Africa As a partner development specialist for Anglophone Africa, David is responsible for driving Kiva's expansion and growth strategy in the East and Southern Africa Region; exploring new MFI relationships, working and strengthening the existing relationships and building Kiva's 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. |
Partner Operations
Naomi Baer
Senior Director, Global Partner Operations Naomi leads Kiva's Global Partner Operations, overseeing the groups that provide training and operational support to Kiva's Field Partners, including both field personnel and core volunteer programs. These include Kiva's Field Support Specialist team, providing day-to-day operational support to Field Partners in their work with Kiva, the Kiva Fellows Program, placing volunteers in the field to support partners locally, and the Review and Translation Program, providing language support and content feedback. Naomi joined Kiva in 2006, bringing her background as a professional translator to create Kiva's Review and Translation Program from the ground up. Previously, she worked as an Associate Producer at The Learning Company developing interactive media. Naomi is certified by the American Translators Association in Portuguese to English translation and holds a B.A. in American Civilization from Brown University. |
Jomay Liu
Knowledge Manager As Knowledge Manager, Jomay is responsible for defining, documenting, and standardizing processes and policies for the Global Partner Operations and Global Partner Investments teams. Prior to joining Kiva, Jomay held several positions within Oracle’s corporate citizenship department, most recently as Senior Program Manager for the Oracle Education Foundation. Jomay first became a Kiva lender in 2007 after completing a round-the-world trip across five continents, and she is now thrilled to be a full-time member of the Kiva team. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in International Relations. |
Liz Nagle
Manager, Review and Translation Program Liz manages Kiva's Review and Translation Program, developing the online volunteer corps that provides pre-publication translation, editing, and review of Kiva loans. With volunteers around the globe, the program aims to create meaningful involvement among its community of translators and editors as they lend their support to Kiva's partnerships. Prior to joining Kiva Liz had a career in book publishing, working most recently as Senior Editor at Little, Brown and Company. Liz has taught English in Thailand, served as a Kiva Fellow in Armenia, and traveled extensively in Southeast Asia, Europe, and parts of the Middle East. She holds a Masters in English Literature from Stanford University. |
Jacob Schultz
Manager, Kiva Fellows Program Jacob Schultz joined Kiva in June of 2011 as Manager of the Kiva Fellows Program. His role is to oversee the sourcing, selecting, training and support to 100 individuals that volunteer to serve as Kiva’s eyes and ears in nearly 60 countries around the world every year. Jacob joins Kiva with more than 10 years of experience working in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining Kiva, Jacob worked at LISC, the nation’s largest community development intermediary organization overseeing the bay area office’s neighborhood economic development program as well as implementing the office’s AmeriCorps, Community Safety, and Service-Learning programs, and administered a capital grant to renovate playfields in low-income communities. Jacob has a Bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with Afro-American Studies and Political Science majors and a minor in African Studies. He has traveled extensively on six continents.
Jacob Schultz's Lender Page |
Meg Gray
Field Support Coordinator As the Field Support Coordinator, Meg coordinates projects that involve Kiva’s Field Support staff and affect the daily operations of Kiva’s global community of Field Partners. Before joining Kiva, Meg lived in Boston where she worked closely with low-income immigrant families on early education issues. This position, as well as travel, expanded her interest in microfinance and international development. After becoming a Kiva lender in 2007, Meg deepened her hands-on knowledge of Kiva’s work by serving three placements as a Kiva Fellow from October 2009 to August 2010. She worked with field partners in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and San Francisco. Upon finishing her fellowship, Meg spent a year working at a non-profit that focused on community development and advocacy projects in El Salvador before joining Kiva’s team full time in August 2011. |
Eric Brandt
Associate Program Manager, Kiva Fellows Program The Associate Program Manager is responsible for recruiting, interviewing, training, and supporting Kiva Fellows through all stages of their fellowship. Eric served in the fourth Kiva Fellows class with Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL) in Cambodia, where he conducted training seminars for over 150 HKL staff and helped them adopt Kiva processes. Previously, he coordinated mobile history exhibits for the TRACES Center for History and Culture and was a member of UniversalGiving's NGO Services Team. Eric received a B.A. from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, where he studied history and geography. He is an avid photographer and can often be found exploring abandoned and forgotten urban spaces. |
Shana Soltani
Kiva Fellows Program Coordinator As Kiva Fellows Program Coordinator, Shana is responsible for the recruitment, training and support of Kiva Fellows. Bringing professional experience form both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, Shana is passionate about inter-cultural exchange and contributing towards making the world a better place. During college, Shana studied abroad and volunteered in Mali, El Salvador, and Switzerland, then went on to lead the growth of the Kids division of Putumayo World Music. Prior to joining Kiva, Shana worked for the program evaluation team of Search for Common Ground in Cote d’Ivoire, then spent three years overseeing the California office of Free The Children, a Canadian-based youth empowerment and international development organization. A musician since the age of five, Shana has performed in six countries around the world, from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Gran Teatro de Habana in Cuba. Shana holds a B.A. from NYU and an M.A. in International Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
Shana Soltani's Lender Page |
Riana Robinson
Fellows Program Coordinator As a Kiva Fellows Program Coordinator, Riana is responsible for leveraging Kiva Fellows, working domestically and internationally, to increase the scale and social impact of the Kiva Zip initiative. Riana is passionate about leadership development as a strategy to achieve social and economic justice. Before joining Kiva, Riana was the Associate Director of the Leadership Institute at Urban Habitat, a regional environmental justice non-profit, where she facilitated the growth of the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI). The goal of the BCLI is to identify, train, support, and place low-income people and people of color on public boards and commissions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a Bay Area native and has a BA in Ethnic Studies from Mills College in Oakland
Riana Robinson's Lender Page |
Patricia Wada
Associate Program Manager, Review and Translation Patricia helps manage the online volunteer corps that provides pre-publication translation, editing, and review of Kiva loans. To allow Kiva to sustain this service as the organization grows, Patricia oversees Kiva’s Loan Review Volunteer Team Leader Program. She also coordinates the growing team of volunteer editors, training new team members and supporting current ones in lending their support to Kiva’s partnerships. Before coming to Kiva, Patricia coordinated volunteers and managed a bilingual newsletter for Second Harvest Japan and worked as Coordinating Editor at the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo, Japan. Patricia holds a B.A. in Social Sciences from New College of Florida. |
Paul Lambert
Review and Translation Coordinator Paul coordinates the teams of volunteers who translate and review loans posted in French and Russian before lenders see them on Kiva's website. In the course of supporting the review and translation process, Paul trains new volunteers and fields questions from current ones, monitors loan volumes, and offers Kiva's Field Partners feedback to improve their loan profiles. Paul’s pre-Kiva background is in translation, project management and linguistic quality assurance, and he specializes in a number of fields including financial, legal, corporate social responsibility, and enology and viticulture. A native of Ireland, Paul’s most recent position was as a senior translator for a Big 4 auditor in Madrid, Spain, and he holds an MA in Translation and Interpreting from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.
Paul Lambert's Lender Page |
Jon Bloom
Field Support Specialist, North America, Central America & the Caribbean As the Field Support Specialist for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, Jon is responsible for training new field partners in the region, and supporting existing partners in their Kiva operations to ensure a successful collaboration. Prior to joining Kiva as an FSS, Jon interned at Kiva with both the Community Outreach and Social Performance Teams. His passion for international development began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama, working in the field of environmental conservation while living on an indigenous reservation. He began his career in microfinance as a graduate intern in Chile while conducting researching for his thesis. Jon holds a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from Sonoma State University and an MSW from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Jon Bloom's Lender Page |
Kathrin Gerner
Field Support Specialist, Francophone Africa As the Field Support Specialist for Francophone Africa, Kathrin works with Kiva partners to make sure they get the most out of working with Kiva, and to ensure that Kiva responds effectively to partners' changing needs. Kathrin previously served as a Kiva Fellow Togo and Rwanda and holds a B.S. in International Trade & Finance. After working at Deloitte as a Senior Consultant for four years, she decided to leave the corporate world to spend a year exploring several countries in East Asia and Africa. Her journey has now led her to Kigali, Rwanda, where she is based when she is not visiting Kiva partners in Francophone Africa. Kathrin is fluent in German and French and she is currently working on her Kinyarwanda.
Kathrin Gerner's Lender Page |
Dave Koken
Field Support Specialist, South & Southeast Asia & the Pacific
As the Field Support Specialist for South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Dave works with field partners across the region to help them build collaborative relationships with Kiva. Prior to joining the Field Support Team, Dave spent a year and a half working at Kiva Headquarters as a Coordinator for the Fellows Program. He brings past experience from professional fellowships with the U.S. Department of State and the Coro Center for Civic Leadership, as well as time volunteering to support HIV/AIDS education initiatives with Grassroot Soccer in South Africa. Dave graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in International Political Economy and Public Policy. You can now find him living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where he’s learning something new every day. |
Max Machkasau
Senior Field Support Specialist, Europe & Central Asia As the Senior Field Support Specialist for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Max is responsible for developing collaborative relationships with new microfinance partners and providing operational support to existing field partners in the region. Max joins Kiva after having spent over two years at KPMG in Silicon Valley as a Senior Associate, where he provided financial due diligence assistance on mergers and acquisitions and advised U.S. and International corporate and private equity clients. Max previously served as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, where he helped rebuild homes affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and served on a family section committee in San Francisco. He graduated summa cum laude from University of Nevada with a degree in Business Administration and Accounting. |
Claire Markham
Field Support Specialist, Anglophone Africa As the Field Support Specialist for Anglophone Africa, Claire delivers training to new Field Partners and provides support to Kiva’s existing Field Partners in the region to ensure effective and sustainable partnerships. Claire previously served as a Kiva Fellow in Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to joining Kiva as a Field Support Specialist, Claire worked as a Senior Associate with KPMG’s Global Infrastructure Advisory Group in Toronto where she advised public sector clients on infrastructure financing. She obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University, and she holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. She discovered her love for African travel during her first trip to Tanzania in 2005 and has since then made it her mission to drink all the Stoney Tangawizi she can find. She is excited to be able to achieve this goal while living in her new home of Nairobi, Kenya.
Claire Markham's Lender Page |
Mac Parish
Senior Field Support Specialist, Anglophone & Lusophone Africa As the Senior Field Support Specialist for Anglophone and Lusophone Africa, Mac Parish works closely with Kiva partners to develop sustainable relationships and processes in the region, and also serves an advocate for partner needs to Kiva Headquarters. Prior to joining Kiva as an FSS, Mac interned at Kiva with the Kiva Fellows Program. He graduated in June 2010 from Stanford University with a BA in Anthropological Sciences and an MA in Latin American Studies. Before beginning at Kiva, he conducted research in Costa Rica analyzing the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of ecotourism, and interned at an environmental nonprofit law firm where he focused on international environmental policy in Latin America. He is originally from San Francisco, and is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese. He is now trying to learn Kiswahili. Having spent much of his career focusing on Latin America, Mac is fascinated every day by all that he learns in his new home of Nairobi, Kenya. |
Lev Plaves
Field Support Specialist, Middle East and South Asia As the Field Support Specialist for the Middle East and South Asia, Lev is responsible for training new field partners and working with existing partners in the region. Lev focuses on supporting partners in their Kiva operations, ensuring that they get the most out of their relationships with Kiva. Prior to joining Kiva, Lev lived in Palestine for close to three years, where he worked for a youth empowerment organization and traveled throughout the Middle East. He loves nothing more than exploring new cities and places and is excited to now call Istanbul home. Lev is also thrilled to be adding South Asia to his scope of work. After growing up in Berkeley, Lev studied International Politics at Wesleyan University, during which he first began learning Arabic while spending six months abroad in the West Bank.
Lev Plaves's Lender Page |
Monica Wooters
Review and Translation Coordinator Monica coordinates the teams of volunteers who translate and review loans posted in Spanish before lenders see them on Kiva's website. In the course of supporting the review and translation process, Monica trains new volunteers and fields questions from current ones, monitors loan volumes, and offers Kiva's Field Partners feedback to improve their loan profiles. Before coming to Kiva, Monica worked as a human right observer within a context of low-intensity warfare for the International Service for Peace in Chiapas, Mexico and researched U.S. foreign policy in Latin America at the Americas Program in Mexico City, Mexico. Monica holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Southern California. |
Wesley Schrock
Field Support Specialist, North America and the Caribbean After graduating with an economics degree from Grinnell college, Wesley worked for five years in accounting, finance, and business development for small and medium sized manufacturing concerns in northern Indiana. He is now transitioning to a career in international development, a transition that is six years in the making. It started with his life-changing experience at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. There, Wesley met people from all over the world, including Americans who spoke multiple languages and had lived/worked abroad. He was inspired to not just see the world, but to immerse himself in another culture and to learn another language. Following the MBA, he spent two years living, traveling, and studying Spanish in Latin America. He then enrolled in Middlebury College's MA in Spanish program, the culmination of his efforts to learn Spanish. He decided to become a Kiva Fellow in Honduras order to see firsthand the powerful impact of microlending in alleviating poverty and creating growth. Impressed with Kiva's people, culture, and mission, he's excited to be joining Kiva full-time.
Wesley Schrock's Lender Page |
Kate Bennett
Field Support Specialist for South America Prior to working with Kiva, Kate lived in Quito, Ecuador working in environmental management as a consultant for USAID implementing partners in the global south. After earning her B.A. in Political Economy, Postcolonial History, and Development from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study in January 2010, she pursued a practice-based understanding of effective tools in development through work with New York based social change organizations and grassroots nonprofit organizations in Guatemala. Kate worked previously with Kiva as a Kiva Fellow in Ecuador and Peru, which fomented her commitment to microfinance as a tool for poverty alleviation.
Kate Bennett's Lender Page |
Product & User Experience
Katherine Woo
Vice President, Product Katherine fell in love with Kiva's mission, team, and innovative spirit when serving as a product advisor in 2010. She now manages the Product team, which makes sure Kiva technologies are usable and efficient -- including Kiva.org, tools for Microfinance and other partners, and the systems that support Kiva internal teams and volunteers. Katherine has 9 years of consumer web product experience gleaned from various roles at PayPal/eBay and co-founding a social dating startup. In her ancient history, she earned an MBA from Stanford, spent 4 years at Mercer Management Consulting, and got a BA Economics at Harvard. |
Sonali Kothari
Director, Consumer Product Sonali is responsible for increasing and engaging Kiva's lender base by designing new features and flows and collaborating with the Kiva team to bring these to life. She brings a passion for social entrepreneurship combined with 8 years of product management experience. Most recently, Sonali was the Director of Product Management at Transpera, a mobile video advertising company. She has also held senior product and operations roles at VideoEgg, Ripple TV, Google and Autobytel. She is currently on the board of the Mental Health Association of San Francisco (MHA-SF). Sonali graduated with a BA from UC Berkeley and completed her MBA at UCLA. |
Gerard Niemira
Director, Partner Product and Internal Tools Gerard directs Kiva's Partner Product Team, working on tools for Kiva's Field Partners, staff and volunteers. His passion for social enterprise led him to Kiva in 2008 after a stint in Washington, DC working for First Book, a nonprofit organization that distributes new books to programs serving children from low-income households. Gerard graduated with a B.A. in History from St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, NY and now lives in Berkeley, CA. |
Nick Anderson
Product Manager, Internal Tools Nick came to Kiva as a product manager through his appreciation of the connections Kiva can create and love of applying technology to business problems around the developing world. He has 5 years of experience from Intuit, Inc. having started in their rotational leadership program and continuing as a product manager. His work focused across a myriad of small business applications. Creating mobile business solutions in India and building the first app center focused on small business were among the most exciting. He holds a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Business and International Political Economy. When not at work he can be found backpacking, skiing and surfing around California.
Nick Anderson's Lender Page |
Jackie Bernstein
Product Manager, Marketing & Development Jackie's enthusiasm for meaningfully connecting people brought her to Kiva, where she product manages marketing and development initiatives. Prior to joining Kiva, Jackie worked as the lead product manager at Location Labs, launching products with Fortune 100 partners such as AT&T and Best Buy. Before serving as a product manager, Jackie was part of a team of engineers from Stanford's Mechanical Engineering Master's program which worked with students from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana School of Engineering, in Cali, Colombia, on a year-long Design & Innovation project funded by Kodak. She holds a B.S. from Stanford in Science, Technology & Society. |
Alexandra Jaffe
Associate Product Manager, Consumer Product Alexandra supports product initiatives on www.kiva.org, working to increase and engage Kiva's lender base through new features and flows. She has been working for Kiva since October 2007 and prior to joining Kiva's Product Team she helped to manage the Review and Translation Program where she worked with Kiva's team of translation volunteers and managed the systems for the program and all-translation-related processes and technologies. Prior to coming to Kiva, Alexandra worked in project management as well as French and Spanish translation, both in-house and freelance, in the United States and abroad. Alexandra holds an MA in French translation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. |
Abe Wallin
Senior Web Visual & Interaction Designer Abraham has long believed in Kiva’s mission of addressing global poverty by creating relationships between individual lenders and borrowers. In 2011 he joined Kiva as the company’s first full time designer. He brings with him a steadfast belief that constantly creating is as important to humanity as eating and drinking. Prior to joining Kiva he worked at Electronic Arts, Wikia and as a freelance web and interactive designer. With over a decade of experience Abraham has designed and built a wide range of products including websites, video games and mobile applications. He most recently launched an iPhone app for fruits and vegetables called Farmanac. |
Adam Farmer
Visual Designer |
Greg Allen
Business Analyst Greg traveled from Richmond, Virginia to San Francisco via Chicago where he earned a Computer Science Engineering degree from Northwestern University. As a management consultant with CSC Global Health Solutions, he traveled around the country consulting with healthcare providers to implement patient care systems and improve decision-making. In a search for a less nomadic lifestyle, Greg began a career in economic development with the Northern California Community Loan Fund, a $30 million pool of low-cost lending capital for affordable housing and nonprofit real estate. There he contributed to program evaluation, compliance, and grant writing efforts. This introduction to the impact of responsible finance led him to Kiva and the microfinance industry. |
Cherry Mangat
Product Manager, Partner Technology I'm originally from Illinois, I grew up in the suburbs and then lived in downtown Chicago for a few years. I moved to San Francisco two years ago and I absolutely love it here! I have been working in product and project management for 11 years, most recently at a start-up called Lookout Mobile Security. I have a lot of experience in software development for consumer mobile applications, web applications and websites. It's exciting to join the nonprofit world and I'm looking forward to making a positive impact for our Partners!
Cherry Mangat's Lender Page |
Engineering
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. |
Sam Birney
Senior Director, Engineering Sam graduated from Stanford in 1998 with a BS in Computer Science. After working as a programmer and manager in several Silicon Valley software start-ups, he became interested in microfinance and joined Grameen Foundation as Engineering Manager of the Mifos initiative. Wanting to learn more about working in the field eventually led him to work at a Microfinance Institution in Lebanon for a year. After a wonderful experience there, he returned to San Francisco in late 2010 to begin the current chapter of his career at Kiva. |
Jim Cooley
Director, Technical Operations Jim comes to Kiva after over a decade of work in technical operations and IT at several small and early stage technology companies. He is excited to be able to apply his expertise within such a wonderful organization that makes a real and meaningful contribution to the lives and well being of individuals and communities throughout the world. Jim's primary professional interest lies in scalable, highly available distributed computing systems. His other professional and educational interests include corporate information systems, rapid prototyping of computer controlled electromechanical systems, and satellite communication and data systems. As a computer systems lead at several early stage technology companies, he has designed and built several distributed server environments with 24x7 operational requirements and expectations for exponential growth in computational load. As a senior research and development engineer at a medical device company, he quickly prototyped small to medium scale electronic and electromechanical devices driven by computers and microcontrollers. During his graduate study, he designed and built communications systems for small satellites, one of which successfully launched and orbited the earth. Jim holds a patent on a graphical user interface for large data sets. He also holds an M.S. degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics and a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering, both from Stanford University. |
Amy Risch
Manager, Engineering (Core Services) Amy works on Kiva's financial reporting and reconciliation processes and has spent many years developing financial software. She worked and taught in Sri Lanka as well as a working for over a dozen years in NYC. Most recently, she worked at Barclays Global Investors developing systems for client reporting and compliance. She combines her passion for making the world better with a desire to track every penny to make sure it has the intended impact. Her non-working time goes to soccer, education and environmental issues, and skiing or playing killer scrabble with her partner and son. |
Noah Balmer
Manager, Engineering (Business Development) 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. |
Andy Kalinowitsch
Manager, Engineering (Partner Microfinance) Bio coming soon! |
Sid Khoshoo
Manager, Engineering (Lender) 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 Address Book, and Calendar teams leading both the growth of the products and the size of the teams. He was intimately involved in just about everything there. 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 and students fighting against the odds of an ofttimes broken system. |
Jen Kobayashi
Manager, Quality Assurance Jen brings both quality assurance and project management to her role at Kiva. She spent her early QA years with the ancient online giants CompuServe, AOL and Netscape. After Netscape's unfortunate demise, she found herself managing QA in the heavily regulated clinical trials software industry. To lighten things up, she left clinical trials to join the mobile & social games industry. Fate and good fortune led her to Kiva, allowing her to realize harmony in her personal and professional pursuits. She's a certified scrum master, a pretty good cook and generally speaking, likes the cut of your jib. |
Marc Dantona
Manager, IT |
Jonathan Kart
Senior 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. |
Zvi Boshernitzan
Senior Software Engineer 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. |
Gabriel Castillo
Senior Web Developer Gabriel worked 11 years as a field technician for AT&T, during which time he was involved with worker's rights and spent 5 years mobilizing and representing workers as Contractual Vice President with CWA in Oakland. After attaining a BS in Computer Science, and feeling the need for a new challenge, Gabriel left his job and backpacked across the US and Latin America for 18 months. During this time he took interest in various sustainable projects that were taking root in Central America, eventually deciding he wanted to take part in and learn more about microfinance, he applied for and was accepted to be a Kiva Fellow in Nicaragua. Gabriel's always had a passion for empowering the less fortunate, now, he's excited to pursue this passion by means of working with the Kiva engineering team and empowering Kiva's website. |
Jim Edlin
Senior Web Developer Jim joined Kiva’s web development team in 2011 after stints with a couple of web startups and 10 years as "technologist-in-residence" and business applications architect with the Tides network of nonprofits. Before that, Jim was a cofounder of several businesses, including a multimedia and web development consultancy, two personal computer software companies, and PC magazine. |
Tim Ledlie
Senior 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. |
Amit Pansare
Senior Software Engineer Amit Pansare joined Kiva on an interesting date - 08/09/10. Before joining Kiva, he has build custom Linux distributions, created and maintained some prime web properties and build a social network or two from start to finish. He loves building and improving things. And at times breaking them to make them better. His interests include music, photography, road trips, swimming, reading and philosophy. Amit graduated as an Electronics engineer and after three years got his M.S in Computer Science from University of Southern California. He is happy to be a part of Kiva team as it gets him awesome karma points and still get to do what he loves to do. |
Chris Whitten
Senior Software Engineer Chris has been programming professionally for over 12 years, building up a passion for solving real-world problems while maintaining his entrepreneurial spirit. Right before his graduation from the Univ. of Washington, he co-founded a telematics company that grew into a successful fleet services company that he sold six years later (with much help along the way from his family and friends)! With this experience under his belt, he felt challenged to do another startup in a different space and started an online interactive video company. This eventually led him to more professional settings where he worked for a few different companies and non-profits before landing on the doorstep of the good people of Yahoo for a couple years. Then realizing his calling lay elsewhere, Chris felt a strong social calling to lift up other entrepreneurs who were in need. Through much searching, this led him to Kiva and he joined in the first part of 2010. Chris now works on the Micro-finance engineering team at Kiva and couldn't be happier! |
Stev Witzel
Senior Software Engineer Stev (aka Steve) joins Kiva after a 6-year stint at IBM where he worked as Software Engineer on enterprise database and traceability systems. He holds a M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Jena, Germany. During his studies he worked for several months in Japan and China and co-founded a mobile marketing startup. Stev loves traveling, music, (analog) photography, sloths, and the outdoors. When he is not riding his bike, he is either running in the park, hiking in the redwoods, or scooting around on his Vespa. |
Van Mittal-Henkle
Senior Software Engineer Van has enjoyed tinkering with technology from an early age. Along the way he has been involved in software architecture and design in a number of startups in a variety of fields from product life cycle analysis to bioinformatics to internet retail. Before joining Kiva he spent several years at the Grameen Foundation focusing on using technology to fight poverty by implementing software for microfinance. He graduated with a BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University.
Van Mittal-Henkle's Lender Page |
Asher Feldman
Senior 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. |
Kevin O'Brien
Manager, Engineering (Internal Tools) Kevin joins Kiva to work and promote Drupal, the open-source content management system that powers more than 1% of the web. His career has included stints for Americorps, developing for SF State University, maintaining a satellite receiver and computer systems on the high seas for CMA, and even saving the desert tortoise for the SCA. He started out studying computer programming, but soon realized that International Relations would be a whole lot of fun. He's passionate about opening everything, from borders to software. When not working (a rare event) you may find him hiking in the mountains or visiting friends conveniently located in various countries around the world. |
Aswin Venkata
Software Engineer Aswin joined Kiva in Fall '10 and is a part of the Internal Tools team ( AkA ZombieChickens). He works on salesforce related stuff and loves bringing new features to it. He graduated from the University Of New Mexico ( Go LOBOS ! ) with a Masters in Computers Engineering. He used to work as a research guy at UNM and has worked on a variety of projects including the GlobalEnergyObservatory. When he is not in office, he can be found playing Computer games ( some FPS or Age Of Empires II ), trying out new programming stuff, hiking in the wild or on road trips - Some say his dreams are usually in binary format or are filled with Persian Elephants or Spanish Conquistadors. He loves outdoors and outdoor games. |
Casey Jean Yancey
Software Engineer Casey is a recently transplanted TexaNewYorker coming back to the engineering world from a three year hiatus as a one woman air mattress traveling circus show across four continents. Featured acts during this time included working the odd job in a kitchen and nursery, completing a Masters in Liberal Arts-International Studies, volunteering, swimming with sharks, and performing her favorite role as Crazy Aunt Casey. Armed with a Computer Science Degree at the University of Texas way back when Willie Nelson types still roamed Austin, she embarked as a generalist sort of J2EE engineer for over eight years. Casey moonlights as a professional appreciator-rambler and falls in love with everything, particularly having long-winded conversations with folks in foreign lands over good grub and a stiff whiskey. She thinks she is finally ready to settle down and replace her air mattress with a real bed. (No Tempur-Pedics please, they are overrated.) |
Harry Pottash
Software Engineer Harry is a philosopher-programmer who has spent the last several years traveling the country and freelancing for clients in PHP and Javascript. He rangers at burning man, rock climbs, plays and designs board games, runs, brews beer, reads copious amounts of science fiction, and actively pursues both body and mind hacks. |
Martin Butt
Senior Software Engineer Martin joined Kiva in January 2012. Born and raised in London, England, Martin has been writing software from an early age; dropping out of high school to work as a web developer at now Reuters owned Complinet. He returned to education and attainted his BSc in Computer Science from the University of Reading. He worked in a number of engineering and product management roles on high-traffic websites before his entrepreneurial spirit took him in a new direction. He owned and operated a mobile catering van, a web development and online marketing agency and a number of tech startups that utilized his homegrown geo-location platform.
Martin Butt's Lender Page |
Joshua Starkey
Quality Assurance Engineer Joshua joins the Kiva team after recently completing his Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies with a minor in Biology from Keene State College. In 2010 he relocated to San Francisco in search of a career in technology. He found the Quality Assurance Engineer role at Kiva and is happy to be working with a strong group of individuals motivated toward positive change. In his free time Joshua enjoys playing guitar, reading, riding his bike, skateboarding and being outside and active. |
Eliza Leong
Quality Assurance Engineer Eliza Leong joined Kiva's QA team in January 2012 to focus on test automation. Prior to Kiva, she worked in the software industry as programmer, consultant, tester, and team lead for both large corporations and small startups. Eliza holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Cornell University and a M.A. in Counselor Education from San Jose State. In her free time she enjoys testing new recipes and cultivating a chef's garden.
Eliza Leong's Lender Page |
Zahid Zaman
Software Engineer Born Pakistani, raised Canadian, Zahid graduated with a BEng in Software Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2008. After debating grad school in public policy, he joined the private sector leading to web and mobile development stints at London-based Barclays Capital and several NYC-based startups focused on digital media and developing world mobile innovation. After falling in love with San Francisco, he made the move to the West Coast and joined the Kiva core services engineering team in 2012. Besides work, Zahid enjoys a strong cup of coffee, biking, sustainable living and keeping his pet dog (a Havanese) out of trouble.
Zahid Zaman's Lender Page |
Cindy Ijima
Quality Assurance Engineer Cindy is excited to join Kiva, and delighted to Bring It. She's a biochemist, long-time Teutonophile, musician, bodyworker, and aerialist. Moreover, she is happy to find herself running away from the circus to join real life once again. A few of her favorite things are books, roasted hazelnuts, hot water, donuts, and lists. She is ever so pleased to have found a place to put her peculiar sensibilities to globally good use at Kiva in Software Quality Assurance.
Cindy Ijima's Lender Page |
Abhishek Bhatnagar
Software Engineer Abhishek started using Kiva as a lender in 2010, and became such a fan of the service that he moved from Toronto to San Francisco in 2012 to work with it. He comes from a background in Open Source development and has worked with projects like Firefox, SQLite and Eclipse.
Abhishek Bhatnagar's Lender PageHe strongly believes that software has a role to play in solving humanitarian problems, and as such really believe in the Kiva model. He also develops software with the Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention towards a similar ends. In his spare time, he can be found reading, hiking, building quadcopters, or yelling at the Internet. |
Jay Mallatt
Engineering Lead, Dev Ops
Jay came to systems/development operations via a somewhat circuitous route, graduating college with a B.A. in English Literature from Colorado State University and working at a central coast winery for a few years before moving to the S.F. bay area and beginning a career as a systems engineer. Jay joined Kiva in October 2012 after several years working in many roles at startups in the area. Jay is excited to be building useful tools, automating tasks, and generally helping Kiva maintain and expand a platform that improves the lives of people throughout the world.
Jay can frequently be found in the pool or on a running trail when he's not indulging other hobbies such as reading, hiking, photography, learning the ukulele, or futzing with one of the various laptops, desktops, routers, netbooks, switches, servers, mcpcs and raspberry pis that run the various OS's, distros, hypervisors, firmware, etc. that keep computing the dynamic field it is. |
Human Resources
Britt Huber
Vice President, Human Resources Britt has spent the last 15 years in HR and business management. She has worked at non-profits and for-profits, both in Switzerland and California. Prior to joining Kiva, she served as the head of HR at a Novartis site and at some biotech start-ups. A few years ago, she was the Director of HR at the Parkinson's institute. She speaks 5 languages, paints Jackson Pollock style in SF parks and loves all outdoor sports. Britt is responsible for the overall human resources strategy as Kiva grows. She sets direction on culture, talent, career development and key infrastructure needs. She's managing the HR team, which includes Christina, Rachael, and Stacey. Together, they are busy making Kiva an (even more) incredible place to work. |
Stacey Vice
Office Manager Stacey came to Kiva with a background in organizational and event management. Her breadth of experience spans many industries including hotels, feature film visual effects, film production, and hospitality and events - you name it and Stacey has probably organized it. Born and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Stacey attended the University of South Australia and also studied Tourism and Hospitality. She has always been curious about the world and experiencing as much of it as possible. Her first birthday was spent in Brazil, giving her a travel bug from an early age, and she also spent time studying abroad in both Japan and Paraguay. Now in the USA, Stacey is proud to be be part of this highly successful and motivated Kiva team. |
Rachael Caine
Internship Program Manager As Kiva's Volunteer Program Manager, Rachael is responsible for developing a highly valuable and robust internal volunteer program. Built on the dedication, creativity, and hard work of volunteers, the Program provides a platform from where volunteers can use their skills and develop new ones while helping Kiva and it's mission thrive! Rachael's road to Kiva began in Los Angeles. Leaving LA, she went to Skidmore College in upstate New York, traveled through Eastern Europe, Ghana and Ethiopia and then returned to California to work on an organic farm in Santa Barbara. From there, she ventured on to Missouri to work as help organize volunteers for the Barack Obama Campaign. When she’s not in office you can find her hiking in the Red Woods, biking in the city, playing music. Volunteer with Kiva at http://www.kiva.org/volunteer |
Christina Marie Pack
Executive Assistant Christina Marie Pack serves as the Executive Assistant to Premal Shah and Matt Flannery. She came to Kiva by way of Stanford, where she was the Executive Assistant to the Chair of the Genetics Department. Before Stanford, Christina Marie spent a number of years in Washington DC working at a political think tank and as a pastry chef. She also lived in Grouches-Luchuel, France where she learned to make croissants from scratch and taught angst filled teenagers English. She grew up in Wisconsin and picked up an International Affairs degree at Florida State. |
Amanda Urrutia
Human Resources Manager Amanda joins the Kiva team with 5 years of Human Resource experience. She most currently worked within the digital marketing space with Aegis Media. Her HR career there allowed her to live both in San Francisco and New York City while also supporting their Los Angeles offices during her tenure. Her experience spans all aspects of HR including full cycle recruitment, employee performance management, involvement with the Learning & Development department, employee relations, analytics and many other interesting aspects of the HR world. While living a total of 14 years in San Francisco, she currently resides in North Beach. On the weekends, you can usually findAmanda camping, backpacking, rock climbing, or just out enjoying this great city. She is incredibly excited to bring her experience and enthusiasm to Kiva!
Amanda Urrutia's Lender Page |
Finance
Stefanie Madrid
Director, Finance (Acting Chief Financial Officer) Stefanie serves as Kiva's Finance Director 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 Kiva's 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 her MBA from the University of San Francisco. |
Ilhama Aliyeva
Manager, Finance Ilhama brings to Kiva a passion for microfinance and development through the use of technology. She serves as Finance Manager, overseeing the financial reporting of user-related funds. Prior to joining Kiva in July of 2011, Ilhama worked for Grameen Foundation USA, a Washington-based non-profit organization, supporting the finance function of its international offices. She also spent five years at Finance for Development, a microfinance organization in Azerbaijan, where she contributed to the growth of the organization from project phase into a regulated financial institution, before moving to the US in 2007. Ilhama received her Bachelor’s degree in Finance from State Economic University of Azerbaijan, and recently completed her MBA degree at Drexel University, Pennsylvania. |
Maria Zaldivar
Staff Accountant Maria is Kiva's Staff Accountant. She joined Kiva in May 2011 and brings with her several years of nonprofit accounting experience. Before Kiva, Maria worked as an Asset Manager for a nonprofit organization in San Francisco that develops low income housing as well as provide services for at risk youth and seniors. She is responsible for maintaining Kiva's financial records, coordinating the annual audit, as well as other day to day processes that make the Kiva run smoothly. Maria graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management Economics with an emphasis in Accounting. |
Legal
Austin Choi
General Counsel Austin has served as Kiva's 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. |
Zip
Jonny Price
Program Director, Kiva Zip Jonny first came to Kiva in 2009 as a volunteer on a 5-month externship from his management consulting firm Oliver Wyman. After 6 years at Oliver Wyman, first in London and then in San Francisco, he joined Kiva full-time in September 2011, to lead the Kiva Zip pilot project. Jonny is married to Ali, who he met at Kiva, and occasionally you may glimpse them cycling their tandem to work. He graduated with a BA in History from the University of Cambridge, where he represented his college at 14 sports (although 3 of these were table football, pool and chess).
Jonny Price's Lender Page |
Akash Trivedi
Program Manager, Kiva Zip |
Daniel Jung
Program Manager, Kiva Zip Daniel is a DC native that's been working in development/finance/consulting for the last 6 years. Before officially joining Kiva, he worked with the Kiva Zip team in Nairobi, trying to develop risk management strategies and new business models to help Kiva Zip scale. Before that, he was a Kiva Fellow (KFP15 and 16). He served in South Africa with WDB and did a double placement with HOFOKAM in Uganda and Milango Microfinance in Kenya. Prior to that, he worked briefly as a green-tech market analyst and for two years on the trading desk of a carbon finance start-up.
Daniel Jung's Lender Page |
Paul Ericksen
Senior Software Engineer Paul had been working at a for-profit, NASDAQ-listed company doing supply chain management software in the food distribution sector for the 8 years prior to joining Kiva. Before that, he worked on hospital and laboratory information systems, RFID tracking of gas cylinders, jewelry, and hay as an independent contractor. Shortly after he became a lender on Kiva in July of '09 he discovered all the data the Kiva API made available, he began work on KivaLens which allows users to search based on the numbers (partner rating, delinquency, default, profitability, portfolio yield, final payment date) as well as very flexible and fast text searching. He found himself thinking about Kiva and his app while at his day job then rushing home to work on it. He eventually recognized it made more sense to just go work for Kiva directly (moving halfway across the country) -- and he's glad he did! |